The Graduate School Handbook
The Graduate School Handbook contains most of the policies and procedures of the Graduate School, as established by the actions of the Administrative Board of the Graduate School over a period of years. Each student should become familiar with the material pertaining to his or her degree program, and, together with a faculty advisor, make certain that the chosen program of study complies with all policies.
Section I of this Handbook contains information related to graduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill, including a description of the Graduate School and its Academic Policy Committee, a staff directory, and links to graduate education references. Section II describes the policies and procedures pertaining to the general academic requirements of the Graduate School. Section III provides a detailed outline of requirements for the Master’s and Doctoral degrees. All graduate degree-granting entities at UNC-Chapel Hill including departments, curricula, schools, and programs will be referred to as academic programs throughout this Handbook.
Although we have attempted to include most of the regulations governing graduate academic programs, many programs have additional requirements and regulations of their own. Sometimes these requirements are more stringent than the general requirements of the Graduate School.
The Graduate School reserves the right to make changes to this Handbook at any time. In instances of discrepancy between this document and the Graduate Record, this Handbook takes precedence.
It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of, and comply with all regulations, policies, procedures, and deadlines.
Changes and Updates to the Current Edition
Changes to the current edition of The Graduate School Handbook include:
- Provided students with information and recommendations for thesis and dissertation printing options.
- Clarified the language on extensions of the degree time limits for master’s and doctoral degrees.
- Updated the language on applications to graduate to indicate that an application should only be submitted when the student realistically expects to graduate that semester.
- Clarified the procedures for holding an individual examination outside the normally scheduled time or via distance-based capabilities.