GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Graduate Certificate and Degree Overview

Prerequisites for All Graduate Degrees

Graduate work in any academic unit must be preceded by sufficient undergraduate work in the field or a related one to satisfy the chair of the department that the student can successfully conduct graduate work in the chosen field.

A student is expected to have sufficient command of the English language to enable the student to organize subject matter and to present it in credible written form. Any faculty member may at any time refer a student to the Reading/Writing Center of the Department of English for noncredit remedial work.

Academic Standards

A graduate student is not eligible for conferral of a degree unless the cumulative grade point average is at least 3.0 (“B”) in formal graduate courses (5000-level or above). 4000-level courses may be credited toward a graduate degree but cannot count in a student's minimum thirty total semester hours of graduate credit or graduate GPA. No course hours with a grade below “C–” will be credited on the graduate degree; all grades in graduate courses except those for which grades of “S” or “U” are given or those conferred under the provision for repeating a course will be included in computation of the average. All conditions of admission must be met; in addition, there are usually other departmental requirements which must be met.

Faculty Academic Judgment

MASTER'S DEGREE

Successful completion of coursework constituting the student's program of studies, comprehensive exam, master's project, or thesis does not guarantee continuance in a master's degree program or award of the master's degree. Faculty judgment of the academic performance of the student is inherent in the educational process in determining whether the student should continue to be enrolled or be awarded the master's degree, or whether admission into a higher-level degree program is warranted.

DOCTORAL DEGREE

Successful completion of coursework constituting the student's program of studies, comprehensive exam, preliminary exams, defense of prospectus, and defense of dissertation does not guarantee continuance in a doctoral program or award of the doctoral degree. Faculty judgment of the academic performance of the student is inherent in the educational process in determining whether the student should continue to be enrolled, admitted to doctoral candidacy, and awarded the doctoral degree.

Registration for Final Term

For doctoral students and master's students in a thesis-type program, registration shall be required in the final term in which a degree requiring a thesis, dissertation, or treatise is granted, in accordance with the policies stated in the ‘Thesis' and ‘Dissertation' sections of this chapter as well as the “Standard Full-Time Load and Underload Definition” section of “Graduate Academic Regulations and Procedures” in the Graduate Bulletin.

If a non-thesis student needs only to complete the comprehensive examination in a term and did not register for the examination in the previous term, registration must be requested from the Office of the University Registrar stating the department and the name of the examination. The student must pay the “examination only” fee. If the student has not been enrolled for the previous two terms, readmission is required before registration.

Policy for Awarding Degrees

The student's degree program, not the major, will appear on the diploma. The student's transcript will reflect both the degree program and the major when degrees are posted. A list of degree programs is available in the “Academic Degree and Certificate Programs” chapter of this Graduate Bulletin.

Florida State University helps students meet their academic goals by monitoring academic progress toward their degree. If a graduate student has completed their respective degree requirements, the academic dean of the student's program confirms this, and the student is eligible to be awarded the degree, the University reserves the right to award the degree. Once the degree is awarded, the student must be readmitted to Florida State University to enroll in any courses.

Should the University invoke its prerogative to award a degree once a student has completed all stated degree requirements, the student may appeal this decision. If the student can demonstrate that continued enrollment is necessary to achieve his or her academic goals, the appeal may be granted. Reasons such as, but not limited to, desire to continue financial aid, participate in student activities, and access student services do not constitute legitimate academic reasons for appeal.

Any graduate student who wishes to appeal for continued enrollment, thereby postponing graduation, must submit a written request to the student's academic dean no later than ten class days after being notified that the University is invoking its right to award the degree. This appeal will be reviewed by a committee composed of the student's primary academic dean the Dean of The Graduate School, and the University Registrar. The committee must find evidence to support the student's claim of a legitimate academic need in order to grant permission to continue taking courses.

Once a degree has been awarded, all coursework leading to that degree is considered final and not subject to change. “Incomplete” grade changes or any other grade changes should be submitted prior to the posting of the degree. Grade changes or withdrawals for coursework that applies to the awarded degree may be considered only in cases of documented University error or in cases where the courses in question are documented as applying to a degree that is still in progress.