General Requirements for a Master’s Degree

The master’s degree is conferred upon satisfactory completion of a curriculum of a minimum of 30 graduate units (5000-level courses). Graduate degrees may require a thesis, directed research, comprehensive examination, and/or seminar project approved by the advisor. For current information regarding specific degree requirements for each degree, please see review the program website.

The minimum residency requirement for a full-time graduate student is one year (generally two semesters and one summer). A graduate student has six years from the date of initial enrollment in which to complete their graduate program.

Degree candidates must maintain a GPA of 3.0 (‘B’) or better in their degree program. A grade of ‘P’ (Pass) in a graduate course is equivalent to a minimum 3.0 (‘B’) or better.

Up to 12 units of Dominican graduate courses taken during a student’s Dominican University of California undergraduate study may be used to fulfill pre-approved graduate degree requirements by petition to the Program Director and Dean of the graduate program.

Thesis Continuation for Graduate Students

Most graduate programs have a specified Capstone or Thesis/Project course. These vary in number and unit value by program, depending on the nature of the discipline and the methodology the faculty have determined best for the completion of the thesis or project. Certain programs do not permit additional time for thesis continuation and students are responsible for knowing their respective policies on continuation.

Some graduate programs do permit students who do not complete the thesis/project within the program’s normal course sequence to register for one semester of thesis continuation. There is a fee charged for thesis continuation, which is in addition to tuition for any other courses in which the student may be enrolled. Thesis Continuation is a zero-unit, ungraded activity, therefore, it is not eligible for financial aid or loan deferment, and does not constitute enrollment at the university. Students who do not complete the thesis or project during the program's regular course sequence receive a ‘PR’ (in-progress) grade. When the student successfully completes the thesis or capstone project, the ‘PR’ grade is replaced by the final grade. Thesis continuation may not be repeated.

If the student does not complete the work at the end of the thesis continuation semester, a ‘UF’ replaces the ‘PR’ grade in the program’s thesis or capstone project course. If the student receives a ‘UF’ and later wants to return to the university to complete the thesis/project, they must have the approval of the Program Director to re-enroll in the capstone thesis/project course for the appropriate number of units* and pay at the tuition rate then applicable.

*The appropriate number of units should be calculated based on the amount and the quality of the remaining work to be done, and on the estimated time it will take for the student and the faculty reader(s) to complete their required work.