/Institutions/The-University-of-Texas-Permian-Basin/json/2023-2024/Graduate-Studies-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/The-University-of-Texas-Permian-Basin/json/2023-2024/Graduate-Studies-Catalog.json

Requirements for Completion of the Degree

At least one third of the credit hours required for a graduate or post-graduate professional degree must be earned at UT Permian Basin. Successful completion of all courses and research requirements does not assure receipt of the master's degree. After all requirements have been fulfilled, candidates may be required to sit for an oral examination by their committee, which includes a representative of the graduate faculty.

The examination covers the subject matter of the candidate's field or discipline and research, if a project/thesis is part of the student's program. Candidates must demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of their field and research effort in the oral examination. Two negative votes on a committee of four or more members results in failure. Candidates failing the oral examination may sit for reexamination only twice more within 5 years of the initial failure. Candidates failing the examination will be given direction for study and rewriting of the project/thesis report in order to improve the chances of passing the examination on a subsequent attempt. To determine if a program requires a written or oral examination, thesis, project or seminar consult the description for degree. Some programs have options available for student programs.

If the student prepares a thesis or project, final copies of the master's project/thesis must be prepared according to the regulations presented in the current edition of Instructions for Preparation of Masters Thesis and Research Project Reports. Students must submit not less than an original and 3 copies of the project/thesis. Research papers and thesis authored by the student will be available to interested members of the public.

The Dean of Graduate Studies examines each project/thesis to determine whether or not it meets format guidelines. In order to reduce the number of last-minute corrections, the student is encouraged to consult with the Office of Graduate Studies during preparation of the report and to submit the master copy of the final draft of the report for review before having additional required copies prepared. This copy should be submitted for review well in advance of the deadline to allow adequate time for the Office of Graduate Studies review, time for the student to make necessary corrections and time to have the final required copies made.

Due to the part-time status of the majority of graduate students, no standard, continuous registration is required by policy of the Office of Graduate Studies. However, each student must register for the number of hours determined by their committee for the master's project/thesis. Students must register for 6398/6399 each semester in which they work under the supervision of their advisor toward the completion of the project/thesis and/or use the resources of the University. Although multiple registrations for these courses are common, a maximum of 3 hours for project or 6 hours of credit for thesis will be granted on the final academic record.

There may be financial aid or other requirements for continuous registration for individual students. Any student who is not enrolled for a two-term period will be asked to update his or her file and may find that a newer version of degree requirements is applicable.

The prospective graduate must complete and file an application for graduation during the registration period of the semester graduation is planned. Students failing to graduate after paying the graduation fee will forfeit that fee and must reapply when they register for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Within in the semester of graduation, a degree check will be initiated for the student. The student must enroll for at least three semester credit hours in one of the standard numbered courses during the semester in which graduation actually occurs or, if eligible and approved, register in absentia.

Registration in absentia may be permitted upon approved by the committee chair and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Candidates for a degree who has completed all the requirements for graduation including successful completion of an oral thesis or project defense, if required, and who need to register for the purpose of having a degree conferred (not to take courses or complete a thesis or project) are eligible to register in absentia. Candidates who have provided a written thesis or project to their committee chair and successfully completed their oral thesis or project defense prior to the end of the registration period for the semester of graduation are deemed to be eligible for in absentia registration if the student has previously registered for the maximum credit hours of thesis or project allowed to count toward the degree. The most common use of in absentia registration occurs when students complete their thesis or project after the deadline for thesis or project submission in a semester, and thus graduate in the following semester.

After registration for credit during a semester or summer session, a change to in absentia status must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and processed through the add/drop procedure, i.e., a student will drop the courses for which they have registered and add the in absentia registration. All fees, less the in absentia fee, will be refunded if the change is made during the first twelve class days. After the 12th class day, no refunds are made and no additional charge will be assessed for the in absentia fee. The University ID card and original paid fee receipt must be returned before a refund can be issued. No refund is made for the cancellation of an in absentia registration.