Additional Information on Policy 1.4 & Stacked Degree FAQ

This page contains additional information on each requirement from Policy 1.4, as well as general FAQs on stacked degrees.

Additional Information on Policy 1.4

“All graduate certificates must follow the policies outlined in Policy 1.2.”

There is no distinction between a graduate certificate used as part of a stacked degree and a graduate certificate intended to be earned independently by a graduate student pursuing another degree or a student enrolled only in the certificate program.

As such, the review and approval process is the same for all graduate certificates.

“There are no restrictions on credit sharing between a graduate certificate and a graduate degree program.”

All requirements from a graduate certificate may be applied towards a stacked degree (applies to coursework as well as other components of the certificate).

“Students who are admitted to the University of Washington through a graduate certificate are matriculated graduate students and must meet the admission standards described in Policy 3.1.”

Since graduate certificate students are enrolled graduate students, academic units have full responsibility for providing the support and opportunities they provide all of their graduate students. It is critical that all students have access to appropriate staff and faculty advising, facilities and events, and any other opportunities provided to graduate students.

“Stacked degrees and the graduate certificates they are comprised of will appear as credentials on the student transcript.”

Once a student earns a graduate certificate, this will appear on the student transcript. It is the responsibility of the program to request conferral of the graduate certificate in a timely manner. This applies whether or not the student intends to pursue a graduate degree that contains the graduate certificate as a component of the degree.

Once the student completes all graduate degree requirements, this is processed the same way as any other degree program.

“A stacked graduate degree program must include a capstone or culminating experience.”

Although Graduate School policy allows some applied professional master’s programs to be coursework only, all stacked degrees require a final culminating or integrated experience as described in Policy 1.1.

“The title of a stacked graduate degree must clearly reflect the academic focus of the degree program.”

The nomenclature of a degree title follows the principles articulated in Policy 1.3.

“Stacked degrees and the graduate certificates they are comprised of must have clear academic oversight by the graduate faculty of the proposing unit, as well as clear administrative support. This must be articulated as part of the program proposal process.”

Stacked degrees and the graduate certificates included in them adhere to the same expectations as any other degree program in terms of oversight and administrative support. The academic unit must assure specific guidance and advising resources for students enrolled in certificates that may be stacked towards a degree.

Stacked Degree Frequently Asked Questions

No, stacked degrees will be approved as “bundles” of certificates with a culminating experience, like any other graduate credential, to ensure a coherent and rigorous program of study.

Yes, this will allow units to test prospective student interest gradually and will have the added advantage of not burdening faculty with the task of envisioning and proposing a full degree program at once. Stacked degrees can also be proposed all at one time, that is, a proposal with both the degree and the component certificates.

Yes!

Stacked degrees can be master’s degrees or practice doctorates, but not the Ph.D.

Stacked degrees will be just like other graduate degrees which can either be tuition-based or fee-based.

Components of a stacked degree must be approved graduate certificates as described in Policy 1.2. These graduate certificates consist of transcripted graduate coursework, and the graduate certificate appears as a credential on the student transcript. Students pursuing a stacked degree or a graduate certificate must be matriculated graduate students and thus must apply to a graduate program and meet Policy 3.1 admissions requirements.

UWC2 Professional and Continuing Education may offer non-credit certificates for the general public which do not go through the same approval process as University of Washington degrees and graduate certificates, and which do not appear on the student transcript. An academic unit intending to “convert” an existing UW Continuum College certificate to a graduate certificate must propose it as a new graduate certificate program following the graduate certificate proposal guidelines.

Prospective international students may be eligible for F-1 visas for approved graduate certificates. The Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs will work with International Student Services (UW Seattle and UW Bothell), International Student and Scholar Services (UW Tacoma), and faculty who want to develop graduate certificates available to F-1 visa holders.

F-1 status students in graduate certificate programs must maintain full-time enrollment of ten credits or more. F-1 status students are not eligible for all remote graduate certificates or stacked degrees. The program of study must have an in-person component.

In order to be eligible for F-1 students to apply for post-completion optional practical training (OPT) after completion of certificate programs, students must have maintained full time enrollment for three consecutive quarters and have not been granted post-completion OPT at a higher or the same level of education.

