Graduate Catalog - Virginia Tech Graduate School

Graduate Catalog

2023-2024

Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs

Graduate School Policies

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Student Life and Related University Policies
- University Policies for Student Life
- Physical Examination
- Medical Insurance Coverage
- Required Insurance for Students Traveling Internationally
- Automobiles and Bicycles
Graduate Application and Admission
- Credentials
- International Applicants
Admission Categories and Graduate Student Classifications
- Regular Admission
- Provisional Admission (Master's only)
- Conditional Admission
- Non-degree Status
- Commonwealth Campus Status
- Graduate Certificate Status
- Visiting Graduate Student Status
- Eligibility of Faculty/Staff for Graduate Degrees
- Undergraduates Taking Graduate Courses
Enrollment and Registration Procedures
- Course Enrollment and Changes in Enrollment
- Continuous Enrollment
  - Leave of Absence
- In Absentia Status
- Graduate Cooperative Education Program
- Change of Campus
- Simultaneous Graduate Degrees
- Registration at the Time of Examinations and for Degree Completion
- Readmission
- Changes of Status
- Change of Graduate Program
General Academic Information
- Grading System
- Grade for Thesis/Dissertation/Major Paper
- Incomplete, X, NG and NR Grades
- Grading System Requirements
- Repeating Courses
- Auditing
- Graduate Credit
- On-line Courses/Independent Study in Absentia/Continuing Education
Academic Progress
- GPA Requirements
  - Scholarly Ethics and Integrity
- Inclusion and Diversity Training
- Probation due to Unsatisfactory Grades
- Satisfactory Progress toward a Graduate Degree
Enrollment Limits and Requirements
- Full Time Enrollment
- Graduate Student Employment/Assistantships
- Virginia Tech Employees
- Fellowship and Scholarship Recipients
Graduate Assistantships
- Types of Assistantships
- Additional Employment for Students Holding a Graduate Assistantship
- Academic Eligibility to Hold a Graduate Assistantship
Graduate Degree and Certificate Requirements
- General Degree Requirements for Graduate Students
- Scholarly Ethics and Integrity
- Inclusion and Diversity
- Plan of Study
- Justification of ’Old’ Course Work
- Supporting Courses
- Plan of Study Changes
- Change of Thesis Option
- Grades on Plan of Study Courses
- Repeating Courses on the Plan of Study
- Graduate Advisory Committees
Credit Hour Requirements for Degrees and Certificates
- Master's Degree
- Second Master's Degree
- Simultaneous Degrees
- Education Specialist Degree (Ed. S.)
- Doctoral Degrees
- Residency Requirements for Doctoral Degrees
- Graduate Certificates
Examinations
- Scheduling Examinations
- Examining Committees
- Successful Completion of Required Examinations
- Final Examination (Master's)
- Qualifying Examination (Doctoral)
- Preliminary Examination (Doctoral)
- Final Examination (Doctoral)
- Enrollment and Examinations
Graduation
- Procedures for Graduation
- Graduation Clearance Procedures
- Commencement Participation
- Degree Conferring Dates
- Academic Regalia
Thesis and Dissertation
- Master's degrees
- Doctoral degrees
- Independent Effort
- Dissertation Format
- Proprietary or Classified Theses and Dissertations
- Advisory Committee Approval of the Thesis or Dissertation
- Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD)
- Deadline for ETD Submission
- Degree Completion and Graduate School Approval of the ETD
- Copyrighting and Microform
- Intellectual Property
Appeals
- Graduate Student Appeals
- The Departmental Appeal
- The University Appeals Procedure

Master's degrees

Master’s degrees may be thesis or non-thesis and this is specified on the Plan of Study at the time the plan is submitted. For departments where the non-thesis option is available, a master’s degree candidate is allowed to change from the thesis to the non-thesis option (or vice versa) only once. A change between thesis and non-thesis requires the filing of a Thesis Option Change form https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/forms/Thesis_Option_Change_Request.pdf