Graduate Faculty Handbook

• University Policies
• School of Graduate Studies
• Student Code of Community Standards

We are pleased to offer awards that recognize the outstanding research and creative accomplishments of our graduate students.

Explore the opportunities available to showcase the important contributions made by our students.

Distinguished Thesis Awards

St. Cloud State University Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award

Our Faculty Association Graduate Committee and School of Graduate Studies recognizes one outstanding thesis completed during the most recent academic year or summer. The thesis is then nominated for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Distinguished Thesis Award.

Each master’s program with a thesis option is encouraged to select and submit one outstanding thesis based on these guidelines for eligibility, the nominating process and deadlines.

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Distinguished Thesis Award

Each university in the Midwest is allowed to submit one thesis for the award, which recognizes scholarship and research at the master’s level.

The student whose thesis is selected to receive the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools' Distinguished Thesis Award receives a $750 honorarium and travel expenses to attend the association's annual conference.

Campus Community Awards

Excellence in Leadership Award

This award identifies and honors students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership at St. Cloud State University. It recognizes students who, through their leadership efforts, have made significant contributions to the university and their communities based on an evaluation of their academic commitment and their leadership experiences.

Excellence in Leadership Award applications are typically due in January and awarded at an April banquet.

Graduation

Complete the intent to graduate form online.

The form must be completed by the deadline listed for the semester in which you plan to graduate and submitted to Records and Registration (Administrative Services 118) with the $30 application fee for master-level students and $35 for doctoral students.

Applicants not meeting the deadline, will need to select the next available graduation date. Late applications are not accepted. 

If you do not graduate during the intended term, Records and Registration will move your application to the next available term.  No additional fee will be required. The request can be moved twice before you must resubmit the intent to graduate form. 

Students must be registered for at least one credit in the term in which they graduate.

Tools

• Online graduation checklist 
• Deadlines for final defense/final oral examination or comprehensive examination and submission of final documentation.  

Graduation Dates and Deadlines  

Summer Graduation Dates and Deadlines for Accelerated Online Programs

Commencement

You can find information online for Commencement.

Academic Regalia

We encourage students to honor the centuries-old history of academic regalia by wearing the regalia appropriate to their degree and academic discipline.

Master's Caps, Gowns and Hoods

Caps, master's gowns and hoods can be purchased at the Husky Bookstore in Centennial Hall or at 320-308-1489 beginning in November/April.

Hood Trim

• Master of Arts (White)
• Master of Business Administration (Drab)
• Doctor of Education/Specialist (Light Blue)
• Master of Engineering Management (Orange)
• Doctor of Psychology (Gold)
• Master of Public Administration (Peacock Blue)
• Master of Science (Golden Yellow)
• Master of Social Work (Citron)

Doctoral Tams, Gowns and Hoods

Doctoral tams and gowns can be rented and the hoods can be purchased at the Husky Bookstore in Centennial Hall or at 320-308-1489 beginning in November/April.

Students wishing to purchase custom-ordered academic regalia should contact the Husky Bookstore. It can take up to 10 weeks for a custom order.

Receiving Your Diploma

Graduating students will receive their diploma in the mail about eight weeks after the end of the semester.

All diplomas are mailed to the diploma address you provide through the Online Service center.

If you experience difficulty in entering your diploma address, contact 320-308-2111.

The School of Graduate Studies offers the following completion options. The required number of credits for program completion are defined as part of the program curriculum and listed in the University Catalog.

Thesis

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, must register for a total of 6 graduate credits.
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of 3 approved graduate faculty members, a preliminary and final conference, must use S/U grading, letter grades are not permitted, submission to the University Repository.

A thesis is a document written in support of obtaining a graduate degree. It is usually longer than a research paper and thus completed over the course of two or more semesters. A thesis requires the demonstration of original academic research and evidence of capacity for critical analysis and the application of relevant disciplinary methods.  The thesis is supervised by a committee of graduate faculty and an academic advisor; their formal approval of the selected topic, the defense, and the final approval to publish is required prior to the submission of the thesis to the University Repository, the final graduation requirement.

The student, committee chair, and culminating project committee must agree to one disciplinary-based style guide to follow for preparation of the culminating project.

• APA, MLA, and Chicago are the most used style guides. A specific disciplinary based style guide may also be selected and used throughout for formatting, citations, and references.
• Style guides are available through the Library or the Husky Bookstore.

 Creative Work

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, must register for a total of 6 graduate credits.
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of 3 approved graduate faculty members, a preliminary and final conference, must use S/U grading, letter grades are not permitted, submission to the University Repository.