Stackable graduate certificates may be eligible for financial aid if the certificate leads to “gainful employment” and certain other requirements, and is approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The UW Office of Student Financial Aid is exploring federal rules governing certificates and assessing the resources necessary to manage aid for them. Faculty who want to develop graduate certificates eligible for financial aid should work with the Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs who will be partnering with the Office of Student Financial Aid as we develop procedures and policies for this new type of curriculum.

As stated in Policy 1.4, continuous enrollment is not required. A stacked degree follows the time limits described in Policy 1.1 for all degree programs (six years for a master’s degree; ten years for a PhD). Exceptions to these time limits can be made at the academic unit level.

Units offering stacked degrees may determine that shorter time limits are needed and describe this information in the program proposal.

Stacked degrees and their component graduate certificates must be under the oversight of one dean (for Seattle campus) or chancellor (Bothell and Tacoma campuses). For stacked degrees featuring graduate certificates from multiple units under one dean, the degree program code and official oversight will be housed at the school/college/campus level rather than in one unit.

Grading Practices for Graduate Students

For information regarding grades and grading practices for Graduate Students, see Scholastic Regulation, Chapter 110.1.B.

Final Examination: Dissertation Defense

A Final Examination may be scheduled if: (a) a student passed a General Examination in a previous quarter; (b) a reading committee is officially established with the Graduate School; (c) the reading committee has read an entire draft of the dissertation and; (d) the entire supervisory committee has agreed that the student is prepared and has approved the student to schedule a Final Examination. At least four members of a supervisory committee (including the Chair, Graduate School Representative, and one additional Graduate Faculty member) must be present at the examination.

If the Final Examination is satisfactory, the supervisory committee members who participate at the examination sign the committee signature form and return it to the student’s graduate program by the last day of the quarter (last day of finals week). Any members of a supervisory committee who participate at an examination but do not agree with the majority opinion are encouraged to submit a minority report to the Dean of the Graduate School. If an examination is unsatisfactory, a supervisory committee may recommend that the Dean of the Graduate School permit a second examination after a period of additional study.

Registration as a graduate student is required the quarter that a Final Examination is taken AND the quarter the dissertation is submitted. The degree is conferred the quarter in which the student’s dissertation is accepted by the Graduate School.

A candidate certificate and the doctoral degree may not be awarded the same quarter.

If a Committee Member is Missing

A quorum of four members from the supervisory committee including the Chair, Graduate School Representative (GSR), and two additional general members must be present at a General and Final Exam (see Graduate School Policy 4.2 for details). In the event that a member of the committee should unexpectedly not attend an exam, the following procedures should be followed.

If the Chair or a Co-Chair is not present, wait 15 minutes (or longer if appropriate) then adjourn the exam and reschedule to a later time/date.
If the GSR is not present, wait 15 minutes then notify your department’s GPA. The student’s department may ask a member of the graduate faculty outside its department and the Chair’s department to serve as a replacement. The GPA must ensure that the proposed candidate is eligible to serve as a GSR. Once the replacement GSR is present, the exam may proceed. Before conveying the exam outcome, the GPA must update the student’s GSR in MyGrad Program.
If a general member is not present and the quorum (as stated above) is not intact, the exam should be adjourned and rescheduled to a later time/date, OR, the exam may adjourn momentarily until another field-specific faculty member can be found as a replacement.
If a general member is not present but the quorum (as stated above) is intact, the exam may proceed.

In all cases, an attempt must be made to contact the absent member before taking any action.

Instructions for Virtual Doctoral Examinations

Departments may hold General and Final Examinations virtually. These are minimum Graduate School requirements regarding virtual doctoral examinations. Individual departments may have stricter requirements and participants should contact the departments prior to organizing virtual examinations.

