- Apply for Degree by the deadline.
- Enroll in the required number of credits for the semester your degree will be certified.
- Submit your exam forms to Graduate School at least 10 business days before your exam and before deadline. Defend Successfully.
- Thesis and dissertation students must submit their thesis or dissertation to Graduate School before deadline for format review.
Please refer to the Graduate Calendar for deadlines.
Application for Degree
- Complete the Application for Degree for the semester you are planning to graduate by the posted deadline.
- Missed Deadline: You are still able to work towards the requirements for the semester, but will have to apply for degree for the next semester. You may also need to re-enroll if you miss any of the deadlines. The degree will be awarded the next semester.
- Failed to graduate: If you were unable to graduate for the semester you originally applied for, you will now have to graduate in a different semester, you will need to apply again for the next semester. Your degree application will not automatically move to a different semester.
- NOTE: The Registrar’s Office handles the applications for degree and there is a fee that is charged.
- Apply for degree through my.nmsu.edu
- Why is Application for Degree important?
The application for degree tells the University that you are planning and ready to Graduate and that an initial review (pre-certification) needs to be done for you.A folder is created for you and the check list for requirements begins.
Exam Enrollment Requirements
Thesis exams must be enrolled in 1 credit hour for the semester.
Dissertation exams must be enrolled in 1 credit hour the semester.
This option is only for the non-thesis students that have completed all their required coursework and now are taking their final exam.
Planning for your exam
Meet with your advisor to:
a. Plan exam
b. Reserve location for exam through your department
c. A completed Exam Form should be submitted to the Graduate School a minimum of 10 days prior to your exam.
d. Refer to Graduate Calendar for deadlines
Exam Form Processing at Graduate School: Why we need time to process your paperwork
- Graduate school processes the exam paperwork to ensure:
- Form is complete and filled out accurately
- Student is enrolled in required credits
- Student GPA is at least 3.0
- The Committee has the correct composition, members are from the correct departments, and required members are graduate faculty with active current terms/not expired
- Form has appropriate signatures
- After these checks are completed, the Graduate School processes and creates individualized exam [paperwork listing the committee members, time and location of the exam]. We then send personalized paperwork to the committee members and the departmental administrative assistant to be completed.
- Your dean’s representative will return completed results to the Graduate School to be recorded and placed in your file for degree certification.
- Exam results need to be submitted shortly after you have taken your exam
Committee for Masters Exams
- The committee chair and one other member must be from the student’s home department
- The dean’s representative cannot be a member of the student’s home department
- All committee members must be graduate faculty.
Committee for Doctoral Exams
- The committee chair and one other member must be from the student’s home department
- The dean’s representative cannot be a member of the student’s home department.
- All committee members must be graduate faculty.
- Must have an additional member (can be from the home department or any other department)
