A. Admission Requirements

A1.000 - ADMISSION DECISIONS

The academic programs make the initial evaluation of applications and then submit a recommendation to the Graduate School regarding possible admission.

A1.100 - Admission is competitive and the faculty and the Graduate School weigh several factors in making admission decisions: undergraduate grades, test scores, the appropriateness of previous academic training, and the availability of space, facilities, faculty, and other resources.

A1.200 - All credentials become the property of The University of Montana and will not be returned.

A1.300 - Participation in a master's program does not guarantee eventual admission to a doctoral program.

A2.000 - PROVISIONAL ADMISSION

The academic program may recommend a student for provisional admission to the Graduate School for either a single term or an academic year. Provisional admission is given when the student might not be competitive in one or more admission criteria, but nevertheless shows promise. The provisional status provides a trial period wherein the student can demonstrate they can perform in the graduate program.

A2.100 - The academic program may determine there are certain deficiencies or prerequisite courses that the student must take during the provisional period.

A2.200 - The provisional status must be removed by the Graduate School on the recommendation of the academic program anytime after the first term, but no later than the day before the beginning of the third term.

A2.300 - Except for the assignment of teaching assistantships by some departments, provisional admission carries no restrictions regarding financial aid, credit loads, course selection, or other special limitations.

A2.400 - International students can be admitted provisionally to a degree program if their English language skills do not meet admission standards. They may not take classes in their major but will take ESL (English as a Second Language) classes until they meet admission standards.

A3.000 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The University of Montana is committed to a program of equal opportunity for education, employment and participation in University activities without regard to race, color, sex, age, religious creed, political ideas, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, or sexual orientation.

A4.000 - STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The University is committed to providing programs that are accessible and usable by students with disabilities. Applicants and students with disabilities will be provided with reasonable modifications and accommodations. Applicants and students who seek a reasonable modification should begin the process by registering with the Office of Disability Equity (ODE). University policy as well as federal and state law prohibits retaliation against anybody for exercising their right to request a reasonable modification or accommodation.

A5.000 - HEALTH HISTORY

A self-report medical history, sent upon admission, must be submitted to the Curry Health Center before the 15^th instructional day of the first semester of attendance. Students born after December 31, 1956 must submit a certificate of immunization against Rubella and measles (Rubeola). Not Applicable to distance-only students.

A6.000 - ADMISSION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International students should apply at least 6 months before the program's application deadline.

A6.100 - Applicants whose native language is not English must submit an acceptable English language proficiency test score. The acceptable tests for admission, including conditional admission, are listed below.

• Applicants whose test scores meet the minimum may be unconditionally admitted to a university graduate program, provided they meet that program's application standards.
  • Applicants should consult with individual programs to see if there are higher standards for English proficiency in their chosen program. 
• The Graduate School will not accept the TOEFL ITP test for admission.
• If applicants have lower scores, they can apply for conditional admission, provided they are academically eligible, and their score meets the minimum in the conditional column in the table below.
  • Graduate students conditionally admitted to the university must be enroll in the English Language Institute (ELI), and then score sufficiently high on an English proficiency exam to gain unconditional admission to the university.
• Acceptable tests for graduate admission:
  • TOEFL IBT (IBT Home Edition also accepted).
    • Minimum Score: 80
    • Minimum Score for Conditional Admission: 71
  • TOEFL Essentials
    • Minimum Score: 9
    • Minimum Score for Conditional Admission: 7.5
  • IELTS
    • Minimum Score: 6.5
    • Minimum Score for Conditional Admission: 6.0
  • MET
    • Minimum Score: 58
    • Minimum Score for Conditional Admission: 52

A6.200 - Applicants who are graduates of English-speaking universities are not required to take the TOEFL, IELTS or MET, however, applicants must submit scores for the graduate administration test required by the program (i.e. GMAT). In some programs the TOEFL, IELTS or MET scores may substitute for GRE scores (check with the department).

A6.300 - If you have received a high school, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree from an institution in the United States or a country listed below, an English proficiency examination is not required however proof of the programs language of instruction may be requested. See the list below.

