General Information

The NC State Graduate School oversees all graduate degree programs.  All degree programs must adhere to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School. Here are links to a variety of resources and information on critical policies you need to follow.

NC State Graduate Handbook

The Graduate Handbook provides an overview of Graduate School functions and resources, as well as the rules, regulations, and procedures administered by the Graduate School.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students to know and understand their degree requirements. Students are responsible for the fulfillment of those requirements.

New Student Survival Guide

A useful resource on navigating NC State and Raleigh.

Graduate Catalog

The Graduate Catalog contains Graduate School requirements and pertinent information for individual graduate programs, a current list of graduate faculty, and a selection of other resources for new students. The Catalog is informational only and is subject to change. Official policies and procedures are in the Graduate Handbook and on the NC State Policies, Rules and Regulations web site.

Continuous Registration Requirement

After a student is admitted to the Graduate School and enrolls for the first time, she/he is required to maintain continuous registration, i.e., be enrolled each semester, excluding summer sessions, until she/he has either graduated or her/his graduate program at NC State has been terminated. All students who graduate during the second summer session must be registered for either the first or second summer session.

For complete information, visit the Minimum Enrollment Requirements page in the Graduate Handbook.

Graduate Advisory Committees

A complete overview of graduate committees can be found at the Advisory Committee page in the Graduate Handbook.

For information specific to Soil Science advisory committees, see the Soil Science Graduate Advisory Committees page in this handbook.

Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive examinations are a critical step in degree completion in evaluating the relevant breadth of knowledge in master’s and doctoral students. Throughout the process, the chair of the candidate’s advisory committee has the obligation to maintain a scholarly atmosphere and to keep academic integrity and the student’s best interest foremost.

Please visit the Comprehensive Examinations page in the Graduate Handbook for details for Master’s and Doctoral Examinations.

Theses and Dissertations

A thesis is required for the Master of Science degree and a dissertation is required for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. With consent of the Advisory Committee, the student must prepare the thesis or dissertation and submit the thesis or dissertation electronically to the Graduate School.

The student is responsible for the content and the proper format of the thesis or dissertation. Information on the required format and organization, as well as other regulations and resources, are available at the NC State Graduate School pages below.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements are met for successful submission of the thesis or dissertation.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Home Page

ETD Process

ETD Guide

ETD Deadlines

Forms

Unless otherwise noted, all forms are fillable PDF forms.

Request to Schedule Master’s Oral Examination

Request to Schedule Doctoral Preliminary or Final Oral Examination

Doctoral Required Forms

Graduate School Forms page