Master's Degree

Degree Requirements
Second Master's Degree
Transfer Credit
Thesis Program
Non-Thesis Program
Final Examination for Master's Degree
Instructions for submitting a Master's Degree Request

Degree Requirements

Graduate School Requirements - A student must satisfy the requirements for the degree that are in force at the time the degree is to be awarded

1. At least 36 credits must be completed

• 1.1 All courses numbered 400-799 that are numerically graded 2.7 and above, or have a grade of Satisfactory or Credit (‘S' or ‘CR’) count toward the 36 credit total.  498 “Special Topics” and 499 are not counted in the 36 credit total.

• 1.2. Courses graded less than 2.7 do not count towards the 36 credit total.

• 1.3. At least 18 credits must be in courses numbered 500 and above.

• 1.4. 18 credits must be numerically graded in department approved 400-level courses accepted as part of the major and in all 500-level courses.  This excludes 498 and 499 and transfer credits.

• 1.5. No more than 6 graduate level quarter credits can be transferred from other academic institutions to count toward the 36 credit total.

• 1.6. No more than 12 UW Graduate Non-matriculated credits can be applied to the 36 credit total.

• 1.7. No more than 12 credits derived from any combination of UW Graduate Non-matriculated credits and transfer credits can be applied to the 36 credit total.

• 1.8. If a student repeats a non-repeatable class, only one set of credits counts toward the 36 credit total.

2. A minimum cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.00 is required for a graduate degree at the University

3. The Master's Degree Request must be filed

• 3.1. To avoid a late fee the Master's Degree Request must be filed before the end of the seventh week in the quarter.

• 3.2. If the Master's Degree Request is filed during weeks eight and nine it is considered late and the student must pay a late fee.

• 3.3. If the Master's Degree Request is filed during weeks ten and eleven it is not accepted.  The system is closed

• 3.4. In summer quarter, the Master's Degree Request should be filed during weeks one through six.  Week seven is considered late and the student must pay a fee.  A request filed in weeks eight and nine is not accepted. The system is closed. 

4.  Must complete all degree requirements within six years

• 4.1. The timeframe/clock begins on the first day of the quarter that the Graduate Student uses a course to satisfy degree requirements when he/she is coded as either a Graduate Non-Matriculated student (Department Code with class 6) or as a Graduate Student (Department code with class 8) in the department to which he/she is admitted.

• 4.2.  UW Graduate Non-matriculated credits used towards the 36 course credit total are counted in the six years.

• 4.3. Quarters spent On-Leave and out of status are counted in the six years.

5. Must maintain registration through the end of the quarter in which the degree is conferred or, if eligible, pay the Graduate Degree Late Fee within the first 4 weeks of a quarter.   

6. *Thesis track students are required to take a minimum of 9 thesis credits in their 36 credit total

7. Thesis Track students are required to submit two copies of an acceptably formatted thesis to the Graduate School by 5 pm on the last day of the quarter
 

Department Requirements -- The Graduate School supports all department requirements and will not authorize graduation unless the department has indicated that the student has satisfied the requirements.

1. All requirements (including but not limited to oral and written examinations) imposed by the Graduate Program Coordinator (faculty advisor) in the student's major department or by the student's supervisory committee must be satisfied.
   

Graduate Student Resources Page

Second Master's Degree

A second master's degree may be earned at the University of Washington by completing an additional set of requirements. Please refer to Concurrent Degree Programs and to Graduate School Memorandum No. 35 for more information.

Transfer credit

A student working toward the master's degree may petition the Dean of the Graduate School for permission to transfer to the University of Washington the equivalent of a maximum of 6 quarter credits of graduate level course work taken at another recognized academic institution. These credits may not have been used to satisfy requirements for another degree. The petition must include a recommendation from the graduate program coordinator and an official transcript indicating completion of the course work. Transfer credits are not entered on the UW transcript.

University of Washington students who are within 6 credits of completing their undergraduate degree and who have met the requirements for admission to the Graduate School may register the quarter immediately preceding admission to Graduate School for up to 6 credits in 500-level courses in addition to the last 6 credits they require of undergraduate work. The graduate program which has admitted the student must approve registration for the courses. The student, after admission to the Graduate School, must file a petition with the Dean of the Graduate School to transfer the 6 credits.  The student must also provide a letter or e-mail from the office of Graduations and Academic Records stating that these credits have not been applied toward the undergraduate degree.

Approved transfer credits are applied toward total credit count only for the master's degree. (Transfer credits are not applicable toward a doctoral degree.)  The 18 quarter credits of numerically graded course work, and 18 quarter credits of 500-level-and-above course work may not be reduced by transfer credit.

