Degree Requirements
The following is a checklist of general requirements for receiving a graduate degree. Consult individual department and program policies, the other policies detailed on this page, and the University Academic Policies page for more specific information about each requirement.
- Any student receiving master's or doctoral degree must have been admitted to a graduate program as a regular graduate student.
- All coursework required by a master's or doctoral program must be completed with a minimum Quality Point Average (QPA) of 3.00.
- Some master's and all doctoral programs require comprehensive examinations.
- Some master's and doctoral programs require demonstrated foreign language competence.
- Some master's programs require theses; all doctoral programs require dissertations.
- Before substantial work begins on a thesis or dissertation, a prospectus must be approved by the thesis or dissertation committee and submitted to the Graduate School. The Graduate School accepts the dissertation prospectus only after all other pre-dissertation program-specific requirements are satisfied (e.g., coursework, comprehensive exams, language requirements, practica, etc.).
- Some master's programs and all doctoral programs require successful oral defenses and public presentations of theses or dissertations before final approval,
- All theses and dissertations require final approval by the members of their supervising committee, the relevant department chair or program director, and the Dean as a condition for formal submission to the University.
- All approved theses and dissertations must be formally submitted to the University following the Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) guidelines.
- All degree candidates must formally apply for graduation by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar.
- Master's degree candidates have a maximum of six years from the date of initial registration to complete all requirements. Doctoral degree candidates have a maximum of eight years from the date of initial registration to complete all requirements. Graduate students are also responsible for complying with policies and procedures established by their graduate programs for timely completion of requirements for the degree.
Academic Integrity
If there is evidence of plagiarism in a student paper, comprehensive examination, a draft of a thesis/dissertation chapter, or in the final submission of a thesis/dissertation, the instructor may decide on the appropriate penalty which may range from failure for the particular assignment to failure for the course and/or examination, to dismissal from the program. If a faculty member wishes to recommend a penalty beyond failure for the assignment, including dismissal from the program, the recommendation must be discussed with the department chair and program director, who will in turn make a recommendation to the Dean for final approval.
See the University Graduate Catalog Academic Integrity policy.
Academic Standing
Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.00 QPA. Students failing to meet this standard may be subject to Graduate School action, including probation and dismissal. Any student with a final QPA lower than 3.00 will be ineligible for graduation.
Comprehensive Examination
Some master's and all doctoral programs require students to pass comprehensive examinations. Students must be in good academic standing (including holding no Incomplete grades) to complete comprehensives. Master's degree candidates should normally have completed all required coursework or be in the final semester of required coursework for the degree before taking a comprehensive examination. Doctoral degree candidates must have completed all coursework before taking the comprehensive examination.
Comprehensive examinations may be oral, written, or both, depending on the program. Graduate students taking comprehensive examinations should be notified of the date of their exam no later than the beginning of the semester in which it is administered. Comprehensive examination committees consist of not fewer than three faculty members from the department in which the graduate student is pursuing a degree.
Comprehensive examination results (pass or fail) must be submitted by the department chair or program director to the Graduate School as soon as possible after the exam. A graduate student who fails a comprehensive exam may discuss exam performance with the faculty members responsible for evaluating the portions of the exam failed. A reexamination is permitted with the recommendation of the department chair or program director and the approval of the Dean. Ordinarily, reexamination will take place the following semester and must be scheduled no later than one year after the initial exam. Graduate students may be reexamined only once; failure of a reexamination results in dismissal from the program without a degree.
Cross-Registration
All graduate student cross-registration must be relevant to the degree pursued and is subject to approval by the graduate student's chair or program director. Individual graduate programs may not allow cross-registration. See the University Graduate Catalog Cross-Registration policy.
Directed Readings (Independent Study)
Under exceptional circumstances (and normally only after the completion of at least 15 credit hours toward the degree), a graduate student may request a Directed Readings course. The student must make a case for the necessity of the course to the department chair or program director and identify a faculty member who has agreed to oversee it. A contract must be completed and signed by the student, the overseeing faculty member, the department chair or program director, and the Dean. Individual graduate programs are not required to approve or provide a Directed Readings courses. Whether a graduate student is enrolled in a master's program, a doctoral program, or a combined program, no more than 6 credits hours from Directed Readings courses may be applied to required coursework.
Incomplete Grades
Departments or programs (as well as individual instructors) may specify deadlines for the submission of incomplete work earlier than those determined by the University policy on Incomplete grades. No graduate student who holds three or more Incomplete grades is permitted to register for additional courses.
Language Requirements
Individual departments or programs determine their language requirements and the standards for their fulfillment (including, for example, language coursework or translation exams offered by language departments). No course taken to satisfy a language requirement may be counted toward the coursework requirements for a graduate degree.
Pass/No Pass
No courses required for a graduate degree (with the exception of internships and practica) may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. Courses taken beyond the required credit hours for a degree may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis if approved by the department chair or program director.
Theses and Dissertations
Master's Thesis
Thesis Enrollment
When a program requires a master's thesis or a student selects the thesis option, the student must register for the required number of thesis research credits. Thereafter, the student must take a continuous registration credit each semester until graduation.
Thesis Prospectus (Proposal)
When beginning a master's thesis, a student must first submit a prospectus to a thesis director for approval. The prospectus should contain a signature page, a statement of the problem to be investigated, an account of present status of the problem, a discussion of methodology, and a selected bibliography. Upon review and approval of the prospectus by the thesis director, a copy of the prospectus and completed IRB Checklist must be filed with the Graduate School. If there are changes to committee membership after filing, a revised signature page must be submitted to the Graduate School.
