Description
Although programs leading to a master’s degree are very diverse, they generally fall into two categories depending on overall emphasis and the nature of the culminating activity.
- Scholarly programs emphasize research or creative activities and require a thesis that is defended formally in a public setting and made publicly accessible through the university archive.
- Professional programs emphasize the application of advanced knowledge and skills and require a project, capstone course, series of practica, or comprehensive examination.
Both scholarly and professional master’s programs involve substantial study beyond the baccalaureate degree, impart the methodology of discovery or creation in a given discipline, and prepare students to contribute at an advanced level to the workplace and to the community.
Degree Requirements
Advisor or Supervisory Committee
A student admitted to a master’s program must be under the guidance of either a supervisory committee or an advisor appointed soon after admission (see Graduate Student Advising).
Credit Requirements
The program of study leading to a master’s degree must include at least 30 total credits. All credit applied to meet the total credit requirement must be graduate academic credit. At least two thirds (2/3) of the total credit requirement must be earned at Metropolitan State University of Denver after admission to the master’s program. All credit must be approved for application by the chair of the supervisory committee or the advisor.
Language Proficiency
Graduate students must be proficient in English and may be required to demonstrate a prescribed level of ability. If language ability beyond proficiency in English is required, the means of verification are defined by the graduate program.
Culminating Activity
The program of study leading to a master’s degree must include at least one culminating activity. The culminating activity or activities should be represented in the program by nonzero credit but cannot exceed one third (1/3) of the total credit requirement. Exceptions to the culminating activity requirement can be made by a master’s program and must be approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Final Oral defense
A student enrolled in a master’s program with a thesis requirement must pass a final oral defense that probes their ability to describe and defend all aspects of the thesis in both a public setting and a private conference with a supervisory committee.
Time Line on Degree Completion
The minimum duration of study for the master’s degree is one academic year after admission to the graduate program. All requirements for a master’s degree (including transfer courses) must be started and completed within a single continuous interval of no more than six (6) years. This single continuous interval includes summers and any semesters in which the student is not enrolled. In addition, it must encompass all courses applied to the degree, including transfer courses.
Restrictions on Certain Courses
All master’s programs must be consistent with the following restrictions. A particular master’s program may impose more stringent restrictions for that program.
Aggregate Restriction
No more than one third (1/3) of the total credit requirement exclusive of culminating activity credit can be met by the aggregate of credits earned, via pass-fail courses. An exception to this restriction may be considered when the courses are outside the major field of study, are taken to expand interdisciplinary educational experiences, and are approved by the graduate program and the Office of Graduate Studies by an academic adjustment.
Thesis
A thesis documents original research or creative activity carried out by a student enrolled in a master’s program. A research thesis is characterized by a clearly stated proposition or hypothesis that is investigated using analysis and synthesis of data or other scholarly evidence. The thesis must include a discussion of the relevant literature and demonstrate the ability of the student to independently and successfully address a significant intellectual problem with concepts and methods that are accepted in the major field of study.
Registration for Thesis Credit
A master’s student must register for at least one credit of 6995 Thesis in any semester or session in which the student is engaged in thesis activity, including the semester or session of the final oral defense, regardless of the number of 6995 Thesis credits already accumulated by the student. The student cannot undertake the final oral defense unless enough 6995 Thesis credit has been accumulated to meet the degree requirement for such credit. The student is not required to register for 6995 Thesis credit in the semester or session subsequent to the semester or session in which the Office of Graduate Studies receives the format review copy of the thesis and the Final Reading Approval pages signed by the chair of the supervisory committee (or designee). The student must submit the format review copy and the signed Final Reading Approval pages to the Office of Graduate Studies no later than the last day of the final exam week of the semester or session. Failure to meet this deadline will require the student to register for at least one credit of 6995 Thesis in the subsequent semester or session.
Thesis Grading All 6995 Thesis credits are graded in-progress (IP) until a final grade of either pass (P) or fail (F) is assigned by the master’s program. A grade of pass (P) is assigned to all 6995 credits if the final oral defense is passed, and a grade of fail (F) is assigned to all 6995 credits if the student fails the final oral defense. See Final Oral defense and Failure of a Final Oral defense below.
Final Thesis Approvals and Procedures A grade of pass (P) in all 6995 credits is not sufficient to satisfy the thesis
requirement for a master’s degree and does not clear a student for graduation. A thesis that has been successfully defended by the student at the final oral defense must also:
- Be granted final reading approval by the major advisor (chair of the supervisory committee).
- Include a page that contains the research protocol number if appropriate and a statement that the protocol has been approved by the appropriate offices.
- Pass the format review of the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Be approved by the Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies.
Thesis Proposal
A thesis proposal must be approved in advance by the supervisory committee. The thesis proposal presents the background, objectives, scope, methods, and time lines of the thesis research. Substantive work done by the student prior to the appointment of the supervisory committee or work represented by credit other than 6995 Thesis (such as Independent Study and Directed Research) is not acceptable for the thesis under any conditions.
