A graduate student is responsible for becoming informed about and observing all regulations and procedures required by the graduate program pursued. Ignorance of a rule does not constitute a basis for waiving that rule. Any exceptions to the policies stated in this catalog must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School.
Additionally, all research must comply with campus and federal research regulations. See the research administration website at www.colorado.edu/VCResearch/integrity.
All courses, 5000-level or above, completed to fulfill graduate degree requirements must be taught by members of the graduate faculty. In addition, any faculty member serving on a master’s or doctoral examination/defense committee must hold a current graduate faculty appointment. Membership on the university faculty does not automatically constitute an appointment to the graduate faculty. Contact your departmental graduate program assistant for questions concerning these appointments.
A student enrolled in a master’s program must satisfy the degree requirements of both the Graduate School and the major department. The requirements listed below are the minimum standards of the Graduate School; additional requirements are set forth by the major department.
The minimum requirement for the master’s degree is 30 credit hours. A student may complete a Plan I (thesis) option, or a Plan II (course work) option. At least 24 hours must be completed at the 5000 level or above; these 24 hours must include a minimum of 4, but not more than 6, thesis hours for those students completing a Plan I degree. A maximum of 6 credit hours may be completed at the 3000 or 4000 level at the discretion of the academic department.
Independent study course work cannot exceed 25 percent of the course work required for the master’s degree.
A thesis, which may be research or expository, critical, or creative work, is required of every master’s degree candidate under Plan I. Every thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree must accomplish the following:
The final grade is withheld until the thesis is completed; if the thesis is not finished at the end of the term in which the student is registered, an in-progress (IP) grade is reported.
There is no campuswide foreign language requirement for the master’s degree. The decision regarding the foreign language requirement for each graduate degree is the responsibility of the graduate program.
Master’s degree students have four years (six years for students pursuing an ME) from the semester in which they are admitted and begin course work to complete all degree requirements. The phrase “all degree requirements” includes the filing of the thesis with the Graduate School if Plan I is followed. Students who fail to complete the degree in this four-year period may be dismissed from their program with the concurrence of the major advisor and/or appropriate departmental personnel. To continue, the student must file a petition for an extension of the time limit with the dean of the Graduate School. Such petitions must be endorsed by the student’s major advisor and/or other appropriate departmental personnel and may be granted for up to one year.
Students who have not completed the degree within their time limit, and who have received approval for an extension, must have any course work completed more than five years prior to the completion of the degree requirements evaluated by their department for relevance and applicability. At the discretion of the department the student may be required to validate these courses as part of the completion of their degree requirements.
Students who need to leave CU-Boulder for a period of time may apply to the Time Off Program for up to one year. Participation in the Time Off Program does not extend the student’s time limit, but may be used as a reason to request an extension.
Students whose registration at CU-Boulder is interrupted by military service may apply to the dean of the Graduate School for an extension.
Master’s degree minimum registration requirements can be met only by full-time registration at CU-Boulder for at least two semesters, at least three summer sessions, or a combination of at least one semester and two summer sessions/part-time semesters.
For purposes of deciding minimum registration credit toward a graduate degree, a student must be registered as a full-time student. One semester of minimum registration credit may be earned for full-time registration during the fall or spring semesters or two summer semesters/part-time semesters.
To be a full-time master’s student, a student must carry one of the following course loads: a minimum of 5 credits of graduate course work, 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate course work, 12 hours of undergraduate course work, at least 1 master’s thesis hour, or at least 1 hour of “Master’s Candidate for Degree.” Full- and half-time standards may be different for students receiving federal or state financial aid. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to see if these standards apply. These different standards are for financial aid purposes only.
To be granted a master’s degree, a student must become a candidate for that degree by filing an Application for Admission to Candidacy with the Graduate School no later than the posted graduation deadlines during the semester in which he or she plans to have the degree conferred. Students must meet all posted graduation deadlines in order to receive a degree in any given semester.
Each candidate for a master’s degree is required to take a comprehensive-final examination/thesis defense after the requirements for the degree have been substantially completed or to present an approved degree plan which meets the requirements of the field and represents an intellectually coherent graduate education as determined by the major department. The examination/defense may be given near the end of the student’s last semester while the candidate is still taking required courses for the degree, provided satisfactory progress is being made in those courses. The approved degree plan must be approved by the department chair, graduate director, and major advisor on the Degree Plan Approval Form. The Degree Plan Approval option is available only in select departments.
The following rules apply to the comprehensive-final examination:
The doctor of philosophy (PhD), the doctor of musical arts (DMusA), and the doctor of audiology (AuD) are the highest academic degrees conferred by CU-Boulder. The requirements stated below are minimal requirements for all candidates for the PhD degree; additional conditions are found in department announcements. Additional requirements for the doctor of musical arts are available from the College of Music. Additional requirements for the doctor of audiology are available from the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.
A student admitted to the Graduate School for the master’s program must reapply for admission for the doctoral program.
The minimum requirements for the PhD or DMusA degree are 30 credit hours of course work at the 5000 level or above. Those students pursuing the PhD shall complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of dissertation work beyond the minimum course work requirement. The minimum transfer requirements for the AuD degree are 97 credit hours of course work at the 5000 level or above.
Unless otherwise specified by departmental requirements, all courses taken at the 5000 level or above that were taken for the master’s degree at CU-Boulder may be applied toward the PhD degree. Course work taken in pursuit of a doctoral degree cannot be applied toward a subsequent master’s degree.