Graduate School Requirements

As stated in Graduate School Policy 4.2, General and Final Examinations must have four committee members present – the Chair, GSR and at least one additional Graduate Faculty member. If any member(s) and/or the student needs to participate at an exam but cannot be physically present, the Graduate School allows for virtual examinations if the following requirements are met:

The minimum number of required committee members must attend the examination in person or virtually. If communication is broken during the examination and cannot be retrieved, thereby not fulfilling the minimum number of exam participants, the examination must be terminated and rescheduled to a later time/date.
Units may create their own additional guidelines for in person, virtual, or hybrid examinations.

If the above stated requirements are not met, the examination may be invalid and the Graduate School may require another examination.

For additional suggestions on video conferencing, please visit the Graduate School’s General Guidance page.

For information on videoconferencing services, contact Learning & Scholarly Technologies and Classroom Support Services.

Revised: August 2022

Concurrent Degree Graduation Review

When students who are enrolled in more than one degree program apply to graduate, they are asked to complete a manual degree audit because the MyGradProgram/MyPlan degree audit will not function on concurrent student records. Graduate Program Advisors are welcome to assist students with the below steps.

Instructions for graduating concurrent students:

1. Review the applicable Graduation Checklist as you prepare to graduate.
2. Submit your graduation request for one or both degrees via MyGrad by the quarterly deadline.
3. Access your most recent unofficial transcript.

Login to MyUW >> UW Resources >> Academic Resources >> Grades & Transcripts >> Unofficial Transcript.
Save or Print this transcript.

4. Highlight courses on your transcript for each degree/candidacy/certificate with a different color.

Write a color key on the transcript.
Use a third color for your approved shared courses (if applicable).
To review “shared” credit guidelines, refer to Policy 1.5 for concurrent Masters & PhD policies; refer to Policy 1.2 for Graduate Certificate programs. If you need assistance determining your shared credits, please contact your Graduate Program Advisor(s).
Examples of Concurrent Audits

5. Scan and save your highlighted transcript as a PDF.

You may also take a photo of the transcript to save as an image file (.jpg, .gif, etc.).

6. Open the UW Concurrent Form, selecting “new” to access the form. (Note: you must log in with your UW Net ID.)

Complete the form, and click “attach file” to upload your highlighted transcript.
Click “save” to submit the form.

7. Please complete the Concurrent Form no later than the last day of your graduation quarter, so your graduation can be processed more quickly. However, form submissions will still be reviewed after this date.

Contact:

Please contact the Graduate Enrollment Management Services office if you have questions. Congratulations on your accomplishment!

Reinstatement

Request Reinstatement | Reinstatement Eligibility | Instructions for Requesting Reinstatement | Information for Graduate Programs

A matriculated student previously registered in the Graduate School who has failed to maintain graduate student status (on-leave status or registration) but who wishes to resume studies in their previous graduate program must submit a reinstatement request to the Graduate School.

Students approved for reinstatement must:

Choose the quarter of reinstatement (students can submit a reinstatement request for the current academic quarter or the next academic quarter)
Pay a $250 Reinstatement Fee to process their reinstatement.
Register for the requested Reinstatement Quarter and maintain registration throughout the entire quarter to return to active student status.

For complete details regarding the on-leave, continuous enrollment and reinstatement policies, refer to Graduate School Policy 3.5.

REQUEST FOR REINSTATEMENT

Reinstatement Eligibility

Must be an inactive matriculated graduate student wishing to return to their previous degree program. Non-matriculated, undergraduate, or active graduate students are not eligible for reinstatement.
Must have been registered for at least one quarter of graduate study at the UW.
Must have approval from the graduate program to reinstate.
Must satisfy any additional graduate program policies pertaining to reinstatement.
International students must have confirmation from the International Student Services office that an I-20 can be issued in time to meet registration deadlines.
Original admission date was less than six years ago (for master’s students) or 10 years ago (for Ph.D. students). The Graduate School normally allows six years to complete requirements for a master’s degree and ten years for a doctoral degree. Periods spent On-Leave or out of status are included. Note: Programs may approve and process an exception to extend time limit if they are satisfied with the student’s academic progress towards their degree; a petition to the Graduate School is no longer required.

Student who do not meet these requirements are not eligible for reinstatement without a petition from their graduate program. Ineligible students should instead submit a new application for admission after consulting with their graduate program. Please note that students who meet reinstatement requirements but instead submit a new application for admission will have their application fee refunded and be assessed the $250 Reinstatement Fee.

