Graduation Under a Particular Catalog
Graduate degree requirements are governed by the catalog in effect at the time of a student’s first enrollment in graduate courses (when the student establishes a transcript) or by any subsequent catalog, whichever the student chooses, within a period of seven consecutive years. For degrees other than the Master of Divinity, the seven-year requirement also applies to transfer work. No course work which satisfies degree requirements may be more than seven years old at the time of graduation. Courses applied to the Master of Divinity degree, whether transferred into the program or taken at Wayland Baptist University, will not be limited by the seven-year time limit applied to other degree programs.
Degree requirements must be from one catalog. Unless the student formally requests to change catalogs, the catalog of record will be defined as the catalog in force when the student first enrolled in graduate course work. Requests to change catalogs should be made in writing and submitted to the Graduate Studies Office or the external campus executive director/dean, who forwards it to the Graduate Studies Office. In all cases, all Wayland courses taken for graduate credit and to be counted toward the degree must have been completed within the stated time limit.
Residence Requirements
Candidates for all master level degrees must complete a minimum of 24 graduate hours at Wayland Baptist University. Students seeking the Doctor of Management must complete one-third of the required hours at Wayland Baptist University.
Requirements for Master’s Degrees
General university requirements for the master’s degree include:
- A minimum of 36 credit hours of approved graduate credit. See degree requirement for specific programs as they may require more.
- For degree programs other than the Master of Divinity degree, a minimum of 24 graduate credit hours at Wayland Baptist University. For the Master of Divinity degree, students must complete at least one-half of the graduate courses for the degree through Wayland Baptist University.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (2.0 for Master of Divinity) on a 4.0 scale computed on all graduate work taken at Wayland. For degrees other than the Master of Divinity, no grade of less than C and no more than six (6) credit hours with the letter grade of C earned at Wayland will be accepted as credit for any master’s degree. No course with the grade of less than B (C for Master of Divinity) will be accepted as graduate transfer credit.
- For degrees other than the Master of Divinity, successful completion of a comprehensive examination and/or integrative capstone course, depending on the degree program.
Requirements for Doctoral Degrees
Requirements for the Doctor of Management degree include:
- A minimum of 60 credit hours of approved graduate credit, including 12 hours of dissertation credit.
- At least one-third of the required hours must be from Wayland Baptist University.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale computed on all graduate work taken at Wayland.
Requirements for the Doctor of Strategic Leadership degree include:
- A minimum of 54 credit hours of approved graduate credit.
- At least one-third of the required hours must be from Wayland Baptist University.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale computed on all graduate work taken at Wayland.
- Successful completion of a dissertation project and defense.
Earning a Second Master’s Degree
Students may pursue two master’s degrees concurrently if the student is admitted to both degree programs and separate degree plans are prepared and approved for each program. Each degree program must include 24 credit hours taken specifically for that degree program and that are distinct from those earned in any other degree program.
Students who wish to pursue a second master’s degree after having completed one master’s degree must file a new application to the graduate program. A maximum of 12 hours of duplicated courses may be used to fulfill degree requirements in both degree programs if the coursework applies to both degrees. The exception to this is the Master of Christian Ministry degree and the Master of Divinity degree where more than 12 hours can be transferred. Each degree program must contain a minimum of 24 credit hours taken specifically for that degree program and that are distinct from those earned in any other degree program.
Graduation applications and fees will be required for each degree awarded. Refer to the Graduation Requirements section for complete graduation requirements.
In certain areas it is possible to earn two degrees in the same field. For example, a student may earn two M.Ed. degrees if the requirements are different, such as the Professional Studies track and the Educational Administration track. Students should contact the appropriate academic school or the Graduate Studies Office for additional information and for final determinations concerning multiple degrees in the same field. A maximum of 12 hours of duplicated courses may be allowed to fulfill degree requirements for two master’s degrees. At least 24 credit hours must be taken specifically for the new degree program. Refer to the Graduation Requirements section for complete graduation requirements.
Comprehensive Examination/Capstone Course
A comprehensive examination, oral defense, action research project and presentation, and/or a capstone course covering the student’s program of study must be passed prior to receiving a graduate degree. Students should consult with the appropriate School for information and instructions concerning these requirements. All core courses must be completed prior to taking the comprehensive examination or capstone course.
