Florida State University Graduate Bulletin 2007-2009

Graduate Degree Requirements

Prerequisites for All Graduate Degrees

Graduate work in any department must be preceded by sufficient undergraduate work in the field or a related one to satisfy the chair of the department that the student can successfully do graduate work in the chosen field.

A student is expected to have adequate command of the English language to enable the student to organize subject matter and to present it in creditable written form. Any faculty member may at any time refer a student to the Reading/Writing Center of the Department of English for noncredit remedial work.

Editing Services and Statistical Assistance

The following guidelines have been approved by the graduate policy committee.

  1. University regulations are quite clear concerning plagiarism and inappropriate assistance; these regulations apply with particular force to theses and dissertations:
    ". . .violations of the Academic Honor Code shall include representing another's work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished, as one's own. (Faculty Handbook, p. 188)
  2. The ready availability of editing services and statistical assistance, and in particular of computer and statistical research design assistance, must not be seen as a substitute for required training and/or course work
  3. Professional editing services may not become a substitute for faculty advisement and should be confined to language structure
  4. The major professor must be informed and concur before a student seeks assistance in any or all of the editing or statistical assistance areas, and faculty concurrence should be documented as part of the student's record. The particular scholarly work in question should be reviewed prior to such assistance, so that issues of scholarly form and content have been dealt with in advance of the use of such services. The student must confer with the major adviser before incorporating any advice obtained through the above-mentioned services into written work
  5. In all cases, such assistance must be noted in the acknowledgments accompanying the final version of a paper, thesis, or dissertation.

Graduate Students Enrolled for Two Degrees Simultaneously

Under certain special circumstances it is possible for a student to work on two degrees in two different departments at the same time. Students intending to do this must be accepted by both departments. A Dual Enrollment Request Form showing endorsement by both department heads and dean(s), as appropriate, must be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval. Once approved, the Office of the University Registrar will be notified of the dual registration.

Note: Initial admission to a graduate program at Florida State University must be to one program only. After the first semester, the student may apply and be accepted to the second degree program desired.

Distinction between Dual and Joint Degrees

Joint degree programs provide students the opportunity to earn graduate degrees from two academic programs concurrently. Students completing joint degrees receive two diplomas, one for each degree.

In addition to academic program requirements, joint degree programs provide for some cross-credit of a specified number of hours from each of the two-degree programs. This enables students who are admitted and enrolled in two programs concurrently to, In effect, "save" on the number of total hours required versus those required when completing the two degrees separately. The development and initial approval of all joint degree programs resides with the program faculty in the specific colleges Involved.

Applicants must complete an application to the Office of Graduate Admissions and must be admitted to each academic program separately, meeting all of the admission requirements for that program, such as applicable entrance exams (e.g., GRE, GMAT, LSAT). Interested students contact respective degree programs for specific admissions requirements and programs of study.

Dual Degrees are two degrees earned simultaneously when a student is accepted by both a department/programs and is approved by appropriate deans and the Dean of Graduate Studies. A student must be admitted to one academic program initially, and after the first semester, may apply and be accepted to the second-degree program. There is not formal relationship between the two-degree program requirements in a dual degree situation.

Master's Degree Programs

Degrees Offered

The University confers at the master's level the master of arts, master of science, master of accounting, master of business administration, master of fine arts, master of music, master of music education, master of social work, specialist in education, specialist in library and information studies, and master of public administration degrees.

The minimum requirements stated below govern all of these degrees except the specialist in education, the specialist's degree in library science, and the master of fine arts degrees. Individual departments may have additional or specific requirements over and above those here stated. Consult the appropriate departmental section of this Graduate Bulletin for details.

Types of Programs

There are two types of programs by which a student may secure a master's degree: the thesis type and the course type. It is optional with any department whether it requires all majors to proceed under one or the other type, or whether it permits individual students to choose between them. For specific information, consult the appropriate departmental section of this Graduate Bulletin.

