A graduate degree program is a combination of courses and related activities organized under the authority of a dean, the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education, Graduate Council, the Provost and the Board of Trustees for the attainment of broad educational objectives leading toward a post-baccalaureate degree.

In general, with the exception of students in the dual undergraduate-graduate program, graduate students must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university before matriculation in a graduate program. However, with approval from the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education, students who have already earned a master’s degree, but not a bachelor’s degree, may in rare cases, matriculate without a bachelor’s degree.