Program Overview

Master's Degree Requirements

The Master's degree programs at the university have specific requirements that students must meet to graduate. These requirements are determined by the faculty in each master's degree program and may include eligibility standards beyond the minimum for admission to the Graduate School.

Admission

To be admitted to a master's degree program, students must meet the minimum requirements set by the Graduate School. Additionally, individual programs may have their own eligibility standards, which are determined by the faculty in each program.

Enrollment

All master's degree students must be enrolled for credit to access university resources, including advisement, data gathering, or examinations. Full-time status for graduate students is defined as at least nine credit hours of coursework. However, individual programs may require higher enrollments.

Credit Requirements

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit is required for all master's degree programs. Specific programs may require a greater number of hours.

Residence Requirement

The final two-thirds of the courses in a master's degree program must be completed at the university.

Time Limitation

All courses included in a master's degree program, whether taken at the university or at another institution, must have been completed within six years after enrollment in the first course.

Credit from Certificate Programs

Students who have completed course credits in certificate programs may transfer those credits into a master's degree program with the program's consent, as long as the credits fall within the time limitation set for master's degrees. If the master's degree is in a different program from that awarding the certificate, then no more than one-third of the credits from the certificate program may apply to the master's degree.

2+3 Programs

Students who are granted formal admission to a recognized 2+3 program at the university are admitted to the Graduate School prior to the completion of their undergraduate program. These students must complete all the normal requirements for their master's degree. All coursework used to satisfy the requirements for the master's degree must be taken while in graduate status.

Dual Master's Degrees

With approval of the program and the Graduate School, students who have completed one master's degree may transfer appropriate credits to a second master's degree program. The number of transferable credits may not exceed one-third of the credit hours required by the second program.

Master's Degree for Doctoral Students

Doctoral students may receive a master's degree in their program for work they have completed toward a doctoral degree. The program establishes the requirements for such a master's degree.

Master's Degree Program

Master's degree students must meet with an advisor within the first semester of the program to design a program plan that meets program requirements and the students' interests. To receive the master's degree, students who have met all degree requirements must apply for graduation by filing an M-4 Graduation Application.

Comprehensive Examination, Scholarly Paper, or Exit Project

Each unit requiring a comprehensive examination for the master's degree informs the Graduate School of the number of times the unit will allow its students to take a comprehensive examination and the period of time that the unit will allow between the first and final attempt to pass the examination.

Master's Thesis

The Master's Thesis Committee shall consist of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty who can contribute their expertise to the thesis study. The committee chair and at least one other member shall be faculty in the department offering the degree. The thesis must be written on a subject approved by the candidate's thesis committee and must be the candidate's own work.

• Requirements for the thesis include:
  • The reuse of text from previous papers authored or co-authored by the student shall be evaluated by the committee prior to the thesis defense.
  • The student must clearly and explicitly identify all reused text and the original source(s) of that text.
  • If the source documents involve co-authors other than the student and the faculty advisor, the thesis must include a description of the individual contributions of each co-author of the original study.
  • A copy of the source documents must be provided to thesis committee members and the Graduate School.
  • The thesis must maintain a uniform and consistent formatting style throughout.
  • In matters of style and documentation, the custom of the discipline shall be followed.
  • The student must document permission to reuse any copyrighted material.

Defense of the Thesis

The final defense of the thesis is normally open to the public unless the thesis chair requests that the dean of the Graduate School permit a closed meeting on the basis of an embargoed study. Deliberations among committee members may be closed at the discretion of the chair. After deliberating on the defense of the thesis, the Master's Thesis Committee shall vote on whether the defense was successful. The defense shall be deemed unsuccessful if there are two negative votes, even if outnumbered by positive votes. An abstention will be considered a negative vote. A student failing the defense shall have the opportunity for one additional presentation before the same committee.