Thesis-Type Program. To qualify for a master's degree under this program, the student must complete a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of credit including thesis credit. At least eighteen (18) of these hours must be taken on a letter-grade basis (A, B, C). The minimum/maximum number of thesis hours for completion of a master's degree shall be six (6) hours.

Course-Type Program. To qualify for a master's degree under this program, the student must complete a minimum of thirty-two (32) semester hours of course work. At least twenty-one (21) of these hours must be taken on a letter-grade basis (A, B, C).

Requirements at Master's Level

At the master's level students are expected to demonstrate an understanding and make sense of the core knowledge needed to function in their professional field. Master's level students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the research process, and/or creative or problem-solving activity or application of the knowledge appropriate to their discipline. The student is held responsible for meeting the requirements listed below.

Graduate Record Examinations and Subject (Advanced) Tests

Certain departments require the area or advanced tests of the Graduate Record Examinations or other standardized achievement tests. These tests should be taken no later than during the first term of residence in graduate study. Consult the chair of the major department for details.

Transfer Credit

Transfer of courses not counted toward a previous degree from another regionally accredited graduate school is limited to six (6) semester hours and transfer of courses not counted toward a previous degree within Florida State University is limited to twelve (12) semester hours, except when the departmental course requirement exceeds the thirty-two (32) hour University-wide minimum requirement. In the latter case, additional transfer credit may be allowed to the extent of the additional required hours. All transfer credit must: l) be recommended by the major department; 2) be evaluated as graduate work by the evaluation section of the Office of Admissions of Florida State University; and 3) have been completed with grades of 3.0 ("B") or better.

Grades earned at another institution cannot be used to improve a grade point average or eliminate a quality point deficiency at Florida State University.

The University does not accept experiential learning, or award credit for experiential learning. Transfer credit based on experiential learning from another institution will not be accepted.

General Course Requirements

The distribution of hours among 4000, 5000, and 6000 level courses and above is determined by the college of the student's major department. Only courses numbered 5000 and above are normally to be taken by graduate students. A graduate student's directive committee or department may, however, permit the student to take specified 4000 level courses in the degree program. Such 4000 level courses may be credited toward a graduate degree.

Language Requirements

There is no University-wide foreign language requirement for the master's degree, except for the master of arts degree. Each department sets its own language requirements.

Residence Requirements

There is no University-wide residence requirement for the master's degree beyond that implicit in the limitation upon transfer credit, the recency of work requirement, and the full-time student load requirement. Master's candidates are advised that some programs and departments may impose a stricter rule of residency as required by the specific program of study.

Recency of Work

The work for the master's degree must be completed within seven years from the time the student first registers for graduate credit. Any graduate work transferred from another institution must have commenced not more than seven years prior to completion of the degree for the credits to be applicable to the master's degree.

Program of Study

As early as possible during the first term of graduate work, students should prepare a program of courses with the help of their major professor or supervisory committee. This program must be approved by the major professor and the chair of the major department. A copy of the approved program is to be kept on file in the department.

Major and Minor Professors

At the earliest opportunity, the student should ask the chair of the major department to designate the major professor, who serves as the student's adviser and supervisor. If nine (9) or more semester hours of work are taken in any department other than the major one, these hours may be considered a minor if so desired by the student and by the major department. If a minor is requested, the chair of the major department should ask the chair of the minor department to designate a minor professor for the student's supervisory committee. Designation of major and minor professors requires the mutual consent of the student, department chair, and professors involved.

Supervisory Committee

A master's degree supervisory committee must be designated for all thesis students and may be designated for nonthesis students at the option of the department. The supervisory committee consists of at least three members: the major professor; the minor professor (if the student has a minor area); and one or two additional members from the major department. Additional members may be appointed if deemed desirable. All members of the committee must hold at least master's directive status.

