NAU Graduate Catalog: Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements
In this chapter of the catalog, we describe the general requirements for master's and doctoral programs.

In addition to these requirements, you must also meet the requirements specific to your degree program. See the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog and contact your department for more information.

Also see the preceding chapter, General Academic Requirements, for related information.

This chapter includes:

requirements for master's degrees

doctor of education requirements

doctor of philosophy requirements

requirements for theses and dissertations

a summary of procedures for earning graduate degrees

Master's Degree Requirements
We offer programs leading to the master of arts, master of science, master of education, master of arts in teaching, master of business administration, master of liberal studies, master of music, master of public administration, master of physical therapy, and master of vocational education degrees.

In this section, we describe the general requirements that apply to all of these master's degree programs.

Specific Plan Requirements
We offer master's degrees under three different plans:

thesis plan
comprehensive examination plan
extended coursework plan

Each department or program decides which plans to offer in each major. In some programs, only the thesis plan is allowed.

We may require an examination under any of the three plans in any degree program, as recommended by the department and approved by NAU's Graduate Council.

Thesis Plan
This is a research plan and usually requires that you satisfactorily complete 26 to 30 credit hours of coursework and successfully defend your thesis.

The number of hours required for your thesis varies by program; however, in no case will we accept fewer than 3 hours of thesis credit for a master's degree. Please note that you may end up taking more hours of thesis credit than the number that you can count toward your degree--because you must register for thesis hours each semester while you are working on your thesis.

Comprehensive Examination Plan
This plan requires that you satisfactorily complete 30 to 33 hours of coursework and obtain an acceptable score on a written and/or oral comprehensive examination. Your department determines what kind of examination to use, and the type of exam must be the same for all students in your program.

To be eligible to take your final comprehensive examination, you must have satisfactorily completed at least 26 hours of coursework or be in the process of completing this coursework during the semester in which you will take your exam. Arrangements for the exam are made within your department.

If the department rules that you have failed the examination, you can retake it after a lapse of six months. If you fail the comprehensive examination a second time, you cannot subsequently earn a master's degree under the extended coursework plan.

Extended Coursework Plan
This plan requires that you satisfactorily complete 36 to 45 hours of coursework. This plan is available for M.A. degrees at the discretion of your department.

Coursework Requirements
We expect you to have adequate undergraduate preparation for your intended major. Generally, you must have at least the equivalent of a minor (18 hours), and your adviser may require that you take, as a prerequisite for your graduate study, any undergraduate course normally required of undergraduate majors in the field. You may include up to 8 credit hours of 400-level coursework (no more than two 400-level courses) in your master's program with prior approval by your program committee.

To earn a master's degree at NAU, you must complete at least 24 hours of formal coursework--that is, courses other than such individualized studies as independent studies, directed readings, and research.

In addition, you must satisfactorily complete the number of graduate hours required for your program with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. See the General Academic Requirements chapter of this catalog for more information.

Time Limits
You must complete all requirements for your master's degree within a six-year period. If you take courses from other institutions and transfer them to your program at NAU, they must also be taken within the six-year period. (See the General Academic Requirements chapter of this catalog for more information about transfer credit.)

You can use credit earned at NAU before the six-year period if you renew the credit by attending the course for the entire semester or summer session and taking the midterm and final examinations.

If you wish to petition for an extension of the six-year limit, you must write to the Graduate College to request an extension. Your adviser must submit a written statement of support for your petition to the associate provost, and your department chair should endorse the adviser's letter of support.

Application for Graduation
You must apply for graduation in the semester before the one in which you plan to graduate. You can get the application form and information about deadlines from the Registrar's Office or the Graduate College. You must pay a $10 fee when you apply for graduation.

Second Master's Degree
If you have completed one master's degree at NAU, you must reapply for admission to the Graduate College before beginning work on another degree. We require this reapplication process whether you wish to work toward a second master's degree or toward a doctoral degree.

With the approval of your committee, you can use up to 9 hours of coursework from a previous master's degree to satisfy the requirements for a second master's degree at NAU. You must meet all program requirements for the second master's degree and all but the 9 hours must be earned at NAU.

M.Ed. Requirements
For a master of education degree, you must satisfy the requirements for your particular program as outlined in the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog.

In addition, you must have a basic teacher's certificate from the State Board of Education or complete the requirements for certification in the State of Arizona. Teacher certification is not required for admission to programs in counseling or educational leadership; however, it may be required by state departments of education for certification of school counselors and administrators.

If you are working toward a major or minor in education (including all majors with the words "Teaching of" or "Education" in their titles), you must use the following professional education courses for your minor.

