Master’s Degrees

• Academic Fields
• Unit Requirements
• Time to Degree
• Transfer Credit
• Degree Milestones
• Publication of Theses
• Unique Opportunities - Master’s Degrees

Academic Fields

Various types of master’s degrees are offered in numerous academic fields.

Master of Arts

Master of Science Degrees

Other Master’s Degrees

Unit Requirements

Unit requirements vary by program, although 30 units of graduate credit is the minimum for a master’s degree. Refer to the specific academic program section for individual unit requirements. A student whose program includes a thesis or critique may, on faculty recommendation, receive a maximum of six units of credit for thesis research. Four units of credit may be awarded for writing a critique.

Time to Degree

All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within the following time limits, based upon the student’s admission or readmission semester.

• 5 calendar years for most master’s degrees
• 6 calendar years for MBA and EMBA programs

Time to degree may be extended by completing and submitting an Extend Time to Degree Request to the registrar’s office.  Approval of the student’s advisor and dean are required.  Guidelines, procedures, and the form are available on the registrar’s Time to Degree webpage.

Students must be enrolled continuously, either for credit or through Continuous Registration  (400M), until the degree is earned.  Students who do not maintain a continuous student status with the University may be required to apply for readmission to resume studies and/or to graduate.  Please refer to the Readmission section for procedures.

Transfer Credit

Refer to the Registration section on Transfer credit  for qualifications and limitations specific to master’s degrees.  Other guidelines, procedures, and the form are available on the registrar’s Transfer Credit webpage.

Degree Milestones

Specific degree program requirements are known as milestones.  Students must be enrolled for the semester in order for milestones to be accepted and recorded on the student’s official transcript.  Progress to degree in the successful and timely completion of degree milestones is governed by the University’s policy on satisfactory academic progress .

Milestones for the master’s degree may include the following.  Guidelines and forms are available on the registrar’s Completion of Degree - Master’s Degree webpage.

Qualifying Examinations. The faculty of a particular field may require a written qualifying examination in addition to or in place of the thesis or critique. Students should consult the specific academic program section of the Bulletin for requirements.  Procedures and forms are available on the registrar’s Qualifying Exams webpage.

Thesis or Critique. Theses and critiques are required only in certain fields.  These documents afford evidence of the candidate’s ability to analyze and evaluate materials as well as to write clearly. A thesis involves the careful design and execution of a research problem. A critique may involve a research problem, may present a critical analysis and evaluation of the literature on a particular subject, or may describe and evaluate a project. A thesis or critique may be prepared either in conjunction with one or more courses, or independently under the guidance of the student’s advisor. Theses or critiques must be read and approved per specific program requirements.

The catalog number for Thesis Research is 399. Using the Enrollment Contract for Independent Study Activities, students may register for a maximum of 6 units of credit for thesis research and 4 units of credit for the critique with faculty approval. Enrollment contracts must document information about the area or focus of research for the thesis or critique.  A grade is not assigned until the thesis or critique is completed.  Guidelines, procedures, and forms are available on the registrar’s Independent Study webpage.

Final Oral Examination. Students submitting a thesis or critique may be required to defend their manuscripts in an oral examination. This examination may also include questions on the candidate’s general field of concentration. The committee conducting the examination normally includes the candidate’s advisor and one or more CGU faculty members with whom the candidate has taken graduate work.  In certain fields, a thesis examiner who is not a member of the University faculty, may be invited to participate in the examination.

Final Approval.  In order to graduate in any particular semester, the registrar’s office must receive a final approval from the student’s department by the Degree Completion Date announced in the Academic Calendar  .

Publication of Theses

Submissions. Master’s candidates are provided an opportunity to publish their theses using the ProQuest/UMI electronic gateway.  Electronic submissions expedite publication and avoid publication and binding costs.  Submission guidelines are provided in the registrar’s Dissertation Formatting and Submission webpage.  The same procedures provide information on hard copy submissions, if electronic processing is not possible.  Binding and publication fees are waived for for electronic submissions only.

Manuscripts and any applicable fees are due to the registrar’s office by the degree completion deadline announced in the Academic Calendar .  Manuscripts are not released for publication until the registrar’s office has received final approval from the department.

Scholarship@Claremont.  Students who publish their theses or critiques may wish to consider being included in the academic publication library of Claremont Graduate University at The Claremont Colleges Library.  Known collectively as Scholarship@Claremont, the repository provides global visibility for the student author as well as tracking services regarding access to the student’s publication.  Interested students are urged to contact the Scholarship@Claremont office prior to graduation to arrange for services.  Information is available on the registrar’s Your Published Dissertation/Thesis webpage.

Unique Opportunities - Master’s Degrees

Master’s Degree Along the Way to the PhD

Doctoral students may qualify for a master’s degree under the following conditions.

• The student is pursuing a doctoral degree in the same field.
• The student has completed requirements for the master’s degree.
• None of the units earned towards the master’s and doctoral degrees are used for another CGU degree.
• The student submits an Intent to Receive a Degree for the master’s degree, following established procedures for Completion of Degree - Master’s Degrees.

Once a master’d degree is earned in the same field the student is pursing a doctoral degree, none of the units credited to the two degrees may be applied to or counted toward a subsequent CGU degree.

California State Teacher Credentials

The Education faculty offer a variety of programs to prepare prospective teachers to meet certification requirements for teaching in California public schools. Based upon the concept of internships, programs provide alternative means of achieving certification and preparing students to teach at the elementary and secondary levels. Admission to the program is intended for either the beginning of the spring or summer semesters. Applicants must meet the education faculty’s requirements for admission to the master’s program.

Prospective teachers who are admitted to the program combine academic study with an intensive observation-participation program in cooperating school districts. In September, the intern begins full-time teaching at full salary under the supervision of a CGU advisor. A teacher placement specialist is available to assist students in obtaining full-time teaching internship positions. Upon successful completion of the program, the student should have met all requirements for the California Clear Teaching Credential. The master’s degree is earned by completing additional coursework.  Additional information is available in the Teacher Education  section of the Bulletin.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs at The Claremont Colleges (BA/MA)

Claremont Graduate University offers qualified undergraduate students at The Claremont Colleges the opportunity to work simultaneously toward the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements and a master’s degree in selected academic fields. Applicants must be recommended by their respective college faculty and should apply to the program during their junior year. Undergraduate students should consult their advisors and CGU Admissions as early as possible to plan their academic programs. For additional information, contact the academic department. Units accepted from undergraduate courses must be graded B or better.