1. minimum of 30 graduate credits, of which not more than 6 credits (12 credits for M.F.A. students) of grade B or better may be transferred from other institutions with the consent of the candidate's major department and approval of the Graduate Dean. These transfer credits must have been awarded within three years of a student's entrance into the master's degree program. A minimum of 21 credits must be in the major field, unless a higher number is required by the student's program. If a thesis option is chosen, at least 6 credits must be earned in 600-800 series courses (at this University) in addition to any thesis credits, and Independent Study courses shall be limited to 6 credits (12 credits for M.F.A. students). If a thesis is not offered, at least 12 credits must be earned (at this University) in 600-800 series courses. A minimum of half the required credits for a master's degree in each department must be on a letter graded basis; some or all of the remaining number of credit hours toward the degree may be graded Satisfactory (SAT), subject to the approval of the student's department. The option as to which courses may be taken on a SAT/fail basis rests with the department/school rather than with the individual candidate. Transfer credits cannot be used as part of the required component of one-half credits of letter grades. No more than 10 credits may be earned by means of a thesis.
2. The thesis is optional with the school or department; if one is required, however, it shall be under the supervision of a Thesis Committee. This committee shall consist of one or more members of the Graduate Faculty appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Graduate Program Director or the Head or Chair of the Department. A copy of the candidate's thesis outline must be signed by each member of the Thesis Committee to indicate that the outline has been approved. A signed copy of the thesis outline shall be sent to the Graduate Dean four months prior to the thesis defense. The thesis must be approved by the Thesis Committee and the Department Chair or Head.
3. Candidates who do not write a thesis may be required to pass a general examination (written or oral), depending on program requirements. The Examining Committee usually consists of three graduate faculty members, and the positive recommendation of at least two of the three members of the Examining Committee shall be requisite to receiving the degree.
4. Candidates for the doctoral or master's/doctoral degree may apply for the master's degree when they have fulfilled normal requirements in their Department/School for the master's degree.
5. Foreign language requirements for the master's degree are optional with the school or department.
6. Course credits used previously to fulfill the requirements for any prior degree may not be used for fulfilling requirements for any master's degree at this University.
7. The Statute of Limitations (maximum time period in which to earn the master's degree) is four calendar years from acceptance into the program, with the exception of the M.F.A. program and the part-time off-campus programs in labor studies and management, each of whose period is five years. Dual master's degrees are given five years unless otherwise noted in the program description.
8. Any Graduate School regulation or procedure shall not preclude graduate programs from developing specific regulations or procedures which are more restrictive or selective.

The Master of Arts in Teaching program is primarily for those who do not have adequate academic preparation nor appropriate teaching experience but do hold a bachelor's degree and wish to become effective teachers either at the secondary school or community/junior college level. The M.A.T. program leads to a terminal degree combining professional aspects of the M.Ed. degree with the academic tradition of the M.S./M.A. degree. A minimum of 39 credits are required for the secondary school option, and 45 credits for the community/junior college option. Specific credit requirements are detailed in the program descriptions. A maximum of 9 graduate credits of grade B or better from another accredited institution may be applied toward the degree, upon recommendation by one of the participating programs (Spanish, Classics, French and Italian) and approval by the Graduate Dean.

The Master of Fine Arts degree program is designed particularly for those interested in the creative aspects of the arts and may be obtained in the Department of Art for work in the visual arts, the Department of English for work in creative writing, or the Department of Theater for work in dramatic art. The basic requirements for the degree are:

1. 60 credits at the graduate level. Not more than 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions upon recommendation of the department and approval of the Graduate Dean. No more than 18 credits may be earned for the thesis.
2. The exact nature of the thesis project will be determined by the student's major adviser in conference with the student. It is to be understood that the student will produce a work in the creative arts. A written analysis of the work itself and of the procedures used in producing it is required. The candidate will be asked to pass an examination in the major field in addition to presenting the thesis project publicly.

Dual master's degree programs are designed upon the request of two cooperating programs. All degree requirements for each program must be completed. The total number of credits for the dual degree program must be at least 60 credits of which no fewer than 30 credits must come from each of the two programs. If either of the cooperating degree programs requires a thesis, a thesis will be required under the dual degree option. The thesis should address a topic which is derived from the rationale for the dual degree. In order for a student to be permitted to exercise the dual degree option, they must meet the entrance requirements of each individual program and be admitted by both programs. Both degrees must be awarded concurrently. The Statute of Limitations for completion of a dual degree option shall be five years. A student who does not complete both courses of study required by the cooperating programs may be awarded one master's degree upon completion of the program requirements for one of the two programs.

The requirements for the master's thesis are the same as those for the doctoral dissertation, with the following exceptions:

1. The Chair or Head of the Department shall submit nominations to the Graduate Dean for a Thesis Committee. This committee may consist of one, two, or three members, all of whom must be members of the University of Massachusetts Graduate Faculty. After the Thesis Committee has been appointed by the Graduate Dean, it shall review the candidate's proposed thesis outline. When accepted, all members shall sign a cover sheet indicating approval. The thesis outline, with the cover sheet bearing the signatures of the committee members and the date of the Thesis Committee's meeting with the candidate, will be forwarded to the Graduate Dean by the Graduate Program Director at least four months prior to the thesis defense. All candidates who prepare a thesis must pass a thesis examination, not necessarily limited to the thesis topic, and administered by the Thesis Committee.
2. The candidate shall submit the thesis to the Graduate School in electronic format following the online instructions by the deadline for the appropriate degree period. Both the Thesis Committee and the Graduate School must approve the final format and appearance. The thesis will be made available through the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and branch libraries. Some departments also require a bound copy for their own files.
3. The Degree Eligibility form and one original signed, paper signature page for the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadline for the appropriate degree period.

