A minimum of 30 hours of graduate study is required for completion and conferral of a Master’s degree at Â鶹ֱ²¥. Various academic programs may require graduate courses beyond that minimum. Students should consult the appropriate academic program for more information pertaining to graduate and professional degree requirements.
No student may graduate with fewer credits than are required for the degree program. All students must complete degree requirements as stipulated in the Statute of Limitations for Completion of Graduate Programs. Graduate students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 of better to qualify for graduation. Program-specific requirements may be higher. Law students and PharmD students are required to have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in order to meet graduation requirements.
All students who plan to graduate must apply for graduation no later than the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar and must satisfy all financial obligations to the University. All coursework must be complete and all requirements met no later than the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. Students can apply online using Self-Service Banner and will receive an acknowledgement letter from the Office of the University Registrar. All decision letters will be mailed within two weeks of the graduation date. Students whose applications for graduation are not approved must reapply in the subsequent term when they expect to graduate.
All coursework must be complete, and any transfer, advanced-standing or similar credit posted, and all other graduation requirements met by the deadline to complete degrees as published in the Academic Calendar. All incomplete ("I") and in-progress ("IP") work must be complete, and any courses which bear a final grade of "F" or "N" must be repeated if required as part of the degree program. If the course is no longer offered, the department must identify a suitable equivalent or substitute course to serve as the repeated course. Once repeated, the most recent take of the course is the one used in the calculation of earned credit, quality points, and grade point average. The original course and grade remain on the transcript but are no longer calculated as part of the grade point average.
University commencement ceremonies are held each year in May and in December. The School of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the School of Law hold commencement ceremonies in May and June respectively. In addition, the Rangos School of Health Sciences holds a ceremony in August for graduating students.
Students who, for personal reasons, wish to participate in a ceremony that is not their designated graduation ceremony must seek the approval of their dean. If such students have not yet completed all requirements for their degrees, participating in the ceremony ("walking") will not constitute official completion of their programs of study. Students are not considered to be graduates until they have completed all degree and graduation requirements. Degrees will not be posted nor will diplomas be issued to students unless they have officially graduated. Only the names of candidates for degrees will be published in the commencement programs.
In order to be eligible to participate in the May ceremony before they complete all degree and graduation requirements, students must have only coursework requirements still left to complete and must, in the judgment of their dean, be able to complete the course(s) required no later than the last day of the twelve-week session in the summer term that follows the ceremony. Students engaged in master's or doctoral programs who have not yet completed thesis, capstone or dissertation requirements are not eligible to participate. Graduates from the School of Law and all Ph.D. students are permitted to participate only in their designated graduation ceremony.
Any student who has separated from the university for more than two consecutive semesters of required enrollment who failed to apply to graduate, or one who wishes to return to complete degree requirements, is subject to the Readmission Policy. In any case, degrees are not awarded retroactively. Students must apply for graduation by the deadline as published in the Academic Calendar for the anticipated or next scheduled graduation date.
Only the degree name prints on the diploma. Majors, minors, and concentrations print only on the official transcript.