Graduation Requirements

"Graduation" can refer to completing your degree requirements, participating in Commencement, and/or receiving your diploma and final transcript after your degree is conferred. Below you will find more information about each of these components of graduation, as well as steps you need to take to receive your degree.

Ensure You're On Track to Graduate

Reviewing Your Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements for undergraduates who entered Geneseo in Fall 2021 or earlier

Students who entered SUNY Geneseo in Fall 2021 or earlier must meet the following requirements to earn a baccalaureate degree from SUNY Geneseo:

1. Earn a minimum of 120 credits. A maximum of 60 credits can be transferred from two-year institutions, and a maximum of 90 credits are transferable from a four-year institution. In addition, a maximum of 10 credits in health and physical education courses (with no more than four credits in activity courses), a maximum of 8 combined credits in MUSC 160, MUSC 165, MUSC 271, DANC 265, DANC 365, and THEA 260, a maximum of 8 credits in ROTC, and a maximum of 15 credits in internships can be included within the 120 credits required for the degree. (Please also see section titled Credit Restrictions)
2. Attain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average at Geneseo.
3. Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative average in all courses in their major department applied toward completion of the major, and a 1.67 average or better in required related courses (i.e., any courses required by the major department which are outside its own academic discipline). (In addition, students seeking recommendation from the College for New York State initial certification must achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5.) Note that some majors require a cumulative average higher than a 2.0 to continue in their programs (see School of Business and School of Education). 
4. Satisfactorily complete all courses required for the major (as specified by the descriptions of majors, minors, and courses in “Academic Programs”).
5. Complete successfully the department writing requirement in the major (or first major, for students with multiple majors). Consult individual department offices for details.
6. Complete satisfactorily the requirements of the General Education Curriculum. Approved courses in each of the General Education areas are described on the GenEd website.
7. Complete satisfactorily at least 45 credits toward graduation in courses at or above the 200-level.
8. Offer toward graduation a minimum number of credits outside the major department or school, as outlined in the table below:

Department or School	Minimum Credits Required Outside Department or School
Languages and Literatures	60 credits outside major department
Music	60 credits outside major department
Musical Theatre	60 credits outside MUSC, THEA, DANCE, ARTH
Theatre	69 credits outside THEA; 60 hours outside THEA and DANC combined
Theater/English	60 credits outside THEA
School of Business	60 credits outside School of Business
School of Education	60 credits outside School of Education
Interdisciplinary Majors	Interdisciplinary majors have no outside major requirement.
All Other Majors	69 credits outside major department.

9. Complete a minimum of 30 credits in residence at Geneseo. Credit earned in Geneseo intersession, summer sessions, or in on-campus evening courses counts as residence credit.
10. Complete and submit the graduation application.

Graduation requirements for undergraduates who entered Geneseo in Fall 2022 or later

Students who entered Geneseo in Fall 2022 or later must meet the following requirements to earn a baccalaureate degree from SUNY Geneseo:

1. Earn a minimum of 120 credits. A maximum of 60 credits can be transferred from two-year institutions, and a maximum of 90 credits are transferable from a four-year institution. In addition, a maximum of 10 credits in health and physical education courses (with no more than four credits in activity courses), a maximum of 8 combined credits in MUSC 160, MUSC 165, MUSC 271, DANC 265, DANC 365, and THEA 260, a maximum of 8 credits in ROTC, and a maximum of 15 credits in internships can be included within the 120 credits required for the degree. (Please also see section titled Credit Restrictions)
2. Attain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average at Geneseo.
3. Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative average in all courses in their major department applied toward completion of the major, and a 1.67 average or better in required related courses (i.e., any courses required by the major department which are outside its own academic discipline). (In addition, students seeking recommendation from the College for New York State initial certification must achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5.) Note that some majors require a cumulative average higher than a 2.0 to continue in their programs (see School of Business and School of Education). 
4. Complete satisfactorily all courses required for the major (as specified by the descriptions of majors, minors, and courses in “Academic Programs”).
5. Complete successfully the Critical Thinking, Informational & Digital Literacy, discipline-specific practices of Written and Oral Communication, and Leadership & Collaboration requirements in the major (or first major, for students with multiple majors). Consult individual department offices for details.
6. Complete satisfactorily the requirements of the General Education Curriculum: Broad Knowledge, Intellectual and Practical Skills. Approved courses in each of the areas are described on the following website: gened.geneseo.edu
7. Complete satisfactorily at least 45 credits -toward graduation in courses at or above the 200-level, with at least 24 at the 300-499 level. 