The comprehensive examination must be taken during the last regular session or term of study or at the next available testing date after completing graduate coursework. Test dates for the comprehensive examination are available from the graduate advisor or the academic school dean. The examination must be completed, graded, and passed no fewer than 45 days prior to graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to request permission to take and schedule the date for the comprehensive examination.
The specific nature of the examination will be determined by the student’s advisor and members of the graduate faculty teaching in the student’s field of study. The examination will cover all areas included in the graduate program, including core, specialization, and elective courses. Questions over each area will be developed and the responses evaluated by a faculty member assigned to that area.
The academic school dean will inform both the student and the Graduate Studies Office of the results of the comprehensive examination within two weeks of the examination date. The dean of the respective school may, in consultation with appropriate faculty, elect to conduct either an oral or written follow-up examination over an area in which the student’s responses were judged to be unsatisfactory. A student who fails the comprehensive examination may, at the discretion of the academic school dean in consultation with the vice president of academic affairs, be allowed either to retake the examination after thirty days or to complete additional course work and then retake the examination. However, no student will be allowed to repeat an examination more than once without taking additional course work.
Applying for Degrees, Diplomas and Transcripts
Completion of all degree requirements listed in the academic catalog qualifies a student for graduation. To graduate at a designated time, however, the student must apply for the degree prior to established deadlines and pay all graduation fees.
All graduation requirements must be completed before students can participate in graduation exercises. Students who will complete degree requirements during the current term may be allowed to participate in commencement exercises only if the vice president of academic affairs grants permission. The appearance of a student’s name on the commencement program and the fact that the student attends the commencement exercises is no guarantee that the degree will be conferred.
A student who applies for a degree and pays the graduation fee for a given commencement, but who fails to meet degree requirements, must reapply for graduation and pay a discounted graduation fee. If a deadline is missed, the student must reapply for graduation no sooner than the next scheduled graduation.
Final official transcripts are issued only upon completion of all degree requirements. No transcript carrying graduate course credit will be issued to a student whose files are incomplete for failure to submit transcripts or other data required by the university, or who has not signed a financial responsibility agreement for the most recent term.
The circumstances under which an external campus student may graduate with Plainview are:
- The student has finished the degree requirements, but will miss the ceremony because of reassignment.
- The student has finished the degree requirements with transfer work and is no longer associated with an external campus.
- The student has finished the degree, but missed the external campus deadline.
Any student who does not meet the criterion stated above will be approved on an individual basis. The vice president of academic affairs and the registrar must approve all graduate students for graduation.
Academic transcripts will be available to the student in perpetuity after the student has departed the institution. Such records shall be accessible either through Wayland Baptist University, a successor institution, or through the respective state records center and archives or a comparable retrieval facility.
Letters of Completion
Requests for letters of completion should be made to the Graduate Studies Office.
Career Services
Wayland students on all campuses may request assistance in developing basic job search skills such as interviewing and resume writing by contacting the office of counseling and placement services on the Plainview campus. The office also maintains a job registry to assist students in finding employment.
Commencement Attendance
Candidates completing their work at Wayland Baptist University are required to attend commencement exercises. All degrees conferred will be posted to the student’s permanent record as of the date of the graduation. Appeals to this policy should be made to the vice president of academic affairs.
Commencement Attendance for WBUonline students
Candidates completing their work at Wayland Baptist University through WBUonline will not be required to participate in, but are strongly encouraged to attend, commencement exercises. All external campuses hold at least one graduation ceremony a year. If a WBUonline student lives near one of the external campus locations or was previously affiliated with a specific campus and wishes to participate in the commencement exercise at the campus, they may do so by applying for graduation by the designated date the campus has established. Students may contact the Graduate Studies Office for a complete list of designated graduation deadlines at external campuses. All degrees conferred will be posted to the student’s permanent record as of the date of the graduation. Appeals to this policy should be made to the vice president of academic affairs.
Walk-Only
For external campus graduations, students who are within one term of finishing graduation requirements may, at the discretion of the executive director/campus dean “walk-only” (without having fulfilled degree requirements) at the respective external campus graduation. Students must request in writing to the executive director/campus dean by the deadline issued by the campus for consideration to “walk-only” in a ceremony. Students are allowed to participate in a graduation ceremony only once for each degree.
For Plainview campus graduations, students must contact the office of the registrar by the application for graduation deadline for consideration to “walk-only” in the respective Plainview graduation. Students are allowed to participate in a graduation ceremony only once for each degree.
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