Directed studies must be at the graduate level.

ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY
Advancement to candidacy may be required by some departments. This is a separate step from admission to graduate studies. Students are responsible for determining the requirements in each area of study by consulting with the department chairperson.

COMPREHENSIVE OR GENERAL EXAMINATION
Most departments require a written and/or oral general examination. The examination may be an initial diagnostic or a final comprehensive examination over the student?s fields of study. Students must pass any examination required by the department to be recommended for a graduate degree.

CREDIT BY PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION
At the request of a department and with the approval of the college dean, a student may be permitted to take six semester hours or two courses (whichever is greater in credit) of graduate-level credit by examination. Additional requirements are the same as those for undergraduates.

GPA REQUIREMENTS
A student must satisfy the UWF GPA requirement of 3.0 based upon grades for all courses included in the initial and approved degree plan and grades for all courses included in subsequent revisions. No grade for a course taken as part of an approved graduate degree program may be deleted from the GPA. Individual programs may set more stringent GPA requirements. Students must be cleared from academic probation in order to be eligible to graduate.

The UWF academic transcript, the student academic record, and grade report do not reflect the degree program GPA. These records indicate a GPA of all UWF graduate level courses with the exception of those included in a UWF baccalaureate degree.

NON-DEGREE STUDENT STATUS
Graduate students who wish to change to non-degree status will complete the non-degree student application in the Office of the Registrar.

RECENCY OF CREDIT
Currency of knowledge must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of departmental faculty for any course work required for the degree if the course was taken more that five years before graduation. Individual departments may set more stringent requirements or may adjust to a specific program.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT
Graduate students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit at UWF. The department offering the program may require additional residency.

THESIS REQUIREMENT
Students should consult the current Catalog for the special requirements of the individual program to determine whether a thesis or alternative is required. A maximum of 6 semester hours of credit may be applied toward a master?s or specialist degree for successful completion of a thesis. Upon completion of 6 semester hours of thesis credit, graduate students who continue thesis work must register for at least one semester hour of credit each semester thereafter until the thesis is submitted and accepted.

Theses are to be prepared in accordance with the specifications given in the ?Thesis Guide? prepared by and available in the Office of Graduate Studies. Theses must be submitted to the University Library for binding in the semester in which the degree is to be awarded (see Academic Calendar for deadlines). Deadlines for submission to the college dean and the Office of Graduate Studies are posted online at uwf.edu/graduate.

Students must provide a copy of the thesis to the University Library. A thesis grade of ?G? (deferred) will be given until the thesis has been approved.

TOOL OF RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
Although the University has no general research tool requirement, some departments expect demonstrated competence in a research tool, such as statistics or a foreign language. Students should refer to the appropriate department to ascertain whether a research tool is required.