Final Course Requirements (Comprehensive Exam and Capstones)

Every master's program has a required end of program requirement. Depending upon the program in which you are enrolled, this could be a comprehensive exam or a capstone course.

Before you can be registered for your end of program course you will need to:

• Have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Have 80% complete in your program.

Even for programs where Capstone courses have been approved by the VA as research-based programs, students using VA funding may have to carefully plan their course sequence to avoid “orphan” courses.  Please work with your Academic Advisor on your course sequence to plan ahead for this issue.

End of Program Assessment Types

End of Program assessment alternatives for master's students include the following options, which vary by the degree program:

• Comprehensive Exam
• Capstone, which includes the following variations:
  • Research thesis
  • Creative project or Applied Project
  • Practicum with critical reflection/integration paper
  • Portfolio option with critical reflection paper

See the EOP Manual for a full explanation of each option. Your Academic Plan will describe the End of Program Assessments that are available for your program.

For all capstone courses that begin after January 1, 2017, master's students must earn a B- (80%) or better on their capstone thesis/project/paper and a B- (80%) or better in their capstone course to pass the course. This policy aligns with the comprehensive exam, which also requires a B- (80%) or better to pass. Master's students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to graduate. Please see the End of Program Assessment Manual for more information.

For more information regarding these final course requirements, please refer to the End of Program Assessment Manual for Graduate Studies found in the Trefry Library in the Master's Studies Resource Center.