Northeastern State University
Graduation
Degree Check
A degree check must be requested by graduate students the semester prior to their final enrollment. The request is made to the Graduate College Office in Tahlequah in person, by fax, mail or phone. Because of the volume of other activity, degree checks are not done during enrollment, drop/add periods or grade recording. The optimum time for requesting a degree check is between the second and fourteenth week of a regular semester and the second and fifth week of a summer session. Students should allow two weeks for the degree check to be completed. Download the Final Degree Check Application or pick one up at the Graduate College Office.
Application for Master’s Degree
Degrees are conferred at the close of the summer, fall and spring semesters. Candidates for a degree must file an Application for Master’s Degree. The application fee is $15. The degree application form may be picked up in the Graduate College Office in Tahlequah or at the NSU campuses at Broken Arrow and Muskogee. The application must be submitted by March 1 for summer, October 1 for fall and February 1 for spring. Download the Application for Master's Degree or pick one up at the Graduate College Office.
Capstone Experience
All degree programs require a learning experience beyond the specified minimum hours of course work. This learning experience is a culminating activity termed a Capstone Experience. The Capstone encourages the use of skills learned and knowledge gained to demonstrate competency in one or more areas of the degree discipline. Since Capstone Experience options differ with each program, see the specific degree program in the Graduate Catalog for the options, guidelines, and deadlines for completing the Capstone.
Capstone Experiences include:
- Comprehensive examination which may be oral or written or a combination
- Research paper, project or portfolio
- Thesis
- Synergistic Experience
- Additional specified course work or capstone course approved by advisor and Dean of the Graduate College
- Second internship
- Other as approved by advisor, advisory committee, and the Dean of the Graduate College.
Research Paper/Project/Thesis
The guidelines for Thesis/Research Papers articulate specifics related to the approach of such.
These works are research records, not confidential student records, and become the property of the University. Northeastern State University will place approved manuscripts in the John Vaughn Library making them available to other researchers.
Graduation
Degrees are conferred at the end of summer, fall and spring semesters. Students completing degree requirements at the end of the summer session may participate in the spring commencement.
An Application for Graduation form will be mailed to the student along with the results of the degree check. The Application for Graduation form and the required fee should be returned to the Graduate College Office, 601 N. Grand Ave. Tahlequah, OK 74464-2399. Students finishing in the Spring semester would make application for graduation by February 1, for Summer by March 1, and for Fall by October 1. Payment should be made payable to NSU Business Office.
Degrees are recorded on the student’s transcripts. Diplomas will be mailed to the student approximately twelve weeks after the conferral date. If you do not receive your diploma, please contact the Office of Admissions and Records at 918-456-5511 ext. 2200.
Final Deadline for Completing All Graduation Requirements
For the academic record (transcript) to indicate a degree completion during the semester for which the student applied, all paperwork must be in the Graduate College office prior to one week following the close of the semester. This paperwork includes: all grades; incompletes; official transcripts of course work completed at other schools; final approved research papers, projects, theses, and capstone experiences; notifications of comprehensive examinations. If all requirements are not met, the student must reapply for graduation.
Second Master's Degree
A second master’s degree may be earned by completing the required courses for the degree including the minimum number of hours required for the degree. The calculation for the number of hours begins with the first hour completed after the first master’s degree was awarded.
If some of the courses required for the second degree were completed as part of the first degree, the course work must be either substituted with other comparable course work or repeated, depending upon the advisor’s recommendation based on the age, content, and grades of the course work. The research course must be repeated if the course will be more than six years old upon the receipt of the second master’s degree.
Commencement Ceremony
Information regarding the Commencement Ceremony will be posted on the NSU website, at the beginning of the month the ceremony is to take place. You may also view the NSU Calendar for additional information in advance. Information regarding cap, gown, announcements, etc. should be directed to the NSU Bookstore at 918-456-5511, ext. 2510.
The Tahlequah campus offers a Spring and Fall commencement ceremony.
The Broken Arrow campus offers a Spring commencement ceremony.
© Northeastern State University
Graduate College Office | 601 N. Grand Ave. | Tahlequah, OK 74464 | USA
Phone: 918-458-2093 | Fax: 918-444-2295