Academic Policies

Graduate Policies

• Policies and Procedures Affecting Both Undergraduates and Graduates
• Undergraduate Policies
  
  
• Organization
• Academic Advising
• University Dissertation and Thesis Services
• Transfer of Credit for Work Taken Before Admission
• Criteria for Transferable Credit
• Courses at Other Institutions
• Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees
• Classification of Students
• Change from Non-degree to Degree Status
• Removing Provisional Qualifier from Admission Status
• Permission to Re-enroll in Graduate Study
• Academic Warning
• Academic Termination
• Academic Dismissal
• Graduate Degree Requirements
  • Requirements Applicable to All Master's Degrees
  • Requirements Applicable to All Doctoral Degrees
  • Dissertation Committee
  • Doctoral Research Skill Requirements
  • Program of Study
  • Advancement to Candidacy
  • Doctoral Dissertation
  • Continuous Dissertation Registration
  • Doctoral Defense
  • Dissertation Submission and Fee

Organization

The Graduate Council is the governing body for all graduate academic policies and procedures. The Graduate Council approves all new graduate programs; authorizes all graduate course work, policies, and degrees conferred by the university; and sets minimum standards for admission to and graduation from any graduate program (certain programs may enforce higher standards). The Office of the Provost administers university graduate policies for the Graduate Council.

Academic Advising

At the time of admission to graduate study, the student is assigned a faculty advisor by the academic program responsible for the student's program of study. Registration for newly admitted graduate students, as well as continuing students, begins with a visit to the student's academic advisor. There the student can obtain information about specific courses and degree requirements and develop an individual program of study. Progress in an approved program of study is the shared responsibility of the student and the advisor. The graduate student is responsible for compliance with the rules and procedures of the college/school/institute and all applicable departmental requirements that govern the individual program of study. Students should consult with their advisors before registration each semester.

University Dissertation and Thesis Services

University Dissertation and Thesis Services (UDTS) facilitates completion and submission of dissertations, theses, and graduate-level projects for students by helping students meet university requirements and deadlines for submission of their works. The program assists George Mason students in all stages of dissertation, thesis, or project production. UDTS' website, www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/dtwebguide.htm, provides students with useful tools, such as GMU's Dissertation, Thesis, or Project Guide, downloadable templates of necessary dissertation/thesis/project elements, forms required for the submission process, and links to related Web sites. UDTS is located in Fenwick Library, Wing 2C (Special Collections & Archives). For more information please contact the University Dissertation/Thesis Coordinator, Robert Vay at (703) 993-2222 or rvay@GMU.edu.

Transfer of Credit for Work Taken Before Admission

Graduate credit earned at another accredited university or recommended for graduate credit in the American Council on Education guidebook, or earned while in a non-degree or provisional status through Extended Studies at George Mason may, with the recommendation of the appropriate program faculty and approval of the appropriate dean or director, be transferable into a master's program. Credit is normally considered for transfer, upon the request of the student, at the time of initial registration as a degree student. Undergraduate courses are not transferable for credit to graduate programs. All graduate work offered as transfer credit must be applicable to the degree program the student is pursuing at George Mason University. Credit transfer requests from provisionally admitted students are not considered until they have fulfilled the conditions of admission and had the provisional qualifier removed from their records. The collegiate dean/director sends students written confirmation of all credit approved for transfer.

A maximum of three transfer credits from other universities may be applied toward a graduate certificate program with the approval of the certificate coordinator and the appropriate dean or director. All other general policies applicable to transfer credit to degree programs apply to transfer credit for certificate programs.

Criteria for Transferable Credit

To be accepted for transfer, previous credits must have been earned within six years prior to first enrollment as an admitted degree-seeking student in the current degree program. Credits previously applied toward a degree at another institution or at George Mason are not allowed as transfer credit for degree programs. Up to three credits previously earned in a master's program may be transferred into a certificate program.

In all cases of courses accepted for transfer of credit, a minimum grade of B (3.0) must have been earned, and the course must be applicable toward a degree at the institution offering the course. Extension and inservice courses that are not intended by the institution offering the courses to be part of a degree program are not acceptable for transfer to the university. The college/school/institute dean or director decides whether work taken elsewhere and presented for transfer credit to a graduate program at the university is acceptable. Departmental recommendation alone is insufficient.

Courses at Other Institutions

A student enrolled in a degree program may take graduate courses at another accredited institution and apply these credits to a master's or doctoral degree with the prior approval of the department and the college/school/institute. Permission forms are available in the graduate office of the college, school, or institute. Permission must be secured in writing from the college/school/institute dean or director and submitted to the George Mason Registrar before registering at the other institution. The student is responsible for having an official transcript submitted to the college/school/institute's office for evaluation. Students are cautioned to check all general degree requirements, including residency rules. Permission to take a course elsewhere does not exempt a graduate student from satisfying general residency requirements.

Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees

The University offers a number of Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degree programs for academically strong undergraduates with a commitment to research. For more information, see Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degree under Registration and Attendance.

Classification of Students

Graduate students enrolled in nine or more credits per semester are always considered full time. Research and teaching assistants may be considered full-time students for some purposes when enrolled in six or more credits per semester. Please Note: Different criteria for full-time status may apply for tuition, verification, and financial aid purposes. Contact Student Accounts, Registrar, and Student Financial Aid, respectively, for questions regarding student-specific status.

Change from Non-degree to Degree Status

A student admitted for graduate study in non-degree status may request a change to degree status within the same program. To do so, the student must secure departmental and college/school/institute approval on the college/school/institute's Student Request Form. All admission requirements as normally defined by the student's program for degree status must be met (e.g., official transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.). If the student intends to use credits earned in non-degree status toward a degree, the credits must be approved on the college/school/institute's Transfer of Credit form.

Removing Provisional Qualifier from Admission Status

For policies concerning students admitted provisionally, see the Graduate Admission Policies section in the "Admission" chapter.

Permission to Re-enroll in Graduate Study

Permission to re-enroll in a program must be obtained by all master's and doctoral students who have failed to enroll in at least one credit of course work for two or more consecutive semesters at George Mason University. Permission is obtained from the department. Forms are available from the Office of the Registrar, (703) 993-2441.

Academic Warning

A notation of academic warning is entered on the transcript of a graduate student who receives a grade of C, F, or IN in a graduate course.

Academic Termination

A graduate student admitted provisionally who fails to achieve a 3.000 GPA after completing 12 credits after being admitted provisionally, or who fails to meet any other conditions specified at admission, will be terminated. The notation of academic termination is affixed to the graduate student's official record. A student admitted provisionally who accumulates 12 credits of unsatisfactory undergraduate course work will also be terminated. Graduate and undergraduate grades are not combined in the calculation of credits toward termination for students admitted provisionally. A non-degree student who accumulates 12 credits of unsatisfactory grades in graduate or undergraduate courses will also be terminated.

Academic Dismissal

A graduate student is dismissed upon accumulating either grades of F in two courses or nine credits of unsatisfactory grades in graduate courses. These are minimum standards of academic performance; some programs have higher standards. A student may also be dismissed for failure to meet other program requirements such as doctoral competence examinations. The notation of academic dismissal is affixed to the graduate student's official record. A student who is dismissed may not take additional course work at the university.

Graduate Degree Requirements

Requirements Applicable to All Master's Degrees

Candidates must satisfy all university degree requirements and all requirements established by the master's program faculty. Specific departmental degree requirements are listed under the respective graduate programs in this catalog.

The following requirements apply to all master's degrees:

1. A candidate must earn a minimum of 30 graduate credits.
   
   
2. Only graduate courses may apply toward the degree.
   
   
3. A candidate must complete at least 18 graduate credits at the university after the Bachelor's Degree and admission to degree status in current degree program.
   
   
4. A majority of credits toward the graduate degree must be earned at the university (in the case of programs offered through joint, cooperative, or consortial arrangements, from the participating institutions), of which a maximum of 6 credits may be in master's thesis research (799) or in master's project research (798);
   
   
5. A graduate student may apply up to six credits of C grades in graduate courses and must have a grade point average of at least 3.000 on the degree application. The GPA calculation excludes all transfer courses and George Mason Extended Studies credits not formally approved for the degree.

Time Limit

Students must complete all requirements for the desired master's degree or postbaccalaureate certificate or diploma within six years from the date of initial registration as an admitted (degree or provisional) graduate student. A graduate student who terminates enrollment and later is granted permission to re-enroll may not count the six-year time limit as beginning on the date of re-enrollment.

Thesis and Non-thesis Options

Requirements regarding a thesis vary with the degree program. A number of master's programs offer both a thesis and non-thesis option. The same quality of work is expected of students regardless of their chosen option. For further information, consult the section on degree requirements under each degree program.

Master's Thesis

When a thesis proposal has been approved by the appropriate department, the department chair sends the collegiate dean or director a copy of the thesis proposal, including the approval signatures of the master's thesis committee members. The student may enroll in thesis research (799) at the beginning of the next semester. Students must register for three credits per semester until they reach the last three required credits. Once they have only three credits remaining, students may enroll for one credit per semester until graduation. To be considered a full-time student, the advisor and department chair must certify each semester that the student is working full time on his or her thesis. Please note: Graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment while writing and submitting a thesis.

