11.08.99.Z1

Approved December 11, 2002
Supplements System Policy 11.08

1. CRITEREIA FOR AWARDING POSTHUMOUS DEGREES

The Texas A&M; University System Health Science Center and its academic components may award a graduate or undergraduate degree posthumously when a student has substantially completed all requirements for the degree and was in good academic and citizenship standing at the time of death. For a posthumous degree to be awarded, one of the following circumstances must have occurred:

1.1   The student had completed all academic requirements for the degree, but the student died prior to certification of degree completion.

1.2   The student had been enrolled in courses that, upon successful completion, would have culminated in the awarding of the degree within 6 months. Guidelines for specific degrees are as follows:

        1.2.1 Bachelor's Degrees

1.  
   1.  
      1. The student must have been enrolled in one of the components of the Health Science Center in the semester in which the degree would have been conferred. In the case of summer graduation, enrollment in the first summer term would meet this requirement. If the student lacked only one summer term to complete his/her degree but was not enrolled during the first term, anticipated enrollment during the second term would be taken as fulfilling the enrollment requirement.
      2. The student's grade point average must be a minimum of a two on a four point scale.
      3. The degree must be recommended by the student's major department and the college Dean.

        1.2.2 Master's Degrees

1.  
   1.  
      1. Enrollment requirements are the same as for the bachelor's degree unless the student was writing a thesis or has an internship or practicum to complete at the conclusion of all coursework.
      2. If the student was writing a thesis, all course work must have been completed with passing grades. Substantial progress toward the completion of the thesis should have been made.
      3. In the case of a culminating practicum or internship, the student must be enrolled in the practicum or internship or in the last semester of coursework preceding the practicum or internship.
      4. The student must have a grade point average of three on a four-point scale for his/her graduate work.
      5. The degree must be recommended by the student's department head, college Dean, and, where appropriate, the graduate Dean.

        1.2.3 Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D. or D. PH.)

1.  
   1.  
      1. All course work (not counting dissertation credits) and qualifying examinations should have been satisfactorily completed.
      2. Substantial progress should have been made toward the completion of the dissertation (or other capstone requirement).
      3. There should be a reasonable expectation that the degree would have been conferred in the near future.
      4. The degree must be recommended by the student's doctoral committee, head of the major department (in cases where the degree is located within a department), the graduate Dean (or similar academic officer in school or college), and the college Dean.

        1.2.4 Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Dental Surgery Degrees

1.  
   1.  
      1. The student must have satisfactorily completed all coursework or be enrolled in the last semester or last three months of work prior to the graduation date.
      2. The degree must be recommended by the respective faculty committee and the college Dean.

1.3    The student was in the final year of his or her studies and was representing the Health Science Center in an institutional-sponsored activity at the time of death.

2.  PROCEDURES

2.1   The Dean of the college or school in which the student was pursuing the degree at the time of death is responsible for ensuring that the procedures below are followed.

2.2   Any exceptions to the rule or procedure on awarding of degrees posthumously must be approved by the President.

2.3   The chair of the department in which the student was pursuing the degree (or the chair of the college’s committee in charge of student advancement in college-wide degrees) is responsible for reviewing the student's academic record and consulting with the student's professors or, if applicable, the student's doctoral committee. This responsible official shall forward his/her written recommendation, along with the academic record, to the Dean of the college. Any recommendations provided by the student's professors or doctoral committee (or related faculty committee in the case of Baylor College of Dentistry and the College of Medicine) shall also be forwarded to the Dean.

2.4  For professional degrees offered by a component of the Health Science Center, the Dean of the college will review the materials and decide whether or not to include the individual on the list of degree recipients.

2.5   For research degrees offered by the Health Science Center, the Dean of the college shall review the recommendations and forward his/her own written recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or other Health Science Center graduate academic officer, as appropriate).

2.6   The Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the materials and decide whether or not to include the individual on the list of degree recipients.

2.7   Customarily, degrees awarded posthumously will be noted on the commencement program and a member of the deceased student's family will be permitted to participate, upon approval, in the commencement in which the deceased student would have been eligible to participate. The student's diploma will be mailed to the person legally authorized to manage the deceased student's affairs.

OFFICE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Vice President for Academic Affairs