» Program Handbook

The information within this handbook is accurate as of the time of publication. Students are responsible for informing themselves of and satisfactorily meeting all requirements pertinent to their relationship with the University. Students and others who use this handbook should be aware that the information changes from time to time at the sole discretion of Chapman University and that these changes may alter information contained in this handbook. More current and complete information may be obtained in the appropriate department, school, or administrative offices. The University reserves the right, at any time and without notice, to make any changes to all rules, policies, procedures, and any other information that pertains to students or to the institution including but not limited to, admission, registration, tuition and fees, attendance, curriculum requirements, conduct, academic standing, candidacy, and graduation. This handbook does not constitute a contract or terms or conditions of a contract between the student and Chapman University.

IN CASES OF CONFLICT BETWEEN THE HANDBOOK AND GRADUATE CATALOG

The Graduate Catalog is considered the official representation of program requirements for all graduate programs at Chapman University. If a conflict between the information in this handbook and the Graduate Catalog arises, the information in the Graduate Catalog prevails.

Current Policies: Institutional, Academic, and Enrollment

CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES may be found on the Institutional Policies at Chapman webpage. They include:

• Graduate Catalogs
• Discrimination and Title IX
• Religious Accommodations Policy
• Sexual Misconduct, Sex Based/Gender Discrimination and Title IX
• Student Code of Conduct
• Integrity in Research Policy
• Inventions and Patents Policy
• Accessibility Policy (Web and Electronic Resources)
• Administering Online Surveys Involving Students, Faculty and Staff
• Computer and Acceptable Use Policy
• Copyrighted Works Policy
• Records Retention and Destruction Policy
• Reporting Misconduct
• Smoking Policy
• Student Privacy Policies (FERPA)
• Electronic Records Accessibility Policy
• Privacy Policy

ACADEMIC AND ENROLLMENT POLICIES can be found in the Graduate Catalog and contains the following university policies:

• Academic Integrity
• Add/Drop/Withdrawal
• Degree Conferral and Commencement
• Grades/GPA/Incompletes
• Grade Reviews
• Leave of Absence
• Petitions and Appeals
• Probation and Dismissal
• Repeating Courses/Course Audits
• Thesis/Dissertation Committee and Comprehensive Exams
• Transfer Credits/Residency Requirements

Canvas.chapman.edu

The Canvas Learning Management System helps students to read and see content organized by the instructor, communicate with the instructor, receive notifications of due dates and important announcements, upload assessments, and view grades, among other tools.

Graduate Student Orientation Videos and Tutorials

The Vice Provost for Graduate Education hosts a wealth of quick, informative videos designed especially for graduate students. Topics range from Parking at Chapman, Off- Campus Housing Support, Disability Services, Graduate Student Health Services (including Health Insurance information), Graduate Student Psychological and Counseling Services, Getting Involved as a Graduate Student, as well as How to Use Your Program Evaluation and Student Center Tutorials.

The Graduate Catalog

The Graduate Catalog is considered the official representation of program requirements for all graduate programs at Chapman University. One should enroll for courses by comparing the required courses listed on the Graduate Catalog page of their program with the offerings for the semester.

Make sure you select the correct catalog from the drop-down menu: 2023-2024 Graduate Catalog.

How to Register for Classes

Campus Map

Disability Services

Disability Services approves and coordinates accommodations and services for students with disabilities at Chapman to help students acquire skills essential to achieve academic and personal success.

Chapman Food Pantry

Chapman University has two food pantries to support students experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by many as: the inability to have two meals a day and have access to healthy food. Chapman food pantries provide an assortment of healthy meal options to facilitate student success at Chapman.

Frances Smith Center for Individual and Family Counseling

The Frances Smith Center for Individual and Family Therapy is offering free counseling to all Chapman graduate students. These services include those suffering from anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family problems, and other mental health issues. To access care, call the Center's mainline (714–997–6746), press "1" for intake line, and follow the instructions.

Leatherby Libraries

The Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University is a unifying presence on the Chapman campus that provides personalized services and relevant collections in support of the curricular, creative, and scholarly needs of students, faculty, staff, and community. Whether you are seeking sources for a final paper, want to take advantage of article databases, or need to format your thesis, librarians and library staff are available to guide you.

Graduate students can book study rooms in the library for up to six hours.