Countries Exempt from Providing Proof of English Proficiency

• Anguilla
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• British Virgin Islands
• Canada (except Quebec)
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Falkland Islands
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Grenada
• Guernsey
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Isle of Man
• Jamaica
• Jersey
• Liberia
• Montserrat
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent & the Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• United Kingdom
• United States Territories

A6.400 - Before issuing a visa form, the Graduate School must receive a certified financial statement from a bank or sponsoring agency.

A7.000 - ENROLLMENT IN GRADUATE COURSES FOR SENIOR AND POST-BACCALAUREATE SENIORS

Post-baccalaureates and seniors holding a 3.0 (or greater) grade point average may, with consent of instructor, enroll in 500-level courses for undergraduate credit. Variance from these requirements cannot be petitioned, except in the cases of approved Accelerated Master’s Degrees (see Policy C5.300).

A8.000 - EARLY ADMISSION

Undergraduates of The University of Montana requiring six or fewer credits to complete the bachelor's degree may be admitted provisionally to the Graduate School, taking the GRE [GMAT] if required by the department at the earliest opportunity and completing the bachelor's degree within one semester. Undergraduate credits taken in this status will be charged at the graduate rate. This policy does not apply to those students in one of the approved programs listed in C5.300. In addition, an MOU with Carroll College allows undergraduate students to be admitted to UM’s MPA program when they have attained senior status (or the equivalent of 105 credits) with a GPA of 3.5 and met the other requirements for admission to the MPA program.

During the semester as an early admitted graduate student, the student will not be eligible for financial aid. 

A9.000 - GRADUATE NONDEGREE STATUS

If a student is not seeking a graduate degree or has not been accepted to the Graduate School, they may enroll as a Graduate Nondegree student on a space-available basis.

A9.100 - To apply, see instructions on the Apply section of the Graduate School web site.

A9.200 - Up to nine semester graduate nondegree credits (or the graduate nondegree credits earned during a single semester, whichever is more) may apply toward a subsequent graduate degree program, with the approval of the students program chair and the Graduate Dean.

A9.300 - Acceptance as a Graduate Nondegree student does not imply future admission to a degree program.

A9.400 - Students do not earn graduate credit in a post-baccalaureate status.

A9.500 - A student may not be admitted to both non-degree and degree status within a single semester.  Students enrolled in a nondegree status at the time of acceptance into a degree program will be admitted to the degree program for the following semester.

A10.000 - VISITING GRADUATE STUDENT

Visiting Graduate Student status is offered for one year to students admitted to graduate study elsewhere. A statement of graduate status from the graduate dean is required. Credits earned under visiting status are considered graduate nondegree credits. Contact the Graduate School for application materials and procedures.

A11.000 - COUNCIL OF GRADUATE SCHOOLS RESOLUTION REGARDING SCHOLARS, FELLOWS, TRAINEES AND ASSISTANTS

Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer.

B. Degree Standards

B1.000 - DEFINING DEGREE STANDARDS

The University of Montana bestows substantial freedom on departments and schools to define their own degree structures; current information about particular programs may best be obtained by contacting the chair or dean of the program directly. University regulations, curricula, and fee schedules are subject to change without notice, and students in degree programs are responsible for meeting degree requirements and procedural deadlines.

B2.000 - GRADES

Students must maintain a B average in courses taken for graduate credit at The University of Montana; no grade below C will be accepted toward any degree requirement. The student is automatically on academic probation if the cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0. 

The Graduate School may place limits on the time for the student to remediate the academic problem before being suspended (see policy B8.000 for details on Probation and Suspension). 

In addition, a program may set a higher GPA minimum, and specify other academic performance measures to remain in good standing. Examples might include successful completion of specific core courses, demonstration of professional competencies, assembling a committee, or successfully being admitted to a research lab. Programs will communicate these standards clearly in their program handbooks. Failure to meet those standards may result in dismissal (see Policy B8.000, below).

B2.100 - Pass grades are not included in grade point calculations, but may apply toward degree requirements when earned in courses offered only on a Pass/Not Pass basis.

B2.200 - Credit grades are not included in grade point calculations, but may apply toward degree requirements when earned in courses offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis.

