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The Graduate College Handbook - 2009

Home » The Graduate College Handbook for Students, Faculty and Staff » Chapter IV: Graduate Degree and Graduation Requirements

A. Graduate Degree Requirements

  1. Departmental Expectations:
    Requirements for specific graduate degrees and certificates are listed in the appropriate sections of the Programs of Study, and in departmental handbooks. All departments should distribute a handbook or statement to their graduate students listing the requirements for the graduate degree programs to which they are admitted.

     

  2. Registration:
    In order to receive a graduate degree a student must be admitted to the degree program and enrolled in the program for at least one term after admission, which could be spring, summer or fall. To be counted toward the graduate degree, hours must be at the 400-level or greater. 

     

  3. Changing Departments or Programs:
    Graduate College policy allows students to transfer from one academic program to another, provided that both departments agree to the transfer. Students wishing to transfer, either as a permanent transfer, or in order to obtain a degree from both programs (joint or dual degree programs), should use the petition process to request the transfer. With transfer by petition, students are not required to complete a new application, pay an application fee or provide copies of transcripts already on file.

    Departments, however, may request additional information such as a new statement of purpose or new letters of reference. Likewise, departments with special application requirements may request that these requirements be completed. When filing for a transfer by petition, the anticipated department must comment on the transfer by clearly indicating whether or not they accept the student, and the date when they wish the acceptance to be valid. When all signatures are obtained, the petition is forwarded to the Graduate Student Academic Services unit for consideration. See chapter IV.A.2 for minimum credit hours needed in a program.

    International students with F-1 or J-1 visas who transfer from one program to another are required to obtain new immigration documents from International Student and Scholar Services.

     

  4. Residence Credit:
    University of Illinois rules prescribe that a certain amount of credit hours for each degree received from this campus be taken as residence credit. Credit hours earned on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus are considered residence credit. Residence credit also includes:
    • graduate credit transferred from the University of Illinois at Chicago or from the University of Illinois at Springfield,
    • graduate credit earned through the CIC Traveling Scholar Program,
    • credit earned in the College of Medicine that is approved for application to the student’s graduate program for students in the Medical Scholars Program, and
    • graduate credit earned through an Urbana-Champaign off-campus course or program.

       

    Residence requirements are outlined in Rule 3-801 of the Student Code.

     

  5. Proficiency Examinations:
    Graduate students may satisfy specific requirements through proficiency examinations; however, in such cases, credit cannot be earned toward the required hours for the graduate degree. Students should check with their department for details about proficiency examinations.

     

  6. Research Credit and 599:
    A student cannot deposit a thesis without record of registration in research credit courses. Likewise, students with a record of registration in research credit will be required to deposit a thesis to complete their degree. Most departments use the course designation “599” to indicate research registration for both master’s and doctoral students. Graduate students should register for research credit during semesters when they are working on the thesis.
     
    Departments may set criteria that determine at what point in the program students may begin registering for research credit (599). Registration in research credit must always be done with the approval of the student’s adviser.

    The grade of DFR (deferred) is reported for research credit until the thesis has been completed, successfully defended if required, and deposited in the Graduate College. When a thesis is successfully defended and deposited, the DFR grades will be changed to S (satisfactory). If the student fails the final defense, the grade becomes U (unsatisfactory), and the thesis cannot be deposited.

    If research credit is taken but thesis work is not completed, the 599 registration cannot be removed from the record. If the work will not be completed, the student must successfully petition for grades to permanently remain as deferred (DFR) in order to receive a degree. Students will not be certified for a degree with any grades of DFR in their academic record unless a petition has been approved.

     

  7. Second Degree in a Similar Area:
    An individual should not receive another degree for work that is substantially similar to the work used to complete a previous degree. Therefore, the Graduate College will generally not allow the awarding of a second graduate degree in an area in which a graduate degree at an equivalent level (master's, doctoral) has already been earned. This rule applies to cases where the first degree is from the University or from another domestic or international institution.  Exceptions may be allowed in cases where it is clear that the student's degree programs differ significantly. The petition process should be used for such requests.

     

  8. Graduate Minors
    A graduate minor is an approved program in a secondary area of study that relates closely to a student’s chosen major and may be included on an academic transcript. A list of campus-approved graduate minors is available online. As noted in the Policy for Graduate Minors, students majoring in an area of study may not pursue a minor in the same area.

    Each program has different procedures for applying to and completing their minor, and students should contact the minor department for details. Students who wish to add or drop a graduate minor from their academic record must submit a graduate petition to make the change to their academic program. An academic program change alters the requirements needed for graduation, and therefore changes should be done carefully and in consultation with the graduate program adviser.

    It is expected that work toward a minor will not overlap and be counted toward major requirements, but it is at the discretion of the major department to determine which, if any, of the courses used to fulfill the minor will also be used to fulfill the major graduate degree.

    Minor(s) will not be added retroactively to a student record after the major degree is conferred, and even though a minor may be included in a student’s academic record, it will not show on a transcript until the degree has been conferred. A student's approved enrollment period will not be extended for the purpose of completing a minor, unless an extension is also requested and approved by petition. (See chapters V.E and VI.E for more information about time limits.)