Prospectus

A thesis-type program may require preparation and submission of a prospectus to the student's major professor, supervisory committee, and departmental chair for approval. Upon receipt of the appropriate approvals, a copy of the completed Prospectus Approval Form must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies. If a department does not require a prospectus, the Prospectus Approval Form will serve as the substitute, signifying approval of the student's research plan and appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) endorsement.

Thesis

The subject of the thesis must be within the major field and must reveal independent investigation and knowledge of the methods of scholarship. It is the responsibility of the major professor to supervise the preparation of the prospectus and the thesis. The manuscript must be prepared according to the style and form prescribed by the department. These must conform to the University requirements regarding format. Formatting and clearance guidelines for the final electronic submission copy may be accessed at the Office of Graduate Studies Web site, http://www.gradstudies.fsu.edu, or by contacting the manuscript clearance adviser.

A student who has completed the required course work and continues to use campus facilities and/or receives faculty supervision, but has not made a final thesis submission shall include in the required full-time load of twelve (12) semester hours a minimum of two (2) thesis hours per term. Those with underload permission must register for at least two (2) hours of thesis credit per term. Underloads must be approved by the academic dean. Before registering for thesis hours, the student must consult the major professor as to the proportion of time to be devoted to thesis work. The number of hours listed will show the proportion of time to be devoted to thesis (with twelve [12] semester hours as an indication of full-time status). For example, OCE 5971, four (4) semester hours, will indicate that the student expects to devote one-third of the time to thesis. The number of hours should not only reflect the effort of the student, but should take into account the use of campus facilities/resources and faculty interaction/supervision.

The final draft of the thesis should be in the hands of the major professor and the examining committee at least ten (10) days before the date set for the oral examination. After approval by the oral examining committee, which includes or may be the same as the supervisory committee, the student should submit the final manuscript electronically to the manuscript clearance adviser. A manuscript processing fee is charged. If the student wishes University Microfilms International, Inc., to register the copyright, an additional fee must be paid. Consult the Registration Guide for the deadline dates.

As a condition of undertaking a thesis master's program, the student agrees that the completed thesis will be archived in the University Libraries system. The student will make the electronic thesis available for review by other scholars and the general public by selecting an access condition provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Comprehensive Examination

A comprehensive or other type examination, either written, oral, or both, at the option of the department, may be required for the master's degree. Testing requirements and procedures are established by the major department.

Special Master of Arts Requirements

In addition to the requirements listed above, candidates for the master of arts degree must meet the following requirements.

  1. Proficiency in a foreign language demonstrated by satisfactory performance on the Graduate School Foreign Language Tests of the Educational Testing Service, or certification by the appropriate language department, or completion of twelve (12) semester hours in a foreign language with an average grade of at least 3.0 ("B"), or four years of a single language in high school
  2. Six (6) or more semester hours of graduate credit in one or more of the following fields: art; classical language, literature, and civilization; communication (not to include speech correction); English; history; humanities; modern languages and linguistics; music; philosophy; religion; and theatre

Doctoral Degree Programs

Degrees Offered

The University offers the doctor of philosophy, doctor of education, and doctor of music degrees in the several departments of the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Communication, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College of Education, FAMU—FSU College of Engineering, College of Human Sciences, College of Information, College of Music, College of Social Sciences, College of Social Work, College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance, as well as in several interdepartmental and interdivisional areas. See relevant sections of this Graduate Bulletin.

Requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The student is held responsible for meeting the requirements listed below.

The doctor of philosophy is a research degree designed to produce the critical scholar. The degree is granted only to students who: l) have mastered definite fields of knowledge so that they are familiar not only with what has been done in their specific fields but also with the potential and opportunity for further advances; 2) have demonstrated capacity to do original and independent scholarly investigation or creative work in their selected fields; and 3) have the ability to integrate their selected fields of specialization with the larger domains of knowledge and understanding.

