Completing the Master's Degree
Master's Plan of Study
Master's Students' Plan of Study
As noted previously, master's students must file their Plan of Study (POS) by the time they enroll in 50 percent of the credit hours required towards their degree program. A student is not eligible to apply for the comprehensive or final examination until a POS has been approved.
Minimum Credit Hour Requirements
A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work is required for the master's degree at ASU. Six (and only six) of the minimum required credit hours on a POS must be 599 Thesis credits if a thesis is required. Please note that Plans of Study submitted for master's degrees that do not have a thesis requirement may not include 599 Thesis credits.
Maximum Time Limit
All work toward a master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program. Graduate courses taken prior to admission that are included on the Plan of Study must have been completed within three years of the semester and year of admission to the program.
Completing the Master's Degree
The Master's Supervisory Committee
A master's student's supervisory committee must be appointed before the student may apply for the comprehensive examination or applied project or before the student can register for 599 Thesis credits (if applicable). The committee is appointed by the Graduate College dean upon the recommendation of the head of the academic unit. It is composed of a minimum of three members, including a chair or co-chairs.For master's committees, tenured/tenure-track faculty may serve as members of a graduate supervisory committee, chair or co-chair. The chair of the committee is typically from the student's degree program and should be carefully selected by the student to guide their work. Members of the Graduate Faculty may serve as members or co-chairs of a master's committee. Graduate Faculty endorsed to chair doctoral committees may also chair master's committees. ASU academic professionals or non-tenure accruing faculty with appropriate academic credentials may serve as a member or co-chair on master's committees.
Thesis and Thesis Defense
To satisfy the research requirement for most master's degrees, a student is expected to present a thesis which is defended in an oral examination. Degree programs may have additional requirements in addition to the thesis (e.g. comprehensive examinations). Students should check with their degree program to verify requirements. An oral defense of the thesis is required and must be completed to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee. Students must be enrolled for at least one semester hour of credit that appears on the Plan of Study or one hour of appropriate graduate-level credit (such as 595 Continuing Registration) during the semester (including summer session) in which the student defends the thesis.Revisions to the thesis are normal and must be completed in a timely manner. If the student is unable to complete revisions to the thesis and meet the ASU Bookstore deadline for the semester in which the defense is held, the student must complete the revisions, remain registered, and present the finished document to the ASU Bookstore within one year of the defense. Failure to do so will require the re-submission of the document for format review and may result in re-defense of the thesis to ensure currency of the work.
Other Master's Culminating Experiences
A comprehensive examination, capstone course or an applied project is required as a culminating experience in master's programs that do not have a thesis requirement. Students must have an approved Plan of Study prior to scheduling their comprehensive examination and/or registering for their applied project or capstone course. An oral defense of an applied project is required and must be completed to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee.
Comprehensive Examinations Procedures
The student must schedule the comprehensive examination with their academic unit. The results of this examination must be reported to the Graduate College within the semester it is completed. Failing the comprehensive examination is considered final unless the supervisory committee and the head of the academic unit recommend a re-examination. A petition for re-examination, endorsed by the members of the student's supervisory committee and the head of the academic unit, must be approved by the Graduate College dean before a student can take the re-examination. Only one re-examination is permitted and must be administered no sooner than three months and no later than one year from the date of the original examination. If the student's petition for re-examination is not approved or the student fails the re-examination, the Graduate College will withdraw a student from his/her degree program.Foreign language requirements, if applicable, must be fulfilled before taking the comprehensive examinations. Students are required to register for at least one semester hour of credit that appears on the POS or one hour of appropriate graduate-level credit (such as 595 Continuing Registration) during the semester or summer session in which they take their comprehensive examinations.