A student interested in completing a creative work must show evidence of creative ability to selected committee members before being approved for this option.

The creative work includes a written statement of artistic intent and such supporting materials as are applicable. The statement of artistic intent may contain information such as a description of the work undertaken, the technique(s) involved in the work and related subject matter.

• The student, committee chair, and culminating project committee must agree to one disciplinary-based style guide to follow for preparation of the culminating project.
• APA, MLA, and Chicago are the most used style guides. A specific disciplinary based style guide may also be selected and used throughout for formatting, citations, and references.
• Style guides are available through the Library or the Husky Bookstore.

Field Study

• Course number: 699, 3-6 graduate credits.
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of 3 approved graduate faculty members, a preliminary and final conference, must use S/U grading, letter grades are not permitted, submission to the University Repository.

A field study examines a problem in educational administration and is completed as the culminating project for the Specialist Degree.

Starred Paper(s)

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, may be 0-6 credits for the Starred Paper(s).
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of 3 approved graduate faculty members, a preliminary and final conference, typically uses S/U grading, letter grades are not permitted, submission to the University Repository.

The content and structure of starred papers is determined by the department. Programs may require one or two starred papers for graduation. Starred papers often include a review of the relevant research and offer constructive and critical analysis of existing theories or viewpoints; or they may be a proposal to conduct research (e.g. first 3 chapters of a thesis); or a creative work including an analysis of its genre.  Academic requirements for a starred paper do not generally include original research.

• The student, committee chair, and culminating project committee must agree to one disciplinary-based style guide to follow for preparation of the culminating project.
• APA, MLA, and Chicago are the most used style guides. A specific disciplinary based style guide may also be selected and used throughout for formatting, citations, and references.
• Style guides are available through the Library or the Husky Bookstore.

Capstone

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, may be 1-6 credits for Capstone.
• Completion requirements: Course must be completed with a B or better if letter grading is selected or S if S/U grading is selected. To apply as a capstone, the course must be completed in the final semester.

A capstone project includes the application of disciplinary-based research, or a similar experiential assignment and other work completed for a capstone course. The department determines the requirements in order to receive a letter grade for the capstone course.

Comprehensive Exam

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, may be 0-3 credits for the Comprehensive Exam
• Completion requirements: A committee of 2-3 graduate faculty members must be approved to review and score comprehensive examinations; Notification of outcome must be sent in writing to the School of Graduate Studies for each student with student ID included; a student has two opportunities to pass a comprehensive examination, a third is not permitted.

A written examination is designed to demonstrate understanding and integration of learning in the program. It may also be preparatory for state and national licensing examinations.

Project with Portfolio or Internship/Practicum with Portfolio

• Program is 30 credits minimum.
• Course number: 699, may be 0-3 credits for the Portfolio. Culminating Practicum/Internship with Portfolio uses 644 or 699, may be 1-12 credits.
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of 3 graduate faculty members and a preliminary and final conference.

A portfolio is a significant professional project, or a portfolio of projects prepared in conjunction with approved graduate courses or internship(s) in the major area of concentration.

Each program determines the format of the portfolio or e-portfolio. Please consult with your program advisor/committee chair. The department may exercise the right to retain any or all materials prepared for the portfolio or project or require a digital file or permanent link to an e-portfolio.

Portfolios are not required to be submitted to the institutional repository. A portfolio submitted to the Repository for publication must be formatted according to a disciplinary style guide or School of Graduate Studies’ guidelines. The committee must approve the final version of the portfolio prior to publication in The Repository.

Notify the School of Graduate Studies by email if you wish to submit your portfolio to the Institutional Repository.

Additional information and Resources

• Policies and Processes
• Completion and Submission Directions
• IRB and IACUC
• Statistical Consulting and Research Center

Dissertation

• Course number: 899, must register for a total of 9-12 dissertation credits as listed in curriculum.
• Completion requirements: Requires a committee of four approved graduate faculty a preliminary and final conference, must use S/U grading, letter grades are not permitted, submission to the University Repository.

A dissertation reflects the disciplinary knowledge and understanding of relevant methods and theories gained through the program and focuses on a topic of interest to the student that contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of study.

The student must:

• Review the relevant literature.
• Design the study.
• Obtain or develop data collection tools.
• Collect the data
• Conduct the study.
• Analyze the results.
• Provide a discussion placing the study in context.

The student, committee chair, and culminating project committee must agree to one disciplinary-based style guide to follow for preparation of the culminating project.