B2.300 - Only N (Continuation), NCR (no credit received) and CR (credit) grades are awarded for research, thesis and dissertation work. The grades of CR and NCR are not defined in terms of their relationship to traditional grades for graduate courses, but rather if the student completed the required work or not. Grades of I (Incomplete) not removed within one year revert to the alternate grade, usually F, or a grade assigned by the instructor when the incomplete is submitted.

B2.400 - The process for challenging courses provided in the UM General Catalog is not applicable for graduate credit.

B2.500 - In undergraduate or graduate designated 400-level courses, graduate students will be evaluated in a manner different from that of undergraduate students, and will complete an additional increment of graduate-level work as assigned by the instructor. 300-level courses and below may not be applied toward a Master's or Doctoral degree.

B3.000 - CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION

Graduate students in degree programs must register for credits each Fall and Spring Semester (with exceptions including some distance learning programs or the School of Education where students may be registering primarily in the Summer).

B3.100 - To ensure that costs for services are covered for continuing graduate students, a continuous registration requirement of three credits per semester is mandatory, except in documented and approved instances such as the following and for which registration of at least one credit is required. This policy applies to the regular academic year (fall and spring semesters) and to those students whose academic year may be an exception such as spring-summer or summer-fall). It does not apply to on-line, off-campus only programs.

1. International assignment with an NGO, Peace Corps, etc. as a program requirement (program registration documentation)
2. Parental leave or major illness (documented by physician, psychologist, etc.)
3. Extended family-leave due to illness (documented by physician, psychologist, etc.)
4. Significant off-campus field assignment (documented by department chair and dean).
5. Post-defense periods in which there is thesis, dissertation, or professional paper clean up only (no registration is required for one semester); after one semester, one-credit registration is required for one semester; beyond one semester, three-credits continuous registration is required

Application for exception to the three credit mandatory continuous registration policy should occur using the following procedures:

1. All exceptions must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
2. All requests for exception should be submitted to the Graduate Dean before the first day of classes for the semester for which an exception is requested.
3. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis, except for programmatic exceptions (e.g. ICD program in Resource Conservation, IYFD program in Education, predoctoral internships for clinical and school psychology Ph.D. students, and Creative Pulse) which can be requested by a programmatic memorandum from the program director to the Graduate Dean. The memorandum from the program director will constitute suitable documentation.
4. Parental or major illness and extended family leave exception requests should be in the form of a memorandum from the major professor (adviser) to the Graduate Dean, and suitable documentation (from physician, psychologist, other medical professional, etc.) should be included as an attachment.
5. Significant off-campus field assignment (domestic or foreign) exception requests for each student should be in the form of a memorandum to the Graduate Dean from the major professor (adviser) and endorsed by the department chair and dean. This memorandum will constitute suitable documentation.
6. Exception request memoranda need not be lengthy, but should include the specific request including the student's name and student identification number, the reason for the request, and any supporting documentation.

Additional Note (not part of the continuous registration policy):
In addition to this continuous registration policy, the Graduate School allows up-to a one-year leave of absence with no penalty (See Policy B3.200), with approval by the Dean of the Graduate School. The form for requesting a leave of absence is available on the Graduate School web site. Since a leave of absence presumes the student is off-campus and not engaged in university activities, no university resources (except those available to the general public) are available during the leave of absence.

B3.200 - Students who step out of their graduate programs and who do not maintain continuous registration will be dropped from their program's roster and will need to petition their program and the Graduate School for readmission. The petition for readmission will require an evaluation of the student's progress and a plan with time-table for completing the degree. Not all students will be readmitted.

In an attempt to discourage students from stepping out of their programs without a leave of absence, the Graduate Council established a policy that readmitted students may be required to register for up to four credits not taken under continuous registration or additional terminal credits in their final term.

B4.000 - LEAVE OF ABSENCE

The Graduate School allows up-to a one-year leave of absence with no penalty with approval of the Graduate School (e.g., for parental, major illness, or personal need). The form for requesting a leave-of-absence is available on the Graduate School web site. Because a leave-of-absence presumes the student is off-campus and not engaged in university activities, no university resources (except those available to the general public) are available during the leave-of-absence.

