Final Course Requirements (Comprehensive Exam and Capstones)

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

Before a student can be registered for their end of program course, they will need to:

• Have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Have 80% completed in their 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.  Students should work with their Academic Advisor on their 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 a critical reflection paper

Students should review the EOP Manual for a full explanation of each option. A student's Academic Plan will describe the End of Program Assessments that are available for their 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. Students should review 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.