Graduate Programs and Requirements

Certificates and Endorsements

Certificate Programs

A graduate certificate program is limited in scope relative to a graduate degree program but provides an opportunity for advanced study with a particular focus. Successful completion of a graduate certificate program is a structured academic accomplishment that leads to an official notation on the student transcript. A certificate program may be a stand alone accomplishment or may be embedded within a graduate degree program.

Certificate Program Admission Requirements

Certificate program admission requirements are set by the respective Certificate program academic unit. Applicants are required to submit all required application documents by the submission deadline. Graduate students who wish to complete an embedded certificate program are required to submit an additional certificate program application, however, no application fee will be charged.

Certificate Credit Requirements

Certificate program credit requirements depend upon the specific program. To receive credit or certificate program courses, a grade of “C” or better is required. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required in the certificate program.

Simultaneous Enrollment in a Graduate Certificate and Degree Program

Students admitted to a degree program in which the certificate program is embedded are permitted to complete the certificate program. If the certificate program requirements are met prior to the completion of the degree program, the student is eligible to be awarded the Certificate upon the successful completion of the certificate requirements.

Endorsement Programs

A graduate endorsement program is limited in scope relative to a graduate degree program but provides an opportunity for advanced study with a particular focus. Successful completion of a graduate endorsement program is a structured academic accomplishment that leads to an official notation on the student transcript. An endorsement program may be a stand alone accomplishment or may be embedded within a graduate degree program. Upon endorsement program completion, the endorsement may be added to a professional certificate in teaching, service, and leadership fields through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Endorsement Program Admission Requirements

Endorsement program admission requirements are set by the respective Endorsement program academic unit. Applicants are required to submit all required application documents by the submission deadline.

Endorsement Credit Requirements

Endorsement program credit requirements depend upon the specific program. To receive credit for an endorsement program course, a grade of “C” or better is required. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required in the endorsement program.

Simultaneous Enrollment in a Graduate Endorsement and Degree Program

Students admitted to a degree program in which the endorsement program is embedded are permitted to complete the endorsement program.

Advisement

Graduate students are advised by their program. Graduate students should reach out to their graduate program director for information regarding the structures in place to facilitate advisement. For more information visit the Graduate Academic Advisement  catalog page.

Graduate students can also contact the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies for more information about their program director.

Phone: 912-478-COGS (2647)
Email: gradschool@georgiasouthern.edu

Master’s Programs

Programs leading to a master’s degree are very diverse and generally fall into three categories depending on overall emphasis and the nature of the study program.

• Thesis option: As part of a degree program, the student will complete a thesis for a minimum number of credit hours as determined by the program.
• Non-Thesis Option: The student’s degree program will consist of courses and evidence of advanced work, such as term papers, objects of art, music or designs, as determined by the graduate faculty of the department or school.
• Internship option: Students in certain designated degree programs must complete a supervised internship.

Not all master’s degree programs offer all these options and a student may not select a plan that has not been approved by the graduate faculty of the program in which they are enrolled.

Degree seeking students must demonstrate competency in their study area as determined by the academic program. Competency is demonstrated in one or more of the following ways:

1. pass a final comprehensive and/or oral examination,
2. present a satisfactory portfolio,
3. thesis defense, and/or
4. studio exhibition or recital.

• Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s
• Foreign Language Requirement
• Master’s Degree Completion Check-List
• Thesis
• University System of Georgia Franchise Programs

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s

The Accelerated Bachelor’s Master’s (ABM) program provides qualified undergraduate students the opportunity to begin graduate studies in their senior year and to simultaneously satisfy some remaining requirements for the bachelor’s degree.

A student must apply and be admitted into this program in the semester preceding the beginning of the ABM program. Students must have completed at least 24 hours of coursework in the discipline or related field of the Master’s degree to be eligible. Prospective students should consult the program of study for admission deadlines and admission requirements.

A student may use up to 9 credit hours of graduate-level courses offered within a single degree program in meeting the requirements of both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree; however, there must be at least 150 unique hours between the two programs. If a program is proposing to use more than 9 hours, approval from the graduate Dean is required.

An undergraduate student enrolled in graduate classes is limited to six semester hours of graduate course work per term.

**Admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s Master’s degree program is different than Senior Privilege. Please refer to the policy on Senior Privilege  for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

The College of Graduate Studies has no requirement for a language other than English for the master’s degree. Individual academic units may establish, with approval of the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee, language requirements for their degree programs and may define the level of competence needed to satisfy those requirements. A grade of “C” or better in the fourth level course of an approved foreign language or passing a foreign language examination administered by the Georgia Southern University Department of World Languages and Cultures will satisfy the foreign language requirement unless otherwise stated by the individual program policy. The foreign language must be approved by the student’s advisor. Neither English nor the student’s native language (if other than English) may be counted to meet the Foreign Language requirement.