B5.000 - DROPPING OUT

Students who leave their graduate programs without prior permission from their program and the Graduate School, and who do not maintain continuous registration, will be dropped from their program's roster.  They will need to petition their program and the Graduate School for readmission. The petition for readmission will require an evaluation of the student's progress and a plan with timetable for completing the degree. Not all students will be readmitted.

B6.000 - PLAGIARISM WARNING

Plagiarism is the appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author and representing them as one's original work. It is a particularly intolerable offense in the academic community and is strictly forbidden. Students who plagiarize may fail the course and may be remanded to Academic Court for possible suspension or expulsion.

Students must always be very careful to acknowledge any kind of borrowing that is included in their work. This means not only borrowed wording but also ideas. Acknowledgement of whatever is not one's own original work is the proper and honest use of sources. Failure to acknowledge whatever is not one's own original work is plagiarism.

B7.000 - STUDENT CONDUCT CODE

To the extent a particular graduate program subjects its students to specific professional ethics, professional conduct or honor code, violation of any such code may subject a student to academic misconduct charges, general misconduct charges or both pursuant to The University of Montana Student Conduct Code. Refer to the general catalog or contact the Vice President for Student Affairs for information about the Student Conduct Code.

B8.000 - ACADEMIC PROBATION AND SUSPENSION

A student may be placed on probation for either of the following reasons:

• A failure to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000, which will be automatic unless the program appeals to the Graduate School on the student’s behalf to explain contingent circumstances.
• A failure to make good academic progress as defined by the program.

After grades are finalized, the Graduate School will notify programs of their students who are below the minimum of 3.0, and ask that they identify students who are struggling in the program, or explain contingent circumstances that would suggest they do not need to be on Academic Probation (close to the 3.0 mark, making significant progress, etc).

If the student is placed on Academic Probation, the program will notify the student as well as the Graduate School and include with that notification benchmarks to achieve and a specific timeline to achieve them before Suspension.

A student can be suspended from an academic program for any of the following reasons:

• Provisional admission conditions not met (see Policy A2.000).
• Cumulative or program GPA falls or remains below a 3.00 after being placed in University Probation status (see above).
• Unsatisfactory progress in a degree program as defined by that program’s student handbook.

When a program determines that a student should be suspended, they will notify the student and the Graduate School of the suspension, with details in the student’s record relevant to existing program policy. If the program decides to suspend a student, the program will communicate to the student and the Graduate School, and offer the student a clear timeline for appeal (see below). Suspensions due to GPA as stipulated above cannot be appealed without the support of the academic program.

Suspension Appeal

If a degree-seeking student wishes to appeal their suspension due to unsatisfactory progress they must follow the steps in the following timeline:

1. Notice of Appeal. The student must notify the Graduate School of their intent to appeal within five (5) business days of receiving the suspension letter.
2. Submission of Appeal. The student has an additional ten (10) business days to provide a letter and any supporting documents to the Graduate School. The Appeal should provide specific evidence, context, or mitigating factors that address directly the program or Graduate School standards that were not met.
3. Decision on Appeal. The decision on an appeal resides with the Dean of The Graduate School or their designee. The Dean may reach out to the student or the program for additional information, if it deems such is necessary for its decision.  The Dean may place requirements related to timeframes on responses to these requests.  If additional information is received from the program, the student will be provided a copy.  The submitted appeal can be accepted or denied, and the Graduate School will typically issue that decision within 10 days of submission, however, this timeframe may be longer if the Dean requires additional information from the student or faculty member.
4. Plan of Action. If the appeal is accepted, the student will be sent a Plan of Action from the Graduate School to be completed by their committee chair/graduate coordinator. The Plan of Action must enumerate the items to be completed for the student to return to good standing. As with other petitions to the Graduate Dean, the Plan of Action should be submitted to the Graduate School by graduate program faculty (chair/advisor/program director) confirming their approval of the steps to return to good standing.

If the appeal is not made within 10 days, or the appeal is denied, students will be made “Inactive” as graduate students.

To be re-admitted after a suspension, the student must receive the approval of the graduate program, who may choose not to re-admit.

The decision of the Dean is considered the final administrative act of the University. 

Pursuant to BOR Policy 203.5.2, this decision is appealable to OCHE.