Admission

Admission in the formal sense is governed by the same minimum standards as stated in the "Admissions" chapter of this Graduate Bulletin. However, a special effort is made by the departments to select and to admit only those who appear clearly qualified for studies at this advanced graduate level.

Diagnostic Examination

The student who has been admitted to work toward the doctoral degree may, before the end of the second semester of post-baccalaureate study, be required to take a departmentally administered diagnostic examination. It will be designed to appraise the student's ability to pursue the doctor of philosophy degree in the field and to facilitate counseling in the development of the student's program of studies.

The department will notify the Office of the University Registrar if the diagnostic examination is failed and the student's program is to be terminated.

Residence

The intent of the residency requirement is to ensure that doctoral students contribute to and benefit from the complete spectrum of educational, professional, and enrichment opportunities provided on the campus of a comprehensive university. When establishing residency the student should interact with faculty and peers by regularly attending courses, conferences, or seminars, and utilize the library and laboratory facilities provided for graduate education.

After having finished thirty (30) semester hours of graduate work or being awarded the master's degree, the student must be continuously enrolled on Florida State University Tallahassee campus for a minimum of twenty-four (24) graduate semester hours of credit in any period of 12 consecutive months. In cooperative degree programs involving two or more universities, residence requirements may differ from the foregoing only with the approval of the graduate policy committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students in such programs should check residence requirements with their departmental chairs or program leaders.

The College of Education and the art education program in the College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance permit EdD students, if they so desire, to complete their residency requirement by registering for thirty (30) credits during a 16-month period.

Transfer Credit

The University does not accept experiential learning, or award credit for experiential learning. Transfer credit based on experiential learning from another institution will not be accepted.

Course Requirements

Because the doctor of philosophy degree represents the attainment of independent and comprehensive scholarship in a selected field rather than the earning of a specific amount of credit, there is no University-wide minimum course requirement beyond that implied by the residence requirement. Individual programs are planned to increase the likelihood that prior to students reaching the preliminary examinations they will have gained sufficient mastery of their field to complete them successfully.

Major Professor

Early in the doctoral program, the student should consult with the chair of the department and with the professors under whom the student may be interested in working and from whose areas of competency a dissertation topic could be selected. The departmental chair will appoint the major professor who must be a member of the graduate faculty with doctoral directive status and have special competence in the students proposed area of concentration. The appointment must be mutually agreeable to the student, major professor, and departmental chair.

Supervisory Committee

Upon the request of the major professor, the departmental chair will appoint the supervisory committee which will be in charge of the work of the student until the completion of all requirements for the degree. The supervisory committee will consist of a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty who have doctoral directive status, one of whom is a representative-at-large of the graduate faculty drawn from outside the student's department. However, for all interdisciplinary programs, the supervisory committee will consist of a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty who have doctoral directive status, one of whom is a representative-at-large of the graduate faculty drawn from outside the student's department and degree program. Additional members may be appointed if deemed desirable. All additional members of the committee must hold at least master's directive status. Each year they will assess the progress of the student in writing and will make available copies of their assessment to the student, the departmental chair, and the academic dean. The Dean of Graduate Studies, the academic dean, and the chair of the major department may attend committee meetings as nonvoting members. Notification of the final committee will be reported to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Non-graduate faculty may assist a student on a supervisory committee, but cannot vote or sign the dissertation.

The graduate faculty representative is responsible for ensuring that University policies are followed, and that decisions made by the supervisory committee reflect the collective judgment of the committee. Therefore, the graduate faculty representative must be someone who is free of conflicts of interest with other members of the committee. If questions arise they should be referred to the Dean of Graduate Studies for resolution.

Program of Study

As soon as possible after notification of the appointment of the supervisory committee, the student, under the supervision of the major professor, should prepare for the approval of the supervisory committee a complete plan of courses to be taken. This program of study must be signed by each member of the committee and the chair of the major department. A copy of the student's approved program of study is to be kept on file in the department.

