Provided below is a collection of graduate academic policies. The purpose of the listing is to highlight and summarize the policies that generally affect most graduate students and to serve as a tool for faculty and staff when advising and monitoring student performance and progress. It is strongly encouraged to properly advise and monitor student progress, as this effort will prevent delays in degree certification and possible additional financial expense for the student.

A link is provided to the full description of the policy in the most current graduate catalog. Graduate academic policies may change every year and students must be in compliance with the policies published in the most current catalog. However, students must follow the program’s curriculum in the catalog year that their Program of Study was officially established or in the catalog year that they were admitted to the program.

Students may petition for an exception to academic policy if extenuating circumstances have prevented their compliance with University policies. The student or college initiates the petition on a Graduate Petition form. The type of petition will govern the review process and route. Petitions must include the Graduate Petition form with all required signatures, the student’s rationale, the program's rationale for supporting or not supporting the petition, and any other relevant information and documentation.

Policy	Definition	Location in Graduate Catalog
Graduate Status GPA	A Graduate Status GPA is calculated on graduate courses taken at UCF since admissions into the degree or certificate program, and used to monitor the student’s progress in the program. A 3.0 Graduate Status GPA is required to maintain regular graduate status, receive financial assistance, and qualify for graduation. This GPA requirement cannot be petitioned.	Graduate Catalog > General Graduate Policies > Academic Progress and Performance > Graduate Status GPA
Program of Study	A Program of Study is a listing of course work agreed to by the student and the degree program specifying course degree requirements. It must be formulated jointly by the student and the appropriate committee or adviser in the program area and approved by the college prior to the completion of the ninth graduate semester hour. This form should be prepared and signed by the adviser and student, then given to the graduate program director for review and filing in the student's permanent file. The program of study must comply with the catalog current at the time it is proposed. The master’s program of study must include at least 30 credit hours of post-baccalaureate, graduate course work (5000-level or higher). At least half of the program of study must be at the 6000 level. Only graduate-level course work with a grade of "C-" or higher may be used to satisfy degree requirements. For the thesis option, at least 24 semester hours of course work must be earned exclusive of thesis. For the nonthesis option, at least 50 percent of the credits offered for the degree must be in a single field of concentration. A research report, capstone course, comprehensive exam, or other culminating experience is required in a nonthesis option master's program that demonstrates that graduate students have engaged in independent learning. An explanation of how the culminating experience promotes independent learning is required in each program's curricular description. A university-wide minimum of at least 15 hours of dissertation credits is required for all doctoral programs. Students admitted with an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited institution or recognized foreign institution may be eligible to have up to 30 hours of their doctoral program waived without a course-by-course review of completed course work provided the master's degree was earned in the same area of study. In cases where a student's master's degree is in an area that is different from the doctoral program into which he/she is admitted, programs must conduct a course-by-course review and can waive up to 30 hours of selected courses. The doctoral program of study will include a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate credit. All course work in a doctoral program must be at 5000 level or higher. A minimum of 36 credit hours (including courses taken in a master's program) must be in 6000-level and 7000-level courses, which are designed, respectively, for graduate students and doctoral students only. For students with waived hours from an earned master's, this amount is at least one-half of the program hours remaining after the waived hours are applied. One half of credit hours in the program of study must be taken at UCF.	Graduate Catalog > General Graduate Policies > Program of Study Graduate Catalog > Master’s Program Policies > Course Requirements Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements
7-Year Rule	No course older than 7 years at the time of graduation may be used in the program of study. For doctoral students, up to 30 credit hours from a completed master's program may be transferred and the coursework is exempt from the 7 year rule.	Graduate Catalog > Master’s Program Policies > Time Limitation for Degree Completion Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Time Limitation and Continuous Enrollment
3-Year Rule	No course older than 3 years at the time of graduation may be used in a certificate’s program of study	Graduate Catalog > Graduate Certificate Program Policies > Residency of Credit
Independent Study Hours	For a master's program, a maximum of three courses may be taken as independent study for a total of no more than 6 semester hours.	Graduate Catalog > Policies > Master’s Program Policies > Course Requirements > Independent Study Hours Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements > Independent Study Hours There is no mention in the EDS section of the catalog of independent study hour restrictions.