Instructions for Requesting Reinstatement

Consult with the graduate program advisor prior to initiating the reinstatement request to determine eligibility and any internal departmental requirements. International students on F-1 or J-1 student visas should also consult with the International Student Services office to verify ability to initiate the visa process in time to meet registration deadlines.
With the graduate program, choose the quarter of reinstatement. Students may choose the current academic quarter or the next academic quarter.
Complete and submit the online Request for Reinstatement via MyGrad Program.* Student will receive a confirmation email that the request has been submitted.
Requests will be reviewed by the graduate program and, if approved, the student will receive a confirmation email that the department has approved the request.
Return to MyGrad Program to pay the $250 Reinstatement Fee via MasterCard or Visa credit card. Student will receive a confirmation email that payment has been received. Reinstatements are processed on weekdays (excluding UW holidays).
The $250 Reinstatement Fee must be paid no later than 11:59:59 p.m. PST on the last day of instruction to be reinstated for the requested academic quarter.
The Graduate School will process reinstatement for the requested academic quarter. Students will receive a confirmation email that their reinstatement has been processed and their registration status for that quarter is “active.”
Register for the quarter of reinstatement in order to maintain active status.
Update all student contact information in MyUW Student Directory.

*A valid UW NetID and password are required to log into MyGrad Program. To access your UW NetID and password, please contact UW IT or visit https://uwnetid.washington.edu/newid/

Information for Graduate Programs

Graduate programs are highly encouraged to develop official internal review procedures and policies to evaluate reinstatement. Reinstatement requests may be submitted and approved for any academic quarter, and candidates for reinstatement should be evaluated independently of new applicants for admission. The Reinstatement Fee for approved reinstatement requests must be paid by the student no later than the last day instruction for the reinstatement quarter, and may not be paid by the graduate program.

All current Graduate School policies apply to reinstated students at the time of reinstatement, including time-to-degree policies. The Graduate School normally allows six years to complete requirements for a master’s degree and ten years for a doctoral degree. Periods spent On-Leave or out of status are included in this time frame. However, extending a student’s time-to-degree (time limit) is at the department’s discretion, if they are satisfied the student is making good progress towards their degree. Departments may process an exception on the student’s degree audit.

Additionally, a student eligible for reinstatement may instead submit a new application for admission if they will not be applying existing credits from their previous UW coursework towards the degree.

Students eligible for reinstatement who instead submit a new application for admission without prior departmental approval and notification to the Graduate School will have their application fee refunded and instead charged the $250 Reinstatement Fee.

Revised January 11, 2023

Graduate School Representative (GSR) Eligibility

In order to serve as a Graduate School Representative (GSR), the proposed candidate:

Must be a Graduate Faculty member with an endorsement to chair (check Graduate Faculty Locator).
Must be clear of any conflicts of interest (see below). The GSR is responsible for ensuring that no such conflicts of interest, or appearance of conflicts of interest, exist, and must attest to this upon request.

	Primary Appt.	Joint Appt.	Affiliate Appt.	Adjunct Appt.
Proposed GSR has appt in student’s/committee chair’s dept	No	No	No	Yes
Proposed GSR does not have appt in student’s/committee chair’s dept	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Proposed GSR has conflict of interest*	No	No	No	No

Yes = eligible to serve
No = not eligible to serve

Budgetary relationships, personal relationships, or research and/or publication relationships between the GSR and either the student or the committee chair are examples of possible conflicts of interest.

Graduate On-Leave Status

Graduate students are required to maintain graduate status during their program of study. Failure to maintain this status requires reinstatement to the University of Washington. Students who desire to take a quarter or quarters off without going through the reinstatement process must apply for on-leave status for each quarter they do not register. For complete details regarding the on-leave policy, refer to Policy 3.5.

