Master's Students
Degree requirements
A student is admitted to study for the master's degree when
the student's record indicates ability to do advanced work in
that field. When a student decides to do graduate work in a
field different from the undergraduate degree, however, the
department may require him or her to establish additional
background by taking certain undergraduate courses.
The Master of Science degree is under the auspices of the
Graduate School. The Professional School in the School of
Engineering provides the Master of Engineering degree. The
professional Master of Architecture degree is provided by of
the School of Architecture and the Master of Business
Administration degree is provided by the Lally School of
Management and Technology. The School of Humanities and Social
Sciences provides the Master of Fine Arts.
A candidate for a master's degree must:
- Complete a Plan of Study, approved by the department with
satisfactory grades. The master's requires 30 credit hours
beyond the bachelor's degree. Certain programs have been
specifically approved for additional credit hours, (e.g., the
MBA and MFA require 60 credit hours). At least half the total
credit hours presented toward the degree must have the suffix
numbers 6000-7999, with the further limitation that no more
than 15 credits of 4000-4990 courses are to be allowed.
- Satisfy residence requirements.
- Present an independently written (single author) thesis
or project, if required.
- Pursue a Plan of Study that will lead to the completion
of all requirements, including those of the department,
within two and one-half years.
- Pay binding fee, if applicable.
- File a degree application with the Registrar's Office by
the date specified in the academic calendar for the semester
in which he or she plans to be graduated. If a degree
application was filed for a previous semester but the
requirements were not fulfilled, a new degree application
must be filed for the semester in which the student actually
is graduated.
Degree candidates who at any point in their tenure at
Rensselaer are, or become, full-time students must maintain
continuous full-time registration throughout their Rensselaer
academic career to be eligible to graduate. These students
must be registered full-time during the semester in which
they intend to graduate, and:
- Be in good academic and disciplinary standing.
- Satisfy the culminating experience requirement as
specified by the department. A student pursuing more than one
master's degree at Rensselaer must meet the above
requirements for each degree sought.
A student pursuing more than one master's degree at
Rensselaer must meet the above requirements for each degree
sought.
Thesis, Projects, and Professional Projects
Certain departments may specify presentation of a thesis or
completion of a master's project as a requirement for a
master's degree. Usually six, and no more than nine, credit
hours are allowed for a master's thesis or multiple semester
master's project. Professional projects are completed in one
semester and are limited to four credit hours for each
project.
In a department that ordinarily requires a thesis or
project, a student may be permitted to substitute additional
courses that constitute a comparable culminating experience on
recommendation of the adviser and with the approval of the
department chair.
The thesis or project report must be presented to the
candidate's adviser for review at least two weeks before the
end of the term in which the degree is to be awarded. Any final
examination on the thesis or project is to be held by the date
listed in the academic calendar for the year. Theses and
certain multiple semester projects are graded either S
(satisfactory) or U (failed). Professional projects and certain
other multiple semester projects receive a standard letter
grade.
The candidate must deposit a copy of the thesis (or certain
multiple-semester projects), together with the adviser's
written approval of both content and format, at the Graduate
School at least one week before the end of classes in the term
in which the degree is to be awarded. The Graduate School must
certify that the approved document has been deposited before
the degree is awarded. Only work meeting the highest standards
of integrity will be accepted for degree requirements at
Rensselaer. Academic integrity is a requirement of continued
good academic standing and for the awarding of a graduate
degree.
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