Graduate Students, Time Limits

A master’s degree must be completed within six years of matriculation. A doctorate must be completed within eight years of matriculation.

Coursework that is more than eight years old may not be used for a graduate degree. If permitted by the departmental or interdepartmental degree program policy, a supervisory committee may allow revalidation through testing, following a plan developed by the supervisory committee and approved by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The results must be verified in writing to the graduate dean by the student’s major professor or other person(s) responsible for the testing. Work experience cannot be substituted for out-of-date coursework or used for revalidation.

Graduate credits from another institution that exceed the eight- year limit at the time of degree completion may be transferred to a USUgraduate degree only if the student’s supervisory committee provides a justification acceptable to the graduate dean. Then, the revalidation procedures described above apply.