Full-time Master’s students are expected to complete all the requirements for their degree in two academic years. All students pursuing Master’s degrees must complete their degree requirements within a six-year time period. Students enrolled in the Human Resource Development programs must complete their degree requirements within a four-year time period.
Effective Spring 2010, the minimum credit load for fulltime status is 6 credits/fall or spring semester, 3 credits in the summer. Students in Graduate Arts and Sciences may also be considered full-time if their credit load in a semester falls below this minimum but they meet any of the following conditions:
- The student is a graduate assistant or tuition scholar. Graduate assistants and tuition scholars must be enrolled in at least one course, which may be credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing. Note that students in master’s degree programs are not permitted to hold an assistantship or scholarship beyond the period of two academic years.
- The student is completing the program within the normal two-year full-time period of study and the department chair/program director confirms the status.
- The student is enrolled in Thesis (3 cr) or Dissertation (3 cr) or CSC 9020 (Independent Study).
- The student is enrolled in Thesis Continuation (0 credit), Dissertation Continuation (0 credit), or CSC 9021 (Independent Study Continuation), with the approval of the program director and Graduate Dean’s office.
- Effective Fall 2010, Master’s level students may enroll as full-time students in Thesis Continuation or Independent Study Continuation for a maximum of two terms.
- Students enrolled in a doctoral program are considered enrolled full-time as long as they are registered in a course, regardless of credit.
For programs operating on eight-week calendars (HRD and online MPA), a graduate student is considered full time if he or she is enrolled for at least 6 credits in an 8 week session, half time status is three credits per an 8 week session.