Statute of Limitations / Expected Graduation Term : Graduate School : UMass Amherst

Expected Graduation Term

The Expected Graduation Term is the last term during which a student is allowed to register before their Statute of Limitations expires. Students who submit a Degree Eligibility Form will see their Expected Graduation Term adjusted to the actual expected graduation term. For example: Expected Grad Term of Summer 2022 means that you are eligible to register through the Summer 2022 semester, and that your Statute of Limitations expires at the end of summer 2019 (August 31, 2022).

Statute of Limitations

Graduate degree programs set the expectations regarding the time it should take a student to complete the milestones for their degree. These constitute the normative measures of progress for that specific program. Degree programs should be monitoring progress and providing feedback annually. Students who do not meet the norms of their program should be notified and may be at risk of dismissal.

Degree programs may allow a student to continue when facing unavoidable delays. However, the Statute of Limitations (SOL) refers to the maximum period of time a student can take to achieve their master’s degree, doctoral candidacy, and defense. The SOL limits can be found here in Graduate Student Handbook.

If a student exceeds the SOL maximum, continuance in the program requires a request from the Graduate Program Director and approval by the Dean of the Graduate School. All SOL extension requests must explain the reasons for the delay, describe the milestones or work to be accomplished, and provide a schedule of mentor meetings. Renewals of the SOL extension must show satisfactory and reasonable progress is being made. See the steps for submitting a request here.

Master's degrees for students admitted starting Summer 2015

SOL's are set to four (4) years with the exceptions noted below;
for an M.F.A. degree, the SOL is five (5) years;
for all part-time off-campus programs, the SOL is five (5) years;
for dual master's degrees, the SOL is five (5) years unless otherwise noted in the program description.

Master's degrees for students admitted prior to Summer 2015

SOL's are set to three (3) years with the exceptions noted below;
for an M.F.A. degree, the SOL is four (4) years;
for part-time off-campus programs in engineering, labor studies, management, music education, nursing, nutrition, and public health practice, the SOL is four (4) years;
for dual master's degrees, the SOL is four (4) years unless otherwise noted in the program description.

Doctoral degrees for students admitted starting in Summer 2009

for new doctoral students starting in Summer 2009, the SOL is set at six (6) years prior to achieving candidacy and five (5) years once candidacy is achieved.

Doctoral degrees for students admitted starting Summer 2004 and prior to Summer 2009

prior to achieving candidacy, the SOL was set as indicated below;
after achieving candidacy, the SOL is re-set to five (5) years.

Doctoral degrees for students admitted prior to Summer 2004

for doctoral students without an earned master's degree in their major field, the SOL was set at six (6) years;
for doctoral students with a related master's degree, the SOL was set to four (4) years.

Candidacy for Doctoral Students

Candidacy is recommended for doctoral students by the academic department upon satisfactory completion of coursework and passing the qualifying examination.

Statute of Limitations / Expected Graduation Term