C. The Master's Degree

C1.000 - CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

Each program defines its own credit requirements and its own standards of quality and achievement. At least two years of graduate study are normally necessary for the master's degree. The following statements describe the Graduate Schools' minimum quantitative requirements for the master's degree.

C1.100 - At least 30 semester graduate credits will be presented for the thesis or professional paper option, or at least 36 semester graduate credits for the nonthesis option.

C1.200 - At least 20 semester credits, including those earned for the thesis or professional paper, will be in your major discipline.

C1.300 - At least half the credits required for your degree (excluding a combined total of 10 semester credits for thesis and research) will be at the 500 or 600 level. To apply this rule to your course of study, subtract the number of thesis and research credits you completed (up to 10 semester credits only) from the minimum number of credits required for your degree.  All courses used to meet graduation requirements must be at the graduate level.

C1.400 - As of Fall Semester 2011 300 UG (Undergraduate/Graduate) courses will not count toward graduate degrees.

C2.000 - CREDITS EARNED ON CAMPUS

At least 12 semester credits are required to be earned on campus or from campus delivered distance coursework.

C3.000 - TIME LIMITS

All degree requirements for the master's degree, including the use of transfer and nondegree credits, must be completed within five years; six years for students in the School of Education. Courses that fall outside this time limit must be recertified for currency of knowledge.

C4.000 - SECOND MASTER'S DEGREE

Revision approved by Graduate Council: 02/16/2022

For the purposes of this policy dual and joint degrees are defined as follows:

A joint degree is a combined degree that allows students to obtain a single degree with a specialization in two related fields. A joint degree requires OCHE/BOR approval, and students that complete a joint degree will have this single joint degree listed on their transcript rather then two separate degrees. Note that this pathway should only be pursued if the joint degree is nationally recognized with a corresponding Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code.

A dual degree allows students to follow specified pathways in two different fields and concurrently receive two separate degrees. A dual degree requires that students complete the standards specified for each program separately, and students that complete a dual degree will have both degrees listed on their transcript. On the recommendation of both graduate programs, students working towards a dual Master's may apply up to nine credits to both degrees. Programs should apply professional, curricular, and accreditation standards when granting transfer credits so as to guarantee the integrity of their programs.

Formal program modification is required for exceptions to this policy. Such program modification requests should include clear rationales for how shared credits maintain each program’s curricular and degree standards as well as adherence to accreditation standards, where applicable.

Current exceptions are listed here:

• For the MFA in Creative Writing, 24 semester credits from an MA in English may be applied.
• For the MFA in Fine Arts, 24 semester credits from an MA in Fine Arts may be applied.
• For the MPH, a maximum of 24 semester credits from the MPA may be applied.
• For the MPA, a maximum of 24 semester credits from the MPH may be applied. 
• For the MSW, a maximum of 24 credits from the MPH may be applied.
• For the MPH Program, a maximum of 24 credits from the MSW may be applied. 
• For the MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design program, 12 credits of coursework in the PharmD program can be transferred if the student took the credits in graduate status to fulfill PharmD requirements.  

C5.000 - TRANSFER CREDITS FOR THE MASTER'S DEGREE

Students may transfer up to nine graduate/graduate non-degree semester credits or a full semester of graduate work on the recommendation of the program, after a semester of satisfactory work at UM. The transfer credits must meet the following requirements:

1. The courses must have been taken for graduate credit. This information is verified by the Graduate School when the student submits a transcript of the transfer coursework.
2. Grades must be either an A or a B.
3. Credits must be earned at an institution that offers a graduate degree in the discipline of the course being transferred.
4. Credits must be applicable to the degree being sought.

C5.100 - Up to 30 semester graduate or graduate non-degree credits may be transferred to the MFA degree in Fine Arts, and up to 16 semester graduate or graduate non-degree credits to the MFA degree in Creative Writing.

C5.200 - Credits that cannot be transferred into a UM graduate program:

1. Thesis or correspondence credits.
2. Extension credits outside the Montana university system.
3. Credits earned at the undergraduate level.
4. Credits taken in undergraduate or post-baccalaureate status, except in the specific programs outlined in C5.300.  
5. Credits already used in completing a graduate degree program, except in the programs outlined in C4.000.  