8. Offer toward graduation a minimum number of credits outside the major department or school, as indicated in the table below:

   Department or School	Minimum Credits Required Outside Department or School
   Academic Major	Outside Major
   Accounting	60 credits outside (ACCT, ECON, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG)
   American Studies	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   Anthropology	69 credits outside ANTH
   Applied Math	69 credits outside MATH
   Applied Physics	69 credits outside PHYS
   Art History	69 credits outside ARTH
   Biochemistry	60 credits outside (BIOL, CHEM)
   Biology (BA/BS)	69 credits outside BIOL
   Biology, Adolescence Ed: Biology and General Science	69 credits outside BIOL
   Biophysics	60 credits outside (BIOL, PHYS)
   Black Studies	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   Business Admin.	60 credits outside (ACCT, ECON, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG)
   Chemistry	69 credits outside CHEM
   Chemistry (American Chemical Society accredited)	69 credits outside CHEM
   Chemistry, Adolescence Ed: Chemistry and General Science	69 credits outside CHEM
   Childhood Education & Special Education	60 credits outside (CURR, EDUC, ECED, SPED)
   Communication	69 credits outside COMN
   Comparative Literature	60 credits outside (ENGL, CMLT)
   Early Childhood & Childhood Education	60 credits outside (CURR, EDUC, ECED, SPED)
   Economics	60 credits outside (ACCT, ECON, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG)
   English	69 credits outside ENGL
   English, Adolescence Ed: English	69 credits outside ENGL
   French	69 credits outside FREN
   French, Adolescence Ed: French	69 credits outside FREN
   Geochemistry	60 credits outside (GSCI, CHEM)
   Geography	69 credits outside GEOG
   Geological Sciences	69 credits outside GSCI
   Geological Sciences, Adolescence Ed: Earth Sci and Gen Sci	69 credits outside GSCI
   Geophysics	60 credits outside (GSCI, PHYS)
   History	69 credits outside HIST
   History, Adolescence Ed: Social Studies	69 credits outside HIST
   Individualized Studies	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   International Relations	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   Mathematics (BA/BS)	69 credits outside MATH
   Mathematics, Adolescence Ed: Mathematics	69 credits outside MATH
   Music	69 credits outside MUSC
   Musical Theatre	60 credits outside (MUSC, THEA)
   Neuroscience	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   Philosophy	69 credits outside PHIL
   Physics	69 credits outside PHYS
   Physics, Adolescence Ed: Physics and Gen Science	69 credits outside PHYS
   Political Science	69 credits outside PLSC
   Psychology	69 credits outside PSYC
   Sociology	69 credits outside SOCL
   Sociomedical Sciences	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement
   Spanish	69 credits outside SPAN
   Spanish, Adolescence Ed: Spanish	69 credits outside SPAN
   Theatre	69 credits outside THEA
   Theatre & English	60 credits outside (THEA, ENGL)
   Women’s and Gender Studies	Interdisciplinary – no Outside Major requirement

9. All students must document an integrative or applied learning experience (whether within the major or outside of it—even via the co-curriculum). 
10. Complete a minimum of 30 credits in residence at Geneseo. Credit earned in Geneseo intersession, summer sessions, or in on-campus evening courses counts as residence credit.
11. Complete and submit the graduation application.

Graduation requirements for graduate students

For information about graduation requirements for master's programs, please contact the following:

School of Education: Susan Salmon, salmon@geneseo.edu

School of Business: Delbert Brown, brown@geneseo.edu

Graduate students with 24 or more institutional credits on their transcript (not DegreeWorks) are eligible to submit the graduation application.

