Master of Science Degree with Thesis

This webpage is dedicated to providing valuable insights for obtaining your master's (thesis) degree at Missouri S&T. Our goal is to offer essential information to help guide you through the process.

Degree Requirements

  • Credits
  • Committee
  • Grades and GPA
  • Time Limits
  • Transfer Credits
  • Enrollment
  • Enrollment Requirements for GRA/GTAs

Credits

Requires a minimum of thirty hours of graduate credit.

  • Eighteen credit hours must be 4000-. 5000-, and 6000-level lecture courses.
    • Six credit hours of the required coursework must come from the group of 6000-level lecture courses.
  • Six credit hours of graduate research (5099/6099) is required.
  • 3000-level and non-lecture (e.g., special problems (5000/6000) or seminar (5010/6010)) courses only count toward the total credit hour requirement and do NOT count toward the lecture or research credit hour requirements.

Committee

  • The committee must consist of a minimum of three members; the academic advisor will serve as the chairperson of the thesis advisory committee.
  • The advisor and at least half of the other committee members must be members of Missouri S&T graduate faculty.
  • If the main advisor is outside of the major department, a co-advisor from the major department must be designated.
  • If a committee member is not a member of the Missouri S&T graduate faculty, a vita verifying equivalent level (or higher) of education must be provided with the Form 1/1A.

Grades and GPA

Grades

  • On any plan of study, no substitution may be made for a course in which the student has earned less than a B grade.
  • If a student receives a grade of F in a course listed on their approved plan of study, the course must be retaken until credit is received.

Academic Probation

  • If the semester graduate GPA falls below 3.0 the student will be placed on probation for the following semester. If the semester GPA is not 3.0 or above in the following semester that coursework is taken, the student shall no longer be a candidate for a graduate degree or certificate from Missouri S&T.

Graduation

  • To earn a graduate degree a student must achieve both a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for all graduate courses listed on the plan of study and cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all coursework taken at Missouri S&T. 

Time Limits

Degree

  • Once admitted to a master's program, a student will be given six years to complete the program. This is counted from the program requirement (admit) term.
    • A student may take a leave of absence, up to one year only, which will not count toward the six-year time limit.

Courses

  • All graduate credit will only be valid if earned within the previous ten years, with no possible extension.

 

Transfer Credits

  • A maximum of nine credit hours of coursework may be transferred from another university.
    • Must not have been used to meet the requirements of another degree.
    • Must have been registered as graduate credit.
    • Must have received at least a B grade or equivalent.
  • Must be entered as part of the student’s plan of study on the Form 1/1A.
    • Course must be listed as it was taken (number and title).
    • Missouri S&T equivalent course must be stated (in parenthesis) following the course title.
      • If there is no equivalent course, general credit can be used (GNCR 5XXX or GNCR 6XXX).
    • Transcript that includes the course(s) to be transferred should accompany the Form 1/1A.
    • Official transcript must be on file with the Registrar's Office.

Enrollment

  • Full-time enrollment for graduate students is nine credit hours for each fall and spring semester and three credit hours each summer session.
  • Once all requirements have been met, except for the final defense and acceptance of the final thesis, one credit hour of graduate research will be considered as full-time enrollment each semester/session until the degree is completed.
  • Student must submit a Form 1/1A adding the one hour of graduate research before it can be considered full-time enrollment.

Enrollment Requirements for GRA/GTAs

  • Students receiving an assistantship must be enrolled full time in each semester/session they receive the assistantship (see definition of full-time enrollment in enrollment tab) with the exception of a one-time-only exit semester of reduced enrollment. Request for Waiver of Enrollment Requirements must be submitted for approval before reduced enrollment semester. 

Program Milestones