Diplomas
Diplomas are not given out at the commencement ceremony but are mailed six to eight weeks after the close of the quarter to the diploma address you indicated on your degree application.
Your diploma will be mailed to the address you posted on your degree application. Changing a mailing or permanent address does NOT change the diploma address. If your diploma mailing address has changed, please update your diploma mailing address by telephone at 360-650-3985, in person at the Registrar’s Office, or via the Web4U Address Change Form.
The name that appears on your diploma is the name you indicated at the time of degree application. A change of your official name with the University does not change your name on your diploma. If you have a degree application on file in the Registrar’s Office and wish to change the name on your diploma, you must contact Degree Evaluation at 360-650-3985 or by email prior to the end of your graduation quarter.
Diplomas are inscribed with the college, degree title, your name, date of award (always the last Friday of the quarter), and academic honor (if applicable). Majors and minors do not appear on your diploma; they are part of the degree posting on your official transcript.
For in-person commencement ceremonies, diploma covers are included with the cap/gown purchase and distributed at the in-person ceremony. If you do not plan to attend an in-person commencement, you can purchase a cover from the WWU Alumni Association at the Western City Center (the Herald Building at 1155 N. State Street, 360-650-3353).
Certificates of Achievement are awarded for the following programs: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Geographic Information Science, Web Content Developer, Web Programmer, and e-Commerce Developer.
Please note, WWU does not issue Teaching Certificates. These are issued by the state. You can find more information about the process through the Woodring College of Education Certification Office.
Certificate of Achievement applications and replacement forms can be found under the Student Resources tab on this website.
If you have further questions, you can email or call 360-650-3701.
Western issues one diploma for each type of degree awarded.
Type of Degrees
Western’s undergraduate and graduate programs lead to the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, Master in Teaching, Master of Science, Master of Professional Accounting and Clinical Doctorate.
Baccalaureate Degrees with Two Majors
Students with two majors that would result in the same type of degree (for example, a bachelor of arts in English and a bachelor of arts in business) will receive one degree and one diploma. Since the diploma indicates the college awarding the degree, students must choose the college they prefer. In this example, the student must choose between a bachelor of arts from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences or a bachelor of arts from the College of Business and Economics. Majors are not printed on the diploma but are listed on the transcript once the student graduates
More than One Baccalaureate Degree
A student may earn from Western only one of each type of degree offered (BA, BS, BAE, BFA, BMus, BSN).
If you have two majors that would result in two different types of degrees, for example a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Business and Economics and a Bachelor of Science from the College of Science and Engineering, you will receive two diplomas – one for the BA and one for the BS.
While majors and minors are not listed on diplomas, they are listed on your transcripts. If you need to show an employer that you had two majors at Western, you can do so by showing them your transcripts. More information about transcripts can be found at the following link: http://www.wwu.edu/registrar/transcripts/index.shtml
Replacement or Duplicate Diplomas
You may order a replacement diploma for $45 by filling out the Diploma Replacement Form.
NOTE: Replacement diplomas will bear the signatures of the current University President, Provost, Dean and Trustee and have the words "Replacing the original document issued by Western Washington University" printed at the bottom.
Paying for your replacement diploma:
- You may mail in a check for $45 made out to WWU with your Diploma Replacement Form.
- You may pay the $45 online with a credit card (there is a 2.75% charge when using a credit card making the total $46.24). To do this, please email your completed and signed Diploma Replacement Form to Heather.Christianson@wwu.edu. Your account will be billed and you will be sent an email about paying online.
Obtaining an Apostille
Definition: An apostille (pronounced "uh-pos-till") is a stamp or seal verifying the authenticity of an official document. Only 50 countries recognize an apostille so please research if the receiving country is part of the 1961 Hauge Convention. In the U.S., apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State for the state in which the document was issued.
To obtain an apostille for your WWU diploma, you must:
- Verify your document needs an apostille by ensuring the receiving country was part of the 1961 Hague Convention – if not, you may need a Certificate of Authenticity (also issued by the WA Secretary of State's Office) or you may need a notarized document.
- If your original diploma has left our office, you will need to order a replacement diploma. We will contact you if there are any questions about your order. Once the order is placed and the payment is complete, we will send your diploma to the address provided.
- You will need to get the diploma to the WA Secretary of State’s office for the apostille. For information on obtaining an apostille, please visit the WA Secretary of State's website on apostilles.
Who Should I Contact About Diplomas?
Heather Christianson | Program Support Supervisor II - Commencement, Diplomas
Email: Heather.Christianson@wwu.edu | Phone: (360) 650-2079