Master’s Degree Completion Check-List

Students need to complete the following items:

• Have satisfied the Foreign Language requirement if completing a master’s program in which a Foreign Language is required.
• Have accumulated the required number of credits for the degree.
• Have successfully completed all program requirements.
• Have an approved Program of Study on file in the College of Graduate Studies or have completed the program under DegreeWorks.
• Have no grades of “I” or “IP” on the graduate transcript.
• Have a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0.
• Be registered in at least one (1) credit hour if completing a degree program in which a thesis is being completed.
• Take and pass the comprehensive examination (or equivalent in your department) if required for your degree program by the deadline. Your advisor must submit the Report on Comprehensive Examination/ Thesis Defense Form to the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline.
• Pass the thesis or internship defense by the deadline if completing a degree program in which a thesis or internship is required.
• Submit the electronic thesis for format review by the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline.
• Submit the final electronic version of the approved thesis to the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline.
• Complete the Institutional Review Board (IRB) termination notification through the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs by the deadline.

Thesis

Master’s Thesis Committee

Following admission to a masters program, the student in a degree program that requires a thesis confers with the degree program coordinator of the academic program and selects an advisor, or “major professor,” from among the graduate faculty who have permission from their department chair to direct a Masters thesis and who are willing to assume the responsibility. Master’s thesis committees must be formulated by masters students in masters programs requiring a thesis. In some programs, the chair may be assigned to the student. The committee must consist of a minimum of three members of the Graduate faculty, including the student’s major professor, who will serve as Chair of the committee. In some instances, a Co-chair may be part of the committee makeup. Only faculty holding Member (Full) Graduate Faculty status may serve as the Master’s Thesis Committee Chair.

Additional voting members may be appointed to the committee, including no more than one non-Georgia Southern faculty, who must hold a terminal degree in their field of study. Non-Georgia Southern faculty must be approved through the College of Graduate Studies before serving as a member on a committee.

The student must submit the completed Application for Thesis Title and Committee Member Approval Form  to the College of Graduate Studies for committee approval and have the non-Georgia Southern committee member complete the online process. The College of Graduate Studies gives final approval for non-Georgia Southern committee members. Changes in the Committee membership must be submitted on the Committee Member Change form and be approved by the College of Graduate Studies.

All members of a student’s dissertation committee participate as peers and have the responsibility for planning the program of study, advising the student, and ensuring that the student’s master’s program is of high quality.

Should some departments have Thesis Committee membership requirements that are more stringent than stated above, the department policy will be adhered to.

Thesis

Candidates who undertake a thesis should schedule their work to allow sufficient time for review by the major professor and the committee and for making any necessary revisions before proceeding to the final examination. With unanimous approval of the committee, a student majoring in Modern Languages may write a thesis in a language other than English, provided that the language is clearly appropriate to the subject matter. If the thesis requires the use of human subjects, animals, or biohazardous materials, the student is required to comply with University policies and procedures. The compliance policies and procedures can be found at http://research.georgiasouthern.edu/.

The candidate must provide a copy of the thesis (electronic or hard copy format) to each member of the committee and all members of the committee must certify that they have received acceptable copies of the thesis before a final defense can be scheduled. A copy of the thesis must also be available at the defense. Following a successful final defense, the candidate must submit an electronic copy of the thesis to the College of Graduate Studies Electronic Thesis and Dissertation site for format check by the semester stated deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted. When the format check has been completed, the electronic document is returned to the student. Once the student has made all format corrections and changes, the student should ask their major professor and committee if they wish to review the electronic document before the final corrected copy is submitted to the College of Graduate Studies. The student must make all corrections and the electronic document must be in final and acceptable form, incorporating any revisions required by the committee. Information regarding the ETD can be found on the COGS web site. The final corrected copy must be submitted and received by the final submission deadline stated in the university academic calendar.

Thesis Continuous Enrollment Requirements

The College of Graduate Studies Continuous Enrollment policy states that “All thesis students who have registered at least once for courses titled thesis or dissertation must be continuously enrolled every semester thereafter, including the semester of graduation. Summer registration is not required unless summer is the graduation semester.” Check with your major advisor to see if your college has a different, or additional, continuous enrollment requirement(s) that apply.

