Degree Completion Procedures

Degree Completion Procedures for Programs that Require a Thesis or Project Paper

Contact specific programs to review deadlines, and make form submissions. 

Proposed Plan of Study

Students are assigned an academic advisor upon admission to a degree program. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with the advisor to discuss and/or review their Degree Works audit. 

Thesis/Project Advisor Examining Committee

A thesis/project advisor is selected to supervise the completion of the culminating experience. The student determines a topic for the thesis/project in cooperation with their thesis/project advisor. The thesis/project advisor has background, expertise or interest in the topic and/or methodology that the student wishes to pursue. The thesis/project advisor will assure that appropriate action by the Institutional Review Board has been taken.  In programs that utilize an examining committee, the student then submits the Examining Committee Approval Form to the department chair or program director. The thesis/project advisor serves as the chair of the examining committee. The student is required to meet with the examining committee as soon as a draft of the capstone has been prepared to allow the committee to provide input on the project. All committee members, except for an expert from the field, must hold graduate faculty status.

The examining committee will have a minimum of three members. The members consist of:

1. The advisor, who is selected by the program director. The advisor-student relationship must be a mutually acceptable one. The advisor will act as chair of the student’s committee. The student and advisor will work with the program director to determine the remaining members of the committee.
2. A second member, who must be a full or associate member of the Concordia graduate faculty within the department or program or a related discipline.
3. A third member, who must be a full or associate member of the graduate faculty from a different discipline, different department or program, or a different institution.
4. If desired, a fourth member, who could be either a faculty member or a qualified off-campus expert in the field, may be selected.

Consult the requirements of an individual program for project options for examination and completion of the program.

Note: If a potential committee member does not have Concordia graduate faculty status, temporary status must be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Students will register for continuing registration courses during the semester in which the master’s project or thesis is initiated.

Scheduling of Oral Examination

When students are prepared to take oral examinations following the completion of their thesis/project, they set the time, place and date in consultation with their examining committee. The oral exam shall take place by November 1 or March 15 of the semester in which the student intends to complete the degree.

The request for the Oral Examination must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the time of the examination and signed by each member of the committee. Also, two weeks in advance of the oral examination, students are responsible for submitting a copy of their final thesis or project.

The Oral Examination

The advisor will facilitate the oral examination.

The examining committee is responsible for choosing one of four decisions regarding the oral examination:

1. Pass, no changes (there are no suggestions from the committee and the thesis/project may go to print as is)
2. Pass with changes overseen by the advisor (there are edits that are suggested by the committee, but they will be compiled by the advisor and overseen by the advisor)
3. Pass with changes overseen by the committee (there are edits that are suggested by the committee). These are compiled by the advisor to allow the student to make changes, but the committee as a whole will review the changes.
4. No pass.

Students who fail the final oral examination cannot receive a passing grade on their thesis/project and will not receive the degree. Students may appeal through the appropriate department or program and the Dean of the College/designee to repeat the oral examination during a subsequent term.

At the conclusion of the oral examination, the committee members will sign the Oral Examination Form indicating which of the four options they chose. A copy of this form is placed in the student’s file. The program director is responsible for notifying the Director of Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Education of the outcome of the oral examination.

Continuing Registration Requirement: Some programs have a continuing registration requirement during the semester in which the examination will take place. See individual program for further information.

Formatting and Submission of Thesis or Project Paper

Standards for the preparation of a research paper must conform to the manual of style required by the discipline in which the degree is taken. Students must work closely with their major advisors and examining committees in the preparation of the thesis/project. Each individual program has additional requirements pertaining to the formatting and submission process.

Graduation and Commencement

The official date of graduation will be the next available college graduation date after successful completion of all requirements (including all coursework and submission of the thesis, professional project, or other capstone), regardless of your participation in the commencement ceremony. Students should notify the Office of the Registrar of intent to graduate based on the document Graduate Student Deadlines for Graduation.  

The college holds a commencement ceremony each year following the completion of the spring semester. Graduate students will be invited to participate in the commencement ceremony directly following successful completion of their thesis, professional project, or other capstone projects.

Academic garb should be ordered from the Bookstore in accordance with their deadlines prior to commencement.