• APA, MLA, and Chicago are the most used style guides. A specific disciplinary based style guide may also be selected and used throughout for formatting, citations, and references.
• Style guides are available through the Library or the Husky Bookstore.

Additional information and Resources

• Policies and Processes
• Completion and Submission Directions
• IRB and IACUC
• Statistical Consulting and Research Center

The School of Graduate Studies will provide support to faculty members/departments seeking to update or develop new graduate curriculum. Please contact the Director of Graduate Student Services to set up an appointment.

Graduate Plan Credit and Curriculum Requirements

Graduate curriculum must meet the minimum requirements for total credits, research credits and culminating experience as set by the School of Graduate Studies.

Minimum of 30 graduate credits. The program must include a minimum of 2-9 credits of research, including culminating project credits. At least 50% of credits must be at the graduate only/600 level.

Please see the Culminating Projects menu for minimum requirements for culminating experiences for Master's programs and for Doctoral completion requirements.

Five-Year Bachelors to Masters Track (Accelerated Degree)

Please use the following language to guide development and submission of accelerated degree programs for curriculum review.

The Five-Year Track is an accelerated, rigorous program option available to St. Cloud State undergraduates who maintain a 3.0 GPA and who show the ability and discipline necessary to successfully complete an accelerated combination undergraduate and graduate program. The programs that offer Bachelor’s to Master’s degrees are governed by this policy.

• Provisionally admitted students will be coded as 5 year students using a program specific cohort code and a degree audit (DARS) created to reflect the requirements of the accelerated track.
• Students will complete the bachelor’s degree with 9-15 fewer required semester credits than if they chose to complete the bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the traditional tracks.
• Students remain in undergraduate student status through the fourth year/senior year of the program which may affect financial aid eligibility.
• Students will register for approved courses by permission of the advisor and graduate program director through submission of the Seek Registration Permission form.
• Credits completed at the graduate level are used to fulfill requirements at the undergraduate level. Programs should identify which undergraduate requirements are met or substituted by completion of the 500/600 level graduate courses. 
• All credits required for the graduate degree will be completed at the graduate level.
• Students may opt out early with a bachelor’s degree provided certain course requirements are satisfied. Graduate level courses used to complete the undergraduate degree may not be applicable to a graduate degree program in the future. The GPA required to earn the bachelor's degree may not be higher for 5 year accelerated students than the GPA required to earn the bachelor's degree alone. 
• Students may enroll in culminating project credits, such as thesis, starred paper, or internship courses between their fourth and fifth years. Students will be encouraged to begin work on their culminating project during the summer between their fourth and fifth years.
• Five-year students are eligible for graduate assistantship funding after completion of the Bachelor’s degree.
• Students must maintain at a minimum a 3.0 GPA in all 500 and 600 level courses to be eligible for full admission to the master’s degree. 
• Students must meet the 2.75 minimum GPA required for graduate admission but are not held to a higher standard than other graduate admits in the same program.

Faculty Guide: Working with Graduate Student Writers (Purdue OWL resource)

MinnState Guidance on Generative AI (pdf)

D2L Culminating Project and ETD Support -- semesterless course available for self-registration

Library Guide for Graduate Student Research

EdX -- Statistics, Research and Writing

Coursera -- English for Science, Technology and Math

APA -- APA has released the 7th edition of the publication manual. Any student completing a defense after August 2020 must use APA 7th edition. 

Zotero -- learn more about this citation management tool

The committee includes one member elected from each major unit.

It makes recommendations to the Faculty Senate and submits curriculum to the University Curriculum Committee related to these duties:

• Establish graduate policies, procedures, and regulations in relationship to the general purposes and goals of the graduate faculty and the university.
• Advise the School of Graduate Studies on graduate curriculum and related matters.
• Evaluate administrative proposals that have graduate curriculum implications (including the initiation, expansion, discontinuation or reduction of programs or academic units).
• Review the graduate academic and curricular programs, policies, and practices for improvements and change.
• Develop criteria and policy for membership and act on recommended appointments to the graduate faculty.

This policy was approved by President's Council for implementation beginning Spring 2017. 

To ensure continuing review of graduate faculty status, faculty members engaged in teaching, advising, graduate program leadership, or culminating project committees, should complete sections 1 and 2 of the Graduate Faculty Status form and submit to their department chair with a copy of their resume or CV or PDR, section 2. 

Please contact the Director of Graduate Student Services at mjguentzel@stcloudstate.edu 

Graduate students are included in EAB Navigate to allow for enhanced communication and advising. Advisors should see listed advisees and current instructors will see students in their courses. Information on EAB Navigate (formerly SSC) is available through University College.