• A grade of “IP” will be recorded for all thesis or dissertation credit hour work in progress and will automatically be recorded each semester the student is enrolled.
• The grade of “S” or “U” must be recorded for all thesis or dissertation credit hours when completed.
• The advisor and/or major professor will report a final thesis or dissertation grade of “S” or “U”. Any reported grade other than “S” or “U” will be changed to an “S” or “U” grade according to the following: REPORTED GRADE OF “A”, “B”, “C” = “S”, “D”, “F” = “U”
• Upon completion of the thesis, or dissertation requirements, final grades for preceding semesters will be changed to the appropriate grade.

Should a student not register each semester as required by the continuous enrollment policy, the student will be required to register and pay tuition and fees for the missed semesters. Tuition and fee payment is due for the missed registration semesters at the beginning of the semester the student resumes their study providing the student is eligible to return and resume registration.

A student who has been approved for a medical or a non-medical leave of absence is not required to be registered while under the approved leave period.

University System of Georgia Franchise Programs

Transfer Credits

All of the College of Education program involved in a USG franchise program may allow for additional graduate course credits to be transferred from other USG institutions involved in the respective franchise. The maximum number of transfer credits allowed will be identified by the specific program and will be published in program materials. The M.Ed. in Instructional Technology franchise program will allow up to 9 transfer credits with the advisor’s approval. The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction - Accomplished Teaching will allow up to 27 transfer credits including 18 credits of that program’s required franchise courses with advisor’s approval.

Franchise Programs Admission Requirements

1. Complete and submit the College of Graduate Studies admission application and pay the specified application fee.
2. Have completed bachelor’s degree requirements from a regionally accredited institution.
3. Possess a clear, renewable Georgia certification in teaching, service, or leadership field.
4. Present a cumulative 2.50 (4.0 scale) grade point average or higher on all undergraduate and graduate work combined.

Collaborative Franchise Programs

Applicants for a USG Franchise Collaborative Program, such as the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction - Accomplished Teaching, must apply for and be admitted to the cooperating university from which they choose to earn the degree.

Education Specialist Programs

The Education Specialist degree is offered only in a limited number of areas in the College of Education.

Ed.S. Degree Completion Check List

Students need to complete the following items.

• Have accumulated the required number of credit hours for the degree.
• Have successfully completed all program requirements.
• Have an approved Program of Study or approved DegreeWorks audit on file in the College of Graduate Studies.
• Have no grades of “I” or “IP” on your graduate transcript.
• Have a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0.
• Take and pass the comprehensive examination (or equivalent in your department) if required for your degree program by the deadline. Your advisor must submit the Report on Comprehensive Examination/Thesis Defense Form to the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline.
• Complete the Institutional Review Board (IRB) termination notification through the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs by the deadline.

Doctoral Programs

The doctoral degree is the most advanced academic degree awarded by the university. It requires demonstration of expertise in a major field of study, a working understanding of one or more related disciplines, and expression of independent research or abilities leading to a significant contribution to knowledge. Georgia Southern University offers the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P).

• Candidacy Examination
• Dissertation
• Doctoral Degree Completion Check-List
• Doctoral Program Admission Requirements
• Doctoral Program Policies and Requirements

Candidacy Examination

The student must be given a written candidacy/qualifying examination, which may be supplemented by an oral examination as prescribed by the program requirements. These are designed to test the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge in the proposed field of specialization, as well as the student’s ability to explore problems on the boundaries of knowledge. Satisfactory performance in the examination is an indication that the student is prepared to perform independent work toward the doctoral degree. The candidacy/qualifying examination must be taken no later than the last semester of course work or the following semester. Copies of the examination are filed with the academic unit and made available on request to any graduate faculty member for a period of two years from the date of examination. The results of the candidacy examination are reported to the College of Graduate Studies on the Candidacy Exam Report form that must be signed by members of the Candidacy Committee. If the student fails the candidacy/qualifying examination, only one retake of the Exam is permitted. The format of the examination and the structure of the candidacy committee may differ among doctoral programs, and in some programs, the candidacy committee will differ from the dissertation committee. Within one week following the completion and determination of the results of the candidacy/qualifying examination, including those of any oral portion, the candidacy committee must sign the ballot indicating that the candidacy examination has been completed. In case of failure of the first candidacy/qualifying examination, the candidacy committee may approve a second examination with no more than one dissenting vote. A second examination can be taken no sooner than three months following the initial failure. As with the first examination, the signed Candidacy Exam Report Form must be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies within one week of the determination of the results of the examination.

