The University of Toledo

College of Graduate Studies Policy on Time Limitation for Degrees

According to the University of Toledo General Catalog, it is the policy that credit applied towards the master’s degree and education specialist degree must have been earned within the period of six years immediately preceding the time the degree is awarded, credit applied for the doctoral degree must have been earned within seven years immediately preceding the time the degree is awarded (combined M.D./Ph.D. program limit is ten years).  Certificate programs must be completed within four years.

Request for Extension of Time
An extension of the time limit for the degree may be requested by a student by written petition to the College of Graduate Studies.  While exceptions may be warranted, students who exceed the norm shall be required to justify in writing their request for an extension. A one-year extension may be requested.  Further requests for extension may require course recertification.  All extensions must be recommended by the departmental faculty through internal departmental and college processes, with final review and approval by the College of Graduate Studies. 

Request for Suspension of Time Limit
A suspension of the time limit for the degree may be requested by a student by written petition to the College of Graduate Studies. Suspensions will be granted only in emergency situations (medical procedures, military active duty, etc.) and students shall be required to justify their request with appropriate documentation. These suspensions must be approved by the departmental faculty through its own internal processes, usually including a written memorandum stating the reasons for the request for a suspension of time, approved by the student’s advisor and the Dean of the College, and then given to the College of Graduate Studies for final review.

Out-of-Date Coursework
Requests for extensions beyond one year require additional information and supporting documentation.  The central consideration in determining whether more time can be allowed is whether the student’s knowledge of the subject matter is current at the time of graduation.  For students in a master’s, education specialist, or certificate program, there are several ways this may be demonstrated including:
• The student is teaching the subject matter in a separate context.
• The student has been examined (written or oral) by a current instructor of the course to determine his/her currency of knowledge.
• The student will be examined on the subject matter during his/her final oral defense of the thesis or during the comprehensive exam.
• Passing a more advanced course in the same subject area that clearly utilizes and builds upon the work of the lower level course.
• Publishing scholarly research demonstrating substantial knowledge of the course content.
• Completion of an independent study to address a particular deficiency.
• Professional development activities and/or professional experiences that are documented by evidence such as samples of work related projects relevant to course content with an explanation for how they are applied on the job.
For students in doctoral programs, advisors are asked to explain how the committee will certify that the student’s knowledge of the appropriate content will be current at the time the degree will be granted.

Graduate Readmission
If a student exceeds the time allotted for the degree or fails to register for courses for two consecutive terms (exclusive of summer), the matriculation for that student will be closed.  If the student wishes to be readmitted to his/her program, the student must apply for readmission.  The readmission application will include a new plan of study showing all courses from the original admission and the readmission that will be used towards the degree and written statements from both the student and advisor.  Any courses that will be out-of-date at the time of expected graduation must be re-certified as described above.  Students readmitted will be responsible to complete their degree requirements under the catalog rules in effect at the time of readmission, unless specific approval indicating prior catalog rules will be applied.