Master's Degree Program

A master’s degree program is a planned and approved program of study leading to graduation with a master’s degree. Each master’s degree program requires at least 30 graduate semester credit hours and no more than 45 graduate semester credit hours. The master’s degree program must be completed within six years of initial enrollment as a degree seeking graduate student. Some programs require degree completion within fewer years of initial enrollment. Please consult the program descriptions in the program sections.

The Area of Specialization

Graduate programs may consist of a core program of study within the academic unit as well as required additional study in one or more areas of specialization selected from options within or related to the discipline. The area of specialization shall consist of a minimum of 9 graduate semester credit hours and a maximum of 12 graduate semester credit hours.

Prerequisites and Support Courses

A graduate program may identify and require graduate and/or undergraduate courses as are justified for proper completion of the graduate program. Courses may be from within the discipline (prerequisites) or from other disciplines (prerequisites or support courses). Such credits thus required may not be included in the graduate semester credit hours required for degree completion. Please consult the requirements of the program for these limitations.

The limitations in the definitions may be modified to meet accreditation, licensing, and/or certification requirements.

III. Academic Requirements for Graduation

• A.Students must submit a completed graduate application for a degree to their graduate program according to the prescribed schedule in the Academic Calendar. No late applications will be accepted. Students must submit a new application for a degree if they have been unsuccessful with a graduation attempt. A non-refundable graduation fee is assessed each time a student applies for graduation.
• B.Each graduate program has specific requirements for a student to complete in order to be awarded a master's degree. These may include qualifying examinations, a thesis, a capstone course, or other professional activity. These are usually completed during the final stages of the graduate program. Consult the requirement sections in the respective graduate program descriptions.
• C.Grades below “C” may not be presented for master’s degree graduation credit, nor shall graduation be approved for students with grade-point averages below 3.0. Students may not graduate with more than 6 semester credit hours of courses with a grade of “C” or below. This regulation does not apply when a grade of “C” has been superseded by successful completion (grade of “B” or better) of a particular course at a later date.