Credit taken as an undergraduate non-matriculated student or post-baccalaureate student at the University of Washington may not be transferred into a graduate program. Credit by either independent study through correspondence or advanced credit examinations is not transferable.

Graduate Student Resources Page

Thesis Program

The master's thesis should be evidence of the graduate student's ability to carry out independent investigation and to present the results in clear and systematic form. Two copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School by the end of the quarter in which degree requirements are completed or by the deadline specified in the Graduate Degree Late Fee. The faculty in the graduate program may require that the student present an additional copy for its own use. The Graduate School publishes a Policy and Style Manual for Theses and Dissertations, which outlines format requirements. This manual should be read thoroughly before the student begins writing the thesis. The thesis must meet all format requirements before being accepted by the Graduate School. A thesis adviser is available in the Graduate School for consultation during the thesis preparation process.

A $25 binding fee is payable at 129 Schmitz before the thesis is submitted to the Graduate School.

Graduate Student Resources Page

Non-thesis Programs

The faculty in some graduate programs have arranged programs of study for the master's degree that do not require the preparation of a thesis. These non-thesis programs normally include a more comprehensive plan of course work for more extensive examinations than are required in thesis programs, or they may include some approved research activity in lieu of a thesis.

Graduate Student Resources Page

Final Examination for Master's Degree

As soon as is appropriate, the faculty in the student's graduate program appoints a supervisory committee, consisting of two to four members.  The Chair and at least one-half of the total membership must be members of the graduate faculty.  (see Graduate School Memorandum No. 13). The committee Chairperson arranges the time and place of the final examination, the results of which must be reported to the Graduate School by the last day of the quarter (last day of finals week) in which degree requirements are met. The examination may be oral or written, and all members of the supervisory committee must certify its results.  If the examination is not satisfactory, the committee may recommend to the Dean of the Graduate School that the student be allowed to take another examination after a period of further study.  A student must be registered the quarter in which any required exam or presentation occurs.

Graduate Student Resources Page

Instructions for submitting and processing a Master's Degree Request

1. Students must submit master's degree requests on the web.  Students may submit a request from the 1st day of the quarter they expect to graduate until the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) of the 7th* week of the quarter they expect to graduate.   If students miss the deadline, they may submit a request until the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) of the 9th* week of the quarter they expect to graduate if they pay a $250 graduate degree late fee.  If degree requirements are not met in the requested quarter and/or students neglect to pay the late fee, they must submit another degree request for the quarter in which they expect to complete requirements.

            *Master's Degree Request schedule (Your department may require an earlier request submission date, please consult your department):
                    Autumn/Winter/Spring Quarters: 
                        Weeks 1-7 are considered as filing the Request on time
                        Weeks 8-9 are considered as filing the Request late, and the graduate degree late fee is imposed
                         Weeks 10-11 the Request system is closed and no Requests are accepted.  The next option is to graduate during the following quarter.
                    Summer Quarter:
                        Weeks 1-6 are considered as filing the Request on time
                        Week 7 is considered as filing the Request late, and the graduate degree late fee  is imposed
                        Weeks 8-9 the Request system is closed and no Requests are accepted.  The next option is to graduate during the following quarter.

1. When completing the Master's Degree Request, the program will automatically run a degree audit to inform the students of any unsatisfied Graduate School requirements.
    
2. Students will receive an email confirming receipt of their Master's Degree Request and the students' departments are notified through MyGradProgram - Department View that a request has been submitted.
    
3. Authorized departmental users enter department contingencies into MyGradProgram and can elect to send an e-mail to the students to notify them of the departmental contingencies.  Authorized departmental users will print the Master's Degree warrants and the warrants will be routed to the students' master's committees in a manner determined by the department.
    
4. By signing the Master's Degree warrants, the students' committees certify that the students have met all departmental requirements for the degree (except the thesis if one is required) and the warrants must be placed in the students' department file.
    
5. Once the warrants have been signed, the authorized departmental users will recommend whether or not the students are to graduate that quarter and these recommendations are conveyed to the Graduate School through MyGradProgram by the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) following the end of the quarter.  E-mails are sent to the students notifying them that their departments have made a recommendation on their request.
    
6. Once the Graduate School receives the degree request recommendation, a final transcript audit and a review to determine if all Graduate School and department contingencies are met, will be completed by Graduate School staff.
    
7. The Graduate School enters the final graduation decision into MyGradProgram, e-mail notifications are sent to the students informing them of their graduation status, and authorized department users can view their quarter graduation list in MyGradProgram.

The address of the master's degree request is:

http://www.grad.washington.edu/stsv/mastapp.htm

Graduate Student Resources Page