Let's talk about graduates.

I always find true love during those awesome sunset days.

But let's talk about graduates. Which of the following sentences do you think are problematic?

1. Our new employee was graduated from Newberry College.
2. Our new employee graduated from Newberry College.
3. Our new employee graduated Newberry College.
4. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in finance.
5. She earned a bachelors degree in business administration and a masters degree in finance.

Let’s begin with a discussion of the verb to graduate.
Most dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition) and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th edition) agree that sentences 1 and 2 both reflect standard usage. In the 19th century, the preferred use was the transitive passive form (1). Since then, the intransitive sense (2) has become widely used and as a result, has long been considered acceptable, if not preferable.

Many people would consider sentence 3 problematic.
Webster’s claims that such usage is standard but points out that it is the least common of the three forms.
The American Heritage Dictionary, however, considers this usage substandard, noting that 77 percent of its usage panel finds the transitive active use of to graduate unacceptable.

Sometimes the best choice in word usage depends upon the meaning the writer intends. In the present case, if we want to place emphasis on the institution conferring the degrees rather than on the students who earned them, then it would be better to say,
“Three hundred students were graduated from Newberry College in the spring” or “Newberry College graduated three hundred students in the spring.”

Consider that the verb to graduate can mean either “to earn a degree” or “to confer a degree,” and then decide which use is more appropriate in your sentence.

All dictionaries agree that when we write the names of academic degrees, we use the possessive forms because these words refer to the person who is at a certain level of training.

In the middle ages, a bachelor was a young knight-in-training. The bachelor’s degree became the name of the lowest degree a college or university can award; a master was someone recognized in the guild system as having the highest level of expertise in a particular craft, above the apprentice and the journeyman. We now have the master’s degree- the next level of college degree above the bachelor’s but the lowest of the advanced degrees. Sentence 4 is thus correct, and sentence 5 is unacceptable.

2 final points:
1. We do not capitalize such terms as bachelor of arts, bachelor's degree, master of arts, master's degree, and doctorate; however, we do of course use capitals in their abbreviated forms: BA, MA, PhD (notice that PERIODS are NOT used).

2. We do not capitalize the names of academic subjects, subject areas, disciplines, or career fields. If such names are or contain words that are proper nouns or proper adjectives, then those particular words are capitalized- English, for example, or French history.

TRY IT OUT!
Rate the usage of the verb to graduate as most acceptable, acceptable, or least acceptable:
1. Ana Sofia graduated Columbia College last Saturday and will pursue a master’s degree in physics in the fall.

2. Sally graduated from Columbia College last Saturday and will pursue a master’s degree in physics in the fall.

3. Omar was graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in both French history and English.

ANSWERS
1. Ana Sofia graduated Columbia College last Saturday and will pursue her master’s degree in the fall. [least acceptable if not totally unacceptable]

2. Sally graduated from Columbia College last Saturday and will pursue her master’s degree in the fall. [most acceptable]

3. Omar was graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in both French history and English. [acceptable]

Note that the possessive case, master’s and bachelor’s is correct in all 3 sentences.