General Academic Regulations & Requirements
Planning theGraduate ProgramContinuousRegistration andCredit for Thesisor DissertationGraduate Student Assistantships
Continuous Registration and Credit for Thesis or Dissertation
Students who are working on theses or dissertations (including students who are registered in absentia) are expected to comply with the enrollment requirements as set forth in the sections entitled "Course Load and Continuous Enrollment." Advice or assistance from a member of the faculty in the preparation of the thesis or dissertation should not be expected unless the student is officially enrolled.Students are required to be continuously enrolled (i.e., each fall and spring semester), including the semester in which the thesis or dissertation is submitted to, and accepted by, the university.
Failure to enroll in thesis or dissertation courses may delay graduation and may result in the loss of financial assistance and other privileges. A student not enrolled for a semester or term may not receive payment for teaching, research, or other university services during that semester or term. The student should consult the dean of the college for individual college requirements regarding summer registration for thesis or dissertation credit hours.
Students may register in absentia for thesis or dissertation courses if arrangements are made through the department of their major at least two weeks before the registration period. Registration for all other students must be completed in the prescribed manner during the announced registration period. The thesis or dissertation course is considered part of a student's current course load.
"Thesis (or dissertation) in progress" is shown without a grade on the student's permanent record for each registration period until the semester or term in which it is graded. However, a grading system of S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory), or I (incomplete) may be elected by a department. Such grades in the thesis or dissertation courses are not considered in computing a student's grade point average. A final grade of B or better is required on the completed thesis or dissertation. A grade of C indicates that the thesis or dissertation is not acceptable.
The college office will send a copy of the Certification of Submission of Thesis/Dissertation form (showing submission of the thesis or dissertation to the college office) to the student's department chair. The chair then reports the thesis or dissertation grade to the Office of Registration and Academic Records.
A maximum of 6 semester hours of Master’s Thesis credit may be applied to
the requirements for a Master’s degree and a maximum of 12 semester hours
of Dissertation credit may be applied to the requirements for a Doctoral
degree. However, students once enrolled in thesis or dissertation
courses must continuously enroll in them until degree is conferred, or
unless a change of course is specified by the college. (Also see section
on the "99-Hour Cap")