General Graduate School Requirements for a Master's Degree

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To complete the requirements for a Master’s degree, students must meet the individual requirements set by the student's specific program as well as the general requirements set for all Master’s candidates by the Graduate School. Your program requirements have been designed to fulfill the requirements of the Graduate School:

1. 36 credit hours completed at the 400 level or above (not including 499/Undergraduate Independent Study). 
   • 18 credits must be numerically graded. Only 400- and 500-level courses can be counted toward this requirement and are the only courses calculated in a student’s G.P.A.
   • 18 credits must be at the 500-level or above. For those doing a thesis, 9 of these credits must be course work related (i.e. 500 or 600 level) while the other 9 may be thesis credits (700).
2. A Grade Point Average of 3.00 or better at the point of graduation. If a student’s G.P.A. falls below a 3.00 at any point, the student may be given a warning and/or placed on probation.
3. A minimum grade of 3.0 for each course that is counted toward the degree. This applies to both departmental and Graduate School requirements.
4. While completing the degree, students must be continuously enrolled at the UW on a full- or part-time basis all quarters except Summer, or be officially On Leave.
5. For the quarter the student intends to graduate,
   • The student must apply to graduate on the Graduate School web site (http://www.grad.washington.edu/student/mastapp.aspx) by the 7th Sunday of that quarter (Jackson School requires 5th Friday);
   • The Warrant for Master’s Degree must be signed by the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant on or before the last day of the quarter;
   • For those in thesis programs, the Thesis Signature Page must be signed and submitted to the Graduate School on or before the last day of the quarter along with two copies of the thesis (for those in thesis programs).
6.  All work toward the degree must be completed within six years.

See http://www.grad.washington.edu/stsv/mastersinfo.htm#Degree Requirements for more details.

Note on 600 Independent Study and 700 Thesis credits: While a decimal grade for independent study and thesis credits may appear on your transcript, it is not considered by the Graduate School to be a graded course and the grade you receive will not be averaged into your Grade Point Average.