UB The Graduate School

General Graduate Degree Requirements

Transfer Credits

Each graduate program will determine the applicability of previous graduate courses proposed for transfer credit. Only those graduate courses completed at accredited or recognized institutions of higher education and with grades of "B" or better are eligible for consideration for transfer credit. Courses with grades of "S" or "P" are not transferable unless the transcript specifically states they are equivalent to a "B" grade or better.

No more than 20% of a master's program may be comprised of credits from another graduate academic program at UB, other accredited higher education institutions, or a combination thereof. For example, students pursuing a 30-credit UB master's degree may transfer up to 6 credits into their program. Students pursuing a 45-credit master's program may transfer up to 9 credits.

Transfer credits for the doctoral degree may not constitute more than one-half the total credits of that specific degree program.

Transfer credits may be approved and recorded on the student's UB record only after the Graduate School or International Admissions receives the official final transcript. The director of graduate studies or chair of the student's major department acknowledges the acceptance of specific transfer credits either by endorsing a Graduate Student Petition form preferably during the first year of matriculation, or later when the student files their Application to Candidacy for the degree.

Use of Prior Coursework Toward a Graduate Degree

Coursework, whether transfer or UB credits, more than 10 years old, that is to be included in a graduate degree program, must be petitioned at the time of the student's admission to the program or at the time the credits are considered by the department. If these credits have been included in an approved extension of time limit petition, they are valid only until the expiration date of that petition. Accordingly, any further extension of an approved time limit for degree completion will require, concurrently, a re-petition for approval of these older courses.

Use of prior post-baccalaureate level coursework toward another advanced degree may be limited. See the "Limits on 'Course Sharing'" in this document or consult the Graduate School Office of Student Services for more information.

Use of Dual-Listed Courses Toward both an Undergraduate and a Graduate Degree Program

Dual-listed courses that are taken at the undergraduate level and applied toward an undergraduate degree cannot be taken later at the graduate level and applied toward a post-baccalaureate degree or advanced certificate if the student received a "B" grade or higher in the undergraduate level offering.

Limits on "Course Sharing"

In cases where a student wishes to utilize selected graduate level courses to satisfy the degree requirements of more than one post-baccalaureate (graduate and/or professional) degree program, the following limitations apply:

1. With the exception of Ph.D. programs, the integrity of each master's level degree program must be observed by the student's completion of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours of credit at UB and uniquely applied to that program. Individual degree programs may establish minimum credit hour requirements that exceed that level.
2. No more than 10% of the total credits hours normally required to complete both of the degree programs in question may be comprised of "shared courses" (i.e., courses applied to both programs). For example, in the case of two master's degree programs each of which requires 30-credits (i.e., a total of 60), no more than 6 credit hours (10%) of the 60 may be comprised of courses applied to both programs. Similarly, in the case of two post-baccalaureate degree programs that, in total, require 90 credit hours between them, no more than 9 credit hours (10%) of the 90 may be comprised of courses applied to both programs.
3. In cases where one or more specific courses are explicitly required by both programs (i.e., not merely as acceptable electives), such course(s) are considered "shared courses" under policy definitions and will be the first course(s) counted toward the 10% limit. If those specific courses explicitly required by both programs exceed the normal 10% "shared courses" limit, the 10% limit is waived and all such courses may be counted toward both degrees.
4. Up to 50% of a student's Ph.D. program may be comprised of courses used to complete another degree program at UB or at another institution. A minimum of 50% of the Ph.D. program must consist of courses completed at UB and uniquely applied to that degree program.

Language Requirement

Although the Graduate School does not have a language requirement for master's or doctoral degrees, some departments have established a language or skill requirement for their programs. If required, those examinations must be completed at least one semester prior to graduation for the master's degree, or two semesters prior to graduation for the doctoral degree.

Application to Candidacy

The Application to Candidacy (ATC), available at http://www.grad.buffalo.edu, is filed with the Graduate School and indicates that the student is entering the final stages of degree completion. Normally students should expect to file an Application to Candidacy after two or three semesters of full-time enrollment toward the master's degree, or after six semesters of full-time enrollment for the doctoral degree.

Review and approval of the ATC is the responsibility of the student's department and Dean, in that order. Some units also require Divisional or Area Committee review prior to submission to the Graduate School. Once admitted to candidacy, a student may not need to enroll for 12 credits (9 credits for graduate, teaching and research assistants) to be certified as full-time student.

Primary responsibility for evaluation of each student's application to candidacy rests with the student's department or program and major advisor.

The department or program is responsible for ensuring that each ATC is complete prior to submission to the Academic Dean. The Academic Dean then forwards the ATC to the appropriate Divisional or Area committee or directly to the Graduate School if committee review is not required. Where committee review is required, the chair of the appropriate committee will approve or disapprove ATCs. If subsequently approved, the application is then forwarded to the Graduate School for final review.

Candidates must file the ATC by the specified deadlines. Review committees cannot receive ATCs immediately prior to the expected graduation date. Once the Graduate School approves the ATC, written notification of approval will be sent to the student. Allow two to three months for candidacy approval.

Minor amendments to the ATC which become necessary through changes in registration (e.g., adding or deleting anticipated courses or credits) must be formalized through petition. The Graduate Student Petition is available at www.grad.buffalo.edu. This form must be endorsed by the director of graduate studies or chair of the student's department. These amendments are then reviewed by the Graduate School.

Informal Courses

Definition: Informal courses include registration in project, thesis, or dissertation guidance; directed or supervised reading; directed research; and independent study coursework.

