College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Department of Applied Economics
SGS General Graduation Guidelines
These are the School of Graduate Studies guidelines and are the minimum requirements for students to complete a degree.
Required for all programs and plan types:
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
- Overall Graduate GPA at least 3.0 and no grades of C- or lower;
Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.
- Course Number Acceptability
The Program of Study for a master’s degree or a doctoral degree, if the student has a master’s degree, must include at least 15 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above.
For a doctoral degree, if the student does not have a master’s degree, the Program of Study must include at least 30 credits at the level of 6000 or above.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
- Matriculation Start Semester
A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
A doctorate must be completed within eight years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
- USU Residency Requirement
At least 33 semester credits for a doctoral (Ph.D.) or audiology (AUD) degree must be taken from Utah State University and be part of an approved Program of Study. At least three semesters, two of which must be consecutive, of full-time registration in residence at Utah State University, is required.
At least 24-semester credits for a master’s degree must be from a committee-approved and a School of Graduate Studies-approved Program of Study from Utah State University.
Required depending on program and plan types:
- Thesis/Dissertation Research Credits 6970/7970
A minimum of 12 dissertation credits (7970) is required if the student has a master’s degree, and a minimum of 18 is required if the student has a bachelor’s degree.
The Plan A option for a master’s degree requires the preparation and defense of a thesis. Students are required to complete a minimum of 6 semester credits of thesis research (6970) with a maximum of 15 thesis credits applied toward a Program of Study.
A Plan B option requires the production and defense of a paper or project, depending on the department and program. A minimum of two credits of thesis research (6970) are required, but no more than three thesis research credits can be included in an approved Program of Study. Some degree programs require creative project credits in addition to or in place of research.
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- Professional/Plan C students cannot use any thesis/dissertation credits.
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- Required for all defense degrees:
Successful defense and submission of the thesis or dissertation to the library.
- Master’s forms:
- Recommended General statement:
- Approval of academic forms required for master’s students by the School of Graduate Studies
- List of specific forms required, depending on plan type:
- Supervisory Committee
- Program of Study
- Thesis/Project Approval
- Appointment for Examination
- Record of Examination
- SGS and library review and approval
- Doctoral forms:
- Recommended General statement:
- Approval of academic forms required for doctoral students by the School of Graduate Studies.
- List of specific forms, depending on plan type:
- Supervisory Committee
- Program of Study
- Application for Candidacy
- Appointment for Examination
- Record of Examination
- SGS and library review and approval
