Masters Degree Program
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
All master's degree programs require a minimum of 45 graduate credits including thesis (6 to 12 credits) or research-in-lieu-of-thesis (3 to 6 credits). Exceptions to this capstone requirement are specified under the degree descriptions that follow these universal master's degree requirements. General regulations for all master's program are cited here, with certain exceptions provided for master's degrees in the professional areas listed on the following pages.
RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
The residence requirement for the master's degree is 30 graduate Oregon State University credits after admission as a degree-seeking graduate student. These 30 graduate credits must appear on the master's degree program. (This does not include credits reserved as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student, credits taken as a post-baccalaureate or graduate nondegree-seeking student, nor transfer courses.) Deviation from the residence requirement requires a petition to the Graduate School.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
For the master of arts degree, the student must show foreign language proficiency equivalent to that attained at the end of a second-year university course in that language with a grade of "C" (2.00) or better. English is not considered a foreign language for purposes of this requirement. There is no language requirement for the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree. For other master's degrees, there is no foreign language requirement unless a language is required in the individual student's program. The foreign language requirement for the MA degree must be completed before the student takes the final oral examination for the degree.
GRADUATE STUDY PROGRAM
A regular master's degree student must file a study program with the Graduate School before completing 18 graduate credits. This includes credits reserved as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student and credits earned as a post-baccalaureate, graduate nondegree-seeking student, or graduate student. A student who does not file a program within the specified deadline will not be allowed to register for the next term. A registration hold also may be placed on students whose programs of study are not approved after initial evaluation by the Graduate School and until appropriate action is taken to bring the program of study into compliance with Graduate Council policy.
If a minor is declared, approximately two-thirds of the work (30 graduate credits) should be listed in the major field and one-third (15 graduate credits) in the minor field. In such cases, the student's advisory committee must include a member from the minor department.
The program is developed under the guidance of the major professor, and minor professor when a minor is included, and signed by those professors and the chair of the academic unit before filing in the Graduate School. Each candidate's program should include substantial work with at least three faculty members offering graduate instruction. Changes in the program may be made by submitting a Petition for Change Form, available in the Graduate School.
TIME LIMIT
All work toward a master's degree, including transferred credits, course work, thesis (if required), and all examinations, must be completed within seven years.
THESIS
When scheduling their final oral examinations, thesis option master's students are required to submit the pretext pages of their thesis to the Graduate School at least one week prior to the final oral examination. Pretext pages include the abstract, copyright (optional), title page, approval page, acknowledgment page, contribution of authors, table of contents, list of figures, tables, appendices, dedication (optional), and preface (optional). It is expected that students will distribute examination copies to all their committee members, including the Graduate Council Representative, sufficiently early to permit thorough review of the thesis prior to the student's final oral examination.
Within six weeks after the final oral examination, two unbound copies of the thesis for the library, including copies of the abstract, must be deposited in the Graduate School office. If these copies are submitted after the initial six-week period, the student may be subject to re-examination. The student must obtain on the thesis approval page the original signatures of the major professor and the head of the major department. The required Graduate School signature will be obtained by the Graduate School. The thesis will not be accepted for graduation requirements until it has received approval by the graduate dean.
Full information concerning the prescribed style for theses is given in the booklet, Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation at OSU: A Graduate Student Guide, available on the Web at http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/grad_school/.
The results from studies conducted using human subjects without obtaining Institutional Review Board approval shall not be used to satisfy master's thesis or doctoral dissertation requirements. For complete details, please refer to http://oregonstate.edu/research/ori/irb.htm
The credit allowed for the thesis, including research and preparation of the manuscript, varies from 6 to 12 credits. In certain departments, the MS or MA thesis is optional, to be determined in each case by the department and the major professor. See departmental descriptions.
FINAL EXAMINATION
Successful completion of a final oral examination is required for all MS, MA, MAg, MOcE, MAIS, MF, MAT, MPH, MPP, MFA, MBA, MSE, and MEng degrees. The examination should be scheduled for two hours. Some departments also require the student to pass a written exam prior to the oral exam.
For master's candidates whose programs require a thesis, not more than half of the examination period should be devoted to the presentation and defense of the thesis; the remaining time can be spent on questions relating to the student's knowledge of the major field, and minor field if a minor is included in the program of study. Graduate faculty serving on thesis-oriented master's degree programs may contribute to the direction of the student's thesis, will assess the student's thesis and his or her defense of it in the final oral examination, will vote to pass or fail the student, and may sign the thesis when it is in acceptable final form. The examining committee consists of at least four members of the graduate faculty-two in the major field, one in the minor field if a minor is included, and a Graduate Council representative. When a minor is not included, the fourth member may be from the graduate faculty at large. All members of the student's graduate committee must approve the scheduling of the final examination.
Students writing a thesis must have a Graduate Council representative on their committee. It is the student's responsibility to obtain his or her own Graduate Council representative from a list provided by the Graduate School. This must be done prior to scheduling the final exam.
When no thesis is involved, not more than half of the examination period should be devoted to the presentation of the research project; the remaining time can be spent on questions relating to the student's knowledge of the major field, and minor field if one is included in the program. For nonthesis master's degree programs, the major professor is responsible for directing and assigning a final grade for the research or culminating project. Other members of the nonthesis committee will assess the student's defense of the project in the final oral examination, as well as the student's knowledge of his or her field, and vote to pass or fail the student. The examining committee consists of three members of the graduate faculty-two in the major field and one in the minor field if a minor is included. When a minor is not included, the third member may be from the graduate faculty at large.
The examining committee is nominated by the student's adviser, subject to the approval of the head of the department and the Graduate School. One dissenting vote is permitted for both thesis and nonthesis degrees. No more than two re-examinations are permitted by the Graduate School, although academic units may permit fewer re-examinations.
The final oral examination must be scheduled in the Graduate School not less than one week prior to the date of the examination. At the time of the final examination the student must have completed or be currently registered in all courses required by the student's program. All incomplete course work appearing on the program of study (with the exception of research/project credit in lieu of thesis) must be completed prior to scheduling the final oral examination. In addition, the student must have a 3.00 GPA for all courses taken as a graduate student and also must have a 3.00 GPA for courses on the program of study. For MA degrees, the foreign language requirement must be completed prior to the final oral exam.
For further information about the requirements for Graduate Study in Philosophy, contact:
Prof. Jacob Hamblin
Director of Graduate Studies
School of History, Philosophy, and Religion
306 Milam Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-737-3503
Fax: 541-737-1257
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