At LCCW, we are all part of the same team. Our goal is to prepare you for a successful career, and our work prioritizes accuracy, consistency, and integrity to ensure that your education and its record is sound.
Please note the following definitions:
Commencement is a ceremony, held twice annually at LCCW in June and December, that honors graduating students who can invite their friends and family to support and celebrate their accomplishments. Students may be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony prior to completing all of their graduation requirements.
Graduation is the process by which the student’s degree is conferred, following the completion of all academic and clinical requirements for the degree. Students can graduate at the end of every quarter. The Registrar’s Office evaluates student progress and verifies that all degree requirements have been completed before conferring the degree and ordering the diploma. Participation in the Commencement ceremony does not award a degree.
A degree is an academic rank conferred by a college or university after examination or after completion of a course of study, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary. It is the official summary of all academic (and other) requirements necessary to show mastery of the information presented to a student, and is summarized with a degree conferral date on an Official Transcript.
- Other information present at the end of a transcript includes the cumulative credits and hours of study, as well as the cumulative GPA, which determines what Latin honors may be awarded to a graduate.
- The Official Transcript should be regarded as the official documentation of a student’s degree; it must be signed by a school official (usually the Registrar, or sometimes the Provost or head of academics) to certify its authenticity and correctness
A diploma is a ceremonial document outlining the title of the degree awarded and includes the graduate’s name, degree conferral date, and the titles and signatures of school officials certifying the degree of the graduate. The diploma is not an official document.
As noted in our College Catalog, the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) from LCCW is conferred upon those students who have:
- Attained the age of 21;
- Are of good moral character;
- Spent at least the final academic year in attendance as a matriculated student and completed at least the last 25% of the total credits required for the Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Life Chiropractic College West;
- Successfully completed all the required courses of the college curriculum with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average;
- Fulfilled the clinical requirements as stated in the Health Center Manual;
- Met all financial and other obligations to the college;
- Been recommended for graduation by the Office of Academic Affairs and faculty of the college.
The process for degree conferral, the sending of licensing materials, and the distribution of diplomas from Registrar’s Office is outlined as follows:
- Once students have completed their academic and clinic requirements, the Registrar’s Office must wait to receive students’ checkout forms from the Health Center.
- Our office will then conduct a final review of the student’s degree audit to ensure they have met all academic requirements for the program.
- After degree audits have been completed, we proceed with degree conferral and begin the licensing process. Our office produces the final official transcript required for the student’’s licensing application free of charge.
- Once licensing materials have been sent from our office to the appropriate board, the remaining processing time is the responsibility of the USPS and licensing boards. We cannot speak to the individual processes and timelines of the chiropractic boards, and suggest that graduates stay in close contact with their chosen board for updates.
Additionally, please note:
- We generally receive checkout forms from the Health Center during the break week. However, if a student has requested an extension to complete requirements in the Health Center, their graduation cannot be processed until they have completed all their clinical requirements and the checkout form is received by our office.
- It is essential that all final grades are published before we can perform a degree audit. The faculty are given until the Sunday after finals week to submit all grades. If final grades are not submitted on time, we cannot proceed with degree audits and conferrals.
- Often, the timing of the submission of final grades and receipt of check-out forms means that we cannot proceed with final degree audits for anyone until the second week of the break/first week of the new quarter.
- Please keep in mind that licensing for each member of the graduating class requires individualized letters and additional forms, so it takes time to complete everyone’s licensing materials. It is not an automated process, because each person’s degree must be certified individually, and each transcript must be produced and signed individually.
- For California licensing: we currently have one point of contact for the state board for California, and there seems to be one person processing applications for licensing. To reduce the burden on that person, we try to send materials for all California applicants in one submission. We cannot speak to their processing time and priorities; again, we ask that students stay in contact with their chosen state board for updates.
- The 3-week breaks between quarters coincide with holidays, and our office generally would like to have time away from work for these celebrations. Our office may be closed for up to 4 days during a 3-week break, but processing of degree audits and diplomas resumes immediately upon our re-opening.
- During all of the breaks, we are preparing for the start of the upcoming quarter and have many obligations not only to new incoming students, but we are also inundated with requests for registration and grade changes for returning students. Further, we perform ongoing work in the complex scheduling process for the next quarter after the one beginning immediately after the break. Finally, we continually provide service to the returning and incoming student body, as well as all of our alumni, faculty, and other administrative staff and offices on campus. There are many requests made of us, and we do our best to respond to each with consistency and accuracy.
For other questions related to graduation and licensing, please reach out to our office: Registrar@lifewest.edu
