Master's Plan C/Professional Degree Plan & Graduation Requirements

Degree Requirements

Plan C: The Master’s Plan C/Professional may be required to enroll in research credits, but thesis credits are not accepted on a Program of Study or applied towards a degree.

Credit Hours Requirement:

The minimum requirement for a master’s degree is 30 semester credits. Certain programs may have higher credit requirements for some master’s degrees.

Residency Requirement:

The School of Graduate Studies does not have any academic residency requirements for graduate students, but departments and colleges may impose residency requirements in their programs as they see fit.

Degree Plan

1. By the End of the Second Semester

Finalize a Program of Study

Submission Deadline

• Master’s Degrees: Master’s students are encouraged to submit a Program of Study to the School of Graduate Studies for approval by the end of the second semester.

Required Forms to Submit:

• Program of Study (POS)
  Purpose: Lists the courses required for the student’s degree.
  Deadline: By the end of the student’s second semester, after the Supervisory Committee (SCAF) form has been submitted and approved.

Helpful Resources:

• Academic Forms
• University Libraries
• Writing Center

2. Prepare for Graduation

Graduate School Deadlines

• For submission deadlines, and degree conferral dates, please review the Graduate School Deadlines page.

Reasons Graduate Students Will Be Denied for Graduation

Missing Requirements:

• Unmet degree or credit requirements. To be awarded a graduate degree, students must fulfill all degree requirements. No verified degree from previous institution(s). Official transcripts must show degree earned and conferral date.
  • NOTE: Official transcripts should be received by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) no later than the student’s first semester to avoid a hold on their account (see SGS Catalog Section 1: Graduate Admissions Policies).
• Missing Required Forms:
  • Program of Study (POS) Form
  • Graduation Application
  • For more information about required academic forms, please visit the Academics and Forms page on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Registration Issues:

• The student is registered for classes in the following semester.

Grade Issues:

• GPA below 3.0 on the Program of Study.
• Unresolved Temporary (T) grades – must be changed by Faculty.
• Unresolved Incomplete (I) grades – must be changed by Faculty.

Graduation Application Requirement

• All graduate students – regardless of plan type – must complete a graduation application for the correct semester in which they intend to graduate. Note: A $15 fee must be paid when the graduation application is submitted for each degree program.
• Reminder: Graduate students may submit only one graduation application per program.
• Graduation dates will be manually updated by the Graduate School Registrar when the student’s degree is finalized. If a student has the wrong semester listed, the Graduate Program Coordinator must provide a list to the Graduate School Registrar so corrections can be made.
• In order to officially graduate and receive a diploma, graduate students must:
  • Complete all graduate degree requirements.
  • Submit a graduation application.
• Once all graduation requirements have been met, students can expect to have their degree awarded within 45 days of the degree conferral date.

Required Forms to Submit:

• Graduation Application
  Purpose: Officially initiates the graduation process.
  Deadline: Must be submitted by the university deadline along with the $15 fee.

3. Graduation

Commencement Participation

• Graduate students who graduate during the summer semester are eligible to participate in spring commencement of that academic year.
• For questions about commencement and convocation, please review the Utah State University Commencement page.

4. After Graduation

Graduate Student Diplomas

• Diplomas for degrees conferred by the School of Graduate Studies are prepared by the main Utah State University Registrar’s Office at the end of each semester once degrees are awarded.
• For further questions, please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Page on the USU Registrar’s website.

Graduate School Transcripts

• The School of Graduate Studies does not issue official or unofficial copies of transcripts. Students and alumni may request their transcript records through the main Utah State University Registrar’s Office.

Letters of Completion

• Graduate students who have fulfilled all degree requirements before the end of the semester may request a letter from the School of Graduate Studies verifying degree completion for employment purposes.
• Students may request a letter of completion by emailing the Graduate Registrar.
• A request for a letter of completion may take up to 24-48 work hours to complete.
• NOTE: Master’s Plan B Students must have submitted their paper/project to USU Libraries.