1. With the exception of courses associated with final project, portfolio, thesis, or dissertation completion, a description and method of evaluation statement for each informal course and its relevance to the student's degree program must be submitted with the Application to Candidacy. These statements become part of the student's academic record and are evaluated by the Graduate School when reviewing the student's program of study. It is the responsibility of the student, the instructor and the advisor, in that order, to see that informal course statements are filed with the Application to Candidacy or any subsequent amendments to candidacy. Failure to do so will delay, and may interrupt, processing of degree credentials.
2. Use of undergraduate courses below the 400 level, as the criteria for creating an informal graduate course, is not acceptable.

Thesis/Dissertation in a Foreign Language

Students who wish to write their dissertation or thesis in a language other than English (except those in the Department of Romance Language and Literature) must obtain prior approval from the Executive Committee of the Graduate School. A petition for such approval must include reasons why the work cannot be written as effectively in English as in the other language. In addition, the following conditions must be met:

1. Students must demonstrate an adequate command of the language prior to undertaking their projects.
2. The topic of the thesis or dissertation must be extensively represented (i.e., include primary and/or secondary sources) in the foreign language in which the thesis or dissertation is to be written.
3. The members of the thesis or dissertation committee must all read the language fluently (i.e., with sufficient ease and accuracy to enable them to determine the quality of work).
4. A lengthy and detailed summary or translation in English of the thesis or dissertation must be supplied by the candidate to the department for the oral defense.
5. The topical examination and oral defense must be conducted in English.

Time Limits for Degree Conferral

All graduate work credited towards a master's degree must be completed within four years from the first registration date in that graduate degree program. All graduate work toward a doctoral degree is to be completed within seven years. Requests for extensions of time limits must be petitioned using a Graduate Student Petition Form. Each Divisional or Area Committee may establish its own stricter policies within the constraints of these overarching institutional policies.

Deadlines for Degree Conferral

For the following degrees ONLY: Ph.D. | M.A. | M.S. | M.Eng. | M.Arch. | M.U.P. | M.P.H. | M.F.A. | M.M. | B.A./M.A. | B.A./M.S. | B.S./M.S. | B.S./M.E. | Au.D.

The above dates are subject to change. Each student is advised to check with the appropriate office one semester prior to the deadline date listed for up-to-date information. It is the student's responsibility to check with the Graduate School (716) 645-2939 and the Student Response Center (716) 645-2450 prior to the deadline dates to be sure all the requirements and paperwork for your degree have been completed. Each department has the appropriate forms and additional instructions.

* Required materials for degree conferral:

• All Graduate Students: Submission of the M-form – see your department for procedures regarding filing your M-form with our office.
• All Ph.D., DNS, Ed.D. and those Master's students completing a Master's Thesis option: Electronic submission of your thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School E-Submission website
• Ph.D., DNS and Ed.D. Students Only: Completion of the Doctoral Degree Recipients Survey (pdf) – required for degree conferral

Your Application to Candidacy must be signed by your major advisor and your committee (where applicable), the Director of Graduate Studies or the Chair of your department, the Dean of your School/College, and the Divisional Committee of your area division. Please allow ample time for the processing of your candidacy to ensure your completed application is received in The Graduate School by the deadlines prescribed above.

Registration Prior to Degree Conferral

Student must be registered in at least one credit the semester immediately prior to degree conferral as indicated below:

• Fall semester registration is required if a student intends to finish degree requirements in time for the February 1 degree conferral.
• Spring semester registration is required if a student intends to finish degree requirements in time for the June 1 or September 1 degree conferral.

Posthumous Award of a Graduate Degree

In limited instances when certain conditions are satisfied, a posthumous degree may be awarded when a student dies prior to completing all of his/her graduate degree requirements. UB faculty (in consultation with the student's family) may request the posthumous conferral of the graduate degree in recognition of the work completed toward that degree at the time of the student's death.

The request for consideration of the posthumous award of the degree in question may emanate from either a member of the student's family or a UB faculty member. If the request originates from a family member, they should communicate those wishes to the department within which the student was pursuing the graduate degree. If the request originates from a faculty member, it is incumbent upon that faculty member to first seek the family’s concurrence that the degree be awarded posthumously to the student. The faculty member then directs a written request to the Chair of the student’s department. The Chair, in turn, submits a formal request for the awarding of the posthumous degree to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education/Dean of the Graduate School (VPGE).

The posthumous award of a graduate degree will be considered providing that the student:

• had formally advanced to candidacy.
• was considered in good academic standing possessing a minimum graduate degree program grade point average of 3.0.
• had been actively pursuing the degree in an appropriate and timely manner at the time of death and had completed virtually all requirements of the degree program in question.
• as making satisfactory academic progress and was nearing completion of the final master's degree project or thesis or the doctoral dissertation.

The following documentation is required when filing the formal request:

1. Departmental evidence of the extent to which the degree program was actually completed and a brief summary of any program requirements that had not been completed. This may include a copy of the application to candidacy, thesis/dissertation prospectus approval forms, evidence of passing qualifying exams, or any other documentation deemed appropriate.
2. A written letter of recommendation from the Department Chair supporting the conferral, together with correspondence from the instructors of any courses in which the student was enrolled at the time of death (including courses outside the department). Each such instructor should indicate the grade (if any) of the student's work in that course up to the time of death.

If the VPGE reaches a favorable decision in support of granting the degree, he/she will issue a letter authorizing the Director of Student Academic Records and Financial Services to confer the degree posthumously, and issue a transcript and a diploma to the appropriate family member's current mailing address. In all such cases the degree will be awarded reflecting the next regular institutional conferral date (February 1, June 1 or September 1) following the date of the student's death.

If the VPGE determines that the degree will not be awarded posthumously, he/she will provide a letter to the Chair of the student's department explaining the reason(s) for the denial. It shall be the responsibility of the Graduate School to advise the student's family that the request for posthumous degree conferral was denied.

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