    If a student successfully petitions to receive a minor, and then wishes to change to a new program before receiving a degree, the new program must note on the petition that they will accept the minor in their degree program and note if any of the courses used to fulfill the minor will also be used to fulfill the new major graduate degree. If the petition is not approved, the minor will be removed from the record when the petition to change programs is approved.

     

  9. Graduate Concentrations:
    A graduate concentration constitutes a coherent program of study requiring considerable depth of knowledge. A concentration may refer to a subfield within a discipline, or to an interdepartmental and/or interdisciplinary area of knowledge. As indicated in the Policy for Graduate Concentrations, approved concentrations may be included on academic transcripts. Some concentrations (major-based) are only open to a student majoring in the offering department. Other concentrations (floating) are open to students in a broad range of majors. A few majors require a concentration, but most do not. Approved Graduate Concentrations and their related majors are listed online.

    Students who wish to add or drop a graduate concentration from their academic record must submit a graduate petition to request the change to their academic program and to what appears on the transcript. A change in concentration is a program change, and will alter the requirements needed for graduation, and therefore changes should be done carefully and in consultation with the graduate program adviser. Approvals are required from the major department and adviser and the unit overseeing the concentration.

    It is expected that work toward a concentration will completely overlap and be counted toward major requirements, but if the major and concentration units are not the same, it is at the discretion of the major department to determine which of the courses used to fulfill the concentration will not also be used to fulfill the major graduate degree.

    Concentration(s) will not be added retroactively to a student record after the major degree is conferred. A student's approved enrollment period will not be extended for the purpose of completing a concentration, unless an extension is also requested and approved by petition. (See chapters V.E and VI.E for more information about time limits.)

    If a student successfully petitions to receive a concentration, and then wishes to change to a new program before receiving the degree, the new program must note on the petition whether they will accept the concentration in their degree program and note which of the courses used to fulfill the concentration will also be used to fulfill the new major graduate degree. If the petition is not approved, the concentration will be removed from the record when the petition to change programs is approved.

     

  10. Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS):
    Some academic units, such as the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and some departments in the College of Education, offer Certificates of Advanced Study for students who are interested in additional professional training beyond the master's degree but are not planning to obtain the doctoral degree. These programs usually require completion of at least 32 semester hours of course work beyond the master's degree. Information concerning specific Advanced Certificate programs is available from departmental offices.

    A candidate for a Certificate of Advanced Study is expected to complete all degree requirements within five years of first registering in the Graduate College. Therefore, a Certificate of Advanced Study candidate with course work that is more than five years old at the time of degree or certificate conferral must petition the Graduate College asking that the course work be accepted for the degree or certificate. The petition must include an explanation from the department regarding how the student's knowledge in the areas covered by the old course work meets current standards. This justification is needed for degree certification and the petition should be filed during the term the student is placed on the degree list.

     

  11. Joint Degree Programs:
    A joint degree program is a University approved program in which students pursue two specifically identified graduate degrees simultaneously, and both degrees must be conferred simultaneously. In a joint degree program the total time for the two degrees is decreased by a predetermined maximum through the acceptance of required courses in one program as electives in the other. Joint degree programs commonly involve one graduate degree and one professional degree. A list of approved joint degree programs can be found in the Programs of Study.

    A student interested in pursuing joint degrees should consult both departments, as they must be admitted separately to each program as a joint degree candidate. A student in a joint degree program must be admitted to each degree program and be enrolled in each program for at least one term after admission, which could be spring, summer or fall (see chapter IV.A.3 for information about changing programs), and must complete the minimum requirements for each degree. Joint degree students may be enrolled in either program when they defend.

    Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs:

    Approved joint programs(link to new list) include programs that combine a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in the same field. Like other joint degree programs, both the bachelor’s and the master’s degrees are generally awarded at the end of the program. Because of this, these students are admitted to the Graduate College before they have earned a bachelor’s degree. In some cases, students must fulfill the minimum total hours required for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and in others, students may double count some coursework, but in either situation, the time to completion for both degrees is reduced by efficiencies of scheduling and the ability to take both graduate and undergraduate work in the senior year. See the undergraduate college’s Program of Study for details about a specific program.

    List of approved bachelor/master joint degree programs:

    Accountancy
    Industrial Engineering
    Mechanical Engineering
    Computer Science
    Materials Science & Engineering
    Urban Planning

     

  12. Dual Degree Programs:
    A dual degree program is defined as one in which a student pursues two post-baccalaureate degrees simultaneously. In dual degree programs, students must complete all requirements for each degree, without overlap. With the approval of both departments, students would have the opportunity to integrate their studies rather than completing the degrees in series. A student pursuing two post-baccalaureate degrees simultaneously must be admitted to each degree program and enrolled in each program for at least one term after admission (see chapter IV.A.3 for information about changing programs), in order to obtain both degrees. Dual degree students may be enrolled in either program when they defend.

 

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