Language and Related Requirements

There are no University-wide foreign language, statistics, or other tool requirements for the doctor of philosophy degree. Each department prescribes its own requirements.

The procedures for testing foreign language proficiency are set by the department prescribing the requirements. For those departments choosing to use them, the following arrangements have been made: reading knowledge exemption examinations for French, German, Russian, and Spanish are administered locally by the Office of Assessment Services, 106 William Johnston Building, (850) 644-3017, using the Educational Testing Service Examinations. Information on dates for application to the Office of Assessment Services and dates for the examinations is available from that office. For those examinations not administered by the Office of Assessment Services, application is made to the appropriate department. The Department of Classical Languages, Literature, and Civilization prepares and administers the examinations in Greek and Latin. For departments allowing foreign students to use English in satisfaction of language requirements but unwilling to accept satisfactory completion of their departmental courses as sufficient demonstration of language competency, the University's Office of Assessment Services will administer the Educational Testing Services Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which certifies comparative attainment. Foreign students deficient in English may be referred to the foreign language education program of the College of Education for course work, and the completion of that course work will be accepted as an indication of competency. Examinations for other approved languages are prepared and administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics.

The language courses numbered 5060 are service courses designed to prepare the student for the language exemption examinations. The student may take these courses as many times as needed. Students will use the 5069 courses to register for the examination.

When proficiency in statistical analysis is permitted or required, the criteria shall be established by the Department of Statistics. This proficiency can be met by satisfactory grades in STA 5126 by passing the statistics department's proficiency examination, or by other procedures approved by the chair of the Department of Statistics.

These instruments afford means of continuing access to the materials and literature of research; therefore, the candidate should acquire competency in them early in the doctoral program.

Preliminary Examination

Satisfactory completion of a preliminary examination shall be required for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree. No student may register for dissertation or doctoral treatise hours prior to the point in the semester in which the preliminary examination was passed. An admission to candidacy form must be completed and filed in the Office of the University Registrar prior to registration for dissertation/treatise hours. After completion of the admission to candidacy process, the student may retroactively add dissertation hours for that semester in which the preliminary examination was completed.

The preliminary examination is designed to test scholarly competence and knowledge and to afford the examiners the basis for constructive recommendations concerning the student's subsequent formal or informal study. The form and content of this examination will be determined by the department, college, or committee (be it supervisory or examining) administering the degree program. Prior to the examination, the student's examining committee will determine whether the student 1) has a 3.0 average, and 2) has progressed sufficiently in the study of the discipline and its research tools to begin independent research in the area of the proposed dissertation.

The chair of the major department, the academic dean, and the Dean of Graduate Studies may attend any session of the supervisory or examining committee as nonvoting members. A member may be appointed to the examining committee at the discretion of the academic dean or Dean of Graduate Studies or on recommendation of the major professor. Normally, the examining committee will be identical with the supervisory committee.

The supervisory or examining committee will report the outcome of the examination to the academic dean: passed, failed, additional work to be completed, or to be reexamined; the report following the reexamination must indicate the student either passed or failed. The results of the examination will be reported to the Office of the University Registrar for inclusion in the student's permanent record.

Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within five calendar years from the time the student passes the preliminary examination, or the student's supervisory committee will require that a new preliminary examination be passed.

Admission to Candidacy

A student who has passed the preliminary examination and has been certified to the Office of the University Registrar (on an admission to candidacy form) is considered a candidate for the doctoral degree and is eligible to register for dissertation credits.

A student must be admitted to candidacy at least six months prior to the granting of the degree. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure a minimal lapse of time for effective work on the dissertation after acquisition of the basic competence and after delineation of the problem and method of attack. More realistically, the student should expect to spend a year or more of work on the dissertation.