One of the following:
EDR 610 Introduction to Research
EPS 525 Introductory Statistics

One of the following:
ECI 666 Problems in Secondary School Curriculum
ECI 675 Principles of Curriculum Construction
ECI 696 Professional Problems of Teachers

One of the following:
EDF 670 Philosophy of Education
EDF 671 History of American Education
EDF 672 Comparative Education

One of the following:
EPS 591 Personality Adjustment
EPS 605 Applied Educational Psychology
EPS 611 Adolescent Psychology

Doctoral Requirements
We offer doctor of education (Ed.D.) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, and the following section describes the general requirements for each.

You can find additional information about specific degree programs in the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog and by contacting your department.

Ed.D. Programs
The following requirements pertain to all doctoral students pursuing the doctor of education degree.

Residence Requirements
The purpose of our doctoral residence requirement is to provide you with opportunities for conferences, seminars, individual study, and interaction with resident faculty and other graduate students.

To make this possible, you must agree to remain free from outside activities that would detract from your scholarly study, research, writing, and the other professional activities that further your program of study. You cannot satisfy this residence requirement while working full time.

We define residency as carrying a minimum load of 9 hours during a semester or 5 hours during a summer session. In all cases, the courses you take must be approved by your adviser and program committee. Course credits counting toward your residence requirement accrue only after you have been formally admitted to your program.

The specific residence requirements for the Ed.D. degree vary by academic major as follows.

Curriculum and Instruction. After being admitted to a Flagstaff-based program, you can meet the residence requirement in one of two ways.

by completing at least two sequential semesters at NAU-Flagstaff, which can include either or both academic-year and summer semesters (two five-week summer terms are equal to one semester)
or by completing at least two semesters at NAU-Flagstaff that are not sequential, which can include either or both academic-year and summer semesters

Educational Leadership. For this program, you must satisfy the residence requirement by completing at least 24 credit hours in residence. You must indicate on your program of study how you plan to fulfill this requirement.

Normally, you must be enrolled as a full-time student during the semesters, summer sessions, or workshop terms in which you are earning residence credit. Working part time (for instance in a graduate assistantship) is permissible; however, working full time, on or off campus, does not satisfy the residence requirement.

Pending a favorable faculty decision on admission, you may count your residence from the semester you complete your application portfolio. (If you come to campus before being admitted to your program, you should understand the risk involved in anticipating that you will earn residence credit; we guarantee neither an interview nor admission.)

If you are an NAU employee earning a degree in educational leadership, consult with the Graduate College for the most current residence requirement applying to your status.

Educational Psychology. For this program, you must complete at least two consecutive semesters of full-time residence during fall and spring semesters.

Admission to Candidacy
You can apply for admission to candidacy after you:

have been admitted to the program
complete the courses listed on your program of studies with a grade point average of 3.0 or better
complete your residence requirement
submit an approved dissertation prospectus
successfully complete your comprehensive written examinations

You can get the form for applying for candidacy from the Graduate College or your department. After you complete this form, submit it to your adviser for approval and subsequent submission to the associate provost for graduate studies and research. If we do not approve your admission to doctoral candidacy, your enrollment will be terminated.

Requirements for Graduation
To be eligible to graduate with the Ed.D. degree, you must have been admitted to candidacy and must meet the following requirements.

You must complete an approved program of studies beyond the bachelor's degree totaling at least 90 credit hours of graduate work. (In educational psychology, you must complete 108 hours.)
You must complete a dissertation in your area of emphasis. (Please note that you may end up taking more hours of dissertation (799) credit than you can count toward your degree--because you must register for dissertation credit each semester while you are working on your dissertation.)
You must pass a final oral examination covering your dissertation. Your dissertation committee may also require a written comprehensive examination if your chair presents evidence of the need for such an examination.

Please be aware that, following admission to your program, you have eight years in which to complete all requirements for the Ed.D. degree.

Ph.D. Programs
The following general requirements pertain to all students pursuing the doctor of philosophy degree.

You can find additional information about your specific degree program in the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog and by contacting your department.

To make this possible, you must agree to remain free from outside activities that would detract from your scholarly study, research, writing, and the other professional activities that further your program of study. If you work full time, you cannot satisfy this residence requirement.

You must spend two consecutive semesters of full-time study in residence after you have been admitted to your degree program. We define residency as carrying at least 9 hours during a semester or 5 hours during a summer session. In all cases, the courses you take must be approved by your adviser and program committee. You can only accrue course credits counting toward your residence requirement after you have been formally admitted to your program.

Admission to Candidacy
You must apply for candidacy on a form supplied by the Graduate College that you submit to your adviser for approval and subsequent submission to the associate provost for graduate studies and research.

Before applying for candidacy, you must have satisfied the following requirements.