Transfer of Credit	A maximum of nine graduate credit hours may be transferred into a master’s program of study. A maximum of nine graduate credit hours may be transferred into a doctoral program of study or up to 30 hours from an earned master’s degree may be waived from the doctoral program without a course-by-course review of completed course work provided the master's degree was earned in the same area of study. Transfer hours are defined as the following: Graduate coursework taken as an undergrad at UCF Graduate coursework taken as a graduate student at other accredited institutions Graduate coursework taken while in graduate status at UCF, such as Non-degree or other graduate degree program Work taken as a Traveling Scholar — Note: These hours are considered UCF resident hours, but must be processed as transfer coursework.	Graduate Catalog > Master’s Program Policies > Course Requirement > Transfer of Credit Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements (See third paragraph under Course Requirements.) Also see Transfer Credit Section.
Full-time Enrollment Requirements	For degree seeking graduate students enrollment in nine semester hours in the fall and spring terms are considered full time and enrollment in 4.5 hours is considered half-time. In the summer, six hours is considered full time and three hours is considered half time. There are two exceptions: 1) After completion of all coursework, enrollment in 3 thesis hours, including summers, is considered full time for students in a master’s thesis programs. 2) For doctoral students who have passed the candidacy exam, enrollment in 3 hours of dissertation only is considered full time in the fall and spring semester. Doctoral students must continue to enroll in at least 3 dissertation hours each semester (including summers, without skipping a semester) until they successfully complete the dissertation and graduate. Students who wish to enroll in part-time hours should consult their adviser. Full time enrollment is required for graduate students receiving assistantships, tuition support, and fellowships. Nondegree-seeking students must be enrolled in 12 credit hours or more to be considered as full-time.	Graduate Catalog > General Policies > Full-time Enrollment Requirements
Incomplete Grades	Grades of incomplete should only be assigned for students with extenuating circumstances that prevent them from completing course requirements by the end of the semester and when the incomplete can be resolved in a short time. An agreement for completing course requirements must be established, signed by both parties and submitted with the instructor grade rolls. Grades of "I" must be resolved within one calendar year or prior to graduation, whichever comes first. Degrees will not be certified with an incomplete grade on the SASS audit regardless if the course is not required for degree requirements.	Graduate Catalog > General Policies > Academic Progress and Performance > Incompletes Grades
Registration in Term of Graduation	Students must be registered in the term of graduation. Programs (not students) may request an exception to this requirement. Requests should be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies Graduation Coordinator (non-thesis only) or the Thesis/Dissertation Editor (thesis option). Registration waivers are granted to students that meet the following criteria: Students who failed to meet graduation requirements in the preceding semester and have now completed all degree requirements before the end of the current Late Registration and drop/add period. This includes those who have now taken the comprehensive exam or defended and submitted their final theses and dissertations to the College of Graduate Studies but did not graduate in the preceding semester. Traveling Scholars who received permission to complete their final semester at another institution from the College of Graduate Studies. Traveling Scholars, however, will not be given final certification of graduation until the official transcript from the host institution is received by the College of Graduate Studies. Students with extreme extenuating circumstances that may prevent their registration (e.g. hospitalization, severe illness, and so forth). And students completing an incomplete in the term of graduation.	Graduate Catalog > General Policies > Registration in the Term of Graduation Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements
Residency	The master's degree program must include at least 21 semester credit hours taken at UCF.	Graduate Catalog > Master’s Program Policies > Residence Credit Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements > Residency Requirement
Thesis or Dissertation Hours	The program of study must include the minimum hour requirement of thesis or dissertation hours. At minimum, 15 dissertations hours is required for doctoral programs; however some programs require more.	Graduate Catalog > Master’s Program Policies >Thesis Requirements Graduate Catalog > Doctoral Program Policies > Course Requirements (See second paragraph under Course Requirements.)
Traveling Scholar	A maximum of 6 credit hours may be obtained as a traveling scholar and used in a graduate program of study. UCF graduate students may not enroll as traveling scholars in the semester they graduate at UCF. It is the student’s responsibility to request that an official transcript be sent to the UCF College of Graduate Studies so that the approved course(s) and credit hours can be transferred to the UCF transcript in a timely manner. The Traveling Scholar Form must be completed and approved by the UCF College of Graduate Studies before any course work can be taken. Credits earned at another institution while in Traveling Scholar status will be considered resident credits and are not counted as "transfer" credits under the "nine-hour" rule. These hours may count toward UCF residency requirements if prior approval is obtained.	Graduate Catalog > General Policies > Traveling Scholars Also see the Traveling Scholar form located at the Faculty and Staff website > Forms and Files > Traveling Scholar form

For a complete review of all University graduate academic policies, refer to the most current graduate catalog at www.graduatecatalog.ucf.edu.