Graduation

In addition to the regulations outlined under the sections dealing with degree requirements in this catalog, a degree candidate must have earned at least 27 semester hours of credit from Golden Gate Seminary. All assigned work for the final semester for a prospective graduate must be completed and in the hands of the professors involved by the end of the week preceding graduation, unless the professor requires it earlier. An overall grade point average of at least 1.70 is required for graduation.  P3143 and P3144, if taken as a requirement for students who do not pass the English exam during New Student Orientation, do not apply to the degree requirements

Application

To allow adequate time for the Registrar’s Office to complete a graduation check prior to a student’s last semester, graduation applications are due on the last day of the semester preceding the student’s final semester (last day of the fall semester for spring graduation; last day of the spring semester for fall graduation). Late graduation applications and changes to processed applications are subject to a late fee.  Please refer to the Tuition and Fees Schedule for graduation expenses

ATS Standards stipulate that coursework completed more than 10 years prior to the completion of a degree will not fulfill graduation requirements. Any student wishing to appeal this policy must do so through the Student Relations Committee as soon as possible following admission, and no later than the date by which his/her graduation application is due.

Ceremony

Any student wishing to request an exception to the ceremony or other graduation policies must complete and submit the Request for an Exception to Graduation Policy form, found on the Graduation Page in MyGGBTS. 

Policy on Granting Degree Posthumously

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary occasionally experiences the tragedy of a death in its student body. In such instances the awarding of a posthumous degree may be an appropriate way to acknowledge the deceased and bring closure to a tragic situation for the family as well as for the Seminary community. If at the time of his/her death a student was a current student in good academic standing, within one year of graduation (e.g., has completed all but 24 hours needed for graduation) and the student's cause of death was not due to any unlawful activity, either the family of the deceased student or a Seminary faculty member may initiate a request for the posthumous granting of a degree by exception (i.e., waiving the uncompleted degree requirements).

A request for the granting of a degree by exception posthumously should be sent to the office of the Registrar who will confirm the student's status and forward the request to the Faculty. If a majority of the faculty votes to grant the degree the student's name will be included with those of other graduates at the next scheduled graduation ceremony, details of the degree conferral inserted into the deceased student's permanent file and the diploma delivered to the next of kin.