Regulations Governing Graduation

The following regulations apply to graduation from all graduate programs.

Although academic advisors are here to help, it is important for students to realize that they are responsible for meeting all graduation requirements.

Plan of Study Filing/Academic Requirements

Plans of Study are recommended to be filed prior to the completion of 9 course credits with a minimum GPA of 3.0.  Plans of Study must be approved and signed by the student’s advisor, committee (if applicable), and the appropriate school dean before being submitted to the Records Office for filing.  MBA and MSAT students will utilize their Academic Requirements as their Plan of Study.  All graduate students are encouraged to use their Academic Requirements on their MyCSC Student Dashboard.

Application for Graduation

The graduation application for the degree should be filed with the Records Office prior to the beginning of the term from which the student expects to graduate. Application forms are available in the MyCSC to-do list. At the time the application is submitted all indebtedness to the College must be paid. Graduate degrees will be conferred upon successful candidates at the spring or winter commencement.

Culminating Experience

All master’s degree candidates are required to pass a final culminating experience in their area of concentration. Students choosing the thesis or scholarly project option should expect oral exam questions relating to the thesis or scholarly project during the examination. 

Time Limit on Coursework

All requirements for master’s degrees must be met within a period of seven years from the year the student completes the first graduate course that is to apply toward the degree. Validation of out-of-date credit: course work that has been taken prior to the specified time limit before completion of the degree is considered to be outdated. At the discretion of the student's advisor, Graduate Committee and/or the appropriate school dean, a limited amount of outdated course work may be applied to the graduate degree if a grade of B or higher was attained and if one of the following occurs:

  • The equivalent CSC course is successfully repeated OR
  • A written or oral examination and/or an additional assignment covering the subject matter is successfully completed as certified by an appropriate faculty member(s). If an oral examination is given, at least two graduate faculty members must be present. The appropriate school dean and the Graduate Committee chairperson (advisor) will appoint the faculty member(s) to administer the examination. Details about the time and place of the examination must be registered with Records Office. Approval to validate credit must be obtained through the Graduate Committee and appropriate school dean.
  • Other - as determined by Graduate Committee and appropriate school dean.

Course Level Requirements

At least half of the course credits required for the master’s degree must be taken in classes in which only graduate students may enroll.

Curriculum Patterns

All graduate students seeking the degree of Master of Arts in Education or Master of Education should complete EDCI 631 RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA ANALYSIS within the first 12 course credits of their program of study . Students seeking the degree of Master of Science in Organizational Management should complete either EDCI 631 RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA ANALYSIS or CA 615 RESEARCH PROCESS AND PRACTICE within the first 12 course credits of their program of study.