Policies, Procedures and Forms for Graduate Students in Psychology

Graduate students must formally notify the department and university that they intend to graduate at the beginning of their final semester. Officially, graduation is the conferral of a degree, it is not in reference to commencement, which is a celebration of graduation.

Please follow the Office of Registrar Procedures to apply for degree conferral (graduate).

The Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPC) will monitor your Degree Requirements for degree conferral once you submit your intention to graduate.

Please see additional information about University Commencement activities at gmu.edu/graduation .  

All graduate students in a master’s or doctoral degree program must register and pay associated tuition and fees each term until the degree is awarded. While uncommon, a student may find it necessary to take a documented leave of absence for any number of reasons. Although not required, a documented leave of absence from the university can pause your time limit to degree, while an unofficial leave will not “stop your clock” so to speak. An official leave of absence will also make it possible for you to enroll in the next semester without additional administrative processes (usually). There are many things to consider when taking a leave of absence so it is important that you communicate with first your advisor and then your department leadership (see Department Contact section of the handbook) to discuss moving forward with the request. There are processes that will be affected by the period of absence and it is important that you discuss that with the department. Please carefully review the University policy on the possible Leave of Absence options and note that each will require advanced notification of leave request (usually 6 weeks prior to the start of the semester).

If a student takes an unofficial leave of absence (does not enroll in courses for a semester) they will be inactivated by the Office of the Registrar and will be required to request Permission to Reenroll to register in a future semester. The department can deny permission to reenroll if the student has not been in communication about their enrollment. Continuous registration is required in our MA and PhD programs.

Parental Leave of Absence

General Leave of Absence

Medical Leave of Absence

Course Registration and Degree Progress (Academic Record as a whole)– As a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, you are ultimately responsible for registration, degree progress and the review of your academic record. While faculty and staff do their best to identify any issues, inaccuracies, or inconsistencies when and if they arise, their main purpose is to advise and counsel, as well as assist students in unique circumstances. Generally, students at this level should be able and are expected to know their program requirements at the time they entered the program, review course registration by the last day to add or drop deadline each semester, and track their progress in their program while seeking/considering input from department affiliates (faculty advisor, program, Graduate Programs Coordinator, operations manager, etc) and requesting assistance when needed.

Students locate and register for courses each semester via PatriotWeb. An accurate schedule should be available about three to four weeks before registration for graduate students begins, however, late changes, additions and cancellations can and will happen due to unforeseen circumstances. Below is a list of common registration procedures/policies that affect graduate students in our department. Further detail can be found in the Registration Procedures section of your program's graduate student handbook. 

• Any student whose funding package includes a tuition waiver must report the number of credits they intend to enroll in each semester to the Operations Manager.
• Registration Holds – About 2 weeks before and up to registration, students should check their Patriot Web account for any registration holds that may be added to their account. Students must address these registration holds with the appropriate parties before registration. Contact information should be listed on the hold information.
• Department Approval Required – Some courses require department approval for registration. In these cases, you are required to reach out to the instructor of the course for an override. 
• On Time Registration - Students MUST register for at least ONE course before the start of each semester. George Mason imposes a late registration fee if your first and initial registration event occurs during or after the first day of the semester. 
• Course Changes or Cancelations - Please be vigilant of your email regarding course changes and registration until the semester begins. If there is an issue with a course section, department staff will reach out to students via the course roster or department student listserv.
•  Academic Credit Load – For full time status, graduate students must be registered for at least 9 credits of graduate level courses each semester, or 6 credits with a 20-hour assistantship. 
• Credit Overload – Graduate students are allowed to register for a maximum of 12 credits each semester. However, students who are required or choose to register for more than 12 credits each semester will need to initiate a Credit Overload Request before the beginning of the semester. 
• Course withdrawal – There may be times a student needs to withdraw from a course or withdraw from their program. For course withdrawals, students should be aware of the deadlines for dropping courses for any given semester.
• Voluntary Resignation from Program – If a student decides that they no longer wish to continue their graduate program, they should first discuss with their faculty advisor. Once discussed and the student wishes to move forward with a program withdrawal, they can submit their request online.