Prospectus

After passing the preliminary examination, the student may be required by the department to submit to the major professor, supervisory committee, and departmental chair a prospectus on a research project suitable for a doctoral dissertation. Upon receipt of the appropriate approvals, a copy of the completed Prospectus/Topic Approval Form must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies. If a department does not require a prospectus, the Prospectus/Topic Approval Form will serve as the substitute, signifying approval of the student's research plan and appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) endorsement.

Dissertation

A doctoral dissertation must be completed on some topic connected with the major field of study. To be acceptable it must be an achievement in original research constituting a significant contribution to knowledge and represent a substantial scholarly effort on the part of the student.

The manuscript must be prepared according to the style and form prescribed by the department. Formatting and clearance guidelines for the final electronic submission copy may be accessed from the Office of Graduate Studies Web site, http://www.gradstudies.fsu.edu, or by contacting the manuscript clearance adviser.

A student who has completed the required course work, passed the Preliminary Examination and submitted an Admission to Candidacy form to the Office of the Registrar, and continues to use campus facilities and/or receives faculty supervision, but has not made a final dissertation submission shall include in the required full-time load of twelve (12) semester hours a minimum of two (2) dissertation hours per term. Those with underload permission must register for at least two (2) hours of dissertation credit per term. Underloads must be approved by the academic dean. Before registering for dissertation hours, the student must consult the major professor as to the proportion of time to be devoted to dissertation work. The number of hours listed will show the proportion of time to be devoted to the dissertation (with twelve [12] semester hours as an indication of full-time status). For example, OCE 6980, four (4) semester hours, will indicate that the student expects to devote one-third of the time to dissertation. The number of hours should not only reflect the effort of the student, but should take into account the use of campus facilities/resources and faculty interaction/supervision.

The minimum number of dissertation hours for completion of a doctoral degree shall be twenty-four (24) semester hours.

For more specific information on final-term registration, see the residency requirements listed above. Final approval of the dissertation by the entire supervisory committee is prerequisite to the awarding of the degree. This is true no matter how many hours a student has completed in dissertation or what grades have been recorded for the dissertation hours.

As a condition of undertaking a dissertation program, the student agrees that the completed dissertation will be archived in the University Libraries system. The student will make the electronic thesis available for review by other scholars and the general public by selecting an access condition provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Examination in Defense of Dissertation

The defense of dissertation will be oral. Responsibility for suggesting the time, designating the place, and presiding at the examination rests with the major professor. The examination must be completed at least four weeks prior to the date on which the degree is to be conferred.

Academic courtesy requires that a preliminary draft of the dissertation be submitted to each member of the supervisory committee at least four weeks before the date of the oral examination. The supervisory committee, the chair of the major department, and such other members of the faculty as may be appointed by the academic dean will conduct the examination. All members of the graduate faculty are invited to attend. At least two weeks prior to the date of the examination, the student or major professor will present an announcement of the dissertation title and the date and place of the examination to the Office of Graduate Studies. Consult the Registration Guide for the deadline dates.

The content of the abstract of the dissertation should be submitted to the supervisory committee at least one week before the date of the defense examination for approval. The abstract should conform to appropriate examples in Guidelines and Requirements for Electronic Thesis, Treatise, and Dissertation Writers.

The oral examining committee will certify in writing to the academic dean of the major department the results of the examination: passed, failed, or to be reexamined. The report of results following a reexamination must indicate the student either passed or failed.

A written critique of the conduct of the examination in defense of dissertation should be submitted by the representative-at-large from the graduate faculty to the appropriate academic dean and the Dean of Graduate Studies within one week after the date of defense.

After approval by the oral examining committee, the student should submit the final manuscript electronically to the manuscript clearance adviser. A manuscript processing fee is charged.

Publication of Dissertation

Publication of the dissertation through standard media for scholarly work is encouraged. As a condition of undertaking a doctoral program, the student agrees that the completed dissertation or treatise will be archived in the University Libraries system. The student will make the electronic dissertation or treatise available for review by other scholars and the general public by selecting an access condition provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.

