Graduation Information

Application for Diploma Undergraduate and graduate students must file formal applications for the appropriate degree or certificate of advanced study in the Office of the Registrar, according to the following schedule: Month all work to be completed Application to be submitted by December Third Friday in July May Second Friday in November August Second Friday in April Return to Top

Completion of Requirements Undergraduate Students. Students may choose to graduate under the Catalog in effect at the time of their first enrollment or any subsequent Catalog provided that the students graduate within six years from the date of the first enrollment. If students do not graduate within this six year period, they may choose to graduate under any Catalog in effect during a six-year period preceding the date of graduation. Graduate Students. Students who complete their master's degree or certificate of advanced study requirements within six years, and doctoral students who complete degree requirements within eight years, following admission to Old Dominion University will qualify for the degree or certificate by fulfilling the requirements in the catalog in effect at the time of their first enrollment. (See military service exception under Requirements for Graduate Degrees.) Students (including part-time) who do not complete their graduate degree requirements within these time periods must project their graduation and fulfill the requirements in the catalog in effect during any of the six or eight years, respectively, preceding graduation. If a catalog other than the catalog of the year of initial enrollment is to be used, written permission of the graduate program director and dean must be obtained. Graduate students should consult their advisors to determine if any out-of-date credits may be validated by examination. In all cases, undergraduate and graduate students must have been duly admitted to the University and an academic program of study and meet all of the requirements for graduation in one catalog. Students may not "tailor make" their own degree requirements by selecting partial requirements from more than one catalog. Return to Top

Graduate Credit for Old Dominion University Undergraduates An Old Dominion University undergraduate student with senior standing and a 3.00 or better grade point average in the major field of study may be allowed to take for graduate credit, upon approval of the appropriate department chair and graduate program director, up to six hours of course work each semester. The combined undergraduate and graduate hours taken during the semester must not exceed 18. The proper request form, Request of Old Dominion University Undergraduate to Take Graduate Courses, is available in the Office of the Registrar. An up-todate copy of the student's transcript must be submitted with the request form. Credit will be awarded following receipt of the baccalaureate degree and upon formal acceptance of the student for graduate study at Old Dominion University. Students enrolled in accelerated degree programs at Old Dominion University, specified by the provost, may take up to 21 hours of graduate credit which may be applied toward an undergraduate degree. Of these 21 hours of graduate credit, up to 12 can be applied toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees, with this option being available only to those students who have satisfied all admission and continuation requirements of the specific accelerated programs. This option is not open to undergraduate students with senior standing at institutions other than Old Dominion University. Return to Top

Thesis and Dissertation Procedures Graduate students who plan to write theses or dissertations should obtain copies of the Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations from the Office of the University Registrar or from the Web site for use in conjunction with any style manual preferred by their respective departments. Minimum University requirements for the preparation of theses and dissertations are contained in the guide; departments may set additional requirements. Presentation of a thesis or dissertation in partial fulfillment of degree or certificate requirements necessitates submission of the finished original work to the dean of the college for final approval, following oral defense and signature approval by the thesis/dissertation committee and graduate program director. Approval of the dean of the college should be obtained prior to reproduction of the original work, in the event corrections need to be made. Upon final approval, the student must arrange for reproduction of four additional copies of the thesis or dissertation, for a total of five for submission to the Office of the Registrar for binding. Certain doctoral programs require more than five copies; students should consult appropriate graduate program directors. A final, approved, error-free original and four copies (more are required by some programs) of the thesis or dissertation must be received by the Office of the Registrar no later than the day prior to the beginning of the final examination period; that is, the last day of classes of the semester in which the degree will be taken. The completed document, approved by the dean, and copies should be accompanied by the following forms: Binding Fee Receipt, Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance, Results of the Comprehensive Examination, and Thesis/Dissertation Delivery. A microfilming fee is also required of dissertation writers; a copyrighting fee is optional. The student may order additional copies of the thesis or dissertation by making payment to the Office of Finance at the same time the required copies are ordered. Return to Top

Graduate Credits by Transfer or Correspondence Study A maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred into a graduate degree program from nondegree graduate status at Old Dominion University and another accredited institution, except in the case of an approved interinstitutional program. Transfer credit will be given only for those courses that are certified as being applicable toward a comparable degree or certificate at the institution that offered the courses, and that were completed with a grade of B or better. Specifically, in-service courses that are established especially for groups of teachers and are not intended by the home institution to be part of a degree program will not be acceptable for transfer at Old Dominion University. Exceptions to this regulation may be made only with the approval of the graduate program director involved, the dean of the college, and the associate vice president for research economic development and graduate studies. In case of doubt, it is the responsibility of the student to show that the course in question would be acceptable toward a comparable degree at the home institution. No credit toward a graduate degree may be obtained by examination or correspondence study. A student who wishes to transfer credit earned prior to admission to a degree program at Old  Dominion University must submit a special request for evaluation of transfer credits through the graduate program director to the Office of Admissions. Following admission to the degree program, the student should obtain written permission from the graduate program director before registering for a course at another institution with the intention of transferring the credit for that course toward a graduate degree at Old Dominion University. In no case is a transfer of credit final without the signed approval of the graduate program director and the academic dean on the Evaluation of Transfer Credits Form. In the case of a student who has changed programs of study at Old Dominion University, the graduate program director of the new program may or may not accept any previously transferred course work or work completed in the former programs. Credits accepted for transfer from another institution will satisfy partial hour requirements, but grades earned in such courses are not calculated in the student's overall grade point average. No credits will be accepted toward the degree or certificate if more than six years old (eight years for doctoral application), unless properly validated by examination. Return to Top

Course-Load Distribution Requirement Graduate Students Graduate students should take care that the major portion of their course work is selected from 600and 700-level offerings in pursuit of the master's degree and from 800-level offerings for a certificate of advanced study or doctoral degree. At least three-fifths of the course work must be completed at these levels, and some programs have instituted more stringent requirements. Reference should be made to the appropriate section herein, and individual questions concerning the course-load distribution should be directed to the advisor. Return to Top

Additional Graduate Degrees Graduate students may pursue an additional master's or doctoral degree in any discipline at Old Dominion University. Such a degree must be sought subsequent to, and not concurrently with, another degree. Return to Top