• Psychology Directed Reading and Research Courses (PSYC 597/897) – Course information for Directed Readings/Research is not published on the semester schedule of courses in Patriot Web.  These courses are individualized sections that are agreed upon by student and faculty advisor. Students who wish to register for these courses must submit the online Graduate Psychology Course Request Form.  While recommended for all, doctoral students MUST provide a title within 30 characters including spaces, that is relative to the content of the course or research. Directed Reading and Research coursework is allowed for comprehensive exam preparation for one semester only. Students should submit Graduate Psychology Course Request Form to the GPC before the first day of the semester for which registration will be recorded, but no less than 24 hours before the last day to add for the semester. 
• Practicum Experience (PSYC 730/792) - Course information for individual practicum is not published on the semester schedule of courses. Each program has different requirements for their practicum courses and students should refer to the sections that refer to this experience in the applicable program information in this handbook. Students should submit Graduate Psychology Course Request Form to the GPC before the first day of the semester for which registration will be recorded, but no less than 24 hours before the last day to add for the semester. Before submitting the course request, students must fill out and obtain signatures for the Experimental Learning Agreement form found on the George Mason University Office of Legal Counsel website under Internships/Externships. Forms require student signature, instructor of record signature (usually advisor) and site supervisor signature.
• Thesis or Dissertation Proposal (PSYC 798/998) – Course information for proposal is not published on the semester schedule of courses. Students should submit Graduate Psychology Course Request Form to the GPC before the first day of the semester for which registration will be recorded, but no less than 24 hours before the last day to add for the semester. CRN codes for proposal should always come from the GPC unless an alternative staff/faculty source has been identified. Students will not share CRN codes for proposal courses with any other student. 
• Final Thesis or Dissertation (PSYC 799/999) - Course information for final thesis or dissertation is not published on the semester schedule of courses. Students should submit Graduate Psychology Course Request Form to the GPC before the first day of the semester for which registration will be recorded. For first semester of registration, students MUST have a committee approved proposal filed with the GPC before registration in final thesis or dissertation is allowed. There are no exceptions to this policy. Students cannot switch registration from proposal to final thesis/dissertation mid semester and late registration is rarely, if ever allowed and must go through the University Provost for approval. CRN codes for final thesis/dissertation should always come from the GPC unless an alternative faculty/staff source has been identified. Students will not share CRN codes for thesis/dissertation courses with any other student.
  • In addition to above, doctoral students must be officially Advanced to Candidacy before they are allowed and able to register for PSYC 999. Advancement to Candidacy is a lengthy administrative process that follows the completion of required coursework (60 credits before dissertation credits) and passed comprehensive exams. This process is not immediate upon completion of those processes and students should reach out to the Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPC) to ensure that they are advancing in a timely manner for PSYC 999 registration. 

For more in depth details about the thesis or dissertation proposal process, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for your concentration. 

 The thesis/dissertation advisor will help to choose the members of the Thesis/Dissertation Committee. 

The Thesis Committee must consist of at least three members of the graduate faculty, with the thesis chair being a member of the program faculty. Only a graduate faculty member with a full-time appointment at George Mason may serve as chair. Other Mason faculty, as well as individuals from outside the university, may be appointed as an additional 4th member to the committee. Such appointments are made where the additional member’s expertise and contribution add value to the thesis, but appointment does not require graduate faculty status. Any students planning to have an external to GMU faculty must first review the procedures for these processes (scroll down to "Additional Committee Appointments") and then complete and submit the Thesis and Dissertation Committee Form to the Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPC) before they defend their thesis proposal. 

The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least three members of the graduate faculty, with the dissertation chair being a member of the program faculty. Only a graduate faculty member with a full-time appointment at George Mason may serve as dissertation chair. Please see policy requirements linked above for other committee appointments. It is the responsibility of the student and the dissertation chair to verify that all 3 required committee members are either graduate (tenure track) faculty or appointed to Graduate Faculty Status (see information below for procedural information). Any students planning to have an external to GMU faculty and/or those not appointed to graduate faculty status on their thesis or dissertation committees must first review the procedures (Scroll down to "Additional Committee Appointments")for these processes and then complete and submit the Thesis and Dissertation Committee Form to the Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPC) before they defend their dissertation proposal. 

