The 124 credits required for the bachelor’s degree must be completed in not more than nine semesters or equivalent, except that additional time may be allowed in unusual cases by vote of the Board of Review.
Residence at Whitman College is required of all degree candidates during the last two semesters immediately prior to completion of degree requirements. A student who has on record no fewer than 116 acceptable credits and who has met the minimum residence and the credit requirements may be allowed to complete the remaining credits for the degree requirement at another institution under the following provisions: 1) such work, within the maximum of eight credits, must be approved in advance by the student’s major advisor and a record of the proposed work must be filed with the Registrar; and 2) the work must be completed in the interim between the student’s last residence in the college and the date for the awarding of degrees in the following fall.
Degrees are awarded at the commencement ceremony in May and on specified dates in September and December. A degree may not be conferred in absentia at commencement except by special action of the Board of Review taken in response to a petition showing satisfactory reasons for the candidate’s inability to take the degree in person. A student who has met the residence requirements and who has successfully completed at least 116 credits toward graduation may participate in commencement, though a degree will not be conferred until all the requirements for graduation are met.