7.5.4 Awarding a Degree Posthumously
(Approved April 30, 2014) (Amended May 18, 2022)
The Academic Council may nominate a student for, and the President confer, a degree posthumously. Requests for a posthumous degree may be made by family members or other interested party of the deceased student. Requests must be routed through the student’s department and be endorsed by the Department Chair. The Academic Council may nominate the student for a degree, if at the time of death:
- The student was enrolled at NPS and in good standing; and
- The Academic Council determines that recognition of the student’s accomplishments by the award of a degree is warranted based on graduate work completed and other circumstances pertinent to the request.
Final approval of the request for a posthumous degree rests with the President. Upon approval by the President the student’s official transcript will be annotated with the degree conferred and that the degree was awarded posthumously. The Diploma for the degree will not include any special notation.
Should a request for a posthumous degree be disapproved, a certificate of attendance or other appropriate recognition of the student’s time at NPS may be presented to the student’s family.