Degree Requirements

Graduation Steps and Requirements by Degree

Form Approval and Processing
All forms require the approval of your advisor and the Program Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and are to be turned into room 1204 in the Benjamin Building for the approval of the Associate Dean of the College of Education.

Please allow extra time to obtain the required signatures and in order to meet the published deadlines. All required forms are available in a printable format.

The College of Education, Graduate Studies Office, provides documentation to the Graduate School that each student has met the graduation requirements. The Graduate School is the official clearance office and must receive forms in support of graduation from the College of Education.

Email oss-graduateservices@umd.edu with questions about forms and deadlines.

Graduation Steps, Masters

Each step toward graduation must be approved and recorded in the College of Education Graduate Studies Office.

Master of Arts, M.A. (thesis or non-thesis option)
Master of Education, M.Ed. (non-thesis only)

The u-achieve system is an auditing tool that students and advisors may use to evaluate academic progress toward degree completion. The u-achieve audit should include all coursework (previous, current and future coursework) that is required in the program. Please contact you Departmental Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) with u-achieve audit questions.

All forms submitted in support of graduation will require approval of the advisor and the Program Director of Graduate Studies. Completed forms are to be submitted to the Student Services Graduate Studies Office, room 1204 Benjamin Building for review and approval of the Associate Dean of the College of Education.