C5.300 - Accelerated Master's Degrees. Select programs can apply to the Graduate Council for designation as an Accelerated Master’s Degree, which provides their students an exemption from the rule prohibiting undergraduate credits to transfer to a Master’s degree (C5.240). 

The complete list of approved programs approved for this exemption is as follows (updated August, 2024):

• Master of Athletic Training
• Master of Arts in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism
• Master of Arts in Linguistics,
• Master of Science Neuroscience (max of 15 credits),
• Master of Arts in Environmental Philosophy
• Master of Arts in Political Science
• Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design program. (12 credits of coursework in the Doctor of Pharmacy program may be transferred.)
• Master of Public Health
• Master of Public Health; Community Health and Prevention Science Concentration
• In addition, programs with approved MOUs with affiliated institutions may seek this exception, including (updated September, 2019): Carroll College (UM MPA Program). 

After approval by the Graduate Council, Faculty Senate, and the Board of Regents, these programs are authorized to admit select students into a graduate-level coursework in their fourth year or when they have completed a minimum of 105 undergraduate credits and demonstrated their capacity to pursue graduate-level coursework successfully. 

These programs must ask for a specific maximum of allowable credits (no more than 9 except in specific circumstances) to transfer from the undergraduate to the graduate degree. All credits transferred are subject to the policy on transfer credits (C5.000), with particular attention to the importance of students completing the “graduate increment” in 400-level courses designated UG, taken to fulfill a requirement for a Master’s degree.

Students in these programs will not be formally admitted to the Graduate School until their undergraduate degree is complete, at which time the restricted credits will be transferred and the students will change officially to “Graduate Status.”

C6.000 - THESIS/PROFESSIONAL PAPER EXAMINING COMMITTEE

Each master's degree program must include a specific component of research or creative work and a comprehensive evaluation over the content of the discipline. In programs requiring a thesis or professional paper, these requirements are typically combined and overseen by the thesis/professional paper examining committee.

C6.100 - Examining Committee Composition

The thesis/professional paper examining committee shall be comprised of a minimum of three voting members as follows:

1. A qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree who shall serve as chair;
2. A second qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree, or from a cooperating program or unit in the case of interdisciplinary degree programs;
3. A qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from a program or unit other than the one granting the degree whose primary responsibility is to ensure that the student is held to reasonable academic standards, that the student is treated fairly by all committee members, and that the student's progress is not unduly delayed by failure of committee members to act in a timely manner.

Upon the recommendation of the unit, one additional voting member who is a faculty affiliate, a faculty member of another institution of higher learning, or a non-academic expert may be appointed by the Graduate Dean, if he or she is uniquely qualified by training, experience, and/or degrees held to guide and evaluate the thesis or professional paper.

Nota Bene: the Graduate School does not consider a non-UM employee to be an adequate substitute for member 3. Many non-UM faculty members serve as optional 4^th members, but academic units need to select member 3 from faculty who are from a different tenure home than the graduate committee Chair (member 1).

C6.200 - Appointment of Examining Committee Members

Prospective committee members shall be chosen by the student in consultation with his or her academic advisor, and the program director or department chair shall forward the nominations to the dean of the Graduate School for his or her approval.

C6.300 - Qualifications of Examining Committee Members

Individuals serving on thesis/professional paper committees must satisfy the qualifications standards set forth in G.1000.

C7.000 - THESIS/PROFESSIONAL PAPER DEFENSE

The thesis is a monographic or creative exercise representing an original scholarly contribution to a discipline. While conventions vary among disciplines, the professional paper is generally associated with the application of scholarly knowledge to specific professional settings. Both thesis and professional papers exhibit such substance and quality as to warrant eventual publication or exhibition.

C7.100 - The student must complete one or more examinations (written, oral or both) relating to both the thesis (or professional paper) and the content of the discipline.

C7.200 - The defense will normally occur well in advance of the end of the academic semester so the proper paperwork may be completed for the degree award process; the defense must be held by the end of the academic semester.

C7.300 - Oral examinations are open to the public and guests may ask questions on recognition by the chair.

