5.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS & GRADUATION

5.1 Graduation Requirements 

To be eligible to receive a graduate degree, a student must meet the following requirements: 

• Students must meet the Residency Requirement of at least 75% of the total semester hours required for the degree within their graduate program being completed through instruction offered by Kennesaw State. 
• Degree candidates must have earned an institutional grade point average of 3.0 calculated on all graduate courses attempted at KSU
• Degree candidates must have earned a grade of “C” or better in each course presented to meet degree requirements. 
• Students must complete all program requirements, including any comprehensive exams, thesis work, or dissertation work. Please see specific graduate program sections of the catalog for additional information on program requirements. 
• Students must satisfactorily complete any grade of I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), or NR (Not Reported) grades

In all instances, meeting the requirements for graduation is the responsibility of the student.

5.2 Residency Requirements 

To receive a graduate degree from Kennesaw State University, students must complete at least 75% of the total semester hours required for the degree within their graduate program through instruction offered by Kennesaw State.  Credit hours earned through instruction offered by KSU does not include coursework transferred from other institutions or credits earned through a consortium that did not originate from KSU (i.e., cross registration).  All of these hours must be completed after the student has been admitted to the degree program. 

Candidates for a second master’s degree at KSU must earn a minimum of 18 additional hours in excess of any hours used toward the first master’s degree (the exact number of hours will depend on specific degree requirements). 

5.3 Catalog for Graduation Evaluation 

A student may elect to be evaluated for graduation from any catalog in effect during the time they have been enrolled, provided that enrollment has been continuous, and the student has not changed programs. See Maintaining Eligibility to Register 2.3. If a student changes their program, they will be evaluated for graduation using the catalog in effect at the time of the change, or any subsequent catalog as long as the student is continuously enrolled. Catalog selection applies only to the course requirements of that catalog; all other academic procedures and graduation requirements must be satisfied according to regulations in effect at the time of graduation. 

Students readmitted will be evaluated for graduation from the catalog in effect at the time of readmission or reinstatement, or any catalog in effect during subsequent periods of continuous enrollment. 

Students may not elect a catalog for a discontinued/deactivated degree program. 

5.4 Program Time Limit 

All requirements for a master’s degree must be completed within six years, beginning with the first registration in graduate-level classes following admission to the degree program. Unless otherwise stated in the specific program description in the graduate catalog, all requirements for a doctoral degree must be completed within ten years, beginning with the first registration in graduate-level classes following admission to the degree program. 

The Graduate College may grant an extension of time for conditions beyond the student’s control (see: 2.16 Leave of Absence) 

5.5 Duplicate Courses or Dual Credit 

If students have two courses that are so similar as to be considered the same, they may only use one to meet program of study degree requirements. Only one course may be counted as hours earned, and only one course may be used for graduation purposes. 

5.6 Petition to Graduate 

Graduate students should submit a formal petition for the degree and/or certificate through the online petition process no later than the deadline published on the Registrar’s website and pay the graduation fee noted below. Upon degree completion, the degree will be awarded. 

Graduation Petition Fees:

Participation in a commencement ceremony does not constitute earning a degree, and the conferred date on a diploma will coincide with the semester that that degree requirements are completed. 

5.7 Additional Programs 

5.7.1 Multiple Concentrations in a Single Degree Program 

In graduate programs with specific concentrations, a student may qualify for an additional concentration (within the specified graduate program) by completing a minimum of twelve (12) additional hours of appropriate course work beyond that required for the original concentration and by completing any special requirements of that concentration and only if the additional courses are completed before any of the student’s graduate credits will be more than six years old for master’s program or more than ten (10) years old for doctoral programs. The grades in the additional hours must not cause the student’s grade point average to fall below a 3.0. All grades must be “C” or higher. 

After earning the additional concentration, the student must submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar to include the concentration on the student’s record. 

5.7.2 Dual Degree 

Dual Degrees in the University System of Georgia are defined according to the SACS COC Collaborative Academic Arrangements Policy found in the SACSCOC Resource Manual. For a list of available dual degree programs, please visit the graduate program sections of the catalog. 

5.7.3 Multiple Graduate Degrees 

​A student may earn a specific degree at Kennesaw State only once. A student wishing to complete a second graduate degree program must. 

