Graduate School Requirements

The Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee form is obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies and must be completed and returned to that office three months prior to the final oral and in accordance with the deadline listed in the Schedule of Classes. Details governing the structure of the committee are on the back of this form. This will generate the Report of Examining Committee form sent from the Graduate School to the Statistics Director which must be taken to the final oral, signed by all members of the committee and returned to the Graduate School. There is also an equivalent internal form.

All pertinent information concerning the oral examination should be given to the Office of Graduate Studies two weeks prior to the examination. The information will then be posted as this examination is open to the public.

The final oral examining committee will examine the candidate on the research work incorporated in the dissertation, review attainments and then vote on the candidate's qualifications for the degree. In order to justify a finding of failure, at least two negative votes must be cast.

Transfer of Credit: Up to six credits of graduate level work taken at another regionally accredited institution is permitted under the following provisions:

1. 1. 1. The faculty advisor and Program Director agree that the specific credits are acceptable in the student's program.
      2. The grade of B or better was earned in the course offered. No courses with pass/fail grades will be accepted.
      3. The credit was earned within the five-year limit imposed for completing the master’s degree at the University of Maryland.
      4. The course received graduate credit at the institution where it was taken and has not been used to meet the requirements for any degree previously earned.

Diploma Application: Application for diploma/graduation can be made online through Testudo, early in the semester in which the degree is expected. The deadline for the application can be found here.

Approved Program Form: A student who has applied for a diploma must complete the Approved Program form obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies before the deadline listed in the Schedule of Classes. This form is returned to the Administrator of the Graduate Program who will forward it to the Graduate School.

Grade Point Average: The student must maintain an average of B (3.0) or better in all courses taken, not just those listed in the Approved Program. For this purpose, the grades of D, F, and I count as 0 quality points, and courses with these grades cannot be used for degree requirements.

Incomplete: Any grade of incomplete in a course listed in the Approved Program must be removed. 

For more information, please visit UMD Graduate School.