Graduation Processes

All students must be enrolled for at least two credits during the quarter in which they intend to graduate.

Degree Progress and Advising

At least one quarter before you intend to graduate, you must meet with the Graduate Program Advisor (GPA) to ensure that you are on track to graduate. For example, if you intend to graduate at the end of spring quarter, please meet with the adviser at the beginning of winter quarter. You may make an appointment with them here. If you choose not to meet with the GPA, we cannot guarantee you will have completed all of the necessary requirements to graduate.

Supervisory Committee

Your supervisory committee is comprised of at least two faculty members and no more than four faculty members, including a chair (The Comparative Religion MA Program requires 3 members).

You should discuss the number of faculty members that would be best for your research with your respective Graduate Program Coordinator.

• When determining your committee chair and committee members, please note that your Chair must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and from the faculty list of your specific program. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact your GPA and your respective GPC.
• Graduate Faculty are members of the University faculty who have been designated by the Dean of the Graduate School as actively participating in graduate education. Please see the database of all Graduate Faculty.
• At least two quarters before you intend to graduate, you must declare your supervisory committee by filling out the respective form of your program (available on this webpage, Section “Supervisory Committee Forms”), receiving signatures from your committee members as well as the GPC, and returning it to the GPA in THO 116 or emailing to the GPA.. For example, if you intend to graduate at the end of spring quarter, submit your form during autumn quarter. This process has to be taken care of by Week 2 of that quarter and no later than Week 7.
• You can find the form on the JSIS advising website or pick up a copy from THO 116.

JSIS Forms and Deadlines

In the final quarter of your M.A. program, there are a variety of forms you must submit and actions you must take to ensure on-time program completion. You can find all forms on the JSIS Advising website.

Final papers:

Final drafts of your two papers or thesis are due to your supervisory committee and the GPA by email no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 6th week of your intended graduation quarter. For example, if you intend to graduate during spring quarter in 2025, your drafts are due on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. However, you should be submitting drafts to your committee members throughout your writing process. Students should work closely with their committee members to develop a timeline for writing and submitting drafts.

Oral exam forms:

You must work with your supervisory committee to schedule your oral exam and fill out this form. You and your supervisory committee will determine the date and time of your oral exam and then you will have the GPC approve the form. You will then bring the form to the GPA in THO 116 or email a scanned pdf to the GPA. The GPA will schedule the room for your exam and communicate that information to you and your committee members.

Your oral exam form is due to the GPA no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 7th week of your graduation quarter. For example, if you plan to graduate spring quarter in 2025, your form is due on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Request to graduate with Graduate School:

In order to actually graduate, you must formally request to graduate from the Graduate School no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 7th week of your graduation quarter. This will trigger a variety of administrative processes necessary for graduation, so please make this a priority.

*Note: If you have written a thesis and taken the corresponding nine thesis credits, select the thesis option in this form. If you have written two papers, select the non-thesis option in this form.

Complete oral exams:

The Jackson School has set an internal deadline to complete your oral exams no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Friday of the 10th week of your graduation quarter. For example, if you intend to graduate in spring quarter 2025, you must schedule and complete your oral exam no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025. This deadline is set so you will have at least one week to make any changes to your papers or thesis required by your supervisory committee. If you need more time to schedule your oral exam, you will need approval from the GPC.

If you cannot complete your oral exam on this timeline, it is possible to receive an extension. Extensions are determined and approved by the GPC on a case-by-case basis. The official deadline to complete your oral exam is 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday of finals week of your graduation quarter, or Tuesday, June 10, 2025, if graduating spring quarter 2025.

Master’s warrant:

This form is to be filled out by your supervisory committee upon completion of your oral exam. It indicates to the GPA that you have passed your oral exam and that your papers/thesis have been accepted. The GPA will put a blank copy of the form in the folder they give to your committee for your oral exam. Once your oral exam is completed your committee will sign the form, indicate if you have passed, received a high pass, or passed with honors. The GPA will scan and send you the form for your records.

Master’s thesis supervisory committee form:

This form (available here) is to be filled out by all students completing the thesis option. The GPA will put a blank copy of this form in the folder they give to your committee for your oral exam. If your committee accepts your thesis as complete without revisions, please ask them to sign the form at the end of the oral exam and give it to you. You will scan the form to upload it with your thesis.

If the committee requests revisions before they accept your thesis, you should keep the form until your revisions are complete and then ask your committee to sign the form. In this case you will be responsible for scanning the form for your thesis submission. Please email the scanned copy to the GPA for our records.

Submitting final paper(s):

There are two processes for submitting your capstone research, differing based on whether you wrote a thesis (process 1), or two papers or an essay of distinction (process 2).

Thesis: You must submit your final thesis both to your committee and the GPA via email, and to the Graduate School via the ETD Proquest Administrator website no later than 11:59 p.m. on the Friday of finals week of your graduation quarter. For example, if you are graduating in spring quarter 2025, you must submit your thesis no later than Friday, June 13, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. There are very strict guidelines for formatting your thesis before you submit it. You will need to submit the Master’s Thesis Supervisory Form along with your thesis. Please visit this Graduate School website for detailed instructions.

Two papers or Essay of Distinction: If any revisions are required by your committee, you must submit the final version of your papers to your committee and to the GPA by email no later than 11:59 p.m. on the Friday of finals week of your graduation quarter. For example, if you intend to graduate in spring 2025, you must submit these papers by Friday, June 13, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Graduation Timeline

Supervisory Committee Form Submitted: 2 quarters before intended graduation quarter

Confirm Degree Progress with GPA: 1 quarter before intended graduation quarter

Final Paper(s) Due to Committee*: 5:00 p.m. on Friday of 6th week of graduation quarter

Oral Exam Form Submitted: 5:00 p.m. on Friday of 7th week of graduation quarter

Request to Graduate: 5:00 p.m. on Friday of 7th week of graduation quarter

Oral Exams Completed: 5:00 p.m. on Friday of 10th week of graduation quarter

Paper Revisions Due: 5:00 p.m. on Friday of finals week of graduation quarter

* The Jackson School strongly recommends that the First Final Paper should be submitted to your Committee by 5:00 p.m. on last day of instruction two quarters before graduation quarter.