• Submit a new graduate application through the Office of Graduate Admissions; 
• Meet with the program director for the second graduate degree program to plan appropriate courses after acceptance into that program; 
• Meet all admission requirements in effect for the second graduate degree;  
• Fulfill all requirements for the second graduate degree. 

For a second degree, the student may be able to use appropriate coursework from the original graduate degree. The exact number of hours will depend on specific degree requirements and will be determined in consultation with the program director. Students enrolled in an approved dual degree program must follow the stated curriculum and would not be eligible to follow this policy. 

Each candidate for a second graduate degree must apply for graduation. An application for graduation will be accepted and may be filed online by the posted deadlines. A student may not graduate from the second graduate degree program before graduating from their initial graduate degree program. 

5.7.4 Certificate Programs 

5.7.4a Stand-Alone Certificate Programs 

Students must apply for a stand-alone certificate to be awarded the certificate. Coursework completed for a degree program may be applied to a certificate and vice versa provided a student is admitted in both.

100% sharing between certificate and degree program is permitted. 

The Office of the Registrar will issue the stand-alone certificate upon completion of the requirements. 

5.7.4b Embedded Certificates 

Students must apply for an embedded certificate using the form found on the Registrar’s website (https://registrar.kennesaw.edu/student-resources/embedded-cert.php) to be awarded the certificate.

Embedded certificates are those certificates that are only awarded to a student upon completion of a degree and are a self-contained set of courses embedded in a major/stand-alone degree. 

The Office of the Registrar will issue the embedded certificate upon completion of the degree requirements, which include the requirements for the embedded certificate. 

5.8 Doctoral Degree Requirements 

In order to receive a doctoral degree from Kennesaw State University, the minimum requirements must be met:

• A student must be enrolled for dissertation hours during the semester the student plans to defend the dissertation or the preceding semester
• All students seeking a doctoral degree must pass a qualifying examination or comprehensive examination
• Be admitted to Candidacy
• Upon satisfying the Dissertation Committee requirements and upon recommendation of the Graduate Program Committee, the academic College, and the Graduate College, the Dissertation Committee is appointed. 
• All completed coursework included in the final program of study must have been taken within the preceding ten years to include successful completion and defense of the dissertation.
• To graduate, all doctoral students must have an institutional grade point average of at least 3.0. 
• In addition to these minimum requirements, all students must fulfill any additional requirements outlined in the respective doctoral handbook.

5.8.1 Admission to Candidacy

Students seeking a doctoral degree at KSU must be admitted to candidacy. To be admitted to candidacy, the student must fulfill the following requirements:

• Be in good standing.
• Pass a qualifying (or comprehensive) examination (written, oral, or both) prepared by the Graduate Program Committee and meet any other requirements specified by the Graduate Program Committee for the specific degree program.
• Upon satisfying the admission to candidacy requirements, the student must be approved for admission to candidacy by the Dissertation Chair, Program Director/Coordinator, Department Chair or School Director, and the Dean of the Graduate College.

5.8.2 Dissertation Committee 

In consultation with the Program Coordinator, the student must select a Dissertation Chair. The chair must be a KSU Graduate Faculty member associated with the student’s academic program. The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least three KSU Graduate Faculty and may consist of additional committee members. The committee must be approved by the Program Director/Coordinator, Department Chair or School Director, and the Dean of the Graduate College.

5.8.3 Dissertation Proposal Defense 

A satisfactory final oral examination is required for the approval of a dissertation proposal. The Dissertation Committee decision must be unanimous. Once the Dissertation Committee approves the proposal the Defense Approval must be approved by the Program Director/Coordinator, Department Chair or School Director, and the Dean of the Graduate College.

5.8.4 Dissertation Defense 

• Completed the work assigned by the committee
• Passed all examinations required by the program’s Graduate Program Committee, including the final oral examination
• Completed a dissertation that is an independent investigation in the major field, and that itself constitutes a contribution to knowledge
• Once complete, the committee must approve the Dissertation Defense unanimously by completing the Dissertation Defense Outcome with the following signatures: Dissertation Chair, each committee member, Program Director/Coordinator, Department Chair or School Director, and Dean of the Graduate College.

5.8.5 Final Submission 

The final version of the Dissertation must be uploaded to Digital Commons by Final Grades Deadline of the semester in which the student plans to graduate.