You must remove any course deficiencies specified by your committee.
You must have your program of study and research plan approved by your graduate committee and filed in the Graduate College, and you must have completed all coursework on the program of study (except your dissertation).
You must have completed your residence requirement.
You must demonstrate reading competence in one foreign language (in an exam administered by the Department of Modern Languages) or in a research skill if approved for your program by the Graduate Council. (If you are a doctoral student in biology or forestry, you may, in consultation with your graduate program committee, select either the foreign-language option or the research-skill option.)
After meeting the language or research-skill requirement, you must successfully complete a comprehensive written and oral examination administered by your department. Ordinarily, you take the comprehensive exam no less than six months before your final oral examination (dissertation defense).

After the associate provost has acted on your application for candidacy, you will be notified by the Graduate College. If your admission to doctoral candidacy is not approved, your enrollment will be terminated.

Requirements for Graduation
To be eligible to graduate with the Ph.D. degree, you must have been admitted to candidacy and must meet the following requirements.

You must complete an approved program of studies totaling the number of credit hours specified for your program. We require at least six semesters beyond the bachelor's degree to complete your degree.
You must complete a dissertation on a topic related to your major area of emphasis, and your committee must approve it. You can apply at least 15 dissertation (799) hours toward your degree; however, you may end up taking additional hours--because you must register for dissertation credit each semester while you work on your dissertation.
You must pass a final oral examination primarily over your area of research. This examination is administered by your dissertation committee.

You have up to four years between the time you take your comprehensive examination and your final oral examination. If more time elapses, you must repeat the comprehensive exam.

Thesis and
Dissertation Requirements
The purpose of preparing a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation is to give you experience in carrying out the kind of research you can expect to do throughout your professional career. In this process, we expect you to demonstrate your ability to work independently on a problem and to document your familiarity with the literature in your field, your command of the techniques and principles of research, and your ability to form valid generalizations from the data you use.

While working on your thesis or dissertation, keep in mind the following steps and requirements:

During a preliminary conference with your graduate adviser, you should select a suitable area for research. Several factors help determine the appropriateness of a research topic, such as whether you can readily obtain essential data, whether critical library references and/or technical or specialized equipment are available, whether you can attain significant results within a reasonable time, and whether faculty members with appropriate specialties are available to provide you with proper guidance.
After you submit your research topic and plan to your department, you should select your thesis or dissertation committee in consultation with your adviser. Submit your request, in writing, to the department chair for approval. (For dissertation committees, the department chair then makes a recommendation to the Graduate College, and the associate provost for graduate studies and research officially appoints the members of your committee. You will be notified of this action in writing.)
You should work closely with the members of your committee in carrying out your program of research and writing your thesis or dissertation.
Please note that a thesis committee must have at least three members and at least two of them must be from within your department. A dissertation committee consists of at least four faculty members, and at least one member must be from a department outside the department in which you are earning your degree.
Also note that in some doctoral programs, students have a program committee that guides their work through the comprehensive exams, and then they modify their committee for the dissertation. In other programs, one committee serves as both program and dissertation committee. Only the dissertation committee is formally appointed by the Graduate College.
Early in the semester in which you expect to graduate, you must submit an unbound copy of your document to the Graduate College's thesis and dissertation coordinator, who will check it against Graduate College requirements that pertain primarily to the binding and microfilming processes. (To obtain the Binding and Microfilming Requirements, contact the Graduate College.) Be aware that the coordinator does not check documents during the last two weeks of each semester or between semesters.
When your thesis or dissertation is in essentially final form and your committee agrees that you are ready, your defense should be scheduled. Some departments have restrictions on when defenses can be held; consult with your adviser or department chair for information about this. Dissertation defenses must be scheduled using the Dissertation Defense Scheduling Form, which must be submitted to the Graduate College at least two weeks before the anticipated defense date. Dissertation defenses may not be held during reading week or final exam week.
You may submit final copies of your thesis or dissertation to the Graduate College as soon as your committee signs your title page and you make any corrections noted by the thesis and dissertation coordinator--and no later than the last day of the semester or summer session in which you plan to graduate.
You can register for 1 to 12 hours of thesis (699) or dissertation (799) credit during any fall or spring semester or 1 to 6 hours of credit during any summer session. (Also see the continuous registration policy in the General Academic Requirements chapter of this catalog.) However, each degree program limits the number of hours of thesis or dissertation credit that you can apply toward your degree; see your specific program requirements in the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog.
If you are unable to complete your document during the semester in which you defend, you must register for 3 hours of thesis or dissertation credit each semester after your defense until you submit your final copies to the Graduate College.

continue on in the Degree Requirements chapter