Graduation Deadlines

To be considered a candidate for the completion of a graduate degree, graduate certificate or graduate minor you must complete all necessary paperwork as well as the Application for Completion of Degrees, Certificates and Minors by the posted deadlines.  To ensure that the degree or certificate will be conferred please note that it is the student’s responsibility to adhere to these posted deadlines.  To assist you in this process the Graduate School sends several graduation announcements, evaluations and confirmations via email to your MU email account.  An inactive or full MU email account will not absolve you of your responsibility to follow posted deadlines.  Failure to do so may result in the delay or even postponement of your graduation. A table of graduation deadlines can be located by degree type. 

Graduation & Commencement Deadlines for Master's Students
Graduation & Commencement Deadlines for Educational Specialists
Graduation & Commencement Deadlines for Doctoral Students

Graduation Application

To be considered a candidate for the completion of a graduate degree, graduate certificate or graduate minor you must complete an application for graduation. The online application is available 6 weeks prior to the 1st day of classes. Application for Completion of Degrees, Certificates and Minors.

Before you apply you must already have an approved Plan of Study on file with the Office of the Graduate School. Failure to do due so may mean a delay of your graduation. It is recommended that you consult with your program to confirm you have a plan on file.

Please note that if your do not graduate the term you apply for graduation and you will be registering for another semester of classes you will:

• Have to apply for graduation again (see Graduation Deadlines above)
• Need to contact the Graduate School before you can to register for classes again

Paperwork

Check with your academic program to make sure all of your paperwork has been submitted to the Graduate School for graduation. See our degree information for master’s, doctoral and educational specialist students for Graduate School forms.

Thesis or Dissertation Submission

Students writing a thesis or dissertation must submit to the Graduate School the supplemental paperwork for the thesis or dissertation as well as the final, original research manuscript and supplemental electronic files on CD by the semester deadline (see Graduation Deadlines above). Please consult the Graduate School's "Guidelines of Preparing Theses and Dissertations" at http://gradschool.missouri.edu/policies/thesis-dissertation/guidelines/ for formatting and submission requirements.

Final Exam and Enrollment Requirements

For all graduate-degree seeking candidates:

• Students expecting to present a thesis, manuscript, project, portfolio, dissertation, take comps, etc. must be enrolled and be examined during the regular semester session. You may defend, present or take final exams any time during the regular semester session excluding holidays, weekends and semester breaks. However to be considered a candidate for graduate please review the graduation deadlines.
• Upon completion of your final exam the results must be submitted to the Office of the Graduate School by the semester deadlines (see Graduation Deadlines above). Please consult with your program for department procedures regarding this matter.

More Enrollment Information for Doctoral Candidates:

• Post-comp doctoral students are required to enroll in 2 hours of course work in the Spring, 2 hours of course work in the Fall and 1 hour of coursework in the Summer. (Continuous Enrollment Research is acceptable).
• Once your Report of Doctoral Defense (D4) form has been received by the Office of the Graduate School you will be removed from the continuous enrollment program and any pre-registration and fees associated with future enrollment via the continuous enrollment program will be removed from your record by the Graduate School.
• If you do not graduate this term and do not notify the Office of the Graduate School prior to the end of early registration for the next term, you will not be automatically enroll for the following semester.

More Enrollment Information for Master's & Educational Specialist Candidates:

• If masters and educational specialist students have completed all their course work and only need to take comps or defend a thesis or project, they can enroll for "8999 Graduate Examination," The course registration information is located in the Miscellaneous section of the Schedule of Courses. The cost is approximately $298.70 and this is exempt from a late fee. For exact pricing please visit the Cashier's webpage "What will MU Cost me?" at http://cashiers.missouri.edu/cost.htm.
• Registration in the "Graduate Examination" does not count toward enrollment certification. Students enrolled in the "Graduate Examination" would not be considered full-time or part-time. If students need to use the library or computers on campus, they should enroll in at least one hour of regular credit instead of Graduate Examination.
• Students that have a financial aid or visa situation should check with Financial Aid or the International Center respectively before registering for the Graduate Examination option. Failure to do so could cause serious consequences for the student's financial aid or visa status.
• Extra fees apply for access to the Student Health Center and the Student Recreation Center. Please consult the Cashier's Office for these optional fees.

University Email Account Access

To determine if you will have access to your student email account or when your account will be deleted after you graduate please visit http://doit.missouri.edu/accounts/eligibility.html for more information.

Name on your Transcript and Diploma

The name on your transcript and diploma will be the same as is listed in the University’s database through myZou. In order to change this, you will need to go to the Graduate School, 210 Jesse. Please bring your driver’s license, social security card, marriage license or passport showing your current name. For diploma printing, names will not be changed after the last day of the semester. Phone: 573-882-6311

• To check Your Name in myZou select from the main menu Self Service> Student Center. Under Personal Information, select Names >Primary Name (The way it appears on myZou is the way it will appear on your transcript and diploma)

More about your Transcripts

Once your degree has been conferred or your graduate certificate has been awarded, the following additional information is printed to your official transcript approximately 14-18 days after the close of the semester:

•  Degree
•  Major
• Emphasis (if applicable)
• Minor (if applicable)
•  Graduate Certificate (if applicable)
• Date of Conferral

The Office of the University Registrar Transcript Department is located in 130 Jesse Hall. Transcript requests can be made in person, by mail, by fax or online. In all instances, your signature or PawPrint and Password are required for release and all financial holds must be cleared on the student account before the request can be processed. Each official transcript costs $10.00. There is an additional charge of $5 for faxing a transcript to a domestic address and an additional charge of $10 for faxing to an international address. You can fax your signed request to 573-884-8382.

If you want to order a transcript that includes your degree or graduate certificate, please indicate on your request that you want to your transcript to be held until your final grades and degree are posted. Otherwise, you might receive a transcript before final grades, degrees, certificates, etc. have had time to post to your transcript.

More about your Diploma

Your diploma will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 14-16 weeks after graduation. To ensure delivery of your diploma, any address changes must be made on or before the last day of the semester. Corrections can be made on myZou or at the Office of the Graduate School, 210 Jesse Hall. Address changes cannot be made over the phone.

• To check Local Address on myZou select from the main menu Self Service > Student Center. You can look under Personal Information > Contact Information to review, add or edit existing information.
• Also be sure to check Permanent Mailing Address on myZou (this is where your diploma will be mailed).

For additional diploma questions and information, please send an email to: diploma@missouri.edu

Latin Honors

Unlike undergraduate students, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA to graduate. Thus Latin Honors such as cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude are not awarded to graduate students at this time. The staff here at the Graduate School, however, would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations on all of your academic successes.

Commencement

"Commencement" is a ceremony that recognizes graduate students for the completion of their master's, educational specialist and doctoral degrees. For information regarding commencement please return to the Graduation and Commencement page and review the "Commencement Ceremony Steps for Students."

Questions Regarding Graduation

If you have questions about any of the information provided, please call the Graduate School at umcgradsturecords@missouri.edu or by calling (573) 882-6311 or toll free at (800) 877-6312.

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