On-leave Eligibility

Must be a graduate student in good standing.
Must have been registered or on-leave the previous quarter.
Must satisfy any graduate program policies pertaining to going/remaining on-leave.
Must have registered for at least one quarter of graduate study at UW and have approval from their graduate program.
Must request this leave on a quarterly basis.
Students on F-1 & J-1 visas should review International Student Services’ webpages on Time Off to ensure they understand the enrollment requirements and exceptions related to their visas.
Pre-registered students must officially withdraw via MyUW or the Registration office prior to the first day of the quarter. Registered students are not eligible for on-leave status.

Students on leave are entitled to:

return as a graduate student to the graduate program
use University libraries
maintain access to the UW email account
use Hall Health Primary Care Center on a pay-for-service basis
use the IMA with additional fee (UW Seattle campus students only)

Students on leave are not entitled to:

faculty and staff counsel/resources (very limited counsel/resources are permitted)
examinations of any type (except for language competency)
thesis/dissertation filing
University housing
student insurance
financial assistance

Procedure for Requesting Leave

Beginning September 28, 2011, students requesting on-leave status must submit an online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program. Students do not request leave for Summer Quarter. (Summer quarter On-Leave enrollment is automatic for all graduate students who were either registered or officially On-Leave during the prior Spring Quarter.)

Deadlines: Each quarter, students can submit the request as early as two weeks prior to the first day of instruction and must submit payment of the non-refundable fee no later than 5:00 p.m. PST on the last day of the quarter (students planning to request loan deferment, see section below).
The following students may request up to three consecutive quarters of leave at one time: Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) students, military personnel with deployment orders, UW Fulbright grantees, and Bonderman Travel grantees.
Payment: all students pay for on-leave, with the exception of military personnel on deployment orders (deploying students must still log onto MyGrad to “Pay” after receiving the departmental approval email, but they will be exempted from payment at the last step).

Students Requesting Loan Deferment

Students who are officially on-leave for reasons related to their educational study (internship, Peace Corps, dissertation research, etc.) are expected to communicate with their lenders if they will come out of their grace period due to lack of enrollment.
Students should plan to complete the on-leave process by submitting payment of the fee no later than 5:00 p.m. PST by the 2nd Friday of the quarter.
Students who are officially on-leave by the 2nd Friday of the quarter will have their on-leave status reported to the National Student Clearinghouse.
Additional information can be found at Enrollment Verification and Degree Certification.

Note: The Required Off-Site Education Approval (R.O.S.E.) process has been discontinued as of Summer Quarter 2017.

Domestic Students

Complete and submit the online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program. Student will receive a confirmation email that the request has been submitted.
Request will be reviewed and approved by the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator (faculty advisor). Upon approval, students will receive a confirmation email that the department has approved the request.
Return to MyGrad Program to pay the $25.00 non-refundable quarterly On-Leave fee via MasterCard or Visa credit card. Students will receive a confirmation email that their quarterly leave has been processed and their registration status for that quarter is “On-Leave.”
Print confirmation of on-leave verification to be presented for access to the UW libraries and IMA.

International Students

Students on F-1 & J-1 visas should review International Student Services’ webpages on Time Off to ensure they understand the enrollment requirements and exceptions related to their visas.
Complete and submit the online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program.
Request will be reviewed and approved by the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator (faculty advisor). Upon approval, students will receive a confirmation email that the department has approved the request.
Return to MyGrad Program to pay the $25.00 non-refundable quarterly On-Leave fee via MasterCard or Visa credit card. Students will receive a confirmation email that their quarterly leave has been processed and their registration status for that quarter is “On-Leave.”
Print confirmation of on-leave verification to be presented for access to the UW libraries and IMA.

Reinstatement to the Graduate School

Students previously registered in the Graduate School who have failed to maintain graduate student status (on-leave status was not secured or registration was not maintained) but wish to resume studies within the same degree program must file a request for reinstatement to the Graduate School. Requests will first be reviewed and approved by the department. Once the department has approved the request and the Graduate School has confirmed students’ eligibility for reinstatement, students will be notified to pay a non—refundable reinstatement fee before registering for the requested quarter of reinstatement.

For questions regarding on-leave status, please contact the Graduate Program Advisor within your graduate program and/or Graduate Enrollment Management Services at uwgrad@u.washington.edu or 206.685.2630.

Revised January 23, 2023