Once you have completed at least 10 credits in your master's degree program (or 30 credits of your doctoral degree program) with a minimum GPA of 3.0, you may apply to graduate. Registered students are sent a notice about applying to graduate each December. If you are planning to complete your degree this year, please apply to graduate when prompted to ensure timely communication on end of the year activities.
Students who are completing their degree in Winter 2025, Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Autumn 2025 are eligible to participate in commencement June 2025.
An application to graduate is required in order to confer have your degree conferred. Applying to graduate is a separate process from signing up for graduation eventscommencement activities, and those who have applied to graduate will receive follow up communications from the Office of the Registrar around commencement activities. While participation in graduation events commencement activities (Hooding and Commencement) is optional, applying to graduate is required for the School of Education to earn award your degree.
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Applying to Graduate
To apply to graduate, follow these directions.
- Log into the Banner Information System
Select the Student Menu, select the Graduation Menu, select Apply to Graduate
Expand title Student Menu View 
When requested to Select a Term, be sure to select the most current quarter of attendance, if given more than one option. (You will be asked your graduation term on the next page.) Hit submit to move on to the Curriculum Selectionpage.
Expand title Curriculum Selection Term View 
On the Curriculum Selectionpage, select the program you are earning your degree in. Most students only have ONE option. If you are enrolled in more than one program (eg: Ed.D. and DEL), you can select the appropriate degree program here. Hit continue to move on to the Graduation Date Selectionpage.
Expand title Curriculum Selection view 2 
On the Graduate Date Selectionpage, be sure to select the Graduation Date as the last quarter of attendance (not the ceremony term). Hit continue.
Expand title Graduation Date Selection view 
- From there, follow the directions on the application to select your preferred name and the name you would like on your diploma. You will then provide your mailing address for your diploma.
- You will then be able to review the information on the summary page, and click “Submit Request.”
To view your application at anytime, select the Student Menu, select Graduation Menu, and then select View Submitted Graduation Application.
ThisThis will take you to the review information summary page.
Expand title View Submitted Grad App 
Reviewing Your Degree Check
As a student, you are responsible for ensuring you are on track to graduate and have completed all course and non-credit requirements. To this end, we provide Banner degree check as a tool Banner Degree Check will allow you to track your progress toward completing your degree. A guide to degree check is located on the Banner Guides page in this wikiprogram and ensure you are completing all of the course required. In the year that you plan to graduate, it is important that you review your Banner degree check to make sure you are on track and are not missing anything. During winter quarter, the Associate Director of Graduate Programs will send out a reminder about this to all students who have applied to graduate for that calendar year. Here are the directions for reviewing your degree check.
To access degree check, please follow these directions.
- Log into Banner
- Select the Student Menu
- Select the Academic Records Menu
- Select “GR and DR Degree Status Check”
- Click the blue “admitted term” hyperlink to the right of your program of study. For example:
- Note: If the hyperlink does not populate your program, follow the prompts in the drop down menus to find the degree check appropriate to your program. Remember to select your term of admission, not the current term.
To read degree check
Degree check lists all courses required during the Catalog year of your admission. This may mean that there are some substitutions or equivalencies that need to be noted in order to complete your record. Courses in green are complete. Courses in red are not complete. Please also pay attention to the total number of outstanding credits at the bottom of your degree check, as well as substitutions and general comments that School of Education staff may have already entered on your degree check.
Some things to note
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When to contact the Associate Director
Contact the Associate Director if you notice anything missing on your degree check (like a substitution or an elective) or if you believe you have the incorrect program track listed in degree check. It is helpful to have your SPU ID number as well as what you would like reviewed.
Teacher Education Students
Students who are enrolled in a Master of Art in Teaching (via accelerated or traditional 2 year) or a Master of Teaching Math and Science program cannot earn their degrees until the certification office has verified your program completion to OSPI. This does include non-course related items such as background endorsement courses, draft professional growth plans, fingerprints, tests, etc. While uncommon, a student could have all of their coursework done but be ineligible for the degree due to the status of their certificate.
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