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GDASU staff will review all master’s degree check sheets submitted by GPAs and verify:
all departmental requirements specified on the check sheet have been met
review any course substitutions/waivers
the total number of required units has been met
dates are listed for any projects, comprehensive exams, and language exams
all University requirements have been met
all grades have been submitted from the degree start date through the degree quarter
the student has an Unconditional Admission status
For students completing via Plan I - Thesis, GDASU staff will confirm the student’s filing date and that all filing requirements have been fulfilled.
GDASU staff will schedule a student’s degree after completing the degree audit.
The day after a degree is scheduled, GDASU staff will double-check their work and then provide the degree record to the GDASU Assistant Director for final review.
the GDASU Assistant Director will triple-check the degree data before provisionally awarding the degree and scheduling the degree verification email to be sent to the student.
The master’s degree check sheet and thesis filing documents (title page, signature page) if applicable will be archived so they are available in the GradPoint Documents Tab.
Exceptions
Exceptions requiring department approval:
If the department is waiving a course requirement, GPAs should indicate on the master’s check sheet how the course content was met (prior college coursework, by exam, etc.).
The minimum unit requirement must be met regardless of waived coursework so the master’s check sheet should also indicate how the waived units are being fulfilled (elective coursework, etc.).
If the department approved a course substitution, GPAs should indicate the substitution on the master’s check sheet.
The minimum unit requirement must be met so the course substitutions should amount to the same number of units as the courses they are substituting.
If the student completed the department’s language requirement in a previous program, with prior college coursework, or is a native speaker, the GPA should note this on the master’s check sheet.
Students with an Incomplete grade (I), No Grade (NG), No Record (NR), or In Progress (IP) grade on their record are ineligible to be awarded a master’s degree until grades are assigned. However departments can request an exception if the coursework is not needed to fulfill degree requirements. A memo (signed by the Department Chair or FGA) explaining the request should be included with the master’s check sheet.
In these cases, the department will need to obtain a Grade Change Report from the Office of the Registrar in order for the grade to be submitted after the degree has been awarded.
Exceptions requiring Graduate Dean or Graduate Council approval:
The department wants to allow a core course to be substituted by an independent study course (596), upper-division course (when graduate level is normally required), or something similar.
The department should include a memo (signed by the Department Chair or FGA) addressing why the request is being supported.
GDASU staff will provide the information to the Associate Dean, or Dean for review.
The department wants to request an exception to the departmental grading requirement (B or better in core courses, etc.) for an individual student
The department should include a memo (signed by the Department Chair or FGA) addressing why the request is being supported in this case.
GDASU staff will provide the information to the Associate Dean, or Dean for review.
The department wants to waive a requirement entirely (including language requirements) either for an individual student, or a cohort.
The department should include a memo (signed by the Department Chair or FGA) explaining the rationale for the request.
GDASU staff will provide the information to the Graduate Council for review.
The department wants to request an exception to Graduate Council policy: residency, cumulative GPA, etc.
The department should include a memo (signed by the Department Chair or FGA) explaining the rationale for the request.
GDASU staff will provide the information to the Graduate Council for review.
Retroactive degree requests can only be made in cases where a student completed all degree requirements by a filing deadline, but due to administrative error, the degree was not awarded before the degree list was finalized by the Office of the Registrar.
Department steps:
Complete a master’s degree check sheet that confirms all degree requirements were completed by the applicable filing deadline.
Confirm the student was either registered or on a Filing Leave of Absence during the degree quarter.
Prepare a memo (signed by the FGA) requesting the retroactive degree.
the memo should confirm the student was eligible by the applicable filing deadline
the memo should include an explanation of the administrative error
Email the master’s check sheet (including any other applicable degree paperwork) and memo to the Graduate Division at: gradacademics@graddiv.ucsb.edu.
GDASU steps:
Confirm the student’s degree eligibility for the applicable quarter.
Submit the request to the Graduate Division Dean for review.
Submit the request (including department memo, and Graduate Division Dean memo) to the Office of the Registrar for review.
Inform the GPA after the retroactive degree is processed by the Registrar’s.
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