Dissertation

Dissertation Committee

An approved dissertation, unless otherwise stated by the degree program, is required of all candidates for the award of a doctorate degree. Its purpose is to demonstrate the candidate’s ability to conduct significant original research of a type appropriate to the academic discipline, to analyze the information obtained from the research, and to present the results in a form acceptable to the dissertation committee. A dissertation must be written in a form appropriate to the discipline.

When the student is admitted to candidacy and the Dissertation Committee Chair is satisfied with the completed dissertation, they will inform the candidate that the dissertation is ready to be read by all members of the Dissertation Committee. Per the preference of the Dissertation Committee, the student will then distribute dissertation copies in electronic file or hard copy format to the committee members. The candidate must provide a copy of the dissertation to each member of the final examining committee at least two weeks (in some programs three weeks) before the scheduled defense. The candidate, in consultation with the Committee Chair (Major Professor) and committee members, will then schedule the dissertation defense. The dissertation defense must be scheduled by the semester deadline stated in the university academic calendar to conduct the defense. The dissertation defense will be held in a forum open to the public.

The chairperson also has the right and the responsibility to evaluate the candidate’s performance and to cast a vote. The Dissertation Committee has a variety of responsibilities in the final defense process.

• The chair (and/or the committee) informs the student they are ready to schedule the dissertation defense. Agreeing to the dissertation defense scheduling does not imply that the dissertation is approved.
• Once the defense is scheduled, the committee will thoroughly review the candidates dissertation to make an assessment of the total dissertation as to presentation, methodology, and reporting. It is best practice in the time between the confirmation of the defense date and the defense date, that committee members not engage in discussion around matters pertaining to the dissertation document. Questions about the students work should be saved for the oral defense so that the student can defend their work in this designated forum.
• The committee also agrees to hold a public, oral dissertation defense, after the dissertation is deemed acceptable in form, at which the candidate presents and defends the dissertation.
• All members of the examining committee (or substitutes appointed by the College of Graduate Studies) are expected to be present throughout the examination. At the conclusion of the dissertation defense, there can only be one dissenting vote of the examining committee including substitutes appointed by the College of Graduate Studies before the candidate is deemed to have passed. A refusal to vote by the chairperson or any other member of the examining committee shall be recorded as a negative vote. With the permission of the majority of the committee, a failed defense may be retaken only one time and scheduled no earlier than three months from the date of the failure. The defense must be given on the Statesboro campus.
• Following the defense, the committee will report the results (for both failed and passed) of this examination to the College of Graduate Studies.
• When the dissertation has been approved, the dissertation defense passed, and all other requirements have been met, the candidate is recommended to be awarded the degree by the College of Graduate Studies.

Following admission to a doctoral program, the student confers with the degree program coordinator of the academic program and selects an advisor, or “major professor,” from among the graduate faculty who have permission from their department chair to direct dissertations and who are willing to assume the responsibility. Dissertation committees must be formulated by doctoral students in doctoral programs requiring dissertations. The dissertation committee must consist of a minimum of three members of the Graduate faculty, including the student’s major professor, who will serve as Chair of the committee.

Additional voting members may be appointed to the committee, including no more than one non-Georgia Southern faculty, who must hold a terminal degree in their field of study. Non-Georgia Southern faculty must be approved through the College of Graduate Studies before serving as a member on a committee.

The student must submit the completed Dissertation Committee Membership Approval Form to the College of Graduate Studies for committee approval and have the non-Georgia Southern committee member complete the online process. The College of Graduate Studies gives final approval for non-Georgia Southern committee members. Changes in the Committee membership must be submitted on the Committee Member Change form and be approved by the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

All members of a student’s dissertation committee participate as peers and have the responsibility for planning the program of study, advising the student, and ensuring that the student’s doctoral program is of high quality.

Dissertation Continuous Enrollment Requirement

The College of Graduate Studies Continuous Enrollment policy states that: “All thesis or dissertation students who have registered at least once for courses titled thesis or dissertation must be continuously enrolled every semester thereafter, including the semester of graduation. Summer registration is not required unless summer is the graduation semester.” Check with your major advisor to see if your college has a different, or additional, continuous enrollment requirement(s) that apply.

• A grade of “IP” will be recorded for all dissertation credit hour work in progress, and will automatically be recorded each semester the student is enrolled.
• The grade of “S” or “U” must be recorded for all dissertation credit hour when completed.
• The advisor and/or major professor will report a final dissertation grade of “S” or “U”. Any reported grade other than “S” or “U” will be changed to an “S” or “U” grade according to the following: REPORTED GRADE OF “A”, “B”, “C” = “S”, “D”, “F” = “U”
• Upon completion of the dissertation requirements, final grades for preceding semester(s) will be changed to the appropriate grade.

