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From the President

Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2021

Response to College Senate Recommendation: Collegewide Degree Requirements for Master's Degrees

At its May 14, 2021, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a resolution on the Collegewide Degree Requirements for Master’s Degrees, presented by the Standards for Students Committee.

ACTUAL DOPS POLICY LANGUAGE

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS

Policy Number: TBD
Date: TBD
Subject: Collegewide Degree Requirements for Master’s Degrees

All students expecting to qualify for a master’s degree must fulfill the following academic requirements:

  1. Completion and submission of the Application for Graduation to the Graduate School by the published deadlines for desired degree conferral semester. Failure to apply by the deadline may delay the granting of the degree and may result in the omission of the student’s name from the Commencement program.
  2. Completion of degree requirements within the six-year period immediately preceding the date of graduation, unless a waiver is granted.
  3. Completion of all graduate and undergraduate courses and resolution of all courses with a grade status of I, IP, N, or X.
  4. Completion of ancillary courses for which the student has registered but are not required for the degree.
  5. Completion of at least the minimum of required graduate-level credit hours as determined by each academic program.
  6. Completion of a minimum of 15 credit hours of 600- or 700-level coursework.
  7. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) in all graduate coursework.

Additional requirements for master’s degree conferral:

  1. Students who write a master’s thesis must submit their thesis and have it approved through the institutional repository (e.g., Digital Commons) before a diploma can be issued. Students should discuss the submission process with their thesis adviser. 
  2. The Graduate School must receive official transcript(s) of approved transfer credit as listed in the note section of Degree Works. Transfer credit must meet all requirements as defined in the Graduate Catalog.
  3. Coursework taken to fulfill degree requirements for one master’s degree may not be applied to an equivalent master’s degree. In rare cases, double counting coursework may be permitted for equivalent master’s degrees in different professional areas contingent on department approval (New York State Education Department, 2019).
  4. Students who do not meet the requirements for graduation by the semester for which they applied must submit a new Application for Graduation, in accordance with established deadlines, for the semester in which the requirements will be completed.
  5. Students who apply for graduation after the application deadline cannot be guaranteed a listing in the program book or participation in the Commencement ceremony.

Neither graduate certificates (GRCT) nor certificates of advanced study (CAS) are governed by this policy. Students should contact the Graduate School for details on the requirements for being awarded a graduate certificate or a certificate of advanced study.

Reference: New York State Education Department, College and University Evaluation, Awarding Credit for Same Courses in Different Degree Programs (2019).

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate and charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

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