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 2nd semester of the student's program. Students may be prevented from enrolling past the 2nd semester if an approved Plan of Study is not on file in the Graduate School.

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. The Plan of Study is tied to the student's catalog year, which is determined by the semester and year of entry into the program. Students are expected to meet the requirements in place at the time they started the program.

Students must have completed any admission prerequisite coursework before the Plan of Study can be approved, so efforts should be made to clear admission prerequisites in the first or second semester.

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 copy of the Plan of Study through email from the Graduate School. If the approval email 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 their approved Plan of Study at any time by submitting revisions through a new Plan of Study form. Only the necessary revisions should be identified on the form.

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 or graduate certificate at Wichita State, students must be admitted to the specific program for which they are seeking a degree or certificate. Students may not be admitted to or pursue more than one graduate degree program at a time. Students must be fully matriculated into a degree program or certificate program in order to be awarded any graduate credentials. This means that students cannot earn graduate certificates or graduate degrees entirely in Senior Rule or Dual/Accelerated program status.
In order to graduate, students must have an overall grade point average of at least 3.000 for all WSU courses on the Plan of Study AND for all graduate work completed at Wichita State University. Grades lower than C, including C-, cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements, but such grades earned may be repeated.
In order to graduate, students must have cleared all conditions and prerequisites assigned at the time of admission. Failure to do so will result in the delay of graduation.
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).
Coursework taken as an undergraduate student for undergraduate credit that is a requirement for a graduate degree or graduate certificate must be substituted for acceptable graduate level coursework approved by the department and Graduate School via the plan of study.
All students who wish to earn a degree or certificate are required to create a plan of study with their department, which must then be approved by the Graduate School. An approved plan of study should be on file with the Graduate School no later than the start of the second semester of enrollment to ensure students are enrolling in the correct courses for their degree or certificate program. Students pursuing graduate degrees who do not have an approved plan of study on file with the Graduate School by the start of the second semester of enrollment may have an enrollment hold placed on their academic record, which will prevent enrollment until the approved plan of study is on file. Students will not be able to file their Application for Degree unless an approved plan of study is on file.
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% 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% of the total credit hours at the 700 level or above, and the majority of the total credit hours (50% 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. Transfer hours cannot be used in a graduate certificate.
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 6 credit hours of work in one earned master’s degree program may be applied to a second master’s degree.
No more than 6 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 more lengthy programs have special transfer credit allowances, as indicated in their program descriptions.
Transfer credit that is accepted must have been in courses started 10 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.
All credits taken in a graduate program at WSU where no graduate degree was conferred, are eligible to be used in a new graduate degree program at WSU, if the credit meets all other rules relative to time limits, etc., and if approved by the new program and the Graduate School via the plan of study. Transfer credit rules only apply to students transferring credits from another institution.
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 master's level students is 1 credit hour of thesis for thesis students, or 1 credit hour of appropriate coursework (approved by the department) for non-thesis students. The minimum enrollment for doctoral programs requiring completion of a dissertation is 2 credit hours of dissertation/research as prescribed by the program. For professional doctorates, the minimum enrollment is 2 credit hours of appropriate coursework approved by the department.
Doctoral students are required to have enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours during two or more semesters (summer excluded), which do not need to be contiguous semesters.
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 6 credit hours of graduate credit per semester.
All degree seeking graduate students 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 in order for their degree or certificate to be awarded. An approved plan of study must be on file in order for the student to file the Application for Degree. For specific deadline dates, please visit the Graduation Requirements page on our website.