Progress & Timelines
Benchmarks for Assessing Degree Progress
Developed by the Graduate Committee, Spring 2002 | Approved by the School of Communication Faculty, 9/25/02
IMPORTANT: Are you enrolled in course/research credits this semester? As a reminder – per the Graduate Staff Employment Manual – “During any academic session, an individual must be enrolled as a student in a residential, non-professional, graduate degree or teacher license program and be registered for at least three credit hours of graduate-level course and/or research work to qualify for a graduate staff appointment. Graduate staff on appointment during the summer are required to register for a minimum of three graduate credit hours during at least one of the summer modules.”
Masters non-thesis track students
Have you…
- Filed an approved plan of study with the graduate affairs committee by the 12th week of your second semester?Completed 18 hours of coursework by the beginning of your second year (12 months into the program)?
- Completed at least 33 hours of coursework by end of your 4th semester (not counting summer as a semester – i.e., the semester in which you take comprehensive exams)?
- Successfully defended your comprehensive exams by the end of your 4th semester?
- Completed 36 hours of coursework by the end of your 2nd year (24 months into the program)?
Masters thesis track students
Have you…
- Filed an approved plan of study with the graduate affairs committee by the 12th week of your second semester? Completed 18 hours of coursework by the beginning of your second year (12 months into the program)?
- Completed 24 hours of coursework by the end of your 3rd semester (not counting summer as a semester)
- Successfully defended your thesis prospectus by the end of your 3rd semester?
- Successfully defended and deposited your master’s thesis by the end of your 2nd year (24 months into the program)?
Doctoral Students
Have you…
- Filed an approved plan of study with the graduate affairs committee by the 12th week of your second semester? Completed 42 hours of coursework by the end of your 5th semester (not counting summers as semesters)?
- Successfully defended your preliminary exams by the end of your 6th semester?
- Successfully defended your dissertation prospectus by the end of your 7th semester
- Successfully defended and deposited your dissertation by the end of your 4th year (48 months into the program)?