Graduate | PA |

Additional Requirements

On this page: GPA | Advancement to Candidacy | Comprehensive Examination | Research Paper/Project | Time Limit

In addition, Bowie State University graduate students must meet the following requirements:

GPA

Achieve a cumulative grade point average of B (3.0) or higher for all BSU graduate course work.

Top of Page

Advancement to Candidacy

Advancement to candidacy is a major step in fulfilling the requirements for the master’s degree. The program director will review students’ records to determine eligibility for advancement to candidacy. To advance to candidacy, students must:

1. Being fully admitted.
2. Complete the first 15 credits of courses with BSU with a GPA of at least 3.25. Should the required average not be attained, advancement to candidacy will be denied. Students who fail to advance to candidacy may be granted permission by the program director to repeat one course.
3. Remove all marks of Incomplete (I).
4. Satisfy all undergraduate prerequisites.

Students must be advanced to candidacy before taking the comprehensive examination.

Top of Page

Comprehensive Examination

Students must successfully complete a written graduate comprehensive examination and are encouraged to take the examination as soon as they are eligible. To qualify for the examination, students must have:

1. Completed at least 24 graduate credits of coursework including four of the following courses: PUAD 601, MGMT 511, INSS 630, PUAD 502, and MGMT 584.
2. Advanced to candidacy.
3. A minimum GPA of 3.0.
4. Removed all marks of Incomplete (I).

Students are eligible to take the comprehensive examination twice. Students who fail twice may appeal in writing to the program director for permission to take the comprehensive examination a third and final time. This appeal must be made within 30 days of the notification of the second failure.

Examination dates and deadlines:

The Comprehensive Examination Application can be obtained online on MyUMUC under MyAcademics. When the application to take the examination is approved, students are subscribed to the comprehensive examination electronic conference.

The comprehensive examination is normally scheduled at locations in Europe where graduate classes are offered. If a student is not able to take it at one of these scheduled locations, the student is responsible for making proctor arrangements, following Graduate Programs guidelines.

Research Paper

Students must successfully complete the research paper required in PUAD 704 Evaluation Research. The comprehensive examination must be taken prior to beginning the research paper.

Top of Page

Time Limit

All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within a seven-year period, as established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland. The scheduled time may be computed by noting the date of admission to the Graduate School or by noting the date when credits allowed in transfer were taken, whichever is earlier. The seven-year period is computed on calendar time. An extension will be granted automatically if a required course is not offered during the last term of a student’s seven-year period.