The master's thesis committee is named by the candidate's department chair, who designates a member of the graduate faculty from that department as the thesis committee chair. The committee is appointed after consultation with the candidate and the advisor, and consists of at least three persons: two must be members of the graduate faculty from the candidate's department; one may come from outside the department.

The thesis committee chair is primarily responsible for directing and guiding the candidate's research and writing activities. The student is responsible for keeping all committee members informed of the scope, plan, and progress of both the research and the thesis.

Students selecting the thesis option should obtain a copy of GMU's Thesis, Dissertation or Project Guide, which is available in the course materials store in the Johnson Center or on the University Dissertation and Thesis Services website, www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/dtwebguide.htm. Students may register in Thesis (799) only after their thesis proposal has been submitted and approved as prescribed in the guide. Any student not in attendance at the university who is preparing a thesis under the active supervision of a member of the faculty, or who wishes to take an examination, must maintain continuous registration for at least one credit per semester.

Thesis Submission

The original and one copy of the master's thesis with two original signed cover sheets must be deposited with the college/school/institute dean or director for dean/director's signature prior to being transferred to the University Libraries.

For degree conferral, two copies with cover sheets signed by committee and dean/director of college/school/institute must be submitted to the library by 5 p.m. on Friday one week prior to the last day of classes as published in the Schedule of Classes. This is also the deadline for participation in the May commencement.

Requirements Applicable to All Doctoral Degrees

Candidates must satisfy all university degree requirements and all requirements established by the doctoral program faculty. Specific program degree requirements are listed under the respective doctoral programs in this catalog.

General Requirements

University requirements for all doctoral degrees follow.
Programs may impose stricter requirements.

A doctoral candidate must

1. Acquire a minimum of 72 graduate credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, with the following limitations:
   
   
   1. No more than 24 credits in doctoral dissertation research (999) or doctoral proposal (998) combined, and
   2. No more than 12 transfer credits taken after admission to doctoral degree status;
      
      
2. Pass a written and/or oral doctoral candidacy (qualifying) examination;
   
   
3. Obtain approval for a final oral doctoral examination from the doctoral dissertation committee, the department chair, and the dean or director of the school, college, or institute. Approval by Ph.D. program directors varies among disciplines. Candidates should check with their college/school/institute; and
   
   
4. Apply no more than six credits of C grades in graduate courses and have a minimum grade point average of 3.000 on the degree application. The GPA calculation excludes all transfer courses and George Mason Extended Studies credits not formally approved for the degree.

The number of credits required by a doctoral degree program may be reduced by a maximum of 30 credits if a master's degree or other appropriate credits have been earned before admission. These credits should be noted on the program of study.

Residence

All doctoral students are required to spend a minimum of two consecutive semesters, not including Summer Term, in continuous registration. The doctoral program of study must include a minimum of 36 graduate credits taken at George Mason University after admission to degree status.

Time Limit

Doctoral students have six years from the time of admission to become advanced to candidacy. Students have five years from the time of advancement of candidacy to complete their dissertation. While individual schools and institutes may have more strict time limits than those applied by the university, those requirements must be published and available to students in either the university catalog, or in school or institute handbooks.

Dissertation Committee

By the time that a doctoral student is advanced to candidacy, the dean or director of the college/school/institute appoints a dissertation committee upon recommendation by the department chair or institute director. The committee consists of a professor from the department of the student's field of study and at least two other members of the faculty, one of whom must be from outside the student's department. Additional members may be appointed who are not members of the graduate faculty or who are from outside the university.

Student-initiated changes in the composition of the dissertation committee may occur only with the approval of the dean or institute director in consultation with the committee; such changes are for extenuating circumstances only. Faculty may resign from a dissertation committee with appropriate notice; such resignations must be submitted in writing to the dean or institute director.

For a dissertation to be approved, all committee members are expected to sign the dissertation. If a committee member refuses to sign the dissertation, the student or any member of the committee may petition the unit dean or institute director for a review and ruling to resolve the stalemate. The dean/director may seek the advice of outside reviewers to provide assessment of the work. The final decision is that of the unit dean or institute director.

Doctoral Research Skill Requirements

Some doctoral degree programs require demonstration of proficiency in a research skill: a reading knowledge of the research literature in a foreign language, knowledge of a computer language, knowledge of statistical methods, or knowledge of a research tool specific to the discipline. Research skill requirements are included with the degree requirements for the specific doctoral degree.

