Master’s and MFA Degree Requirements

The following are minimal requirements for a candidate to obtain a master’s degree at UMass Dartmouth. Specific departments and colleges may establish more stringent requirements. In addition to these, all department requirements as outlined in the program section must be met.

At UMass Dartmouth, for the MA, MAE, MAT, MBA, MPP, and MS degrees, a program must contain at least 30 semester hours of course credit, exclusive of credits taken to make up deficiencies, with levels and types of courses as stipulated. These degrees also require a capstone experience, in the form of a thesis or formally submitted original work, a project, or a comprehensive examination. Many programs require more credits than this minimum.

The UMass Dartmouth MFA degree requires 60 credits, with levels and types of courses as stipulated below. This degree culminates in a visual thesis, exhibited or presented, and an accompanying written thesis.

Individual students’ substitution of courses, credit for courses taken at other institutions or programs, or other modifications to the course requirements stated must be formally approved by the department and college dean, with major departures also approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. Credits that have been applied toward any other earned degree may not be used.

No more than 12 credits of individual study, including independent study, graduate research, and graduate project or thesis, may apply as credit toward a master’s or MFA degree.

Master’s students must complete all coursework requirements for the degree within six (6) years of being accepted to the program.  In extenuating circumstances, a student may appeal to the department.  The department may then send a recommendation and justification for a waiver to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval. Students who stay for an extended period of time without making sufficient progress toward degree completion may be given one terminal year to complete all degree requirements. Students who fail to complete the requirements at the end of the terminal year may be subject to dismissal.

A master’s or MFA thesis must be supervised by a thesis committee, composed of at least three members, one of whom is the thesis advisor. A well-qualified outside person (that is, from outside UMass Dartmouth) may sit on a thesis committee, but at least two committee members must be UMass Dartmouth faculty members, one of whom undertakes principal responsibility as the thesis advisor. The majority of committee members and the thesis advisor must be permanent members of the UMass Dartmouth faculty. Emeriti faculty and adjunct faculty may serve as committee members. On a case-by-case basis, with the approval of the program’s Graduate Program Director, the College Dean, and the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, emeriti faculty and adjunct faculty may serve as co-advisors.

Three distinct phases occur in the preparation of a thesis: the preliminary investigations that lead to a formal thesis proposal; research and writing, with the appropriate involvement of the thesis advisor and committee members; and an oral thesis defense or other capstone experience associated with the thesis, leading to final preparation and approval.

The thesis committee is to be assigned by the time the thesis proposal is approved. The final defense date must be publicly announced at least two weeks before the defense date.

Master’s programs with a formal project in lieu of a thesis will use a committee process similar to that for the thesis. At the department’s discretion, however, the process may be somewhat simplified.

Programs that do not require a thesis or a formally-presented project require a comprehensive written or oral examination or some formal capstone experience. An option that allows on-going practice in the professional field may satisfy this condition.

A student must be currently enrolled in the university in order to defend the thesis and present it for acceptance in final form. Students who plan to defend their thesis or project during summer must enroll in appropriate thesis/project continuation in any of the summer sessions if they expect their degree to be conferred in August of that year. Graduate students who continue to work on a thesis or project after completing all credit requirements must remain in “program continuation” enrollment status for every semester in which they work on it, until the thesis/project is completed, including the semester in which final approvals are given for library submission and graduation. Those who must interrupt progress toward their degrees should seek formal leave of absence. If a student neither requests a leave of absence nor registers for “program continuation,” we presume that the student has abandoned pursuit of the degree; such a student must apply for re-admission to resume work for the degree.

As explained, in the section on Course Load (Academic Regulations chapter), students may request verification of being full-time status while they are registered for “continuation” and pursuing their thesis work.

A Requirements for Theses and Dissertations manual prepared by the Graduate Studies Office gives full instructions on the process and requirements for a thesis.

After the thesis committee gives approval to begin the final preparation stage, the candidate will prepare one signatory page the format of which must be approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. Electronic copies of the final, approved thesis will be housed in the UMass Dartmouth library collection. (The library does not house copies of Project reports.)

The thesis will receive grades of IP (in progress) until its completion and final approval. If the thesis or project is never completed, IP remains the grade of record. Upon approval, a permanent grade will be given (according to the approved grading system for that program). The posting of graduation and awarding of the degree occur after completion and approval of the thesis or project.