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| The Graduate School |
Master’s Degrees
Master’s degrees are conferred upon those who have received the bachelor’s degree from UNO or another institution recognized as giving substantially equivalent undergraduate training and who have complied with the regulations of programs as determined by the Graduate School and individual departments in which major work is taken.
Course Requirements
The minimum requirement is 30 semester hours of graduate work, not over six hours of which are allowed for research and the composition of a thesis. In optional programs in departments not requiring a thesis, the standard course work program is 33 hours.
Course requirements are determined by departments but must be approved by the Graduate Council. Graduate credit is awarded for courses numbered 4000G-level and above. Graduate credit is not awarded for courses numbered 4000-level and below. As a minimum, a student must present at least 15 semester hours of work (including not over six hours of thesis credit) in courses numbered 6000 or above. Some departments require more than these minimum standards.
Time Limit
Programs for master’s degrees must be completed within eight years. A student may request an extension beyond the eight-year limit with approval from the program and the dean of the Graduate School, in consultation with the Graduate Council. A letter requesting an extension, a plan for demonstrating currency of knowledge, and a timetable for completion of requirements must be submitted to the Graduate School.
Admission to Candidacy
A student will be admitted to candidacy for a master’s degree only after having attained unconditional graduate standing, completed at least 12 semester hours of work with a B average or better and a B average or better overall, and received approval of the student’s major department for such admission. Formal application must be filed in the Office of the Graduate School not later than a date announced in the calendar. Acceptance of the application rests with the major professor and the Dean of the Graduate School. The graduate student must adhere to the program outlined on the application for candidacy. Any changes must be approved by the department in question and by the Graduate School in writing.
Foreign Language Requirement
In some departments a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language (classical or modern) is required of all candidates for the master’s degree. Students should discuss this matter with their major professor as early as possible.
Thesis
In most departments the preparation of a thesis is an important element in the program leading toward the master’s degree. A master’s thesis should demonstrate capacity for research, originality of thought, and competency in organization. It must be acceptable in subject matter and exhibit proficiency in composition. Instructions on thesis layout may be obtained at the Office of the Graduate School or on the UNO web site (http: //grad.uno.edu).
Final acceptance of a master’s thesis rests with a special committee of three or more members who are nominated by the chair of the department in which major work is taken and are appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The major professor is designated chair of this committee. One member ordinarily represents a minor field. The Dean of the Graduate School may serve as a member of any committee or appoint additional members.
Upon committee approval, the thesis is to be submitted to The Graduate School for approval of the format. The abstract should contain no more than 150 words. Once the format has been verified, the thesis is to be deposited with The Graduate School in either an electronic or paper version. Electronic submission requires conversion of the manuscript to portable document format (PDF) and online submission to the the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) home page (http: //etd.uno.edu). Electronic versions will be housed in the UNO ETD collection and cataloged by the Earl K. Long Library. Paper submission requires two copies to be printed on acid free white bond paper of 20 pound substance and 100% cotton fiber content. The two copies will be bound and placed in the library. When students register the semester of graduation, they will be charged a fee to defray the costs of thesis processing. Should a student require a personal bound copy, he or she should consult one of the several binderies in New Orleans capable of performing this service.
Comprehensive and Final Examinations
After a candidate’s course work is at least substantially complete, the candidate will be required to pass a comprehensive examination. This exam may take the form of a capstone course, portfolio, or other evaluation appropriate to the discipline. Since specific examination requirements vary with individual departments, the candidate should note the catalog entry for procedures involved in preparing for the candidate’s particular examination. For non-thesis students, greater weight is ordinarily given to the result of this final examination, and it is likely to be considerably broader in scope than that given to students who complete theses. The Dean of the Graduate School will appoint the examination committee.
Thesis students are required to pass a comprehensive final examination after a thesis is at least substantially complete. The examination may be oral, written, or both oral and written depending upon the requirements of the department concerned. The Dean of the Graduate School will appoint the final examination committee. Ordinarily this committee is composed of the same faculty members who served as a special committee on acceptance of the thesis. The chair of the major department nominates the members. The major professor serves as chair of the committee. Nominations for the examining committee, the thesis title, and a suggested time and place for the examination must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the examination date. The results of the examination will be submitted to the Graduate School.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered by the University. It is conferred only for work of distinction in which the student displays power of original scholarship and only in recognition of achievement and marked ability.
The degree is not awarded solely on the basis of study, however faithful, extending over any prescribed period of time. Nothing in the following summary of minimum standards should be construed to imply that the degree will be granted merely in recognition of faithful performance of prescribed work. The basic requirements are twofold:
1. To be admitted to candidacy an applicant must exhibit unmistakable evidence of penetrating mastery of a rather broad major field, which is ordinarily done in a general examination.
2. A candidate must prove ability to complete a significant program of original research, which is done in a dissertation embodying creative scholarship and by passing a rigorous final examination. The dissertation must add to the sum of existing knowledge, and it must be presented with literary skill.
The degree must be completed within 13 years of admission to the doctoral program, or less, if specified by the individual college or program.
While the degree of Doctor of Philosophy cannot be earned simply by passing courses, the program of work prescribed ordinarily provides for a minimum of at least 60 semester hours beyond requirements for the baccalaureate degree. Although coursework requirements are concentrated in the student’s major field, a certain amount of work is always required in one or two minor fields. All coursework programs require approval of the Dean of the Graduate School and are subjected to review at various times by the Graduate Council. Graduate course work taken at another institution with grades of “A”, “B”, “P”, “S”, or equivalent is not subject to the policy on transfer of credit for the master’s degree and may be included in the program of study, if approved by the program and the student’s advisory committee.