To ensure at least minimum availability of the work, an acceptable and approved abstract of the dissertation and a copy of the dissertation submitted to the manuscript clearance adviser will be sent to University Microfilms International, Inc. The abstract will be published in Dissertation Abstracts International and the dissertation will be microfilmed, for which the student is charged a fee. If the student wishes University Microfilms International, Inc., to register the copyright, an additional fee must be paid.

Guidelines for Restrictions on the Release of Theses and Dissertations

The free and open dissemination of the results of research conducted at Florida State University is required if the University is to contribute effectively to the education of its students and to the body of human knowledge. Conflicts can develop among the interests of research sponsors, research directors, and the students doing the research. To ensure that the interests of all parties are protected, the following guidelines should be observed.

An ETD must be made available in its complete and original format. It cannot be subdivided into chapters and disseminated under different distribution options.

Worldwide Distribution. Recommended to all of our students. This option makes the ETD freely available worldwide via the FSU ETD Digital Library. It should be noted that some publishers may see a conflict with this level of distribution prior to publication.

Embargoed Access (24 Months). Recommended to students who have a patent application in process or who want to restrict access to the ETD for a limited amount of time in order to pursue commercial interests or other publication. After the restricted time period, the document will be made freely available through worldwide distribution (option above).

The maximum delay in the release of a thesis, treatise, or dissertation to the university libraries and UMI/PQIL shall not exceed twenty-four (24) months from the date the thesis, treatise, or dissertation is approved by the FSU Office of Graduate Studies. In special circumstances, the Dean of Graduate Studies may grant an additional delay of twenty-four (24) months upon request if the case is made that the delay is in the best interests of all parties or if publication or commercial interest in the document is still ongoing. Such a request must be submitted at least one month prior to the expiration of the original period of delay.

A request for such a delay must be presented in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies and carry the endorsement of the student, the major professor, the department or program chair, and the dean of the relevant college.

It should be recognized that adherence to this policy does not constitute a guarantee that information in the sequestered thesis or dissertation will not be disseminated by means other than the written thesis or dissertation.

Information about particular access issues related to electronic theses, treatises, and dissertations may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies.

Note: Students should not suffer delays in their normal academic progress, including the final defense of the thesis or dissertation, as a result of a desire to delay release of the thesis or dissertation to the library.

Requirements of the Doctor of Education Degree

The doctor of education degree is offered by the College of Education, the College of Music, and the College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance.

Potential candidates for this professional degree are selected on the basis of experience, skills, and goals of the students seeking admission to the programs in which the degree is offered.

Such students will ordinarily have had some years of teaching or academic administrative experience and have shown some promise of being able to develop their pedagogical or administrative skills through further research and training. The College of Education permits, as part of its experience requirement, the completion of a practicum, undertaken during the period of doctoral studies, in which the student engages in doctoral work-related activities within an external agency. Once the degree has been earned, its possessor should be able to perform the tasks of the profession with a high degree of efficiency.

The doctor of education degree is further distinguished from the doctor of philosophy degree by the nature of specific training (although there may be a core of studies common to the two curricula) and by that of the dissertation.

The training is designed to fit the goals of individual students, under the careful guidance of a supervisory committee; since the purpose of the dissertation is to provide solutions to educational problems as they arise in the field, it shall be designed to deal with methodological or administrative procedures capable of providing such solutions. Students are therefore advised that their programs must include enough methodological inquiry to establish a basis for the procedures used to arrive at their conclusions.

In light of the above, the distinction between the doctor of education and doctor of philosophy degrees cannot be made solely on the basis of research tool requirements. Depending on the dissertation project proposed, the candidates supervisory committee may require as much training in such research tools as statistics, foreign languages, computer languages, or other programming techniques as necessary to complete the project.

The provisions of this section indicate steps leading to the doctor of education degree that differ from those leading to the doctor of philosophy degree.

