MFA Degrees - Graduation Requirements

• Students must follow the UNM Catalog in place at the time of their admission, or a subsequent catalog as long as the student maintains continuous enrollment. Students must also meet any additional departmental requirements.

• Students should check their academic records (LoboWeb) at the end of each term to ensure that their status, degree program, grades and GPA are correct and in compliance with UNM policies.

• Students must meet the general degree requirements published in the UNM Catalog.

• Students are required to pass an MFA comprehensive examination. The Announcement of Examination form must be submitted to Graduate Studies a minimum of two weeks before the scheduled date of the examination. Students must be enrolled and complete a minimum of one hour of graduate credit in the term they take the comprehensive examination and must be in good academic standing.

• Students must submit an Application for Candidacy (AC) listing all the courses that apply to the degree. The form should be filed the term the student passes the comprehensive examination and no later than the last day of the term before the student intends to graduate.

• Students are Advanced to Candidacy (All But Dissertation/ABD) by the Dean of Graduate Studies in the term when all the following criteria have been met:
• 1. The MFA comprehensive examination has been passed;
  2. Graduate Studies has approved the Application for Candidacy; and
  3. Language/skill requirement (if appropriate) is satisfied.

• Students must notify the degree program of intent to graduate the term prior to the term of graduation. Students should confirm additional deadlines with their program.

• Students must defend their dissertation. An Announcement of Examination form must be submitted two weeks prior to the dissertation defense date. The dissertation must be submitted no later than 90 days after passing the dissertation defense, or the term graduation deadline, whichever comes first.

• Students must satisfy degree requirements (defended and submitted dissertation) by the deadlines* of July 15 for summer graduation, November 15 for Fall graduation, or April 15 for Spring graduation.

• Students must complete a minimum of 6 hours of Dissertation/699. Once students begin enrollment in 699 they must enroll in 699 every term (summer term is excluded, except if the student is graduating in the summer) until the manuscript is accepted by Graduate Studies.

• Students who are required to submit a manuscript to Graduate Studies must meet all dissertation requirements. Please refer to the Graduation Checklist. After passing the dissertation defense, students must electronically submit their dissertations within ninety (90) days or by the term graduation deadline, whichever comes first. Manuscript formatting guidelines are available through Preparing Your Manuscript tutorial and the Formatting Guidelines page.

• Students who miss the term graduation deadline, but complete degree requirements by the last day of that term, may choose to follow the Courtesy Policy.

*NOTE:  Deadlines that fall on a weekend or holiday are automatically moved to the end of the next business day.