Application for Graduation

It is the student's responsibility to comply with all deadline dates.  Failure to comply with deadlines may result in the delayed posting of a degree or postponement of graduation

The semester prior to degree completion, a student must file the current Application for Graduation with the Graduate School. Deadlines are as follows:  March 11 for Summer and Fall conferral; Nov. 1 for Spring conferral. Access the graduation application via eForms in Campus Connection.

Posting and Conferring of Graduate Degrees

The Graduate School will complete a graduation audit and forward on to the Registrar's Office for a final audit. Official degree completion (“conferring” of the degree) occurs when all degree requirements are met including a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00; the committee chairperson’s changing of any “in progress (X)” grade to the earned grade; and the graduate student thesis (if required) is approved. 

The Registrar's Office is responsible for posting degrees. Students will receive a congratulatory letter from the Registrar’s Office four to six weeks from the start of the new semester stating that their degree has been posted.

Graduate Degrees are conferred in May, August, & December of each year. 

Hooding and Commencement

The Hooding Ceremony is a special recognition for students earning a post-baccalaureate degree where each candidate is hooded with a garment of the appropriate colors to signify the degree earned. The Hooding Ceremony does not replace Commencement, which includes both graduate and undergraduate students and is the official conferring of degrees. The ceremonies are held at the close of spring semester. 

Graduate students are eligible to participate in Hooding and Commencement after they have enrolled in their capstone course, presented their project or thesis proposal, or defended their thesis or project paper. Eligible students completing their studies in summer or fall may elect to participate in either the prior or the following May ceremony.

Regalia
Required graduate regalia consists of a cap, master's gown, tassel, and hood. (Note, high school and undergraduate gowns are not approved regalia.)

Graduate School Citation for Excellence

The Citation for Excellence is awarded by the Graduate School in recognition of outstanding achievements by students completing graduate programs at MSU. Students selected for this honor will exemplify excellence in areas consistent with the mission of the MSU Graduate School including critical inquiry, creativity, discovery, and leadership.

Graduate program directors may submit nominations for the Citation for Excellence in the form of a letter to the head of the Graduate School. Supporting documentation and other evidence describing achievements beyond typical expectations should accompany the letter of nomination. This information should be filed in the Graduate School Office by March 15.

Nominees will be reviewed by a committee^* of the Graduate Council who will award the Citations for Excellence based on the criteria specified below. The number of Citations awarded each year will be at the discretion of the committee and will reflect the qualifications of the pool of nominees.

The Graduate School will release the names of recipients of this award to the graduate programs by April 15.

Enrollment Criteria

Those students nominated for the award must meet ONE of the following enrollment criteria.

1. Currently enrolled in a graduate program
2. Applied for graduation, or
3. Completed the degree within two semesters of the semester in which they were nominated.

Nomination Criteria

Nominees must have a continuous cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 for required courses in their major. Nominations should include documented evidence of superior accomplishments during the student’s program of study at MSU which “extend beyond the usual expectations” of the respective graduate programs.

Examples of superior accomplishments which exceed the usual expectations of the graduate program may include, but are not limited to:

• an exemplary thesis or original research project–nominator should be specific in defining why or how thesis work is exemplary;
• exemplary field applications (experiences) appropriate to the domain;
• professional presentations, publications, or similar contributions which stem from work completed in the master’s degree at a state, regional, or national level;
• exemplary leadership in the profession at a state, regional, or national level;
• exemplary service demonstrating critical inquiry, creativity, discovery, or leadership at the university, state, regional, or national level;
• other documented achievements which extend beyond the typical expectations of the student’s graduate program.

Examples of accomplishments within the usual expectations of a student’s graduate program and therefore do not constitute reasons for nomination include:

• completion of a good thesis or research project;
• satisfactory completion of assigned GTA duties;
• GPA over 3.75 without other achievements, etc.

Students selected for this award will receive a plaque from the Graduate School and will be recognized during the Graduate School Hooding Ceremony which is held prior to commencement at the close of spring semester.

*

The Citation for Excellence Committee will consist of five members selected from and approved by the Graduate Council. Membership will include the head of the Graduate School and when possible, a student representative to the Graduate Council. The remaining committee members will be selected from the Graduate Council at large.