REQUIREMENTS FOR ENROLLED STUDENTS

The following are general requirements applying to all graduate students. Requirements applicable to specific graduate degrees follow this section.

FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDENT

A full-time graduate student is one enrolled for nine or more credits per semester, other than for tuition purposes. Students doing graduate work while engaged in full-time, off-campus employment should limit themselves to one or two courses per semester.

Graduate students should take into consideration any outside workload and commitments in planning their course load. Full-time graduate students without other commitments normally enroll for nine to 12 graded credits each regular semester; the maximum number of graded credits a graduate student may take in any regular semester is 15. During a ten week summer session, the maximum number of graded credits a graduate student may take is 9. Graduate students may enroll in a five week session and a ten week session concurrently as long as the total number of graded credits for both sessions does not exceed 9. Graduate students may enroll for one additional credit that is not graded (i.e., Audit) for summer, fall, and spring semesters.

COURSE DEFICIENCIES

Students who have been admitted with departmental deficiencies may be required to take diagnostic tests and additional qualifying examinations. They must complete satisfactorily, in a manner specified by the major department, all undergraduate course deficiencies as prescribed by the department responsible for the graduate program. Course deficiencies will be listed on the transcript; however, these deficiencies will not be calculated in the student's graduate GPA or graduate hours.

With the permission of the student's adviser and the head of the department, courses to meet undergraduate deficiencies may be taken under an S/U option (with S being a grade satisfactory to the professor). These courses will not affect the maximum number of S/U graduate credits permitted.

SPECIALIZATIONS/CONCENTRATIONS

A specialization is a collection of coursework in a specific area that is part of a degree program of study at NMSU. Only specializations/concentrations within a student's department or program may be noted on a transcript.

Students must file a request for inclusion of a specializations/concentration at the time they file their program of study and must identify the specializations/concentration in their application for the degree. specializations/concentrations will not be added to a transcript after the degree is awarded.

Departments must certify that a student has met the requirements for a specializations/concentration at the time the student successfully completes the final examination. Guidelines on developing proposals for new specializations can be found under the section called "Procedures and Guidelines for Faculty and Departments."

DECLARATION OF MINOR

Any doctoral applicant for candidacy may declare up to two approved minors in addition to the major area of study. All minors must be approved by the minor department head and the dean of the Graduate School and normally consist of nine credits. Demonstration of competency in the minor area will be required at both comprehensive and final examinations.

COMPLETING A THESIS OR DISSERTATION

The student must ensure that each member of the examining committee receives a copy of the thesis no later than seven working days before the date of the final examination.

The form and style of the thesis or dissertation must comply with the regulations given in the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation. These guidelines also contain detailed information on the thesis-approval process and binding. See http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/Guidelines. Candidates are encouraged to consult with the graduate reviewer on format, deadlines, and procedures before final typing.

The thesis must be submitted to the graduate reviewer on or before the deadlines posted in the current academic calendar printed inside the back cover of the current Graduate Catalog and at http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/deadlines/deadlines.htm. The thesis or dissertation is not complete until copies have been accepted for binding by the binding section staff in Branson Library.

REGISTRATION FOR SUMMER GRADUATION

If the final examination is to be scheduled or the thesis is to be completed during the summer, the student must register for one credit hour during the summer session in which the oral examination will be held or the thesis will be completed.

In order to graduate during a summer session the student must also have filed the "Application for Degree (Diploma)" by the deadline posted in the current Schedule of Classes, or the academic calendar printed on the inside back cover of the current Graduate Catalog, and at http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/deadlines/deadlines.htm.

APPLICATION FOR DEGREE (DIPLOMA)

The student must file an "Application for Degree (Diploma)" by the deadline set forth in the Schedule of Classes. The student must submit the "Application for Degree (Diploma)" to the Office of the Registrar prior to the last day for registration for the final semester or summer session in which the student will be completing degree requirements.

Even if a student does not intend to attend the university commencement or receive a diploma, the application is to be made and the fee paid; otherwise, transcripts will not show that the degree has been awarded.

Students filing an "Application for Degree (Diploma)" after the deadline will be charged an additional $25 fee. No "Application for Degree (Diploma)" forms are processed after midterm.

If a student does not complete requirements for the semester for which the "Application for Degree (Diploma)" has been made, then the student must reapply for the degree and pay all applicable fees for the semester in which the degree requirements will be completed.

ATTENDANCE AT COMMENCEMENT

The registrar certifies eligibility to participate in commencement exercises held at the close of the fall and spring semesters. Eligible candidates must have registered for and meet all final degree requirements. Degree recipients from the previous summer sessions can participate in the fall ceremony. Students who complete degree requirements in the spring semester attend the spring ceremony.

Participation in commencement does not, in itself, mean that a student is considered an NMSU graduate. In order to receive a graduate degree, a student must fulfill all university requirements. The degree will reflect the graduation date when all requirements were met.