C7.400 - For the student to pass, all committee members, voting privately, must judge the student's performance as satisfactory. In case of failure, one repeat examination is permitted.

For guidance in preparing your thesis or professional papers, please consult the Graduate School's Completing Your Master's Degree page.

C8.000 - COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OVER CONTENT OF DISCIPLINE

All master's degree students must pass a comprehensive evaluation. Examples of the comprehensive evaluation include but are not limited to a comprehensive oral or written exam, thesis/professional paper defense, portfolio assessment, or integrated project evaluation.

D. The Doctorate

D1.000 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

There are three general requirements for the doctorate: course work, comprehensive examinations, and the dissertation.

D2.000 - COURSE WORK

At least 60 semester credits are required for the doctorate; some programs require more.

As of Fall Semester 2011 300 UG (Undergraduate/Graduate) courses will not count toward graduate degrees. 

D2.100 - Transfer Credits

D2.101 - On the recommendation of the department and approval of the Graduate Dean, credits may be transferred (including an entire Master's Degree and/or credits from a Master's Degree program) from other institutions after a semester in residence.

D2.102 - Credits with grades other than A or B, thesis or correspondence credits, extension credits outside the Montana university system, or credits earned at institutions not offering graduate degrees in the discipline of the course are not transferable.

D2.103 - Graduate transfer credits are added to a student's record only if the student is in a graduate degree program and if the credit is applicable to the degree being sought.

D2.200 - Successful completion of the master's degree does not guarantee progression into a doctoral program.

D2.300 - Time Limits

All degree requirements for the doctoral degree, including the use of transfer and nondegree credits, must be completed within seven years. Courses that fall outside this time limit must be recertified for currency of knowledge.

D2.301 - All requirements for the doctorate must be completed within seven years of commencing graduate course work at The University of Montana (10 years for doctoral students in the School of Education).

D3.000 - COMPLETE EXAMINATIONS

At least one semester before the term of graduation, the student will complete examinations (written, oral, or both) covering the major discipline. Minor area and language requirements, if any, must have been completed.

D3.100 - The examining committee, nominated by the student and the program chair and appointed by the Graduate Dean, may be the same as the student's dissertation committee.

D3.200 - Any interested faculty may attend the examination and ask questions on recognition by the chair.

D3.300 - The committee, voting privately, may pass the student with one negative vote.

D3.400 - In case of failure, one repeat examination before the same committee is permitted.

D4.000 - THE DISSERTATION

The dissertation is an original contribution to knowledge of such substance and literary quality as to warrant publication.

D4.100 - Dissertation Committee Composition

The dissertation committee shall be comprised of five voting members as follows:

1. A qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree who shall serve as chair;
2. A second qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree;
3. A third qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree, or from a cooperating program or unit in the case of interdisciplinary degree programs;
4. A qualified UM faculty member or adjunct from a program or unit other than the one granting the degree whose primary responsibility is to ensure that the student is held to reasonable academic standards, that the student is treated fairly by all committee members, and that the student's progress is not unduly delayed by failure of committee members to act in a timely manner.
5. A fifth member who may be either a UM faculty member or adjunct from the program or unit granting the degree (or cooperating program or unit in the case of interdisciplinary degree programs), or a faculty affiliate, non-academic expert, or faculty of another institution of higher learning who has been certified by the Graduate Dean as uniquely qualified by training, experience, and/or degree held to guide and evaluate the dissertation.

Nota Bene: the Graduate School does not consider a non-UM employee to be an adequate substitute for member 4 on a PhD committee. Many non-UM faculty members serve as an optional 5^th member, but academic units need to select member 4 from faculty who are from a different tenure home than the graduate committee Chair (member 1).

D4.200 - Appointment of Dissertation Committee Members

Prospective committee members shall be chosen by the student in consultation with his or her academic advisor and the program chair shall forward the nominations to the dean of the Graduate School for his or her approval.

D4.300 - Qualifications of Dissertation Committee Members

Individuals serving on dissertation committees must satisfy the qualifications standards set forth in G.1000.

D5.000 - DISSERTATION DEFENSE

A final examination dealing primarily with the dissertation and its relationship to the student's fields of study will be conducted by the dissertation committee.