Where demonstration of research skills is required, certification that this requirement has been met must be completed for advancement to candidacy.

Program of Study

Normally before the end of the second year of graduate study, but no later than consideration for advancement to candidacy, a doctoral student must submit a program of study for approval by the dean or director of his/her college, school, or institute. The program of study must include major courses and supporting courses to be completed, research skills required, subject areas to be covered by the candidacy examination, and a proposed date for the candidacy examination. Program of Study forms are available from each program's doctoral coordinator. Any changes in the programs of study must be documented with an amended Program of Study form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Advancement to candidacy implies that a doctoral student has demonstrated both a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field of study and is capable of exploring problems on the boundaries of knowledge.

The candidacy examination includes a written part and may include an oral part, depending on the particular doctoral program. Doctoral students should consult the degree requirements for each doctoral program to determine whether an oral portion is required, whether it is judged separately or with the written portion, the number of times a failed candidacy examination may be repeated and any time limits for repeating, and any time limits for attempting the candidacy examination.

Before doctoral students may be advanced to candidacy by the unit dean or director, they should have completed all course work required by the program faculty, have been certified in all doctoral research skills required, have passed the candidacy examination, and have been recommended by the doctoral supervisory committee or the program coordinator.

Doctoral Dissertation

A dissertation is required for the doctor of philosophy degree and most professional doctoral degrees. The dissertation is a written piece of original thinking that demonstrates doctoral candidates' mastery of the subject matter, methodologies, and conceptual foundations in their chosen fields of study. This is generally achieved through consideration of a problem on the boundaries of knowledge in the discipline.

The director of the dissertation committee is primarily responsible for directing the doctoral candidate's research and guiding the preparation of the written dissertation. After the dissertation committee is appointed, the student should begin discussions with the director to define a suitable problem for the dissertation. Before the student may enroll in doctoral dissertation research (999), the dissertation proposal must be approved by the dissertation committee and evidence of its approval sent to the unit dean or director for approval. Before that time, the student may enroll in proposal research (998).

Guidelines for the content and general format of the doctoral dissertation may be found in GMU's Guide for Preparing Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Projects, which is available in the course materials store in the Johnson Center or on the University Dissertation and Thesis Services website, www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/stwebguide.htm , The
guide includes information on the number of copies required and procedures for submission of the dissertation for approval by the dissertation committee and the unit dean or director. Consult your doctoral coordinator to determine which additional reference manuals are appropriate to your discipline.

Continuous Dissertation Registration

All registration for doctoral dissertation research (999) must be planned with the dissertation director and doctoral coordinator in the college, school, or institute. Once enrolled in 999, students must maintain continuous registration each semester until graduation, excluding summers. Students who defend in the summer must be registered for at least one credit of 999.

Students must register for a minimum of three credits per semester until the last three dissertation credits are reached. Once students have three or fewer credits remaining, they may register for one credit of 998 or 999 and be considered full-time as long as their advisors and department chairs certify each semester that they are working full time on the proposal or dissertation. Continuous registration starts with 999.

Registration for doctoral research proposal courses (998) and doctoral dissertation courses (999) must be completed during early registration or by the end of the schedule adjustment period. If this date is missed, students must register for these courses the following semester.

Doctoral Defense

As soon as all degree requirements have been satisfied, including the completion of the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral candidate may schedule the doctoral defense with the dissertation committee. Defense fliers or notices must be circulated two weeks before the defense date.

The oral defense should demonstrate the candidate's maturity of judgment and intellectual command of the chosen branches of the candidate's field of study.

At the close of the final defense, the dissertation committee makes final judgments for approving the dissertation. The doctoral candidate is responsible for making all required changes promptly, securing the signatures of the director and other members of the dissertation committee, and submitting the original and required copies to the graduating candidate's school, college, or institute for approval by the unit dean or director.

Dissertation Submission and Fee

Two original copies on 100 percent cotton bond and one photocopied copy of the dissertation must be deposited with the college/school/institute dean or director for dean/director's signature prior to being transferred to the University Libraries.

For degree conferral, two copies with cover sheets signed by committee and dean/director of college/school/institute must be submitted to the library by 5 p.m. on Friday one week prior to the last day of classes as published in the Schedule of Classes. This is also the deadline for participation in the May commencement. To be included in the published program for university commencement program, students must submit copies as described above to the library by April 15.

In addition, submission of the dissertation to University Microfilms International is required; a fee of $55 is paid by the student for this process. All copies of the dissertation must be submitted and all fees paid before the doctoral degree is awarded.