Boston University Allowing Deceased Students To Receive Posthumous Degrees
As of this fall, Boston University will begin allowing deceased students to receive posthumous degrees. Officials at the institution have instated a policy to issue degrees to students who pass away before graduation.
While the policy was released on June 12, an official announcement was never made and BU spokesperson Colin Riley says it was not in response or related to the current coronavirus pandemic. Riley shares, “There were proposals to formalize this, sadly, when a student passes away, particularly if they’ve been here years. It’s unfortunate timing. People may misconstrue.”
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Eligibility for a posthumous degree requires for an undergraduate student have been in good academic standing and within one semester of completing their coursework. Criteria also states that the student must have been “likely” to pass their courses with “acceptable” grades. For a graduate student, they must have completed all academic requirements, with an exception of their thesis or dissertation, which must be “near completion.”
Additionally, for those students who do not meet the criteria, a Certificate of Academic Achievement may be issued instead — so long as the student “made some progress” toward a degree or “achieved particular distinction” during their tenure at the school.
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