Graduation Information

Graduation is NOT automatic upon completion of your degree requirements!

Degree Requirements

Here is a diagram that provides an overview of the major milestones in the life of a Master’s student. 

Here are the grade requirements for all graduate students.

Please see the Doctoral Programs page for doctoral graduation requirements.

Do I need to apply for graduation?

Graduation is not automatic upon completion of your degree requirements. Master’s and doctoral students must declare their intention to graduate by filing an Application for Graduation with an Advanced Degree. This application is necessary for both issuing the degree and attending the commencement ceremony.

The application for graduation is a two step process. Students must apply through my.SDSU by selecting the application for graduation option under the Academic Records tile. As students proceed through the application process, they will be prompted to pay a one-time non-refundable application fee.  After the application fee has been paid, students must navigate back into their application to formally submit the application. For a comprehensive guide to apply for graduation, please reference the Application for Graduation in my.SDSU guide.

The application is due 3-6 months before the official diploma date and must be done through your my.SDSU account. Graduation application deadlines are posted in the Academic Calendar and the Graduate Studies web site. A registration hold may prevent you from applying to graduate. For more information on registration holds, check your “Tasks” tile in your my.SDSU account or the Registrar's Office website on how to resolve it: https://registrar.sdsu.edu/students/registration/registration_holds 

If you have missed the deadline for graduation applications, contact the Graduate Studies office at [email protected] to determine whether it is possible to petition for a late application.

You may select to have your primary, preferred, or former name on file appear on your diploma. You will be asked to make this selection when completing the graduation application. Otherwise, your current primary name on record will appear on your diploma. Be advised that in some situations your diploma may be considered an official document and the name appearing on your diploma may need to match other legal documents you possess. If you wish to change your primary name or select a preferred first name, visit the Office of the Registrar's Name & Gender Change Procedures web page.
 
If your name has special characters such as an accent mark, please email [email protected] so we can ensure the special characters are represented on your diploma.
 

Advanced Certificate students do not file the "Application for Graduation with an Advanced Degree” form, and Advanced Certificates are not automatically issued upon completion of the course requirements. Instead, Advanced Certificate graduation processing is initiated through a “Notification of Completion of Advanced Certificate Program” form. This form can be submitted by the advisor, or by the student (from within the Academic Records tile in my.SDSU). If the student initiates the form, it will be routed to the advisor for approval. Certificate award processing does not begin until the certificate’s Graduate Advisor approves this form. 

The "Notification of Completion of Advanced Certificate Program” form should be filed by the graduate advisor immediately after grades are reported in the final certificate course(s). The certificate award date is based on the following schedule:

Date "Notification of Completion ...” form is approved by the graduate advisor

Certificate award date

On or before last day of the semester in which the final certificate courses are graded

Semester in which coursework was completed

Within 15 business days after end of term

Semester in which coursework was completed

In the following semester, after 15 business days

End of semester in which the form is approved

Later submissions, if the student is still Active

End of semester in which the form is approved

If the student is no longer Active. (Student completed a different degree, was discontinued, or was disqualified.)

Certificate cannot be awarded

Credential students do not file the "Application for Graduation with an Advanced Degree” form. Credentials are issued by the state of California upon recommendation from SDSU’s credentialing staff and advisors. For more information, contact your credential advisor or the College of Education’s Office for Student Success.

1) Upon awarding (official posting) a student's degree (confirmed via the unofficial transcripts) students may email their Form A and B to Graduate Studies ([email protected]).  Do not email your Form A and B until your degree has been awarded. 
 
NOTE: Graduate Studies will forward completed forms directly to the Board of Behavioral Sciences and will not be sending copies to students. Processing of forms may take 4-6 weeks.
 
2) Order official transcripts with the Office of the Registrar:

  1. Log on to my.SDSU
  2. Select Academic Records, then Request Official Transcript
  3. Select certified electronic PDF version
  4. Complete required information.  Indicate electronic transcripts to be emailed to: [email protected]
  5. Make payment
  6. Submit request

3) Students mail their completed package to BBS (excluding Form A, Form B, and official transcripts).

Finals are over. Now what?

Commencement ceremonies are held each year at the end of the spring semester for students completing degrees in the spring and summer terms, or the fall of the previous calendar year. Students who wish to participate in commencement must apply to graduate. Master’s, doctoral and EdS students from across campus will be celebrated in dedicated ceremonies that are separate from the undergraduate-oriented events. Some departments, schools, and individual degree programs hold additional events for graduates at the end of the semester.
 
Details regarding the campus-wide commencement events are mailed to students in March, and are available on the commencement website.  Printable online commencement programs will be available to all attendees. Please note that changes made to your my.SDSU account after applying for graduation (including the chosen first name) may not be reflected in the commencement program.
 
