Graduation

As part of the requirements for the completion of graduate studies at the university, each student must be admitted as a regular (degree-seeking) student and complete a mandatory advising session with their academic unit. Ph.D. students must also pass the qualifying, comprehensive, and oral defense examinations, fulfill the residence requirement, and submit a dissertation before graduation. Students should refer to the Synopsis of Graduate Studies section for a list of steps and corresponding forms that must be completed. Detailed degree-specific requirements are listed under the relevant academic unit in this bulletin. General information may also be found in the Degree Program Requirements section of the bulletin. All incomplete coursework must be submitted to the instructor prior to the date of graduation. A recorded grade of "I" (incomplete) in a course required for graduation will result in deferral of that student’s graduation until the next semester. A new application for graduation must be submitted for that semester.

Completion of Degree

Master’s Degree Candidates

The starting date for any course applied toward the degree must be no earlier than six years before the graduation date. If this condition cannot be met, the student may petition the VP for Academic Affairs (or designee) for an extension. Any courses that fall outside the six-year time limit must be revalidated. Form G504 Revalidation of Outdated Courses is used to initiate the petition and the subsequent revalidation process as published in the Graduate Bulletin. The M.S. Comprehensive (Thesis) Examination may also serve the purpose of revalidating the outdated courses.

Doctoral Candidates

Doctoral study must be completed within six years of the mandatory doctoral advising session, which occurs at 18 earned and/or enrolled credit hours. Any courses that are completed outside of the six-year limit must be revalidated. Form G504 Revalidation of Outdated Courses is used to initiate the petition and the subsequent revalidation process as published in the Graduate Bulletin, when required prior to the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination.

Application for Graduation

Students expecting to graduate in a given semester must file an Application for Graduation online using Banner Student Self Service located in the MyIIT portal (my.iit.edu), which is is submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs, by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar for the semester of graduation. See the Degree Program Requirements section published in the Graduate Bulletin. Students’ names may be deleted from the graduation list upon request, but no new names will be added after the deadline. Upon submission of a graduation application, the Office of Academic Affairs will check for completion of the student's degree requirements. An electronic and paper diploma will be issued by the Office of the Registrar after grades are reported, usually about four to six weeks after the end of the term. Students should not file the Application for Graduation form unless they are reasonably sure that they can complete the degree requirements in time to meet the deadlines. An application for graduation is valid for one semester; however, if the student fails to graduate in the intended semester, the application will be reconsidered in the following semester. Failure to fulfill degree requirements within the first semester of application for graduation will result in the need to enroll in a continuation of graduate study course (GCS 600 or 100). The permit for this course is requested using Form G701 Graduate Student Petition, which must be approved by the Office of Academic Affairs.

A late graduation fee will be charged to any graduate student who seeks special consideration for failing to apply for graduation by the semester deadline, as published in the Academic Calendar. The student is required to include an explanation of the extenuating circumstance that requires this consideration. A late application for graduation may only be considered when filed no later than 30 days prior to the last day of classes, as published in the Academic Calendar. Paper Form G527L Late Application for Graduation will be submitted by the student to the Office of Academic Affairs to initiate this special consideration. A late graduation application fee will be charged to the student’s account, in addition to the current applicable graduation application fee.

Professional Master’s Degree

A professional master’s degree is offered to graduate students who seek the non-thesis option. As used here, a thesis is a written document or manuscript that concerns an investigation or discourse. A professional master’s degree program may require a project and a project report (e.g., course 594); however, neither the project itself nor the project report is considered a thesis. Storage of project reports will be at the discretion of academic units and cannot be done in the university library. Registration for thesis research cannot fulfill a requirement for a non–thesis degree, unless a petition approved by the academic unit and the VP of Academic Affairs, subject to the limits of a project course (594) and the acceptable report of final project work, is filed and approved by the academic adviser, academic unit head, and the Office of Academic Affairs.