Related Links WSU Commencement Frequently Asked Questions

Making Plans For Graduation?

As you prepare to graduate, please review the items listed below and make sure to complete the appropriate items in the Graduation Checklist.

During Your Senior Year

This is it. Your last year! Make sure you are prepared to graduate. There are numerous obligations and deadlines required to complete your academic and financial obligations.

Early Preparations

1. Check your DARS audit report each quarter. Make an appointment with your advisor to review your transcript and the requirements for your program of study. You should make this review early in your senior year to identify and resolve problems (such as incorrectly transferred courses, incomplete requirements, and non-applicable electives) as they appear.
2. Maintain an updated Program of Study in your Department.
3. PRIOR to registration for your final quarter, make an appointment with your academic advisor for a graduation check to make sure all requirements have been met.
4. If you are eligible, begin your honors project. Check with your academic advisor for specific requirements. Complete the Fulfillment of Departmental Honors Requirements form.
5. Interested students should contact Assistant Dean Dick Rathbun in 405 Russ beginning in September to obtain an application packet to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination. The FE Exam is given in April each year. Students who are interested may register and take the FE Exam in preparation for becoming licensed as a Professional Engineer. Only students six months before graduating are eligible to take the test while still in school with a required "dean's statement." The mailing deadline for submitting an application is in December in order to take the FE Exam in April. An FE preparation course, EGR 448, is offered to students during Winter Quarter each year.
6. Students seeking employment should check-in with the Office of Career Services for help with resumes, on-line resume posting services, and to view current employment opportunities on the Wright Search.
7. Students seeking graduate admission must apply to the School of Graduate Studies before they may register for graduate credit. Application and information can be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies office in E344 Student Union. Applications for admission and all supporting credentials should be received at least four weeks before registration for the quarter in which the student wishes to begin graduate study.
8. Complete the Application for Degree form and submit it to the Registrar's Office by the appropriate deadline. Note: The deadline for degree application falls two quarters prior to your anticipated graduation date. Failure to file for a degree will prevent you from graduating even if you have satisfied all other graduation requirements. The Degree Application Deadline for August Graduation is May 25. The Degree Application Deadline for November Graduation is August 21. The Degree Application Deadline for March is December 7. August and November graduates are invited to attend the November Commencement. March and June graduates are invited to attend the June Commencement.

The Quarter of Your Graduation

1. Approximately seven weeks before commencement, each eligible student who has applied for graduation will receive a letter containing brief information about the upcoming ceremony. Included with the letter is a yellow participation card that must be completed and returned to the Office of Event Services by a specific date. Those students completing the card and returning it by the specified date will receive a second letter with more specific details approximately three weeks before the ceremony. For more information, visit the Office of Event Services website at http://www.wright.edu/ commencement/faq.html.
2. If you have a departmental honors project, complete the project and evaluation.
3. Arrange and have an Exit Interview with the department chair, and complete the departmental and university Exit Surveys.
4. Complete the on-line Graduation Survey Letter from the Dean. A congratulatory letter from the dean and a link to the survey will be sent to you by email during the last week of your final quarter.
5. Participate in the Order of the Engineer ceremony.
6. Participate in the Commencement.

Graduation Checklist

1. Review and verify completion of all degree requirements with your department and adviser.
2. Apply for graduation at the Office of the Registrar, E244 Student Union by the published deadline. Deadlines and additional information can be found at http://www. wright.edu/registrar/graduation_info.html
3. Verify your address in Wing's Express or at the Registrar's Office at least 10 weeks before graduation to ensure receipt of time-sensitive commencement and degree information and in order to receive your diploma. Your diploma will be mailed to the address provided to the Registrar's Office approximately 6-8 weeks after graduation.
4. Clear your academic record. Previous incomplete grades must be converted to satisfactory letter grades before you can graduate. Incompletes received in your final term will prevent you from graduating.
5. Satisfy all financial obligations (fines, tickets, fees, etc.) with the Office of the Bursar, E236 Student Union. Outstanding debt will delay release of your diploma and transcript.
6. Visit the Office of Career Services for help writing your resume and to consult other career-related materials. Register with the Wright Search, attend a CECS Recruiting Day sponsored by Career Services, and make full use of the career resource library available to all students.
7. Degree candidates are invited to stop by and make arrangements for all their graduation needs including academic regalia and graduation announcements at the University Bookstore (E182 Student Union, (937) 775-5600). Undergraduate students graduating with an engineering degree should purchase orange tassels and students graduating with a degree in computer science should purchase yellow tassels.  Students graduating with a Master's degree should purchase black tassels. The bookstore also sells graduation announcements and college rings.
8. Consider taking the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and participating in the Order of the Engineer Ceremony.
9. Consider joining the WSU Alumni Association.

Should your plans change and you no longer will graduate in the term you applied, notify the Registrar's Office and your deparment office immediately. Graduation applications do not carry forward, so you must reapply for your degree in the term you plan to graduate.