General Requirements for All Graduate Degrees
To receive any graduate degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a student must:
- Earn a minimum of 30 semester hours (total varies with specific degree requirements and hours required for doctoral degrees are considerably more) of credit which meet the requirements of the degree and area of specialization in which the student is enrolled with a grade point average of at least 3.00 on all work including transfer credit.
- For a Master’s degree, complete at least half of the course work in 6000-level classes. For a Doctor of Education degree, all course work must be 7000-level courses. No course at the 5000-level may be applied to a graduate degree if the course content substantially repeats the content of a course taken for undergraduate credit.
- Complete a degree plan. A student's degree plan is initially maintained in draft form by the student's graduate program advisor. When the student is two semesters from graduating, the degree plan will be "formalized" by the Registrar’s Office. A "formalized" degree plan should be on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to Fall Registration for May graduates, and prior to Spring Registration for August and December graduates.
The Program Director must approve substitutions and/or waivers affecting the degree plan at the time the degree plan is "formalized." Completed substitution and/or waiver form(s) must be on file in the Registrar's Office.
Once the degree plan has been "formalized" by the Registrar’s Office, a Graduation Audit will be sent to the student (copy to the student’s graduate program advisor) listing those items the student needs to complete to graduate. If the student desires to make an appointment with the Registrar’s Office to discuss the degree plan, the student is welcome to do so. A student experiencing a disruption in enrollment lasting longer than one academic year must reorganize his/her degree plan under the current catalog. The student cannot make formal application for degree, however, without Registrar’s Office approval.
While following a degree plan should be a joint effort between a student and the student's advisor, meeting the requirements for a particular degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student. Adherence to the above schedule should be followed.
- Although a student may have completed all degree requirements, degree conferral is not automatic. All degree candidates must file an application for degree and pay the graduation fee by January 30 for Spring graduates, by May 30 for Summer graduates, and by September 30 for Fall graduates. Students filing for graduation after their respective deadline will be charged a late fee and are NOT guaranteed inclusion in the printed commencement program.
Applications for past graduation dates will not be accepted, even though all degree requirements may have been completed during previous semesters.
Students failing to graduate in their respective anticipated graduation year and term may roll their application for degree and graduation fee forward for the duration of one academic year. Students still failing to graduate after the expiration of one academic year must reorganize their respective degree plan to conform with the current catalog as well as must submit another application for degree and pay another graduation fee by the deadlines mentioned above.