Thesis Committee
A thesis committee consists minimally of a thesis director and one reader. The director must be a faculty member from the department or program in which the master's student is pursuing a degree and should have expertise on the thesis topic. The reader should be a faculty member from the same department or program. When departments or programs allow thesis committees larger than two members, additional readers may be based in other departments or program, but should be familiar with the field of study. In exceptional cases, a thesis director may request that a scholar from another institution or a visiting professor serve as an external reader on a thesis committee. Thesis directors file requests for external readers with the Dean, indicating reasons for including the external reader and providing the appropriate credentials. The Dean will consult with the thesis director regarding the appropriateness of the external reader and inform the department chair or program director, thesis director, and the master's student in writing whether the request has been approved.
Thesis Approval (Defense)
An oral defense and public presentation of the master's thesis is not required by the Graduate School, but may be required by the department or program in which the master's student is pursuing a degree. A successful thesis must meet or exceed the academic and professional standards in its field, demonstrating an ability to engage in substantive research while presenting effective argumentation and interpretation based on critical analysis of data or sources. Individual graduate programs may specify additional criteria for thesis approval. If members of the thesis committee judge that the thesis does not meet the necessary criteria, the committee may either require revision and resubmission according to a timeline determined by the thesis director and department chair or program director, or the committee may determine that the student should be dismissed from the program without receiving a degree.
Thesis Filing
Upon approval of a completed thesis by the committee, a master's student must formally submit the thesis to the University according to the ETD policy and meeting the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. Master's students should contact the ETD Coordinator in the Gumberg Library to create an account for submission, obtain the required guidelines for formatting, and fill out the required submission paperwork.
Doctoral Dissertation
Dissertation Enrollment
After completing all required coursework, a doctoral student must register for at least one dissertation credit per semester until the total number of required dissertation credits have been completed. Thereafter, the doctoral student must register for a continuous registration credit each semester until graduation.
Dissertation Prospectus (Proposal)
When beginning a dissertation, a doctoral student must first submit a prospectus to a dissertation committee for approval. The prospectus should contain a signature page, a statement of the problem to be investigated, an account of present status of the problem, a discussion of methodology, and a selected bibliography. Upon review and approval of the prospectus by the director, readers, and the chair or program director, a copy of the prospectus and completed IRB Checklist must be filed with the Graduate School. The Graduate School will accept a dissertation prospectus only after all other pre-dissertation departmental requirements are satisfied (e.g., any language requirements, comprehensive exams, rotations, practica, etc.) and all required coursework is complete. Liberal Arts doctoral students have not achieved A.B.D. status (all-but-dissertation) until a prospectus is filed with the Graduate School. If there are changes to committee membership after filing, a revised signature page must be submitted to the Graduate School.
Dissertation Committee
A dissertation committee consists minimally of a director and two readers. It is the responsibility and prerogative of every doctoral student to establish and maintain a working relationship with a faculty member who will serve as a dissertation director. The director must be a faculty member from the department or program in which the doctoral student is pursuing a degree, should have expertise on the dissertation topic, and should be willing to work closely with the student. The readers should be chosen in consultation with the doctoral student. At least one reader must be a faculty member from the same department or program in which the student is pursuing the degree. With approval of the dissertation director, other readers may be based in different departments or programs, providing they are familiar with the student's field of research. Dissertation directors may also request that a scholar from another institution or a visiting professor serve as an external reader on the dissertation committee, either as an additional committee member or in place of one of the two required readers. Dissertation directors file requests for external readers in writing with the Dean, indicating reasons for including the external reader and providing the appropriate credentials. The Dean will consult with the dissertation director regarding the appropriateness of the external reader and inform the department chair or program director, dissertation director, and the doctoral student in writing whether the request has been approved. Ordinarily, external readers are expected to attend dissertation defenses. With the approval of the department chair or program director and within the constraints of time to degree requirements, a dissertation director who retires, takes up emeritus status, or leaves for another university may continue to direct a dissertation, providing the prospectus has been filed before the faculty member's change in employment status. If a dissertation director leaves a committee, departments and programs are obligated to attempt to constitute a new dissertation committee under a new director for doctoral students in good academic standing. If a new committee is constituted, the dissertation prospectus is subject to the approval of the new director and readers and a new signature sheet must be filed with the Graduate Office.
Dissertation Approval (Defense)
As a condition for final approval, the Graduate School requires an oral defense of the completed dissertation before an examination committee consisting of the dissertation committee and, if required by department or program procedures, additional examiners. The Graduate School also requires a publicly announced presentation of the dissertation, which may be a component of the oral defense or a separate event. A successful doctoral dissertation must make an original academic contribution that meets or exceeds the academic and professional standards in its field. It should demonstrate an ability to engage in substantive and original research while presenting effective argumentation and interpretation based on critical analysis of data or sources. Individual graduate programs may specify additional criteria for dissertation approval. If members of the dissertation committee judge that the dissertation does not meet the necessary criteria, the committee may either require revision and resubmission according to a timeline determined by the dissertation director and department chair or program director, or the committee may determine that the student should be dismissed from the program without receiving a degree.
Dissertation Filing
Upon approval of a completed dissertation by the committee following a defense and public presentation, a doctoral student must formally submit the dissertation to the University according to the ETD policy and meeting the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. Doctoral students should contact the ETD Coordinator in the Gumberg Library to create an account for submission, obtain the required guidelines for formatting, and fill out the required submission paperwork.
Transfer Credit (Advanced Standing)
Requests for transfer credit or advanced standing may be made upon completion of nine Duquesne credits with a QPA of 3.00 or better and must be approved in writing by the department chair or program director and the Dean. Individual departments or programs may permit fewer graduate transfer credits than the University Transfer Credit Policy allows. Please refer to the University policy for further details.