To complete the requirements for the PhD degree, a student must register for a minimum of 30 dissertation credit hours. Distribution of those hours is as follows:
The minimum registration requirement for doctoral students is six semesters beyond the attainment of an acceptable bachelor’s degree. Two semesters of minimum registration credit may be allowed for a master’s degree from an accredited institution; however, at least four semesters of minimum registration credit, two of which must be consecutive in one academic year, must be earned for work taken at CU-Boulder.
For purposes of deciding minimum registration credit toward a graduate degree, a student must be registered as a full-time student. One semester of minimum registration credit may be earned for full-time registration during the fall or spring semester or during two summer semesters. Doctoral students who have not passed the comprehensive examination are considered full time during the spring and fall semesters if they are enrolled for at least 5 credit hours of course work at the graduate level, 8 credit hours of combined undergraduate and graduate hours, 12 credit hours of course work at the undergraduate level, or at least 1 doctoral dissertation hour. DMA students who have not passed their comprehensive exam may also be considered full time if they are taking 1 hour of course work numbered 8200–8399 or TMUS 8019. Doctoral students who have passed the comprehensive examination must register for at least 5 doctoral dissertation hours to be considered full-time students. DMA students who have passed their comprehensive examination must register for 1 hour of course work numbered 8200–8399 or TMUS 8029 to be considered full time. Doctor of audiology students are considered full-time students if they are enrolled for at least 5 credit hours of course work at the graduate level, 8 hours of course work of combined undergraduate and graduate hours, or 12 credit hours of course work at the undergraduate level. Full- and half-time standards may be different for students receiving federal or state financial aid. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to see if these standards apply. These different standards are for financial aid purposes only.
Each department determines for itself (by examination or other means) that students who wish to study for the doctoral degree are qualified. The means by which each department makes this evaluation are specified in departmental requirements. Students who are thus evaluated are notified immediately of the results.
There is no campuswide foreign language requirement for the doctoral degree. The decision regarding the foreign language requirement for each graduate degree is the responsibility of the graduate program.
Before admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, students must pass a comprehensive examination in the field of concentration and related fields.
The following rules apply to the doctoral comprehensive examination.
A student must formally apply for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree on forms supplied by the Graduate School at least two weeks before attempting the comprehensive examination. Before being admitted to candidacy a student must earn at least three semesters toward the minimum registration requirement, and pass the comprehensive examination.
A PhD student is required to register continuously for a minimum of 5 dissertation hours in the fall and spring semesters of each year, beginning with the semester following the passing of the comprehensive examination and extending through the semester in which the dissertation is successfully defended (final examination). DMusA students must maintain continuous registration for at least 1 credit of course work numbered 8200–8399 (or TMUS 8029). AuD students must maintain continuous registration for appropriate course work in the fall and spring semesters of each year through the semester in which the final exam is passed.
A PhD student must write a dissertation based upon original investigation, showing mature scholarship and critical judgment, as well as familiarity with tools and methods of research. The subject must be approved by the student’s major department.
The final grade is withheld until the dissertation is completed. In progress (IP) grades are assigned during each semester until the defense is successfully completed and the final copy of the dissertation is accepted by the examination committee, at which time the final grade for all dissertation hours is submitted to the Graduate School.
After the dissertation has been accepted for defense by the student’s committee, a final examination on the dissertation and related topics is conducted. For AuD students, a final examination is conducted in place of the dissertation defense.
The following rules apply to the dissertation defense.
Doctoral degree students are expected to complete all degree requirements within six years from the semester in which they are admitted and begin course work in the doctoral program. The phrase “all degree requirements” includes the filing of the dissertation and all accompanying forms with the Graduate School. Students who fail to complete the degree in this six-year period may be dismissed from their program with the concurrence of the major advisor and/or appropriate departmental personnel. To continue, the student must file a petition for an extension of the time limit with the dean of the Graduate School. Such petitions must be endorsed by the student’s major advisor and/or other appropriate departmental personnel and may be granted for up to one year. If the dean of the Graduate School and the department chair/program director cannot agree on whether a student should continue, the Graduate School’s executive advisory council makes the final decision.
Students who need to leave CU-Boulder for a period of time may apply to the Time Off Program for up to one year. Doctoral students who are required to maintain continuous registration may petition for an exception in order to participate in the Time Off Program for parental leave or other extenuating circumstances. Participation in the Time Off Program does not extend the student’s time limit, but may be used as a reason if applying for an extension.
Students whose registration at CU-Boulder is interrupted by military service may apply to the dean of the Graduate School for an extension of time.
Students must meet all posted graduation deadlines in order to receive a degree in any given semester.
Dissertations approved by the departments and the Graduate School are released to ProQuest/UMI and kept on file electronically at Norlin Library.
Occasionally, the primary academic advisor, after consultation with the student, may find it necessary to sequester the student’s dissertation to protect university rights to intellectual property. The university accepts the obligation to protect potentially publishable creative works and potentially patentable subject matter from premature public disclosure so as to preserve entitlement to patent protection while the technology is being evaluated. This sequestration should take place only when it is absolutely required and only for the minimum time necessary.
With just cause, the student may request that an embargo be placed on the publication/sale of the thesis for a reasonable amount of time. This request is made upon the electronic submission of the document.