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Home Graduate School Current Students Masters Degree Candidacy Form Instructions

Degree Candidacy Form Instructions

REMINDER: All degree seeking students or students completing a graduate certificate must "Apply to Graduate" (located in the MyMemphis portal) AND must also submit candidacy forms.

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

Please read instructions carefully

  1. When filing for graduation, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 on all graduate work undertaken at The University of Memphis whether or not the courses are listed on the degree candidacy form.
  2. A minimum of 70% of the total required hours for a master's degree program must be 7000-level courses.
  3. No more than 12 hours of workshop courses and independent study courses may be applied to a master's degree.
  4. 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.
  5. Do NOT include undergraduate level courses, courses completed for "Audit" credit, or courses dropped or withdrawn.
  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 submit to the Graduate School.
  7. If transfer credit has already been posted to your U of M record, complete an Approved Transfer Credit form to the candidacy form and submit to the Graduate School.
    • If you have transfer credit from another graduate institution that has NOT been posted to your U of M record, complete  an Evaluation of Transfer Credit Form to the candidacy form and submit to the Graduate School.
    • 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 fifteen (15) 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 master's degree.
  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 or doctoral dissertation, 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: Master's degree 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 defended and completed at that time. Failure to continuously enroll in at least one credit will result in the student being charged back tuition in additional to late fees for each semester he or she did not enroll.
    • If you do not complete your thesis/dissertation in your intended term of graduation, your graduation application in your MyMemphis portal will be updated by the Graduate School.
  11. List information about your bachelors and master's degrees including the type of degree (BS, BA, BBA, etc.), the year you earned it, and the name of the institution where you earned it. Do not list the degree you are currently applying to graduate with. This information goes in the Commencement program.


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.

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