Degree Candidacy
The Degree Candidacy Approval form initiates the process by which the Graduate School, in conjunction with the program director, attests to the appropriateness of the program plan and the potential of the student to obtain the related academic and professional competencies. Candidacy must be approved before the student applies to graduate. At the time of filing, the following conditions must exist:
- The student is on full academic standing.
- The student and program director will verify that the “expected outcomes of the graduate residency experience” have been met by signing the Degree Candidacy Approval form.
- A program plan has been approved by the program director.
The Degree Candidacy Approval form must be accompanied by the Approved Program Plan and an unofficial UW-Stout graduate transcript. If transfer credit is involved, the Request to Transfer Credit form and transcripts must be attached or on file in the Graduate Office. Degree candidacy requires the approval of the program director, and the Office of Graduate Studies Director.
Meeting the Research Requirement
Individual programs have various options for meeting the research requirement.
The student initiates the process by which the research adviser is identified by filing the Appointment of Research Adviser/Chair and Committee form at the Graduate Office.
Research advisers must be members of the graduate faculty. A current listing may be obtained online.
The completed research report (including the abstract) must be submitted to the Graduate School on or before the last day of the term in which graduation is expected. This submission should be made via email by either the student or the research adviser, with the other party being copied on the submission email. Formatting requirements can be found on the Graduate Studies website Research Guide page (Templates tab).
All research advisers and graduate students whose research includes human subjects, must complete UW-Stout’s human subjects training online before submitting any protocols to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review and approval. These changes are designed to bring UW-Stout into compliance with current federal regulations regarding research which involves human subjects. See the Protection of Human Subjects in Research page on the Research Services website for more information.
Once the training has been completed, students must complete the IRB Protocol request form (available online). Submit the completed form, including required signatures and other required materials, to Research Services, by emailing to IRB@uwstout.edu.
The student’s request will be reviewed by an IRB member within ten working days. If there are any corrections or modifications, the student should resubmit the request and it will be reviewed by an IRB member within ten working days. The request would go through the full IRB only if the reviewer suggests it and they meet once a month. Once a student’s request has been approved, they may begin data collection.
Graduation
Candidates must apply to graduate via Access Stout at the beginning of the term in which they expect to graduate. The Degree Candidacy Approval form must have been submitted prior to or at the time of applying to graduate.
To file, the candidate must be on full academic standing and must meet all program requirements as specified in the Graduate Bulletin at the time that the program plan was approved by the program director. The Graduate School and the program director will certify that all requirements have been met. The diploma will be mailed to the student two to three months after the end of the term of graduation. Candidates that require certification of graduation earlier may request a transcript from the Registration and Records Office. A candidate will be recorded as “graduated” at the end of the term in which all program requirements were completed, including the filing of the research report in the graduate office, and its approval by the director, Office of Graduate Studies.
Candidates may participate in the graduation ceremony if all requirements have been met except the filing of the research report. This assumes that the candidate has enrolled for the required research course where applicable. Students must understand, however, that they have not earned their degree until all program requirements have been met/completed.
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