D5.100 - At least a week before the examination, the committee will meet briefly to determine if the dissertation is ready for defense.

D5.101 - If there is one negative vote, the student's adviser and the Graduate Dean may elect to proceed.

D5.102 - If there are two or more negative votes, the defense will be indefinitely postponed.

D5.200 - The examination is open to the public; anyone may ask questions on recognition by the chair. Only the committee, meeting privately, may vote.

D5.201 - The student will pass if the dissertation is accepted (either as it stands or pending minor revisions) with only one negative vote.

D5.202 - If there are two or more negative votes, the committee may schedule and conduct a second and final examination at least one month after the initial defense. During that time, the student will be asked to make whatever changes are necessary in the dissertation.

E. Teaching Graduate-Level Courses

E1.100 - Instructors teaching graduate-level (UG or G designated) courses in programs not offering a doctoral degree must possess a master's degree or higher. Instructors teaching graduate-level courses in doctoral programs must have a doctoral degree. Programs may petition for exceptions to this policy on the grounds that the instructor possesses specialized experiences and expertise relevant to the graduate offerings. All such petitions must be submitted to and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Please see the guidelines for UG courses for more information.

E1.200 - At the close of the annual or biennial faculty evaluation process, any faculty member receiving a less-than-normal salary increase due to deficiencies related to teaching shall lose his or her eligibility to teach graduate-level courses until the completion of the next review. The dean of the Graduate School is responsible for requesting a list of these faculty members from the academic deans and notifying them in writing of their lost eligibility.

F. Graduate Student Advising

F1.100 - The faculty member assigned to a graduate student as adviser must possess a degree at least at the level of the degree to be awarded. Programs may petition for exceptions to this policy on the grounds that the adviser possesses specialized experiences and expertise relevant to the graduate offerings. All such petitions must be submitted to and approved by the dean of the Graduate School.

F1.200 - At the close of the annual or biennial faculty evaluation process, any faculty member receiving a less-than-normal salary increase due to deficiencies related to advising graduate students shall lose his or her eligibility to serve on graduate committees until completion of the next review. The dean of the Graduate School is responsible for requesting a list of these faculty members from the academic deans and notifying them in writing of their lost eligibility.

G. Qualifications of Graduate Committee Members

For purposes of C6.000 and D4.000, a "qualified" graduate committee member is one satisfying the following standards:

1. They must have a degree which is at least at the level of the degree to be awarded. Programs may petition for exemption from this policy on the grounds that a prospective member possesses specialized experience and expertise relevant to the student's thesis, professional paper, or dissertation. All such petitions must be submitted to and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Faculty who hold an MFA in a field where that is a terminal degree can be certified to sit on Ph.D. committees, including serving as Chair where appropriate. MFA Programs should create protocols, reviewed by the Graduate School and the DIS Oversight Committee, for establishing the criteria by which an MFA degree holder would qualify to serve on Ph.D. committees in this program. These evaluation criteria would include: the number of years of faculty teaching experience, evidence of developed professional practice, reputation (evidence from reviews), and significant research/scholarship output as evidenced by publications, with preference for peer-reviewed journal articles and books. 
2. For UM faculty, they must be involved in ongoing scholarship, creative works, or professional activities relating to their discipline and must continue to receive normal salary increases. At the close of the annual or biennial faculty evaluation process, any faculty member receiving a less-than-normal salary increase due to deficiencies in scholarship, creative works, or professional activities shall lose their eligibility to serve on graduate committees until completion of the next review. The Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for requesting a list of these faculty members from the academic deans and notifying them in writing of their lost eligibility.

H. Certificate Programs

Certificate programs governed by these policy guidelines are academic, credit-bearing programs that end with the awarding of a certificate rather than a graduate degree. Certificate programs established under these guidelines are designed for developing specialized skills and knowledge, as well as providing opportunities for graduate students to develop interdisciplinary knowledge and skills beyond the offerings in their Master’s program. They often have a practical or applied orientation, intended to indicate to prospective employers that the certificate holder has completed a Faculty Senate approved course of study. The following statements describe the Graduate School’s minimum quantitative requirements for a certificate program.