Degree and Degree Requirements

1.1 Degree Completion Time Limit

1.1.1 Students are expected to complete the doctoral degree within five years, time beyond 5 years will require a written request and approval from the Dean.

1.1.2 Students are expected to complete the master’s degree within two years, with three years as the maximum time allowed including any leaves of absence.

1.1.3 If a student has been approved to withdraw from the program and then is re-admitted, the period of withdrawal will not be included in the time to degree. Any exceptions to this policy require the approval of the Dean.

1.1.4 If a student’s registration is interrupted for any reason such that they are not registered for three consecutive academic sessions (including the spring, summer and fall sessions), the student must apply for readmission. The graduate program will stipulate the application requirements for readmission.

1.2 An Intent to Graduate form must be submitted to the Graduate School at the beginning of the semester in which the student expects to complete a degree.

1.3 Degree conferral is an institutional action that represents a student’s completion of the requirements necessary for a degree. Degrees from the Graduate School are conferred in either June or December of each year. A single Commencement Exercise will typically be scheduled once each year. A student who has had their terminal degree conferred - doctoral or master’s - will be assigned “graduate” status, which will prohibit their registration in a subsequent semester.