Should a student not register each semester as required by the continuous enrollment policy, the student will be required to register in dissertation credit and pay tuition and fees for the missed registration semesters at the beginning of the semester the student resumes their study providing the student is eligible to return and resume registration.

A student who has been approved for a medical or a non-medical leave of absence is not required to be registered while under the approved leave period.

Doctoral Degree Completion Check-List

The following are required of doctoral students for degree completion:

• satisfied the Foreign Language requirement if completing a doctoral program in which a Foreign Language is required;
• accumulated the required number of credit for the degree;
• successfully completed all program requirements;
• have an approved Program of Study on file in the College of Graduate Studies or have completed the program under DegreeWorks;
• have no grades of “I” or “IP” on your graduate transcript.
• have a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0 or the cumulative GPA required by your program;
• be registered in at least one (1) credit if completing a degree program in which a dissertation is being completed;
• take and pass the comprehensive examination (or equivalent in your department) if required for your degree program by the deadline;
• confirmed that your advisor has submitted the appropriate Final Dissertation Defense examination report form to the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline;
• passed the Dissertation defense by the deadline if completing a degree program in which a dissertation or internship is required;
• submitted the electronic dissertation for format review by the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline;
• submitted the final electronic version of the approved dissertation to the College of Graduate Studies by the deadline; and
• completed the Institutional Review Board (IRB) termination notification through the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs by the deadline.

Doctoral Program Admission Requirements

To gain admission to a doctoral program, the applicant must be approved for admission both by the graduate faculty of the department and/or program and by the College of Graduate Studies.

Doctoral Program Policies and Requirements

Doctoral Program Credit Requirements

The minimum number of credit hours to satisfy the doctoral program requirements are set for each individual program. The maximum number of credit hours taken at another institution that may count as transfer credit hours toward the doctoral program are also set by the individual doctoral programs.

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Requirements

Thesis and dissertation students must submit their manuscript in electronic format. The policies, procedures, and submission links for this are presented in detail on the College of Graduate Studies website for The Electronic Thesis and Dissertation.

Following a successful thesis/dissertation defense, the candidate must make any corrections or changes to the document that may be required by the defense committee. The student is required to submit the document as an electronic file (ETD) by the deadlines identified in the Registrar’s Calendar. Committees will then be notified that the student’s manuscript is available for their review in the Digital Commons/ETD.

Committee members read and review manuscripts for the following requirements before approving for submission to the Digital Commons:

• Displays accurate and clear writing.
• Complies with the degree’s style manual as found in the ETD Manual
• Complies with the University’s format template
• Students and committees are expected to provide a document that meets the style and writing requirements identified for their college. See ETD Manual

The College of Graduate Studies reviews documents after the committee has ap-proved the document in the Digital Commons/ETD. Documents that do not meet the style guidelines and/or do not reflect accurate and clear writing will be returned to the student/committee for revision until requirements are met.

Students will receive an email from the Digital Commons when their document has been accepted and is available for viewing in the Digital Commons/ETD. When the document has been accepted and is considered complete, the Registrar’s Office will be informed that the thesis/dissertation requirement for graduation has been completed.

All deadlines posted in the Registrar’s Academic Calendar should be met for students to graduate during the identified term.

Exclusion - Doctoral Students

A doctoral student will be denied continued enrollment at Georgia Southern University for any of the following reasons:

1. failure to meet the conditions of academic probation;
2. failure to meet specified academic requirements as set by the program and/or department; and/or
3. failure to comply with the Academic Dishonesty section of the Student Conduct Code.

Grade Requirements - Doctoral Programs

To be awarded a doctoral degree, the candidate must not be on academic probation and must meet the minimum GPA requirement for the degree program.

The minimum cumulative graduate GPA to remain in good standing is set by the respective doctoral program. Doctoral students should check their program student handbook or consult with their advisor or program director about the minimum GPA requirement for their program.

A student may not repeat any course for credit for which they have already received a grade of “C” or better unless specifically permitted by the degree program department policy.

Practicum Requirement

Some doctoral programs may have a practicum requirement. Doctoral students should consult with their respective department/college regarding practicum requirements.

Restricted Courses

While courses numbered 6000 and above are offered for graduate credit hour, courses numbered 9000 and above are open to doctoral degree students only. Courses numbered 5000G to 5999G may be taken for graduate credit but may not be counted toward doctoral degree requirements, unless specifically prescribed as a requirement for the doctoral curriculum. Because this varies by program, please refer to the program requirements for more information.