Software

Chapman students have free access to an array of software through IS&T. Software that may be particularly useful for graduate students include Adobe Creative Cloud, Endnote, Grammarly Premium, and Microsoft Office 365.

Wilkinson College Graduate Career Resources

Chapman University and the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Career Resources offer comprehensive personalized career services for graduate students and alumni. Wilkinson's Graduate Programs Coordinator and Career Advisor are available for one-on-one advising appointments and can provide you with program-specific career support.

• MA WDS Example Thesis Proposal
• MA WDS Thesis Proposal Submission Form

• Thesis Committee Form and Instructions
• Thesis Committee Approval Submission Form

Other Files

• MA WDS Thesis Cover Page Logo
• MA WDS Thesis Assessment Rubric
• Paper Proofreading Checklist
• Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy
• Library of Congress War and Society Digital Collections

Students generally take three courses (9 units) in the fall and spring semesters of their first year, three courses in the fall of their second year, and one class in their final semester. Students typically finish in two years, spreading 30 units of coursework over four semesters.

All graduate students must prepare and defend, under the direction of a core faculty member, a thesis project of distinction in order to complete their degree.

This sample timeline is based on a typical student who matriculates in the Fall semester and maintains full-time status.

Year 1 – First Semester (Fall)

• Enroll in WS 500A: Historical Approaches to War and Society, which includes an overview of research techniques and methodologies in the field of War, Diplomacy, and Society. Other courses can be any combination of required research/reading seminars, or elective coursework.

Year 1 – Second Semester (Spring)

• Enroll in WS 500B: Historical Approaches to Diplomacy and Society.
• Compare the course offerings with your program requirements, enrolling in any combination of required courses.
• By the middle of the second semester, begin to consider who might serve as your thesis director. Complete a thesis proposal and enroll in thesis coursework starting the second year.

Year 2 – Third Semester (Fall)

• Continue taking required coursework and enroll in the first 3 units of HIST 698: Thesis with the thesis director.
• In consultation with the thesis director, draft the thesis. The thesis director may provide a reading list to guide the student during the drafting of the thesis.

Year 2 – Fourth Semester (Spring)

• Enroll in the final 3 required units of HIST 698: Thesis with your thesis director to finalize drafting and revision.
• Complete the MA Thesis Committee Form.
• Apply to Graduate.
• Complete the thesis, including the thesis defense.
• Submit the thesis to Leatherby Libraries.

Year 3 & Beyond

Sometimes, students take less than the average course load and spread remaining classes and/or thesis over multiple years. Students should talk with the Graduate Programs Coordinator or Program Director about these plans. Students have seven years from their admitted term to complete their program.

Current requirements for the MA program, as well as all courses offered, are included in the Graduate Catalog; this information is not duplicated here in this handbook. The student’s individual Program Evaluation in the Learning Management System is designed to help the student understand degree requirements and track progress toward the degree.

Log into the Leaning Management System at StudentCenter.chapman.edu.

Students are also permitted to enroll in graduate-level courses in other colleges/departments at Chapman University that have a significant war and/or diplomacy focus with the approval of the Program Director.

All candidates for an MA degree in War, Diplomacy, and Society at Chapman University must successfully write and orally defend a master’s thesis or thesis project to complete the program. The thesis demonstrates a student’s ability to create historical scholarship that integrates both primary and secondary sources. The thesis is an original piece of scholarship, based on primary source research, that examines aspects within the larger intersections between war, diplomacy, and society.

The student will select and work closely with a core faculty member who will act as their thesis director and committee chair. A thesis committee (a minimum of three qualified members) must be selected by the student and approved by the program.

Once the student enters the final year in the program, they are ready to begin the formal process of writing the MA thesis. Coursework related to this research and writing sequence (HIST 698) must be taken over the span of two semesters. The student will select, research, and propose a topic of their choosing prior to admission into HIST 698. During the research and writing sequence, the student will construct and defend an argument that is supported by primary sources and reflects the relevant literature on their topic.

By the end of the final semester, the student will be expected to orally defend their thesis in front of a faculty committee. Students enrolled in the program part-time or students who choose to skip a semester must complete all program requirements within seven years from when they first enrolled in the program. The thesis and defense must be completed successfully for degree conferral.