Reviewing Your Degree Audit

• Log into Degree Works and review your progress toward degree completion. Compare it against the graduation requirements above.
  • If there is a missing requirement or a "See Advisor" label in your Degree Works audit, you should make an appointment with your academic advisor immediately to determine the issue and resolution.

Completing Your Graduation Application

• After you have completed 90 credits, submit a graduation application. Be sure to indicate on your application whether you plan to participate in the Commencement ceremonies in May.
• You must fill out a graduation application for both your undergraduate degree, and if you continue your studies at Geneseo, for your Master's degree.
• The graduation application is occasionally closed for administrative purposes. Don't attempt to apply if the system is closed; this will cause your graduation term to be incorrect.
• Only submit one application using your primary major. If you recently changed your major, minor, or concentration, wait to submit your application until the changes are visible in myGeneseo

Participate in Commencement

If you plan to take part in Commencement, be sure to indicate this on your graduation application.  For more information about Commencement, visit the Commencement website or contact the Office of Campus Scheduling & Special Events at 585-245-5500 or events@geneseo.edu.

Receiving Honors

Students who have earned the required GPA for Latin Honors and earned at least 45 credits at Geneseo by the end of the fall semester will receive an honors tassel at Commencement. There are no exceptions if a student is close. Please view the Commencement website honors page for more information about undergraduate students' graduation honors policies.

Obtaining Your Degree

Receive Your Diploma

How and when you will receive your diploma

SUNY Geneseo works with Parchment, an off-campus service that prints and sends official diplomas. Your diploma will be sent by mail (USPS) to the address listed on your graduation application. It may take up to 90 days after your degree is conferred to receive your diploma in the mail. Once your diploma has been mailed, you will receive an email to your personal email address with a tracking number and a link to a validated e-diploma for official use until your physical diploma arrives. 

If you need to make other arrangements to receive your diploma, such as an address change, you must make the request as soon as possible by emailing graduationrecords@geneseo.edu. After the diploma request is made to the vendor, you will need to work with Parchment to send your diploma elsewhere.

What's printed on your diploma

Printed on your diploma are your name, degree, Latin honors (if applicable), and official graduation date. Your major(s) and minor (if applicable) will appear on your official transcript along with your degree and honors.

Your diploma name

Students may elect to use their chosen name on their diplomas. Please ensure that your graduation application indicates your name exactly as you would like to see it on the diploma (including middle initial, if desired).

Important note: Some professional and licensing boards require the use of a legal name in the licensing process, so the use of a chosen name may delay or complicate a certification of the licensure process. It could also potentially complicate immigration or employment.

Change your diploma mailing address

If the address changes before you leave campus after commencement, email graduationrecords@geneseo.edu with:

1. Your G# (G00XXXXXX)

2. The change that needs to be made

Once your diploma has been ordered, you can't make an address change. Hopefully, you left a forwarding address with the post office, but if not, you will need to order a duplicate diploma.

If it's been a really long time and you still haven't received your diploma

You may have a hold on your account. The most common holds preventing diploma delivery are:

• Graduation Hold (GH): This hold is placed when a student's graduation date has passed, but there are outstanding requirements preventing graduation. You need to contact your academic advisor or Department Chair immediately to determine a solution.
• Parking Fine (PF): You have an outstanding parking fine on your account. Payment can be made at the Parking & Transportation Office, Schrader Hall 19, or you can pay online.  Students with outstanding parking fines when they finish their degree requirements will not be issued a diploma until the fines are paid.

If neither of these is the issue, please email graduationrecords@geneseo.edu.

Order Your Final Transcript

Your transcript is proof of completing your degree and major requirements. You can request an official transcript through the Registrar's office. If you make the request before you graduate, it's essential to indicate that you want to "hold until you have been officially graduated." Otherwise, your transcript will be missing critical information. For more information about transcripts, visit the Registrar's Office FAQ.

Clear Account Holds

If you have a hold on your student account, you will not be eligible to receive a diploma until the hold is lifted. This includes parking fine holds. Please visit the parking fines page for more information.