Additional Committee Appointments - Appointments of term, administrative or non-GMU faculty on thesis or dissertation committees

It is strongly recommended that any external committee member or term/admin faculty serve as a 4th committee member to alleviate additional administrative procedures. If student and advisor determine it is important that the individual serve as committee member 1 or 2, the student and dissertation chair will clearly communicate the processes required (see below) to the committee member, confirm that this individual wishes to move forward in the process after acknowledging the onboarding processes and finally, the student will maintain any communication with aforementioned committee member to ensure timely progress of the onboarding process. It is up to the student to notify the GPC (Graduate Programs Coordinator) once the onboarding process is complete.

o   Onboarding for external member to be 4th committee member:

Student reaches out to GPC for appropriate HR paperwork. Student will reach out to individual to fill out paperwork and collect an up to date CV. Student will submit completed paperwork to GPC. GPC will send up documents through department leadership and committee member should monitor email listed on form for updates in the affiliate approval process. The committee member must accept the affiliate appointment electronically. Student and committee member are responsible for ensuring that a follow-up email is received from HR and the affiliate process is completed. 

o   Onboarding for external member or GMU term/administrative faculty to serve as member 1 or 2, requiring appointment to graduate faculty status:

After completing the process above, the student and dissertation chair will send the committee member’s new Gnumber and GMU email address to the GPC, along with a letter of justification and support from the student’s dissertation chair explaining how this individual’s experiences and qualifications contribute to the student’s dissertation research. The GPC will not review the letter for edits or suggestions. The GPC will send the letter to the Associate Chair of Graduate Psychology for signature, and completed letter and identification (Gnumber and email) will be forwarded to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for approval. Student will be CC-d on email of submission. The College will request revisions if it feels the justification is not sufficient for graduate faculty appointment.

Once approved by the college, the materials will be sent to the University Office of the Provost for approval. If approved, the committee member will be required to accept the appointment THROUGH THEIR GMU EMAIL. This means they will be required to activate IT services at GMU and be required to complete annual university IT training. This onboarding must all be communicated to the committee member by the student and dissertation chair if this person will serve within the first 3 members of the dissertation committee. 

Students who have completed graduate level credit at GMU or another accredited institution may possibly use that credit to apply to their current graduate degree program in our department. Students should thoroughly review the extensive restrictions of this policy set by the University. Once reviewed, students should refer to the department procedures below to begin the process of transferring credit to their program. The Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPC) is available to assist you with questions and concerns with this intensive process.

·         Step 1: Upon admission to their graduate degree program, students should reach out to their faculty advisor or program coordinator (within concentration) and notify them that they would like to have prior completed graduate credit considered for transfer to their program. Students must provide documentation of coursework, including but not limited to, transcripts, course descriptions, syllabi, etc to their faculty advisor for consideration. Students will locate the Graduate Psychology Transfer Credit Form on the website and proceed to next steps.

·         Step 2: Students and advisors should identify relevant coursework and determine if the course(s) are comparable to either our course offerings or the program’s requirements.

o   Possible Equivalent Coursework: If it is determined that a previously completed course could be comparable to one of our courses (Example: A Tests and Measurements course being considered for our Psychometrics course) the course materials should be sent to the current instructor of said relevant course for review and approval. Students should be aware that course descriptions often fall short of explaining the content of a course and it is within their best interests to provide syllabi or additional relevant information that will assist the faculty in their decision.

o   Elective Courses - For any courses determined not to have an equivalent course, he student and faculty advisor can request that the credits transfer as electives. Elective courses can be considered to count for requirements where students have a list of optional courses to choose from. Ex. If a transferred course does not have a relevant equivalent in the department, but the advisor feels the content would be appropriate for a Specialized Content or a Quantitative Methods elective, that specification should be included under the Requirement Met box of the Graduate Psychology Transfer Credit Form as well.

·         Step 3: Once course evaluations are completed and all decisions finalized by the program, student, faculty advisor and program director should sign the Graduate Psychology Transfer Credit Form. All documentation, including course materials should be sent to the GPC at this time.

·         Step 4: Once course transfer list is finalized and GPC has determined that all relevant transfer policies are accounted for, GPC will send a completed list to the student and advisor for final review and approval. Once confirmed, GPC will send the list to the Associate Chair of Graduate Psychology for department approval and GPC will complete administrative process for the official academic record.

·         Some things to consider       

o   Undergraduate level courses cannot be used to complete graduate program credits.

• • •  Courses that were taken and completed at the undergraduate level (general meaning 100-400 level on transcript) that may or may not have a cross listing with a graduate level (500 and above) course cannot be used in a graduate degree program.

o   Some programs may have more restrictive policies regarding transferring credit.

o   Courses to be transferred cannot be more than 10 years old

o   If transferring any courses with a P/F or Credit/No Credit grade, you are required to provide url information from your former institution specifying that the course was only taught as P/F and that a Pass grade is equivalent to at least a B- or better.

o   Credit amounts are designated by the home institution. Total number of transfer credits cannot be increased or decreased due to credit differences in equivalent coursework at GMU. (IE A 3 credit course taken at XYZ University will not transfer in as 4 credits at GMU).