Residence Requirement
A doctoral student must earn four semesters of full-time residence. Full-time is considered to be nine hours during the academic year and six hours in a summer term. All students must be enrolled at UNO in at least six hours for at least two consecutive semesters. The remainder of the residency requirement may be satisfied by part-time enrollment until the equivalent of four full-time semesters is met. The following formula is used to compute residency requirements: six to eight hours count as one-half of a full-time semester; three to five hours as one-fourth of a full-time semester; less than three hours do not count toward the residency requirement. Transfer credit from other institutions may be accepted in partial fulfillment of the residency requirement if approved by the department and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Students who are in residence for the purpose of the above requirement are devoting essentially all of their energies to graduate study on this campus under the direct supervision of a major professor or advisory committee. Persons holding graduate assistantships and accordingly performing duties clearly relevant to their graduate study programs will, in most cases, be accruing full-time residence credit.
Qualifying Examination
Early in the student's program of graduate study the major department will evaluate the prospective doctoral candidate for suitability to pursue the doctoral degree. Each graduate program has its own procedure for this evaluation based upon the requirements of its particular discipline. This evaluation may involve written or oral examinations, performance in coursework, or other means.
Application for Doctorate
A student becomes an applicant for the doctorate by being accepted by a major department and by having a program of study approved by the Graduate Council. A program of study is required either at the end of the first year of enrollment in the doctoral program or after the Qualifying Examination, if one is required by the program. Before the acceptance of an applicant is completed, the chair of the major department must submit to the Graduate Council, through the Dean of The Graduate School, duplicate copies of a detailed statement concerning the proposed program of study.
Language Examinations
Each doctoral program has specific requirements for proficiency in a foreign language or for the mastery of certain equivalent research skills. These requirements should be met as early as possible, in no case later than the application for the general examination. Consult with the graduate coordinator of the program for further information.
Advisory Committee
A student who is found to be capable of working toward the doctorate by the department's qualifying procedure will develop a program of study with the advice and help of a dissertation committee. The department chair or designee appoints the committee after consultation with the student and his/her major professor. The Dean of The Graduate School may serve as an ex-officio member and may appoint additional members. This committee will serve as the examination committee for the general examination and will be appointed by the Dean of The Graduate School. The committee composition will include at least three members from the major department or program.
General Examination
An applicant becomes eligible for the general examination after satisfying the language requirement and demonstrating adequate academic and professional aptitudes to the student's advisory committee. The general examination is ordinarily the most rigorous test in the entire program for the doctorate. The examination may be oral, written, or oral and written according to the rules of the major department or program. The content of the examination must be comprehensive enough to demonstrate expert competence over broad segments of the major field and evidence of deep and current knowledge in the student's chosen specialty as well as evidence of progress in research. In most cases the remainder of a student's time will involve concentrated work on the dissertation and preparation for the final examination.
A notice of the time and location of the general examination and the composition of the dissertation committee must be sent to The Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the proposed examination date.
Candidacy
Doctoral candidacy involves formal notification to and certification by The Graduate School that a student has demonstrated superior learning and working capacities and that he/she has completed or very nearly completed all course work and other formal degree requirements. Normally students will achieve candidacy at least one year prior to completion of their dissertation. Students who have successfully passed the general examination must file for candidacy with the Graduate School. The forms are available from the Graduate School web site, (http://grad.uno.edu/), and involve a summary of the student's course of study including all hours taken and to be taken for graduate credit, the results of the general examination and a listing of the examination committee. The student becomes a candidate after the Graduate Council approves his/her General Examination Report.
Dissertation
Candidates normally concentrate most of their energies in preparing their dissertations. The dissertation must demonstrate a mastery of research techniques, ability to do original and independent research, and skill in formulating conclusions that in some way enlarge upon or modify knowledge in their major field. The original results must be presented in a scholarly and literate form.
After dissertation committee approval, the student must turn in the dissertation to The Graduate School by the stated deadline for approval of the format. The abstract may contain no more than 350 words. Once the format has been verified, the dissertation must be deposited with The Graduate School in either an electronic or paper version. Electronic submission requires the conversion of the document to portable document format (PDF) and submission through the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) website (http://etd.uno.edu). Electronic versions are housed in the UNO ETD collection and cataloged by the Earl K. Long Library. Paper submission requires that students print two copies on acid-free 100% cotton paper of not less than 20-pound weight and turn those in to the Graduate School. The two copies will be bound and placed in the Library. In order for a student's abstract and dissertation title to appear in the Dissertations Abstract International index, the student must submit one extra copy of the title page and abstract.
Department copies of a dissertation are often required. Students should consult the graduate coordinator of the relevant department to verify the format and binding stipulations of this copy. When students register for the semester of graduation, they will be charged a fee to defray the costs of dissertation processing.
The form and style of the dissertation should follow the accepted practices of the major field concerned. Additional information about acceptable dissertation layout is available from The Graduate School (http://grad.uno.edu).
Final Examination
The chair of the student's major department must file an application in the Graduate School for the final examination at least one two weeks prior to the examination date. The final examination application is submitted on a form available from the Graduate School web site (http://grad.uno.edu). The final examination committee will be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School and will usually consist of the student's dissertation committee to which one or more additions may be made as representatives of the Graduate School.
Although the final examination is traditionally conducted as an oral test which is concerned primarily with the dissertation and related problems, the content may be varied in any way the committee decides and may extend into subject matter related to major and minor fields even though well removed from topics suggested by the dissertation.
Certification
In order to pass the final examination, there must be a minimum of 3 positive votes and no more than one negative vote on a committee with four or more members. The candidate will be certified to the Board of Supervisors by the Dean of the Graduate School as having fulfilled all requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.