Graduate Plan of Study

Plan of study forms

Plan of Study - Master's, Specialist, Certificate (pdf) Plan of Study - Doctoral (pdf)

Master's, certificate and specialist students

To officially define a program of study for a graduate degree, master's and specialist students must submit the Plan of Study Form leading to admission to candidacy. The proposed plan identifying the program major code and completion option must be on file in the Graduate School office no later than the 20th day of the fall or spring semester, or the 10th day of the eight-week summer term, during the semester of graduation. Individual program area deadlines for submitting the Plan of Study may be earlier.

Doctoral students

For doctoral students, it is important that the Plan of Study be submitted as soon as possible but no later than the end of the semester in which the qualifying examinations are completed. Programs offering doctoral degrees use program specific Plan of Study forms.

Additional information

The Plan of Study is developed in conjunction with the advisor and signed by the student, the advisor or advisory committee members (if applicable), the chair or Graduate Coordinator of the major department, and the dean of the Graduate School. All students must meet the program requirements in effect at the time the Plan of Study is officially approved.

All academic work and exit exams completed or planned must be included in the proposed Plan of Study at the time of its submission. The process of filing an acceptable Plan of Study is not complete until the student has received the approved Detail Requirement Sheet from the Graduate School. If the Detail Requirement Sheet has not been received approximately three weeks following the submission of the proposed Plan of Study, students should check with the Graduate School office.

Students may make changes to the Detail Requirement Sheet by submitting revisions on the Plan of Study form. Only the necessary revisions should be identified on the form. More extensive changes may be accomplished by filing a new Plan of Study form marked Revised Plan.

Failure to meet the deadline for filing an acceptable Plan of Study may result in a delay in graduation or the loss of credit planned for use in the program.

Transfer credit

Make sure your transferred credits are eligible for your degree program.

Graduate transfer credit

Degree Regulations

Learn more about graduate degree regulations

To pursue a graduate degree at Wichita State, students must be admitted to the specific program for which they are seeking a degree. Students may not be admitted to more than one graduate program at a time.
To be eligible for degree award, students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.000 in all courses on the student’s WSU plan of study (excluding transfer work) AND for all graduate work taken at WSU. Grades lower than C, including C-, cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements, but such grades earned may be repeated.
Any course taken as a part of an undergraduate degree may not be repeated for graduate credit except when the course content is substantially different, as indicated by instructors.
All students who wish to earn a degree or certificate are required to file a plan of study. An approved plan of study should be on file as early in the program as is feasible to ensure students are enrolling the correct courses for their degree or certificate program.
All master’s degrees require a minimum of 30 credit hours, with some programs requiring more.
The total credit hours required for a doctoral degree varies with the degree program. At least 60 percent of the doctoral credit hours, beyond the master’s degree, must be 800 level and above. However, in doctoral programs that require only a bachelor’s degree for admission, students must complete 60 percent of the total credit hours at the 700 level or above, and the majority of the total credit hours (50 percent plus one hour) must be 800 level or above.
Transfer hours cannot be used to satisfy the course level requirements stated above unless the transfer hours are of the appropriate level, and from Kansas Board of Regents institutions. Workshop hours may not be used to satisfy the course level requirements.
Specific program requirements are listed in the individual program’s section of the Graduate Catalog. Transfer credit policies are listed in the appropriate section of the Graduate Catalog.
Upon the advice and consent of the major department, a maximum of six (6) credit hours of work in one earned master’s degree program may be applied to a second master’s degree.
No more than six credit hours of independent study coursework (excluding dissertation, thesis and other independent study activities that are terminal requirements for a degree) can be used in a degree program.
No more than 15 credit hours of work graded S, Cr or Bg (when on an approved plan of study) may be used toward the requirements of a graduate degree (excluding dissertation, thesis and other independent study activities that are terminal requirements for a degree). Refer to individual program areas as they may differ regarding this limit.
Master’s and specialist degree programs may include no more than one-third of the total hours, or 12 credit hours whichever is greater, of graduate work completed at another institution accredited to offer graduate degree programs (exclusive of hours in a previous master’s degree, from which a maximum of 6 credit hours can be transferred). Departments may require lower limits on transfer credit and, therefore, students should consult individual program descriptions. Doctoral, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and other lengthier programs have special transfer credit allowances, as indicated in their program descriptions.
Transfer credit that is accepted must have been in courses started six years or less before the semester in which the degree work is completed, unless the transfer work is from a previously earned graduate degree, graduate certificate or graduate badge.
Enrollment in final semester: Graduate students must be enrolled in appropriate graduate-level coursework during the semester of graduation. Such enrollment recognizes the use of university resources, including faculty and staff, as part of degree completion. The minimum enrollment for thesis students is one credit hour of thesis. The minimum enrollment for doctoral students is two credit hours of dissertation.
Doctoral students are required to spend at least two continuous semesters (summer excluded) as full-time students.
Faculty members of Wichita State University who hold the rank of assistant professor or higher cannot earn graduate degrees from Wichita State except for unassigned faculty (not attached to a particular college) or faculty members granted specific approval by the Graduate Council. Full-time faculty members may not pursue more than six (6) credit hours of graduate credit per semester.
Doctoral students admitted fall 2012 or later and master’s students admitted fall 2013 or later are required to complete Professional and Scholarly Integrity Training (PSIT) as determined by their department. This training should be completed within the first year of enrollment in the program.
All graduate students must file an application for degree or application for graduate certificate by the 20th day of classes (or 10th day of classes in summer) in the semester they will complete all requirements, for their degree or certificate to be awarded.