In addition to the thesis, students will complete:

• Historiographical essay: 3,000-4,000 words, exclusive of footnotes and bibliography. This essay will trace the thesis theme/topic across 6-12 significant works of historical inquiry (i.e., books, historical monographs, or key scholarly articles)
• CV/Resume

The thesis can take one of two different forms in the MA in War, Diplomacy, and Society program. The first is a traditional, written thesis of approximately 75 pages in length. The other is a project-based history thesis of two substantial pieces (journal article length, approximately 25 pages which can include revised papers from seminars) plus a third paper designed in tandem with the thesis director that addresses their interests relating to war, diplomacy, and society—an extended historiographical essay, an additional journal article length paper, or other scholarly/creative activity.

Once you’ve identified the broad subject area you are interested in exploring, you should think about who might serve as an appropriate thesis director.

There are several ways to go about considering a potential thesis director. One strategy is to consider professors in whose courses you have been or are enrolled. A second strategy is to look at our core faculty and their research interests to see whose expertise your project relates to at least loosely. That said, you need not have taken a class with the faculty member, and many faculty work in more than one area. If you’d like additional guidance, you can talk with the Program Director to brainstorm about who a suitable thesis director might be.

Enrolling in IS 698: Thesis 

Once agreeing to serve as thesis director, the student and faculty member should reach out to the Graduate Programs Coordinator to enroll in HIST 698: Thesis.

Each student receives their own unique section of HIST 698: Thesis to enroll in. These sections are created specifically for each student only after approval by the thesis director.

The role of the thesis proposal is to provide a clear, specific idea of your project that will serve as a guide to the student, thesis director, and committee so they know what to expect from the project. The student develops this proposal in collaboration with their advisor. A proposal should be general, but also should provide specific elements that go beyond a simple statement of the project. The proposal serves as the foundation of your project and will support the subsequent writing throughout the thesis drafting and revision process.

Typically, students complete the thesis proposal within the first four weeks of their first semester of HIST 698: Thesis. All graduate students must have a thesis proposal approved by the thesis director and Program Director prior to enrolling in their final thesis course.

The proposal should include the following components:

• A research proposal of approximately 1,000 words must outline the thesis project and include:
• The proposed historical question or thesis
• A discussion of relevant historiography
• The proposed methodology
• The proposed contribution the thesis will have on the field of study
• A timeline for completion
• A preliminary bibliography of primary and secondary sources

For those pursing the thesis project option, the thesis proposal should include a detailed proposal to indicate the topics/subject manner of 2 journal-length articles and the third additional form of assessment for students to advance to the second semester of 698.

Once completed and approved by the thesis director, the student should submit the thesis proposal to the War, Diplomacy, and Society Thesis Proposal Submission Form. Within two weeks of receiving the thesis proposal, the student will be notified via their CU email address that the thesis proposal is approved or indicate what revisions are needed before resubmitting.

Following submission and approval of the thesis proposal, students must accomplish the following gateway objectives to successfully advance into their final section of HIST 698 and earn a passing grade:

1. Completion of a historiographic essay that informs the thesis and demonstrates how interdisciplinary/transnational works will inform final thesis or thesis project
2. 75-80 percent complete with primary source research
3. 75-80 percent complete with secondary literature research
4. 25-30 percent complete with writing, including
   1. a well-developed thesis or thesis project with completed introduction or draft body section, as well as
   2. completed outline for entire project

    5. For students pursing the thesis-project option: A completed outline for the entire project, or detailed proposal to indicate the topics/subject manner of the 2 journal-length articles and the third additional form of assessment.

Faculty may have varied approaches in advancing students. Additionally, all students must earn a passing grade in their first section of HIST 698, as well as the thesis director’s consent, before moving advancing into their final section of HIST 698. If students receive an “incomplete” for any section of HIST 698, they have one year from the first day of the term in which the incomplete was recorded to resolve the grade, unless a shorter period of time is specified by the director. Professors have the option of granting a “satisfactory progress” (SP) to those students who are likely to complete HIST 698 requirements in a timely fashion as designated by the thesis advisor and program director.

Questions about the thesis guidelines should be addressed to the Program Director. Questions about an individual thesis should be addressed to the thesis director.

Thesis Requirements

• Enrollment in HIST 698: Thesis. During the semester in which the student intends to complete and defend the Thesis (usually the last semester of study), the student must enroll in HIST 698: Thesis with their individual thesis director.
• Students who have completed all required units of HIST 698 must be enrolled in thesis continuation, HIST 698A/B. Students are required to be enrolled in order to defend, submit their thesis to the library, and have their degree conferred.

