Graduation Requirements
Academic Requirements
To qualify for a master’s degree conferred by Northeastern Seminary, the candidate must present the following:
- The minimum credit hours required for the program
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7
- Submission of the completed application for degree to academic services no later than October 1 prior to the May Commencement
Commencement Participation
The Seminary holds one commencement ceremony per year, in May. To participate in the May Commencement ceremony, a student must have achieved the required 2.7 grade point average by the end of the fall semester preceding the spring Commencement. Students must be within six semester hours of full degree completion at the end of the spring semester, and there must be a reasonable plan for completing those hours by the end of the summer semester. Students completing degree requirements in a fall semester will participate in the following May's commencement ceremony. Degrees are not conferred until all requirements have been completed. The Seminary confers degrees three times per year: on the last Saturday in May, the last Saturday in August, and the last Saturday in December. A student's degree will be posted on the first conferral date occurring after the completion of all degree requirements.
Students have only one opportunity to participate in Commencement ceremonies. If a student is eligible to participate in a given Commencement, they must participate in that Commencement.
Diplomas are not issued until all academic requirements and financial obligations have been fulfilled. Once a degree has been conferred, the academic transcript and GPA are frozen. Subsequent coursework and grades will be applied to a new transcript. Any requests for updates or changes to the first transcript (such as grade changes) will be denied.
Residence Requirements
At least one-third of the credits for a degree must be taken at Northeastern Seminary (i.e., 26 credits for the M.Div., 15 for the M.A.). The last nine credits toward the degree must be taken through Northeastern Seminary coursework. Credits may be taken in Rochester, at an extension site, online, or through directed study.