AFTER ADMITTANCE AND DEGREE COMPLETION CHECKLIST

Departmental Entrance/Qualifying Exams – If your department has qualifying examinations such as the Miller Analogies Test, GRE, GMAT and departmental essay exams, these will need to be successfully completed and official score results on file with the Graduate Office before your degree can be conferred. Normally a department will not admit you to the program or will put you into a probationary admission status until any examination requirements are successfully completed. 

Degree Plan – For EdS. and masters programs requiring 30-45 credit hours, degree-seeking graduate students must submit an approved degree plan signed by their advisor, after completion of 15 credit hours or before. Graduate programs requiring more than 45 credit hours must submit an approved degree plan signed by their advisor after completion of 30 credit hours or before. After these credit hour limits, if an approved degree plan is not on file in the Graduate School, an enrollment hold will be placed on the student’s account. (Changes based on Federal Regulations on Satisfactory Academic Program). 

For the Ph.D. program, an approved doctorate degree plan must be submitted to the Graduate School after the student completes 30 credit hours or before. After this credit hour limit, if an approved degree plan is not on file in the Graduate School, an enrollment hold will be placed on the student’s account. (Changes based on Federal Regulations on Satisfactory Academic Program). 

Admission to Degree Candidacy – Most departments require the student to apply for degree candidacy once the following requirements have been met: 

• The student has met the entrance and/or candidacy requirements of the major program and the results must be on file in the Graduate School. Any probationary requirements must have been completed and all entrance exam results indicating successful completion of those test requirements must be on file in the Graduate Office. 
• The student must have an approved degree plan on file in the Graduate School 
• The student must have successfully completed a minimum of 6 hours of course work at ESU from the graduate program of study. (This requirement is greater in some departments. Check with your academic advisor concerning the number of successfully completed hours required before admission to degree candidacy will be approved.). 
• The student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. 



Comprehensive/Final Exams – Some programs require a final examination that must be successfully completed. These results must be submitted by the department to the Graduate School for inclusion in your record before your degree will be conferred. Check with your academic advisor concerning any final/comprehensive exam requirements. 

Thesis/Dissertation - If your degree requires a thesis/dissertation, a copy of the thesis/dissertation must be submitted to your department no later than 4 weeks prior to the day the degree is to be conferred. Some departments may have earlier deadlines. Once the thesis/dissertation has been approved by the department and it has been signed by the department, it is your responsibility to submit that copy to the Graduate School for review by the Graduate Dean. This copy is normally due approximately 2 weeks prior to graduation (Check the Thesis/Dissertation Guidebooks for specific deadlines for receipt of your thesis/dissertation). Once the Graduate Dean has reviewed your thesis, it will be returned to you to make your final corrections. The thesis/dissertation is checked to insure that all corrections have been made. 

Intent to Graduate – The semester prior to the semester in which you anticipate completing your degree requirements, you are required to complete an Intent to Graduate. Nothing will begin in the degree conferral process until you have completed the Intent to Graduate and submitted it to the Graduate School. Once this form is received and processed by the Graduate School, you will be notified at your official ESU email address that it has been received and processed. Deadlines for the Intent to Graduate form are as follows: 

Spring graduates – November 1 of the preceding Fall semester. 

Summer graduates-March 1 of the preceding Spring semester. 

Fall graduates – July 1 of the preceding Summer semester. 

Please follow the instructions below to access and complete the online Intent to Graduate Form: 

1. Visit www.hornet365.com 
2. Select Students near the top of the page 
3. Scroll down to Graduate School and click on View Graduate School on the left side of the page 
4. Select General Info 
5. In the right-hand column select Intent to Graduate 
6. Enter your username and password and select Login 
7. Curriculum Selection: Select current or future semester from the drop-down menu (you will select your degree completion term in a later step) 
8. Select the radio button next to the program you are completing, Continue 
9. Select the semester you plan on completing your degree, Continue 
10. Select a Ceremony Attendance response 

(Summer graduates can attend either the May or December ceremony. A summer graduate can select the May ceremony on the form. A summer graduate will need to contact the Degree Analysis office if wanting to participate in the December ceremony), Continue 

1. Select or Create a Name for Diploma, Continue 
2. Select or Create a Mailing Address for your diploma, Continue 
3. Verify the accuracy of your submission, then click Submit Request 

Failure to file the Intent to Graduate will delay the awarding of your degree. 

Degree Analysis – Once your Intent to Graduate Form has been filed an analysis will be processed on your degree requirements. Your academic advisor and you will receive steps to review your degree analysis. The analysis is normally performed in the term preceding your last semester of enrollment. All emails will be sent to your ESU official email. 

Graduation/Commencement Checklist Letter – Approximately 6-8 weeks prior to the end of the semester of your anticipated graduation, you will receive a Graduation Checklist Letter at your official ESU email address that will provide you with final requirements/information concerning your graduation/degree completion. 

Transfer Credit – Should your department approve transfer credit to be brought in to fulfill your program course requirements at ESU, then your department must notify the Graduate Office as to which courses are being brought in from which universities and replacing which ESU courses on your program of study as outlined on your graduate degree plan. The following guidelines for transfer credit must be met before the credit will be approved by the Graduate Dean for inclusion in your program of study: 

• No more than 9 credit hours may be transferred into an ESU program requiring fewer than 40 hours of graduate coursework, or 15 credit hours into an ESU program requiring 40 or more hours of graduate coursework. Individual programs may reduce this limit at their discretion. 
• In cases where graduate students are entering two graduate programs, the accepted number of transfer hours may be applied to one of the two degree programs or divided between the two degree programs. The accepted number of transfer credit cannot be applied to each degree program separately. 
• A grade of B- or higher must have been earned in all such transfer credit. 
• Official transcripts of all transfer work must be on file in the Graduate School prior to submitting degree plans. Courses must be current or within 7 years timeframe. 
• Transfer courses must be approved by the chair of the major department and the Dean of the Graduate School. 
• The transfer credit must be taken for graduate level at the university at which the course work was taken. 
• Only graduate work from accredited universities will be considered for transfer. 

Awarding/Conferral of your Degree – After final grades are posted by the registrar’s office the degree conferral process can begin. Final grades must appear on the transcript before degrees can be reviewed for awarding. A final analysis is performed on each graduate’s file to see that all requirements have been completed. If all requirements have been successfully met, then the degree is awarded and you are notified at your official ESU email address that your degree has been conferred. The awarding of degrees at the end of a semester normally takes 6-8 weeks. Students must be enrolled in at least one credit hour during the term in which the degree is conferred. Any exceptions to this policy must be requested by the academic advisor and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. 

Diplomas – Once all degrees have been conferred, diplomas are processed for mailing.   Your diploma will be mailed to you at the address you have provided for us on your Commencement Response Form.