Additionally, the traditional thesis must be:

• Approximately 75 text pages, double-spaced, in twelve-font, Times New Roman, and formatted using The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. The front matter and bibliography are not included in the page count. Citations must be formatted as footnotes and must conform to The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition.
• The thesis should also include: Title Page, Approval Page, Copyright Page, Acknowledgements, Abstract, Table of Contents, and a List of Tables/Figures (as applicable), and a Bibliography.
• The format of these sections must conform to Leatherby Libraries thesis requirements, described in the Formatting.

The thesis project must be:

• Two substantial pieces, approximately 25 pages each (which can include revised papers from seminars), plus a third paper designed in tandem with the thesis director that addresses their interests relating to war, diplomacy, and society—an extended historiographical essay, an additional journal article length paper, or other scholarly/creative activity. The front matter and bibliography are not included in the page count. Citations must be formatted as footnotes and must conform to The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition.
• The thesis should also include: Title Page, Approval Page, Copyright Page, Acknowledgements, Abstract, Table of Contents, and a List of Tables/Figures (as applicable), and a Bibliography.
• The format of these sections must conform to Leatherby Libraries thesis requirements, described in Formatting

Thesis Formatting

Short Link: https://libguides.chapman.edu/dissertations

guidelines are optional; check with the individual thesis director and the library’s Dissertations and Theses Librarian with any specific questions about formatting.

Please remember to use the War, Diplomacy, and Society program logo on the title page of your thesis.

After enrollment in IS 698 Thesis during the term the student plans to defend the thesis, the thesis committee form must be submitted to the online submission form within the first three to four weeks of the semester during which the student is enrolled in thesis.

In consultation with the thesis director and/or Program Director, the student should request two additional faculty members to serve on their thesis committee. The committee will consist of the thesis director, the second reader, and the third reader.

Occasionally, a part-time faculty member is eligible to serve on one thesis committee in a given semester. This request should be made to the Program Director, who will confirm eligibility. If the faculty member is eligible, the Program Director will contact the part-time faculty member and request approval from the Dean’s Office. A faculty member at another institution may be considered in special circumstances; this requires approval from the Program Director, who is required to get approval from the Dean’s Office.

The thesis committee form must be submitted via the online submission portal within the first four weeks of the semester they intend on defending their thesis. The student should request two additional faculty members to serve on their thesis committee. All three committee members must sign the form agreeing to serve on the thesis committee.

The Thesis Committee Form requires a date and time for a thesis defense. That planning should be a part of the committee’s forming discussions. The student and thesis director should build a timeline based on the term’s deadlines for thesis defenses and library submissions. The scheduled date and time may be tentatively set, and any changes should be communicated to the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Changes to the Thesis Committee

Any changes to an approved thesis committee must be approved by the thesis director, Program Director, and Graduate Programs Coordinator. In the event that the student or a committee member anticipates a temporary absence during the time the work on the thesis, arrangements must be made to either adjust the thesis timeline and possibly progress toward degree completion or designate an appropriate substitute.

In the event a student does not register for the thesis course or fails to maintain an active status in the program within one semester or term after official approval of a thesis committee, the committee is considered dissolved, and a new committee must be secured and approved.

Changes to the Thesis Project

Any substantive changes to an approved thesis proposal should be approved by the thesis director and then submitted in writing to the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator. If you are unsure of whether the changes you are making are substantive, contact the Program Director or Graduate Programs Coordinator.

The complete thesis must be submitted to all members of the committee at least two weeks prior the defense, unless all committee members negotiate a different time frame. Faculty on multiple committees may need additional time to prepare for closely scheduled defenses.

The thesis defense provides an opportunity for an in-depth discussion of the thesis, the research and craft decision-making that went into the thesis, and how the thesis relates to the contemporary literatures in which it is situated.

The student must be prepared to speak for most of the duration of the defense, demonstrating their expertise on their topic. The Committee Chair should open the defense by asking the following questions:

• Why did you choose your topic?
• What is your main argument and key supporting arguments?
• How did you defend your main argument throughout your thesis?
• What was your research methodology?
• What major conclusions did you draw from the research and writing process?

The thesis director and committee members are expected to prepare no fewer than three questions related to the work (the questions will not be given to the student in advance of the defense), plus a written commentary or marginal notes about the work that the candidate can retain. One of the primary purposes of the defense is to provide students with detailed feedback on the thesis.

