Awarding Degrees Posthumously

Delta State University may confer degrees posthumously upon students who are deceased prior to completing degree requirements.

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For a degree to be awarded posthumously, the student must have successfully completed all degree requirements, or be within 15 hours of degree completion, at the end of the last semester of enrollment.

The posthumous conferral of a degree can be requested by either the department in which the student was a major or by the student’s family. If a request for the degree comes from the major department, the Department or Division Chair will first consult with the student’s family to see if the request is acceptable before the approval process begins.

All requests must first be approved by the major department and then forwarded to the appropriate Dean. Final approval will be made by the Provost, followed by the University President. Once final approval has been made, the degree will be provided to the family.

The degree will be posted on the permanent record as a transcript comment.

Responsible Office and/or Policy Owner: Office of Academic Affairs

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Active

Change/Review/Approval Date:

Academic Council Approval:  06/23/2016
Cabinet Approval: 08/08/2016