Academic Progress and Graduation
University Policy
Questrom School of Business Policy
Students must submit a Concentration, Minor, and Graduation form to the Questrom Undergraduate Development Center by March 1 of the junior year. The University is not responsible for the graduation of any student who fails to submit this form. Students are responsible for the accuracy of their Concentration, Minor, and Graduation form and for ensuring that their transcripts accurately reflect their academic records at the time they submit this form. All students in the second semester of the junior year will be expected to meet with an advisor in the Questrom Undergraduate Development Center to review remaining degree requirements and related senior year planning.
Degree Progress is an advising tool available to students and their advisors via the MyBU Student Portal. It provides a snapshot of the student’s progress to date toward degree completion and thus functions in conjunction with this Bulletin and in the context of advising appointments as a useful reminder of coursework still needed at a given point in time. Students should check their Degree Progress periodically for updates resulting from registration, completion of additional courses, or changes of a major or minor. However, Degree Progress is not a substitute for substantive discussion with the advisor about degree programs and course selection, and Degree Progress does not certify students for graduation. The process of certification can be initiated only by submission of the Concentration, Minor, and Graduation form one year before intended graduation.
Students should be aware that substitutions for required courses, as well as the use of some courses taken in Boston University study abroad programs, must be approved in writing in order for these courses to apply toward degree requirements. Otherwise, Degree Progress will not recognize such courses, and delays may occur in the review of the Concentration, Minor, and Graduation form.
For students entering before fall 2019, please see the Bulletin for your year of entry in the Bulletin Archive.
Graduate
The University trustees award degrees upon the recommendation of the faculty of the programs within Questrom School of Business. Students must fulfill the requirements of their respective program (MBA, MSF, MSMFT, MiM, MSBA, MBA+MSDT, or other dual degree programs). To graduate, master’s students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70 from Questrom and have no “I” or “MG” grades in courses counting toward their degree requirements, except for students in the MiM program, which operates on a Pass/Fail basis.
Doctoral candidates, regardless of field of study or degree, must follow dissertation requirements set forth by the University and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3. Please see the most recent Guide for Writers of Theses & Dissertations, prepared by Mugar Library, for all-University requirements, dissertation format and submission, and filing charges. The final version of the approved dissertation and accompanying signature sheet must be submitted to Mugar Library; the signature sheet must also be submitted to the Specialty Master’s & PhD Center. PhD degree requirements are complete only when the dissertation has been certified as meeting the standards of Questrom School of Business and has been accepted by Mugar Library.
Students must submit a graduation application in accordance with their program’s published guidelines. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the process for graduation. The application is available on the MBA Center or Specialty Master’s & PhD Center website, and should be submitted for an August, January, or May graduation.
Time Limit for Graduate Degree Completion
There is a time limit for completion of degree requirements of six years for graduate programs. Leaves of absence do not extend the six-year time limit for completion. For the MiM program, students must complete all MiM degree requirements within three years and leaves of absence do not extend the three-year time limit for completion. A student may petition for an extension of the time limit for a valid reason. A Petition for Exemption to Policy form must be submitted to the MBA Center or Specialty Master’s & PhD Center. In the form, students should include the reason for the request, the proposed graduation date, and the specific plan of study—including a detailed map of specific courses and when they will be taken—to complete all degree requirements. The extension is subject to departmental and Program Development Committee approval. Students who do not graduate within the six-year time limit must petition for extension of the time limit or face withdrawal from the program. For the MiM, students who do not graduate within the three-year time limit must petition for extension or be withdrawn from the program.