If the defense is successful, each committee member must sign and date the thesis signature page. The thesis director must also work with the student to complete the Thesis Submission Checklist for library submission. Upon the successful conclusion of the defense, as time allows, the student will have the opportunity to make any changes to the defended thesis based on the committee’s suggestions before submitting for archival purposes. Some committees might require changes after the defense before approving the final thesis. 

If the thesis director, committee members and/or student determine that the thesis is not yet ready for the defense, the student can enroll in a one-unit continuous enrollment class and defend the thesis during another semester.

If the student fails to successfully defend their thesis, the Committee Chair will coordinate with the War, Diplomacy, and Society Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator to establish a timeline for resubmitting.

For more information, see the What If I Need More Time in the FAQ.

Throughout the thesis process, it is imperative to keep in mind important University deadlines.

Deadlines related to thesis defense and degree conferral can be found each term on the Associate Vice President for Graduate Education’s website: https://www.chapman.edu/academics/graduate-education/current-students/index.asp

Deadline 1: Thesis Defense

As per Graduate Catalog policy, students must successfully defend their thesis in order to participate in May commencement ceremonies.

Deadline 2: Library Submission

It is recommended that you submit well ahead of this deadline to allow for library processing times (approximately 2-5 business days) and in case any corrections need to be made to your manuscript. Please note that this deadline is for completing all requirements in the correct format and not just for the initial submission to the library.

When university deadlines are not met, degree conferral can be delayed.

After a successful thesis defense, the student is responsible for working with the thesis director to complete the thesis submission checklist as well as collecting committee approval signatures on the signature page that is included in the thesis for final submission to Leatherby Libraries.

Students are required for degree conferral to successfully submit the thesis to Chapman University Digital Commons and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

You may find the instructions for submission, the required checklist, and the Deadlines for Completion of Library Requirements on the Library’s web page for thesis submission guidelines

https://libguides.chapman.edu/dissertations

The Dissertations and Theses Librarian supports all graduate students in the submission of their theses to Leatherby Libraries. You may contact the librarian in-person at Leatherby Libraries or via email with questions or for help.

In line with Chapman University's commitment to the scholarly and creative activities of its graduate students, Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants and Conference Travel Grants are offered on a competitive basis to all current graduate students. Graduate Student Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants are intended to provide support for a variety of clearly defined scholarly or creative projects. Graduate Student Conference Travel Grants are intended to provide support for graduate students to travel to academic conferences.

Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants require a proposal, budget, and a letter of support from the faculty mentoring the project. There is no limit on the number of scholarly/creative projects Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will fund as long as the awards do not exceed the $750 yearly cap per student. Sometimes, additional funding is available by Wilkinson College programs and departments. However, given multiple strong proposals, priority will be given to applicants who have received the least funding within the current fiscal year.

Students planning to present at a conference should complete the Conference Travel Grant Application. The deadline for submitting conference travel grant applications is rolling; applications can be submitted at any time prior to the conference. However, funds are limited so students are encouraged to apply as early as possible and can apply before booking travel.

To apply for a Scholarly/Creative Activity Grant or Conference Travel Grant, or for more information about the Graduate Student Grant program, the expenditure of grant funds, and the submission of reimbursement requests, please contact the Wilkinson College Graduate Programs Coordinator.

All currently enrolled graduate students in the International Studies program at Chapman University are eligible for consideration to work as paid Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs). GRAs are graduate student employment positions where graduate students are engaged in academic and research endeavors designed, to the extent possible, to further the graduate student’s graduate career and development as a researcher, scholar, teacher, and professional.

Graduate students who are interested in working as a GRA should contact a faculty member they are interested in working with to find out if the faculty member plans to hire a GRA. GRA positions are dependent on budget, and a limited number are available each semester.

Additional Employment Opportunities

Additional Graduate Assistant and student work opportunities are posted online through the student employment office website. Positions are typically posted a couple weeks before the start of each semester but may become available at other times.

Use the Program Evaluation in the Student Center to track your progress through the program and plan your courses. Review your Program Evaluation on a regular basis to ensure your courses are counting as they should, and if anything looks out of the ordinary, contact the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Prior to the semester in which you will complete your degree requirements and defend the thesis, submit an Application for Degree Conferral in the Student Center.

The Program Director is the official advisor for graduate students. All other members of the graduate core faculty can provide additional mentoring on intellectual and professional pursuits. The thesis director also provides individualized guidance.

