Program Benchmarks
Advance to Candidacy
Each student must file an official application to Advance to Candidacy for the degree of Master of Science and pay the Candidacy fee after completing one-half of their course requirements (22 units) and at least one quarter before completing all degree requirements. The Graduate Program Coordinator will provide instructions to the student to complete the form, this is typically in the winter quarter of the student's second year. For students completing the 12-month accelerated track, this will happen in the spring quarter.
A completed form includes a list of courses the student will take to complete degree requirements. This includes core courses and required electives, but not classes for a specialization. If changes are made to the student's course plan after they have advanced to candidacy, the Faculty Graduate Advisor must approve these changes to Graduate Studies. Students must have the Faculty Graduate Advisor and Graduate Program Coordinator sign the form after submission to Graduate Studies. If Candidacy is approved, the Office of Graduate Studies will send a copy to the Graduate Program Coordinator and the student. If the Office of Graduate Studies determines the student is not eligible for advancement, the program and the student will be told the reasons for the application's deferral. Some reasons for deferral include a grade point average below 3.0, outstanding "I" grades in required courses or insufficient units.
Student Progress Assessments (SPA)
Student Progress Assessments (SPA) is an online tool that facilitates faculty and graduate programs to document an evaluation of a graduate student's progress in their degree program. This annual report is completed for each graduate student between April 1st and June 30th. The student will be prompted via email when the Student Progress Assessment becomes available.
Degree Completion
Successful completion and evaluation of all coursework and elements of the Comprehensive Exam will result in the recommendation for graduation. There are two required forms that the Graduate Program Coordinator will provide instructions to the student to complete.
The student is responsible for completing the Filing Process form on their own and submitting it through GradSphere for approval. After all Comprehensive Exam components are approved, the Program Coordinator will complete the Masters Report Plan II on behalf of the student.
Access all Graduate Forms via GradSphere
EPM Graduation Ceremony
EPM hosts a program specific graduation ceremony each year, the day before the Graduate Studies commencement ceremony. All graduating students are welcome to participate in the ceremony, including 12-month students who will complete their final degree requirements during summer session(s). All EPM students are welcome to attend the event, and graduating students are welcome to invite their friends and family to celebrate. After the ceremony, we welcome everyone to celebrate with food and refreshments.
The 2025 EPM graduation ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 11th. More event specific details will be posted closer to the date on our Events page.
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive exam entails fulfilling all program requirements, which include meeting the minimum GPA in required courses and satisfactory completion of four written reports:
See more detailed information about the Comprehensive Exam here.