What is the Plan of Study?

• The Master's/Specialist Plan of Study is essentially a contract between the student, the department, and the Graduate College specifying which courses the student will take to fulfill the requirements of the master's or specialist degree. A master's or specialist student will not be able to graduate without a Plan of Study that is approved by the department and Graduate College.

When should I file my Plan of Study?

• The Graduate College recommends that students submit their Plan of Study in the second semester in residence at University of Arizona. It is in the student's best interest to submit the Plan of Study for approval as soon as he or she has consulted with the advisor and formulated an expected list of courses to be taken during the degree program. The sooner the Plan of Study is submitted, the sooner the student knows whether the proposed coursework is acceptable under Graduate College policies. Students who wait too long to submit the Plan of Study sometimes have to unexpectedly alter their coursework late in their degree program and may have to take additional courses they had not initially planned to take. (MBA students should check with their department before submitting the MPOS.) The MPOS also provides Degree Certification with the expected graduation date so that the student may be included in the appropriate commencement program.

Common Errors

• Missing signatures: The MPOS must have original signatures from the student, the advisor and the department head before submission to the Degree Certification office in the Graduate College. If the student is completing a thesis, the advisor should also sign indicating whether or not human or animal subjects are being used. (If so, the student will need to submit evidence of the appropriate approval to Degree Certification.)
• Missing personal information: Be sure to list the correct degree sought and major. Be sure you have listed your correct Student ID number, which in most cases is different from your Social Security number, as well as your full address with city and zip code.
• Not enough units: Be sure your MPOS lists at least the minimum number of units required to earn the degree you are seeking. Ask your department or Degree Certification if you need to know the minimum unit requirement for your degree.
• Including audited courses: Audited courses do not earn credit, so they cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements. Any units listed for audited courses will not be counted on the MPOS.
• Excess units taken outside degree program: No more than 12 units on the MPOS may be in courses taken outside a UA graduate degree program. The 12 unit maximum applies to the total of coursework taken in graduate non-degree standing, transfer coursework and 400-level coursework. Within this 12-unit overall limit, there are specific limits on 400-level and transfer coursework: Transfer coursework on the MPOS is limited to no more than 20% of the minimum number of units required for the specific master's or specialist degree being sought. (Ask an auditor in Degree Certification if you need to know the limit for your degree.) No more than 6 units of 400-level UA coursework may be used on the MPOS. Any 400-level course being used may not have been used toward the requirements of an undergraduate degree.
• Excess S/P graded units: No more than 50% of the total units listed on the MPOS can be in courses graded with an S or P grade rather than a regular letter grade.
• Violation of Time to Degree: Graduate College policy states that master's and specialist students have 6 years to complete the degree from the date of the earliest coursework being used toward the degree (i.e. the coursework on the MPOS). If the coursework on the Plan of Study violates this policy, the MPOS will not be approved. Students with a compelling reason for using older coursework toward the degree may submit a Graduate Petition to request an extension of time to complete the degree program; the petition should be submitted with the MPOS and will be considered by the Associate Dean of the Graduate College.
• Ineligible transfer courses: To be eligible for graduate transfer credit, a transfer course must have been taken for graduate credit at an accredited institution (U.S. or international), and it must have earned a grade of A or B (or equivalent, if international). Units awarded may be different than the units/credits earned at the original university if that school's credit system is different, e.g. quarter units or credits from non-U.S. institutions. The Evaluation of Transfer Credit form may be submitted prior to the formulation of the Plan of Study so that the student will know whether specific transfer courses will be eligible for transfer. The Graduate College only determines eligibility; the department must approve transfer courses from those deemed eligible. It is best to request evaluation of coursework early (within the first year) so the student will know which transfer courses are eligible for use toward degree requirements. Note: if the transcript for the submitted transfer work is available from the student's Graduate Admissions file, it will be requested from Graduate Admissions, but if it was not submitted with the student's admission application, an official copy of the transcript containing all final grades must be received in the Graduate Degree Certification office before the transfer work can be evaluated.

What if my approved coursework changes?

• A student whose MPOS has been approved by the department and the Graduate College may need to make changes to the coursework, with the approval of the department, as he or she proceeds through the degree program. Changes to an approved MPOS may be submitted to Degree Certification in any of three ways: (1) on the Changes in Student Records or Programs of Study form (downloadable from the Graduate College website); (2) by e-mail directly from the major advisor to the degree auditor (if acceptable to the degree auditor in the Graduate College Degree Certification office); or (3) on the Completion of Degree Requirements form submitted when the student finishes the degree program. The MPOS must still be in compliance with all pertinent Graduate College policies after the changes are made, or the degree auditor will not accept the changes.