In order to participate in the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies, you must meet the following requirements:
  • Completed your graduate degree in Fall 2024, or have applied to complete your degree in Spring or Summer 2025.
  • Complete the Commencement registration through MarchingOrder. Registration is open beginning March 10, 2025 and closes April 13, 2025.
  • All participants in commencement ceremonies will wear full academic regalia. All master's degree candidates will wear black tassels, doctoral candidates will wear gold tassels. Regalia may be purchased online or at the SDSU Bookstore.

Candidates who graduated in Fall 2024 or applied for Spring/Summer 2025 graduation by the February 3, 2025 application deadline may claim guest admission tickets. To learn more about guest tickets, please visit the Commencement 2025 website. 

If you have questions about the Commencement ceremony attendance, please reach out to your academic college commencement coordinator. 

Degree information will appear on the unofficial transcript approximately 6-8 weeks from the diploma date (see the Graduation Deadlines flyer on the homepage for specific dates). Students can view their unofficial transcripts and order official transcripts through the Academic Tile in my.SDSU.

Diplomas are mailed out 10-12 weeks after the date of graduation. It is the student's responsibility to provide the correct address through their my.SDSU.

Effective Fall 2020, students that would like to have their chosen first name printed on their diploma must do so at the time they apply for graduation. If the chosen first name is updated by the Registrar's Office after submitting the application, the student must notify the Graduate Studies Office immediately. By selecting to have your chosen first name print on your diploma, you are acknowledging that your transcripts and diploma name will not match, but you can order a new diploma with your legal name using the Online Diploma Service.

**NOTE: You have multiple addresses on file with the University. Please log into my.SDSU under the Profile tile and verify that all of your addresses are current. Graduate Studies will use your diploma address to mail your diploma once your degree has been awarded.

The following Online Diploma Service is available through our official diploma vendor, the Michael Sutter Company.

  • Order a replacement diploma - Order your diploma easily online. You will be able to choose Standard Delivery or Express Overnight Delivery. There is a $20.00 charge for each Diploma Replacement. Your Diploma will be printed and mailed within 1-2 days of receiving your payment.
  • Order an Official SDSU eDiploma - Your SDSU eDiploma is a Signed and Certified PDF of your original paper diploma used for easy degree verification purposes. The SDSU eDiploma is a one-time charge of $20.00. You will receive your eDiploma within minutes of submitting your payment. You can then share your eDiploma as often as you need. (An e-diploma cannot be released until your original diploma has been issued by Graduate Studies).
  • Diploma Status - Search the status of your diploma order whether it is your new diploma or replacement diploma.

To place an order, visit https://www.michaelsutter.com/sdsug/ and click on "Submit a Diploma Request". You will be prompted to enter in as much information as possible and then click "Submit My Diploma Request". Further instructions will be sent to you via email within 3-5 business days. 

What if...

You may confirm your intended graduation date through my.SDSU using the following navigation:

  • my.SDSU home page > Academic Records > SDSU Grad Studies Data

After applying to graduate, a student may realize that they will not be able to complete graduation requirements before the end of that semester. In this case, they may submit a Graduation Cancellation Request. This request moves the graduation application to a future academic term. The registration hold that is associated with the graduation application will be released after the request is approved and processed.

If you are having difficulties accessing the Graduation Cancellation Request through my.SDSU, please contact the College of Graduate Studies at [email protected] to request a pdf version of this form.

Once the Graduation Cancellation Request has been processed, you will receive confirmation through your SDSU student email. To confirm your intended graduation date through my.SDSU, use the following navigation:

  • my.SDSU home page > Academic Records > SDSU Grad Studies Data

Please note: If a student maintains their active student status (through course enrollment or by filing a Leave of Absence), an evaluation will continue to be conducted until the student is eligible to graduate. If a student is not actively making progress towards their degree and has not maintained their active student status, the College of Graduate Studies will automatically conduct a degree evaluation for 3 additional terms after the original graduation application date.

Students who have applied for a Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025 graduation by the appropriate deadlines are eligible to participate in the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies, but not required to participate. Attendance at SDSU’s annual Commencement ceremony in May is optional. However, all students completing a Master’s or Doctoral degree must file the Application for Graduation with an Advanced Degree.

This application is available during the filing period using the following navigation:

  • my.SDSU home page > Academic Records

This application has a required one-time graduation application fee. Students will not be reviewed for graduation unless they submit the Application for Graduation and pay the graduation application fee.

As referenced in the “Commencement Ceremony” section (under “Finals are over. Now what?”), students who graduated in Fall 2024 or applied for Spring/Summer 2025 graduation by the appropriate application deadline are eligible for Spring 2024 Commencement. Similarly, students who graduate in Fall 2025 or apply for a Spring/Summer 2026 degree are eligible to participate in Spring 2026 Commencement. Due to the complexities of organizing commencement ceremonies campus-wide and across academic colleges, exceptions to attend a different year’s commencement ceremony are not possible.

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