Requirements of the Doctor of Music Degree

The doctor of music degree is offered to a candidate who demonstrates superior ability in music as a composer or performer. A candidate is admitted on the basis of creative aptitude and professional achievement. The degree is awarded to a candidate who has achieved distinction in performance or composition and who completes relevant theoretical and historical studies. Requirements for the degree are listed in the "College of Music" chapter of this Graduate Bulletin.

Graduation of Master's and Doctoral Students

Academic Standards

A graduate student is not eligible for conferral of a degree unless the cumulative grade point average is at least 3.0 in formal graduate courses. No course hours with a grade below "C–" will be credited on the graduate degree; all grades in graduate courses except those for which grades of "S" or "U" are given or those conferred under the provision for repeating a course will be included in computation of the average. In addition there are usually other departmental requirements which must be met.

Faculty Academic Judgment

Master's Degree

Successful completion of course work constituting the student's program of studies, comprehensive exam or thesis does not guarantee award of the master's degree. Faculty judgment of the academic performance of the student is inherent in the educational process in determining whether the award of the master's degree or admission into a higher level degree program is warranted.

Doctoral Degree

Successful completion of course work constituting the student's program of studies, comprehensive exam, preliminary exams, defense of prospectus, and defense of dissertation does not guarantee award of the doctoral degree. Faculty judgment of the academic performance of the student is inherent in the educational process in determining whether admission to doctoral candidacy and the award of the doctoral degree is warranted.

Registration for Final Term

For doctoral students and master's students in a thesis-type program, registration shall be required in the final term in which a degree requiring a thesis, dissertation, or treatise is granted, in accordance with the policies stated in the 'Thesis' and 'Dissertation' sections of this chapter.

If a student does not make the manuscript final submission deadline for a given term, but completes all degree requirements before the first day of the next term, it is possible to waive the registration requirement. To be eligible for this registration exemption, all degree requirements, including manuscript clearance, must be completed prior to the first day of the next term. The Office of Graduate Studies [(850) 644-3500] can provide information on this procedure. International students should contact the International Center for information on registration requirements related to immigration/visa status.

If a non-thesis student needs only to complete the comprehensive examination in a term and did not register for the examination in the previous term, registration must be requested from the Office of the University Registrar stating the department and the name of the examination. The student must pay the "examination only" fee.

If the student has not been enrolled for the previous two terms, readmission is required before registration.

Clearance for Degrees

Guidelines and Requirements for Electronic Thesis, Treatise, and Dissertation Writers may be accessed from the Office of Graduate Studies Web site, http://www.gradstudies.fsu.edu or by contacting the manuscript clearance adviser.

During the first two weeks of the term in which a candidate expects to receive a degree, application should be made for a diploma at the Office of the University Registrar. If a candidate previously filed for a diploma but did not receive the degree, the application procedure must be repeated.

At the Office of the University Registrar a candidate will receive a "Final Term Degree Clearance Form," which provides space for certification by all parties concerned that all requirements for the degree have been met. For a candidate in a course-type (non-thesis) program, the form must be completed and submitted to the academic dean. For a thesis, dissertation or treatise-writing student, the form must be completed and submitted to the manuscript clearance adviser in the Office of Graduate Studies. No candidate is eligible for the degree until this requirement has been met.

After the defense, a master's or doctoral candidate must submit to the manuscript clearance adviser the completed "Final Degree Clearance Form;" the electronic thesis, treatise or dissertation; one original signed signature page; the "Electronic Access Agreement Form;" the "Student Information Form;" and one copy of the manuscript title page. For additional requirements related to master's and doctoral students, and for a complete list of materials to submit to the Office of Graduate Studies, students may access the Office of Graduate Studies Web site, http://www.gradstudies.fsu.edu, or contact the manuscript clearance adviser. Consult the Registration Guide for the deadline dates.

Additional requirements may be imposed by individual programs or departments.