The following classifications are assigned to graduate students and postdoctoral appointees on the basis of advancement toward or completion of graduate degrees:
- Premaster: A Premaster has been admitted to the Graduate School, but has not yet completed a master’s degree or the equivalent.
- Post-Master: A Post-master has completed the master’s degree or equivalent, but has not yet had a doctoral Supervisory Committee appointed.
- Precandidate: A Precandidate has had a doctoral Supervisory Committee appointed, which signifies admission into a doctoral program, but has not yet completed the Graduate School General Examinations.
- Candidacy: A student in candidacy status has completed the General Examination, but has not yet completed the dissertation and final examination.
- Postdoctoral: A Postdoctoral appointee has completed a doctoral degree and is engaged in research or scholarly work in residence at the University, but is neither an enrolled student nor a member of the faculty.
When a student is first admitted to the Graduate School, the student is placed in the appropriate classification which recognizes the highest academic degree which the admitted student holds in the field of the proposed graduate work at the University of Washington. When a graduate student officially completes the master’s degree, or has a doctoral Supervisory Committee appointed, or completes the General Examination, the classification is changed accordingly.
Every quarter each graduate program advisor reviews the graduate student list and informs the Graduate School of any changes needed.
Policy 3.10 revised: November 1977; July 2015