Master's Degree Graduation Steps
Registration \| Master's Program Plan \| Comprehensive Examination \| Human Subjects Approval \| Research Course \| Satisfactory Progress \| Foundational Competencies/Technical Standards \| Transfer Credit \| Semester of Graduation \| Seminar Paper or Thesis \| Surveys \| International Students \| Additional Requirements \| Degree Conferral and MAP Transcript Notations
Registration Continuous registration is required each Fall and Spring semester. Summer registration is required if you are advising with your adviser or using University facilities. Newly admitted students must register in the semester of admission in order to validate the admission offer. Registration is required in the semester of graduation, including one of the summer sessions if graduating in August.
Master's Program Plan Consult with your advisor, and refer to your program “Student Handbook”, to determine the requirements for the master’s program that you are admitted to. It is advisable to obtain all course requirements early in the program. The u-achieve system is a degree auditing system that students and advisors may use to evaluate academic progress toward degree completion. To log-on to the u-achieve system please click here. The u-achieve audit should include all coursework (previous, current and future coursework) that is required in the program. Please contact your Departmental Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) with u-achieve audit questions. Back to Top
Comprehensive Examination Some master’s programs (thesis and non-thesis) in the College of Education require a comprehensive examination or a comparable product at the discretion of the program. Programs determine the requirement of the comprehensive examination and also determine what constitutes a comprehensive examination. Comprehensive examinations are developed and administered by the student's Program. Students should check directly with their Department Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) for applications, processes, and deadlines. Back to Top
Human Subjects Approval At the University, all research that involves the use of human subjects requires review and approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the initiation of the research. Researchers should review the IRB web page for regulations and application forms. All researchers are required to complete CITI Training as a condition of IRB approval. Be sure to click on “Registration and CITI Linking Guidance” on the IRB web page. Back to Top
Research Course Consult with your advisor regarding the Program’s research course requirement(s). Some Programs require EDMS 645, Quantitative Research Methods I, while others require an approved substitute. If you believe that you have taken an equivalent course previously, outside of the University of Maryland, consult with your advisor to see if he or she is willing to support a request for an equivalency review by the EDMS Program. Back to Top
Satisfactory Progress Graduate students admitted to the Graduate School, College of Education, must make satisfactory progress in meeting programmatic requirements, must demonstrate the ability to succeed in his or her course of studies or research, and must attain performance minima. Please check with your Program to obtain satisfactory progress requirements. Please note that your Program requirements and deadlines may exceed those established by the Graduate School and/or College of Education. Back to Top
Foundational Competencies Policy/College of Education Technical Standards All graduate students who are in an approved program leading to initial teacher certification, or advanced certification, in professional preparation programs, are expected to demonstrate that they are prepared to work with children and youth in educational settings. This preparation results from the combination of successful completion of university coursework and field/internship experiences and the demonstration of important human characteristics and dispositions that all educators should possess. View the complete description of the Policy and Standards. Back to Top
Transfer Credit Request the transfer or inclusion of any course work that you may have taken from: An outside institution (6 credit limit) The Advanced Special Student Status (9 credit limit) Another department on campus (if you changed your admission from one department to another) Complete and submit the Transfer or Inclusion of Credit Form. Criteria for the transfer of credits is listed on the form. Transfer coursework beyond 5-years of the degree program at the University of Maryland may not be used. Back to Top
Semester of Graduation File the required forms by the published deadlines in Important Dates. Please keep in mind that all forms must be advisor and program approved prior to submission to the Graduate Student Services Office in Education, so allow extra time to meet the deadlines. Apply for graduation. No approval is required. Refer to the Graduate Catalog for Graduate School requirements applicable to all master’s degrees. The Master’s Approved Program Form (MAPF) and u-achieve audit is required. Please check with your Department Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) for information and due date for the u-achieve audit. To review your u-achieve audit and to log-on to the u-achieve system click here. The Master of Arts (non-thesis) program must reflect a minimum of 30 credit hours (Programs may require more). Of the 30 credit hours, 18 credit hours must be at the 600 level or above. The Master of Education program must reflect a minimum of 30 credit hours (Programs may require more). Of the 30 credit hours, 15 credit hours must be at the 600 level or above. Courses numbered at the 300-level or below may not be listed or used toward graduate programs. Courses numbered at the 400-level must be approved for graduate credit and appear in the Graduate Catalog in order to be listed or used toward the graduate program. Back to Top
Seminar Paper or Thesis *Non-thesis degree option* If you are seeking the Master of Arts non-thesis option degree, or the Master of Education degree, *one seminar or research paper is required as determined by advisor.* The seminar paper title page (only) must be filed in the College of Education, Graduate Studies Office by the published deadline for the semester in which you intend to graduate. Check with the professor directing the seminar paper for their deadline on the draft. The title page of the seminar paper must be submitted in a specific format, which includes signature lines for the professor directing the seminar paper and the advisor. *Thesis degree option* Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee Request the appointment of the thesis defense committee by filing Nomination of Thesis Committee Form. Be sure to include a copy of your Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval letter approving your human subjects research. The Graduate School formally approves and appoints the committee to which the student defends the final thesis or dissertation. This form must be submitted by the deadline in the semester in which the student intends to graduate, or six weeks prior to the final oral defense, whichever is sooner to the College Graduate Studies Office. An oral defense may not be held without the formal approval of the committee by the Graduate School. Committee construction must meet the Graduate School criteria. Committee construction criteria are listed on the form. All members of the committee must be in physical attendance at the oral defense. If one member of the committee finds it necessary to attend from a remote site, special permission for "Remote Participation in a Dissertation Defense" must be requested of the Graduate School. The members of the Thesis Examining Committee should receive the thesis at least seven working days before the scheduled defense. Should the Thesis Examining Committee deem it reasonable and appropriate, it may require submission of the thesis more than ten working days in advance of the defense. *Note:* Refer to the Graduate Catalog, Master’s Degree Policies for Graduate School requirements applicable to all master’s degrees. Refer to the Graduate School guidelines for filing your thesis using the formatting standards of the on-line Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Style Guide. Thesis Defense Forms Based on the approval of the Nomination of the Thesis Committee, the following forms will be generated and provided to your Department Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) for your defense meeting. Interim Report Form Filed with the College of Education, Graduate Studies Office immediately following your defense, documenting the outcome of the defense meeting. Report of the Examining Committee Form Signed by members of the committee and held by the Chairperson until the revisions to the thesis are satisfactorily made. The Report Form is due on the same deadline as the thesis, filed with the College of Education, Graduate Studies Office and is submitted by the Program, not the student. Electronic and Thesis Publication Form This form is due on the same deadline as the thesis, filed with the College of Education, Graduate Studies Office. Follow the guidelines and pay the fees to electronically submit the final copy of your thesis Back to Top
Surveys The College of Education will request graduates to file an Exit Survey in the semester of graduation. Graduates will receive, by e-mail, instructions, and passwords in order to file the survey on-line. This survey information is used to determine how education programs can be improved. Your participation in the survey is important to the College as it enables us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, this survey gives you the opportunity to assess your professional competence and to evaluate the University of Maryland's performance in preparing this important endeavor. Back to Top
International Students If you are a graduating international student, and are on an F-1 Visa, you must comply with Sevis Regulations that are monitored by the International Student and Scholar Services Office on campus. As part of the regulations, you must file the F-1 Exit Plan Form before you complete your program requirements. This form will require your advisor's signature. Back to Top
Additional Requirements Satisfy any provisional admission conditions or conditions of enrollment. Be sure there is an official transcript of all undergraduate degree coursework taken elsewhere on record in the Graduate School, Room 2123 Lee Building (email gradschool@umd.edu or phone (301) 405-3644). Be sure that you are admitted under the degree option that you intend to earn. If you need to change your degree objective please file the "Petition for Program/Degree Objective Change" form. Stay within the 5-year time-frame awarded to complete degree requirements. If you go beyond the 5-year time frame be sure to submit the Request for Time Extension form the semester prior to your time-out date. If courses taken are beyond the allowed 5-year time-frame a request for revalidation of the coursework must be included with the extension request. Revalidation of coursework is requested by filing the Request for Transfer or Inclusion of Credit for Master's Degrees form. All forms require a signature of approval from your advisor and Program Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Complete all coursework and any requirements of the Program to which you are admitted. Back to Top
*Degree Conferral and MAP Transcript Notations* The Registrar's Office posts the degree on student transcripts. The University Registrar's Office establishes the actual date of the degree and establishes a different date that the degree is posted to the student transcript. The Program that the student is admitted to is reflected on student transcripts and diplomas (i.e. Curriculum and Instruction or Human Development). Areas of specialization are not reflected on the student transcript or diploma. The Summer degree date is the last day of summer session II. The Fall degree date is in late May, and the Spring degree date is in late December. For Certification Programs: After the degree is posted, an additional notation will be posted stating that you completed a Maryland Approved Program (MAP) accredited by NCATE. Prior to requesting an official transcript please be sure to check your unofficial transcript to ensure that the MAP notation is appearing. In order to receive your teaching certificate from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) you will need to provide them with documents to include an official transcript, with the degree and the Maryland Approved Program (MAP) notation posted. Students are encouraged to apply for the MSDE Teaching Certificate by Creating an Educator Portal online, prior to providing the official transcript. Back to Top

Master's Degree Graduation Steps

Registration
Continuous registration is required each Fall and Spring semester. Summer registration is required if you are advising with your adviser or using University facilities. Newly admitted students must register in the semester of admission in order to validate the admission offer.

Registration is required in the semester of graduation, including one of the summer sessions if graduating in August.

Master's Program Plan
Consult with your advisor, and refer to your program “Student Handbook”, to determine the requirements for the master’s program that you are admitted to. It is advisable to obtain all course requirements early in the program.

The u-achieve system is a degree auditing system that students and advisors may use to evaluate academic progress toward degree completion. To log-on to the u-achieve system please click here. The u-achieve audit should include all coursework (previous, current and future coursework) that is required in the program. Please contact your Departmental Coordinator of Graduate Studies (CGS) with u-achieve audit questions.

Student Services