Instructions for Completing
the Master's Degree Candidacy Form:

Please read instructions carefully before completing form.

• When filing for graduation, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all graduate work undertaken at The University of Memphis whether or not the courses are listed on the degree candidacy form.
• A minimum of 70% of the total required hours for a master's degree program must be 7000-level courses.
• No more than 12 hours of workshop courses and independent study courses may be applied to a master's degree.
• No more than seven (7) hours of C, C+, or C- grades will be counted toward degree requirements.
• Grades of D or F are not accepted for credit for graduation purposes, but the grades are computed in the overall cumulative GPA.
• Master's students in programs requiring 30-36 credit hours are limited to 12 credit hours while in non-degree status. Students in degree programs requiring more than 36 hours must take at least 2/3 of the credit hours after acceptance into the program.

1. Apply to Graduate - Please follow the steps below to file your application for graduation for the first time or to update one which you have already filed.

• Visit your MyMemphis portal at: https://my.memphis.edu/cp/home/displaylogin
• Click on the MyDegree tab and then locate the Commencement channel to access.
• Review the Prerequisites to Graduate (Step 1), then click on Apply to Graduate (Step 2).
• Once you have completed the application, proceed to the Diploma Mailing/Cap and Gown form (Step 3) located on the Commencement channel. You must complete both the Diploma Mailing form and the Cap and Gown form, even if you do not plan to attend graduate exercises.
• You will be notified by the Commencement Office to submit an Attendance Card (Step 4) for graduation exercises.
• Once you have completed your application to graduate, click the View Application to Graduate.

Failure to complete both the Intent form and a degree candidacy form will delay your graduation until the next semester.

2. Do NOT include undergraduate level courses, courses completed for "Audit" credit, or courses dropped or withdrawn. List only graduate level courses requirement for your degree program, including all electives.

3. Course titles listed on the candidacy form may be abbreviated and should be no longer than 100 characters long for both letters and spaces between words.

4. Do NOT list excess hours beyond the number required for your degree program. This is especially important for students in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences who plan to earn Master's +30 Hours.

5. If you are currently enrolled in course work, include those courses on the candidacy form; include a grade of IP in the grade field.

6. If another course was substituted for a required course or for an elective, your major advisor must complete an Approved Course Substitution Form and attach to the candidacy form.

7. If transfer credit has already been posted to your U of M record, complete and attach an Approved Transfer Credit form to the candidacy form.

• If you have transfer credit from another graduate institution that has NOT been posted to your U of M record, complete and attach an Evaluation of Transfer Credit Form to the candidacy form.

Failure to submit the correct form will delay processing of your application, so please be sure the correct form is attached to your degree candidacy form.

8. Students who hold a master's degree from The University of Memphis may pursue a second master's degree with a different major or degree. No more than six (6) semester hours of the first degree may be applied toward the second degree. Please place an asterisk on the candidacy form behind the "course title" for each applicable course. Also, please be aware that your time limitation for the second master's degree begins with the course work applied from the first degree program.

9. If you have previously completed a Credit by Examination/Course Validation Examination or are planning to complete either type of examination in your intended term of graduation, indicate the type of credit on your candidacy form in parentheses AFTER you have listed the course title, e.g., LDPS 7130, Microcomputer Application (CBE) or ICL 7001, Fundamentals of Curriculum CBV).

10. If you are completing a master's thesis, please list only the maximum number of hours allowed for the thesis, i.e., 3 or 6 hrs. It is not necessary to list all semesters you have enrolled in thesis credit. One entry is sufficient.

• REMINDER: You must be enrolled in thesis credit in the semester you defend. If you do not complete the thesis, the Intent to Graduate Card must be submitted again for each subsequent semester until the document is completed.
• Master's candidates completing a thesis must register for thesis credit each semester (fall and spring) until the thesis is completed. You must also be enrolled in the summer semester but only if the thesis will be completed at that time. Failure to continuously enroll in thesis credit will result in the student being charged back tuition in additional to late fees for each semester he or she did not enroll.

11. Upon completion of the candidacy form, print it out, obtain the necessary signatures from your academic advisor, graduate studies coordinator and the College Director of Graduate Studies (see list below for college directors):

• College of Arts and Sciences - Dr. Linda Bennett, Scates Hall Room 104
• School of Communication Sciences and Disorders - Dr. David Wark, 807 Jefferson Room 211
• Fogelman College of Business & Economics - Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, Fogelman Business & Economics Room 101
• College of Communication and Fine Arts - Professor Moira Logan, CFA Building Room 232
• College of Education, Health and Human Sciences - Dr. Ernest Rakow, Ball Education Room 215
• Herff College of Engineering - Prof. Deborah Hochstein, Herff Engineering Administration Room 201
• Loewenberg School of Nursing - Dr. Gayle Shiba, Billy Mac Jones 107
• School of Public Health - Dr. Kenneth Ward, Browning Hall 230
• University College - Dr. Richard Irwin, Brister Hall 218

Students will be certified for graduation only when all requirements are met, including the removal of all I or IP grades from a previous semester.

It will be the responsibility of each student to notify the Graduate School Academic Advisor of any changes in your name or address, or if you change from a thesis to a non-thesis option or vice versa..

Printing Instructions:

If this form does not print correctly on two pages, go to the Page Setup box under the File menu of your Internet browser and change page margins to the following specifications:

• Netscape: 0.30 for all margins -- L,R,T,B, Font Size: 11
• Explorer: 0.50 for all margins -- L,R,T,B, Font Size: 11

If you have questions concerning the completion of the candidacy form, contact the Academic Advisor in the Graduate School for further information.