Program of Study, Candidacy, Application for a Degree
Program of Study
A Program of Study must be submitted to and approved by the Graduate School the semester prior to the semester in which a student intends to graduate. The submission date is defined as: the date the program of study is submitted to the Graduate School with all student, department, and college signatures. See "Dates, Deadlines, and Procedures" for specific dates. The Program of Study will list all requirements that must be completed in order to receive the degree or certificate; this includes committee members.
If the requirements for the degree or certificate being sought change during a student’s program, the student is entitled to follow those requirements in effect at the time of admission, or the student may elect to follow newer requirements.
Candidacy for Doctoral Degrees
Admission to candidacy for doctoral degrees occurs after the student has passed a preliminary/qualifying examination that is usually administered early in the program; or when substantially all course work has been completed and the comprehensive examination has been passed.
Students seeking doctoral degrees must submit a Program of Study to the Graduate School upon completion of examinations, along with a letter verifying advancement to candidacy, noting the candidate’s successful examination completion. See "Dates, Deadlines, and Procedures" for specific dates. The Program of Study lists all requirements that must be completed in order to receive the doctoral degree.
Application for a Degree
An application for graduation must be filed with the Graduate School. See "Dates, Deadlines, and Procedures" for specific dates.
The application and a diploma processing fee of $20 must be paid at this time. If the student does not complete requirements during this semester, an updated application must be submitted for the subsequent semester and a $20 reprocessing fee paid to the Graduate School.
Degree applicants must submit all official transcripts to the Graduate School before applying for a degree. Official transcripts to be used for transfer of credits into a degree program must be received before the application for a degree will be processed.
Applications for degrees will not be processed without the prior approval of a Program of Study.
Graduation and Commencement
Hooding Guidelines
Graduate Students receiving a doctoral, specialist, or master's degree will be hooded during their commencement ceremony. Each candidate is introduced individually during the ceremony. You will have your hood placed on you on the stage. You should have your hoods unfolded and draped over the left arm. Carry your name cards in your right hand. You will give your name cards to the reader, and they will introduce you. You will then walk across the stage a few steps to be hooded. Once hooded, you will continue across the stage to greet others (President/ Dean’s) and exit the stage.
Masters Degree Students:
Students earning a master's degree will be hooded by their department chair and the Graduate School Dean. In circumstances where the department chair is unavailable, a
designated full graduate faculty member will hood the students.
Doctoral Degree Students:
Students earning a doctoral degree may be hooded in different ways. Students with dissertations will be hooded by the chair of their dissertation committee and the
Graduate School Dean. During the commencement ceremony semester, a survey will be sent to doctoral students by the Graduate School to obtain the name and email of the dissertation committee chair. The Graduate School will work with the chair to ensure they will be available to hood their student(s) for the graduation ceremony. Should the chair be unavailable, the student may request another committee member to hood them. You should sit with your faculty chair at the ceremony. If the faculty hooder is hooding several students, they will walk on stage with the first student and stay on stage to hood each student thereafter. Students who did not complete a dissertation as part of their curriculum requirements will be hooded by the program chair and the Graduate School Dean. When the department chair is unavailable, a designated full graduate faculty member will hood the students in consultation with the department chair and college dean. Doctor of Pharmacy students will be hooded by the Dean of the School of Pharmacy and the Vice President for Health Sciences (or equivalent position)
Guest Hooders requests:
Graduate students sometimes want a family member to participate in their hooding ceremony. To facilitate this request, please follow the guidelines and process outlined
here.
Guest Hooders must meet the following qualifications:
- Immediate family member of student (i.e. parent/ step-parent/ daughter/ son/ spouse)
- Hold a degree equivalent or higher than the one the student receives.
- The individual must wear appropriate regalia during the ceremony; if the individual does not own regalia, it can be rented through the link provided on the commencement website.
Requests should be submitted via email to the Associate Dean or Dean of the Graduate School at least two weeks before the commencement ceremony. Doctor of Pharmacy students should submit requests to the Dean of the School of Pharmacy.
Requests will be reviewed, and outcomes sent to students within two weeks of the requests or one week prior to the commencement ceremony (whichever is earliest). If
approved, the Graduate Dean or Pharmacy Dean would step aside to allow the guest hooding to take their place on stage for the hooding. Notifications will also be sent to commencement chairs for specific campus.