Project
A project is a substantial exercise that demonstrates the ability of a master’s student to independently and successfully carry out a professional activity similar to what may be encountered in the workplace. Although a final oral defense for a project is not required by the Office of Graduate Studies, the master’s program may define procedures for such an examination and require it for all students in the program. The Office of Graduate Studies does not archive projects and does not require that graduate programs archive projects. However, it is permissible for a program to adopt local regulations and implement procedures for archiving some or all projects produced in a particular graduate program. This flexibility acknowledges the great diversity of projects across disciplines and the differing views on their archival value.
Registration for Project Credit: A master’s student who is engaged in project activity during any semester or term, including the semester or term in which the project in final form is assigned a grade, must register for at least one (1) credit of 6985 Project, regardless of the number of 6985 Project credits already accumulated by the student.
Project Grading: All 6985 Project credits are graded in-progress (IP) until a final grade of either pass (P) or fail (F) is assigned by the academic unit responsible for the program. The same grade (P or F) is assigned to all 6985 credits registered by the student during their career in the master’s program.
Portfolio
A portfolio is a substantial collection of selected work that demonstrates the student’s efforts, progress, and accomplishments in one or more areas of the curriculum. The portfolio is a culminating activity, although students should begin the process early by discussing with faculty how to plan and organize their portfolio. This is followed by the collection of examples of work throughout their academic careers that demonstrate, for example, knowledge of a subject, mastery of a learning process, publishable scholarship or completion of special projects, themes, and/or creative activity. A portfolio must contain the student’s thoughts about the learning process, demonstrate the grasp of key information and/or exhibit the development of crucial skills. These reflections can take the form of learning logs, reflective journals, and other forms, as appropriate. The credit(s) awarded should reflect the work required to assemble the portfolio.
Registration for Portfolio Credit: The number of required 6975 Portfolio credits is determined by the master’s program. The student registers for the number of required 6975 Portfolio credits during the semester when the portfolio is expected to undergo final evaluation and be assigned a grade.
Portfolio Grading: All 6975 Portfolio credits are graded either pass (P) or fail (F). However, if the final evaluation of a portfolio is delayed, then at the discretion of the academic unit responsible for the program, all 6975 Portfolio credits may be assigned a grade of in progress (IP). A grade of in-progress (IP) is converted to either pass (P) or fail (F) after the portfolio has undergone final evaluation.
Capstone Course
A capstone course is a graduate course that serves as a final comprehensive assessment of the knowledge and skills of a master’s student in the major field of study. As a culminating activity, a capstone course is taken in the last semester of a master’s program and may be a grade-point course or pass-fail course. A capstone course may be designated with a program-specific graduate course number or the university-wide graduate course 6965 Capstone Course.
A student who receives a grade of F in a capstone course may not graduate in that semester or term, regardless of whether the student is otherwise qualified to do so. A failed capstone course may be repeated (see Repetition of Courses in the Graduate Academic Regulations section). If repeating a capstone course, a student must enroll for the number of credits required by the course.
Series of Practica
A practicum is a supervised practical application of previously studied theory that takes place in a professional, clinical, or field setting. The culminating activity for a master’s program may be a series of practica completed primarily during the later phases of the program. A practicum may be designated with a program specific graduate course number or may use university-wide graduate course 5980 Practicum/Internship.
Comprehensive Examination
A comprehensive examination assesses depth and breadth of knowledge. When used as the culminating activity or as part of the culminating activity for a master’s program, a comprehensive examination cannot be attempted until the student has completed all core courses required by the program and has been admitted to candidacy. The program may impose additional conditions to be met by the student prior to the examination, such as completion of all courses required for the degree.
Considerable autonomy is granted to the graduate program in the design, administration, and evaluation of a master’s comprehensive examination. However, the student must be registered for at least one (1) credit of 6955 Master’s Comprehensive Examination during the semester or term of the first attempt at the comprehensive examination, and the examination must be administered in time to process and submit the grade when grade reports are due in the Office of the Registrar. If the student passes the comprehensive examination, a grade of pass (P) is submitted for the 6955 credit(s). If the student fails the comprehensive examination, then the program follows the procedure described for failure of a comprehensive examination.
Failure of a Comprehensive Examination
Failure of a comprehensive examination (any attempt by a master’s student) is documented by submission of a Report of Failure of a Comprehensive Examination form to the Office of Graduate Studies and by submitting the appropriate grade for 6955 Master’s Comprehensive Examination. A comprehensive examination that is failed on the first attempt can be repeated once, but only if a second attempt is requested by the student and approved by the master’s program. The request by the student for a second attempt must be in writing to the Graduate Program Director and must be made within ten (10) business days after the student is notified of their failure. If a second attempt is not requested by the student, or if a request is made by the student but not approved by the Graduate Program Director, then a grade of fail (F) is assigned to the 6955 credit(s) and the student is dismissed from the program and Metropolitan State University of Denver by the Office of Graduate Studies. If the student’s request is approved by the program, then the second attempt must occur within twelve (12) months after the first attempt, and an incomplete grade (I) is assigned to the 6955 credit(s) until the result of the second attempt is known. If the student does not make the second attempt within twelve (12) months after the first attempt, or if the student fails the second attempt, then a grade of fail (F) is assigned to the 6955 credit(s) and the student is dismissed from the program and Metropolitan State University of Denver by the Office of Graduate Studies. Any extension of the twelve-month limit on the second attempt must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and by the Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies.
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