Pass Masters Exam
All candidates for the Plan II master’s degrees must pass a master’s examination. The examination, drawn from the major field and from minor or related fields as appropriate, may be written, oral or both, depending upon the requirements of the graduate unit. An Announcement of Examination form should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the Master's Exam.
The examination is conducted by a committee of a minimum of three members approved for committee service. Two members must be in Category 1 or 3; the chair of the committee must be in Category 1, 3, or 5 if within the student’s major; one member must be from Category 1; and no more than one voting member can be in Category 4 (see Committee Service page for more information).
The master’s examination may be taken only after the Program of Studies has received approval by the Graduate Dean and only if the student is in good academic standing.
Barring extraordinary circumstances, the graduate unit notifies the student and Graduate Studies of the results of the examination no later than two weeks from the date on which it was administered. Should such circumstances arise, the unit informs the student in writing of the reason for the delay and let him/her know when notification can be expected. The results of the examination (pass or fail) must be reported to Graduate Studies by November 15 for Fall graduation, April 15 for Spring graduation or July 15 for Summer graduation. If a student fails the examination, the graduate unit may recommend a second examination, which must be administered within one calendar year from the date of the first examination. The master’s examination may be taken only twice. A second failure results in the student’s termination from the program.
Conditional Pass
Having evaluated the materials required for the examination, if the Committee feels that, although the student has demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the field, it is not quite sufficient to justify a grade of “pass”, the committee may assign the grade of “Conditional Pass” and require that the student meet additional conditions before a grade of pass is awarded. The student must meet the conditions noted on the Conditional Pass by the end of the subsequent term. However, students who plan to graduate in a specific term must resolve a Conditional Pass by the posted deadline for submission of examination results. The committee notes the conditions that need to be met by the student on the examination form. Once the committee indicates the student has met the conditional pass criteria, they submit a memo to Graduate Studies.
