General Requirements and Regulations for Master's Degrees

Texas Woman’s University confers three types of master’s degrees: the Master of Arts, the Master of Science, and various professional master’s degrees, such as the Master of Education, the Master of Occupational Therapy, and the Professional Science Masters (PSM) in Biotechnology. TWU also offers the Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) degree, which is considered a master’s level degree for the purposes of Graduate School requirements. The following are the minimum requirements for these degrees.

Residence

While no specific residence requirement exists for the master’s degree, the student should plan to pursue as much full-time resident study as possible in the degree program.

Time Limits

No absolute time period exists within which a master’s degree must be completed, but semester credit hours older than six years cannot apply toward any master’s degree. Under extraordinary circumstances, semester credit hours older than six years may be reinstated with the permission of the Dean of the Graduate School upon request and recommendation of a student’s advisory committee, chair of the department, and dean of the college.

Graduate credit hours older than six years may not be used toward any post-baccalaureate or postmaster's certificate program.

Limits on Course Load

The nature of graduate study is such that the graduate student load should be lower than a normal undergraduate load. A graduate student is considered full-time if enrolled in 9 or more semester credit hours (SCH). Enrollment in fewer than 9 SCHs is considered part-time enrollment. Graduate students are encouraged to consider 12 SCH a maximum load but may take up to 16 SCH hours during fall, spring, or the entire summer.  Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the student's graduate advisor and the Dean of the Graduate School. 

Grade Requirements

Grades in courses offered for the master’s degree must average B (3.0 GPA) or above in both the major and minor fields. (Some departments of the University accept no grade lower than B for degree work; please see the appropriate departmental sections in this catalog.) In no case may a course with a grade below C apply to the degree.

Graduate students are expected to maintain a B average (3.0 GPA) on all graduate work. Consistent failure to do so results in suspension from the Graduate School. When a student’s cumulative grade point average on graduate-level work falls below a 3.0 GPA, the student is automatically on academic probation and notified of this status through their official TWU email. Failing to raise the grade point average to 3.0 or above during the next enrollment results in suspension from the Graduate School. Students cannot use courses with grades lower than a C to fulfill degree requirements. Departments can set higher standards for their programs. It is not possible to improve the grade record at Texas Woman’s University by attendance at another university. Master's students who have been suspended may reapply to the TWU Graduate School 6 years after the suspension. 

Academic Appeals

To appeal an academic decision regarding an assigned grade or probation/suspension, students must follow TWU's Complaints & Appeals process. Complaints or appeals at each level must be made via e-mail no later than ten days after the date the final grade is posted to the student's official transcript or within ten days of the original appeal decision or the appeal decision at the previous level. The ten days for complaints or appeals at each level do not include weekends, holidays, or days between academic sessions. The faculty member or administrator receiving the complaint or appeal will respond via e-mail within ten days, not including weekends, holidays, or days between academic sessions.

Sequence for Probation/Suspension Appeals

  1. Dean of the Graduate School
  2. Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (Decision is final.)

Sequence for Grade Appeals

  1. Faculty Member/Instructor
  2. Academic Component Administrator (Chair, Director, or Associate Dean)
  3. College Dean
  4. Dean of the Graduate School (Decision is final.)

Notifications/Communications

Whether enrolled in credit or non-credit classes, all students are assigned a TWU email address for receiving announcements, correspondence, and other important messages (including payment deadlines and financial aid information). All official communications will be sent to students' TWU email accounts. Students are responsible for all emails sent to their TWU email account from a university office or personnel. Messages delivered to the TWU email address will be considered officially delivered.

Notification of probation or dismissal/suspension status will be sent to the student's TWU email address.