Graduate School policy updates

Public defense of dissertation policy update

With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Graduate School returns to the policies specified in the University Catalog concerning public defenses. Regardless of whether for a doctoral degree or a master’s degree, an oral defense must include a public part during which the student will give a presentation of their dissertation/thesis work to the academic community of the University. This requirement applies regardless of whether the defense is conducted in person or virtually/online.

Master’s Degrees

• Increase S/U credits that can apply toward degree from 3 to 6 credits (excluding S/U credits allowed for comprehensive examination, professional paper and thesis credits, but including transfer credits).
• Increase maximum allowable credits that can be transferred from a completed University of Nevada, Reno graduate certificate from 12 to 18 credits. 
• Reduce UNR-based course credit requirement from 21 to 18 credits.

Master’s Degrees with Thesis Requirements

• Provide more flexibility for thesis credits by allowing programs to choose from 6 to 10 thesis credits to be applied to master’s degree (current requirement is 6 credits for all programs). 
• Reduce graduate course credit requirement from 24 to 20 credits in addition to 6-10 thesis credits for a total of “approximately 30 credits” to be in alignment with NWCCU guidelines. Minor exceptions to the 30-credit requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require best practices justification. 
• Reduce 700-level course requirements from 18 to 9 credits (allows greater utilization of 600-level courses to meet degree requirements). 
• With program director approval, internship/externship experiences can count for thesis credits.

Master’s Degrees, Non-thesis

• Change number of total required credits from 30 to “approximately 30 credits.” Minor exceptions to the 30-credit requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require best practices justification.
• Lower the 700-level course requirement from 18 to 12 credits. 

Doctoral Degrees

• Reduce minimum total credit requirement from 72 to 60 credits.
• Reduce 700-level course requirements from 30 to 18 credits.
• Provide more flexibility for dissertation credits by allowing programs to choose from 12 to 30 dissertation credits to be applied toward doctoral degree (current requirement is 24 credits for all programs). 
• With program director approval, internship/externship experiences can count for dissertation credits.
• The 3.0 undergraduate GPA requirement for admission to doctoral programs does not apply to applicants achieving a 3.0 or higher GPA in nine or more credits of graduate-level course work in a master’s or doctoral degree-granting program.