A. Master’s Degrees

Students must complete all requirements for the master’s degree within six calendar years. The student’s degree clock for time to completion starts with the first course approved for inclusion in the plan of work or the date of admission to the program, whichever comes first. The time limit remains at six years even if a student was on approved leave of absence during the six-year period.

B. Doctoral Degrees

All doctoral students must complete all degree requirements within ten calendar years; for information about the time limits for completing the preliminary oral examination, see Section 3.5. The time limit remains at ten years even if a student was on approved leave of absence during the ten-year period. The student’s degree clock for time-to-completion starts with the first course approved for inclusion in the Plan of Work or the date of admission to the program, whichever occurred earlier. Academic colleges/schools or programs may have more restrictive requirements than the above stated University policy.

C. Time-Limit Extensions

The Graduate School may grant exception to the above time limits for a period of up to two years, which can include, but is not limited to: military obligations, family and medical circumstances, and life events. The Dean, or designee, will consider and evaluate the specific nature of the circumstances, the reasons that prompted the advisor and DGP to make the request, the impact the proposed extension would have on the validity of coursework and research, as well as a detailed timeline outlining how and when various degree requirements completed (see Time Limit Extension form).

For requests beyond two years, the Graduate School will undertake an initial review to determine if they should go forward. If a positive decision is reached, such appeals must be presented to the Administrative Board of the Graduate School by the advisor or their designee. That body will render decision as to whether or not the request should be granted.