The departmental* Graduate Program Director is responsible for the following, all within the guidelines of the Graduate School and the candidate's graduate studies program:

1. Approving the candidate's program of courses.
2. Approving the procedure for satisfying the language requirements, if any.
3. Arranging for the candidate's preliminary comprehensive examination.
4. Reporting fulfillment of the above requirements to the Head/Chair of the Department, and to the Graduate School.

As soon as the student has passed the preliminary comprehensive examination, the Department Head/Chair or Graduate Program Director of the candidate's major department* shall recommend to the Dean of the Graduate School the names of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty to serve as a Dissertation Committee. At least two of the Graduate Faculty so nominated, including the committee Chair, shall be from the candidate's major department.* One member shall be appointed from outside the candidate's department* but from within the University community. Without exception, the outside member shall be a voting member of the Dissertation Committee.

It shall be the responsibility of the Dissertation Committee to approve the dissertation project, to supervise its execution, and to arrange and attend the final examination of the student. All members of the Dissertation Committee must tentatively approve the dissertation before the final oral examination is scheduled and agree that it is time for this examination to be held. Attendance at the final oral examination is open to all members of the candidate's major department and any member of the Graduate Faculty. However, only members of the Dissertation Committee may cast votes. A unanimous vote of the Dissertation Committee is required for the student to pass the final oral examination. If, at the final examination, two members of the Dissertation Committee cast negative votes, the candidate will be informed that he or she has not passed the examination. If there is but one negative vote, the degree will be held up pending action of the Graduate Council.

*Refers to administrative entity for which degree has been authorized (i.e., department, program, school, etc.).

A cooperative Ph.D. program is offered by Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The degree is awarded by this University, but the dissertation advisor may be on the faculty of one of the other participating institutions. Departments authorized to offer the cooperative Ph.D. degree are: all departments in Geology, Physics, and Astronomy. Admission to these cooperative programs is handled like admissions to all other graduate programs at the University.

In addition to the other requirements of the Graduate School, a candidate for the degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) must complete an acceptable dissertation. The dissertation qualifies for acceptance when it satisfies the following criteria: (1) It should demonstrate the candidate's intellectual competence and maturity in the field of concentration; (2) It should make an original and valid contribution to human knowledge; (3) It should be an individual achievement and the product of independent research.

Although doctoral dissertations may result from a project involving collaboration of several scholars or scientists, the individual contribution of each doctoral candidate must be substantial and clearly identifiable. The length of the dissertation is governed by the nature of its subject matter.

The dissertation in its completed form will be judged largely upon the ability of the candidate to review and make critical use of the literature; to formulate a problem, plan a method of attack, and work systematically toward a solution; to summarize the material or data, and draw conclusions based thereon. Scholastic attainment in writing and presenting the results of the study will be crucial. The goal of the dissertation is to make a contribution to knowledge. It should be of publishable quality.

The following rules shall be adhered to in preparation and presentation of a dissertation:

1. The professor responsible for the direction of the student's research shall be the Chair of the candidate's Dissertation Committee. Only members of the Graduate Faculty may be appointed to this committee.
2. It is the responsibility of the Chair of the Dissertation Committee to arrange a conference with other members of the committee and the candidate to discuss the research problem before approving the dissertation prospectus.
3. A copy of the candidate's dissertation prospectus must be signed by each member of the Dissertation Committee and Department Chair/Head or Graduate Program Director to indicate that the prospectus has been approved and that a conference with the candidate has been held. The signed copy of the prospectus shall then be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School, via the candidate's Graduate Program Director.
4. Prior to arranging for the final preparation of dissertations, candidates should refer to the Guidelines for Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.
5. The Dissertation Committee is responsible for preparation of an acceptable dissertation. The dissertation must have the tentative approval of this Committee and the approval of the Department Head or Chairman before arrangements are made for the final oral examination for the degree.
6. Because of the time required to give adequate consideration to the research, it is important that the dissertation be submitted to the Dissertation Committee at least one month before the Graduate School degree-granting deadlines.
7. Although different disciplines have distinctive research and presentation styles, the Guidelines for Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations must be followed in order to achieve the maximum uniformity possible. Both the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate School must approve the final format and appearance. The candidate shall submit the dissertation to the Graduate School in electronic format following the online instructions by the deadline for the appropriate degree period. The dissertation will be made available through the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and branch libraries. Some departments require a bound copy for their own file as well.
8. The Degree Eligibility form and one original signature page for the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadline for the appropriate degree-granting period.
9. The University of Massachusetts Amherst requires that all dissertations be copyrighted by placing a copyright notice in all copies of the work. Registration of the copyright is optional. Further information concerning copyright is available at http://www.copyright.gov.

The dissertation will be cataloged in the Library of Congress and in the University of Massachusetts Library. This does not preclude the printing of the dissertation in whole or in part in a journal or as a monograph.

For additional information, refer to individual program listings in this Bulletin. Any Graduate School regulation or procedure shall not preclude graduate programs from developing specific regulations or procedures which are more restrictive or selective.