Admission to graduate study is not tantamount to admission to candidacy for a graduate degree. Students are admitted to candidacy by vote of the Graduate Faculty. Before a student can be admitted to candidacy for the master's degree he/she must have:

• secured an Admission to Candidacy form from the Office of the Dean for completion by a departmental representative. The student must submit a list of graduate courses completed, being taken, and yet to be pursued in the field;
• completed 12 credits in graduate courses;
• passed the qualifying examination administered by the department concerned (where applicable);
• satisfactorily demonstrated proficiency in expository writing to the Office of Educational Affairs;
• passed the foreign language examination or fulfilled the approved substitute (where applicable);
• chosen a suitable research problem for a thesis subject, or indicated the optional requirement;
• received the recommendation of the student's major department;
• secured the approval of the Executive Committee of the Graduate School. Admission to candidacy must be achieved at least six weeks prior to the end of the semester in which the student expects to receive the master's degree. No exception to this rule will be made.

Candidacy for the master's degree shall be valid for no more than three calendar years. Any student whose candidacy has expired may apply to the Executive Committee of the Graduate School for readmission. The department in which the student is seeking the degree shall determine the conditions under which he or she may be reinstated, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Graduate School.

The responsibility for fulfilling these requirements on time is that of the student. Students should consult the dean of the Graduate School if in doubt as to any of the requirements. Students should note carefully the specific requirements of their departments relative to admission to candidacy and regard them as additional to these general requirements.