The set of requirements you need to fulfill is determined by the Graduate Catalog of the year you enrolled. Your Program Evaluation will indicate the appropriate catalog year. Current and past graduate catalogs can be accessed online.

Students may opt to select a later catalog for a year in which they were enrolled. Changing to a later catalog must be officially requested through the Office of the University Registrar via Program Change form sent from the student's Chapman email account, available on the Office of the University Registrar website.

The Student Center blocks registration when a class has reached its enrollment limit, when prerequisites have not been met, when a business hold is in place, or when enrollment requires faculty approval (e.g., thesis writing courses). Enrollment limits and prerequisites may be waived in specific situations if the professor feels it is warranted. In these cases, you need to secure the professor’s consent to enroll, and contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator. Business holds need to be resolved with the Student Business Services Office.

Current undergraduate students admitted into an integrated program must use the Undergraduate Request to Register for Graduate Course Form. One form should be completed for each graduate class the student is seeking to enroll in. The Graduate Programs Coordinator may sign on behalf of the instructor and department chair. The completed forms are then submitted to the office of the register during the student’s registration appointment. The form cannot be submitted earlier than the student’s registration appointment.

Once the semester begins, the Student Center blocks enrollment in all courses that have reached their enrollment caps, even if seats are subsequently freed up. To add a course that has been closed, you will need to secure the professor’s consent to enroll and contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Aligned with Chapman University's commitment to an individualized education, graduate students in the War, Diplomacy, and Society program have the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a program core faculty member in co-developing a specialized course that can count towards the student's degree requirements. Individual Study can be taken in a variety of ways, such as continued exploration of an subject or topic originally studied in a previous class, the development of a relevant project, or in preparation for the thesis.

Individual Study courses are voluntary agreements between individual faculty members and individual students, in which students complete a course of study and assignment. The course of study and assignments for a three-unit Individual Study is comparable to that required for a regular three-unit course.

Because Individual Studies are intensive activities, faculty members regard them as a significant commitment. Faculty members are not obligated to supervise Individual Studies, and they typically do so with students who have completed a class or other educational/research activity under their supervision.

Only members of the core faculty of the War, Diplomacy, and Society program can supervise an Individual Study.

If you wish to do an Individual Study course, you should contact that faculty member directly to discuss the possibility. Once you and a faculty member have agreed on a course, you will need to fill out the Individual Study and Research Form. Also required will be a course description and course learning outcomes developed between the student and faculty member which must be approved by the instructor and Department Chair.

• The Subject is HIST
• The Course Number and Title of Individual Study must be 599 Individual Study
• The Individual Study must be for 3 Credits and Graded as the Grading Option

The deadline to add individual study courses for each term can be found on the academic calendar. A fully approved request must be submitted to the office of the registrar well ahead of that deadline.

For any additional questions regarding the Individual Study process, please contact the Program Director and Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Substitutions are allowed only when there is a compelling reason why the required course cannot be taken or why the substituted course would be of greater benefit to the student. Substituted courses should be comparable in rigor and content to the required course. To request consideration of a substitution of one course for another, please contact the Program Director.

According to university policy, incompletes can be given only if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing a small portion of the assigned coursework. Please see the Academic Policy for Grades/GPA/Incompletes in the Graduate Catalog for more information.

A student can take a one-semester leave without making a formal request. The student should inform the Program Director and the Graduate Programs Coordinator.

If you need to interrupt progress toward your degree for more than one semester, a leave of absence may be granted. Leaves of absence can be granted for one year, with a possible renewal of one additional year. To apply for a leave of absence, the student must fill out and submit a Graduate Petition form, as well as a written statement spelling out the reasons for the leave and bearing the signatures of the Program Director and an Associate Dean of Wilkinson College (which the Graduate Programs Coordinator can assist with). If interrupting enrollment before the end of the academic term, the student must also follow the steps to withdraw from your courses. A leave of absence cannot be approved retroactively.

If a student leaves the university in good academic standing or on academic probation and is absent no more than four consecutive regular semesters (excluding interterm and summer sessions), the student will not need to reapply and may enroll for classes at Chapman, and retain the right to elect either degree requirements in effect for that student at the time of leaving Chapman or the degree requirements in effect at the time of re-entrance.

If a student leaves the university in good standing and is gone more than four consecutive semesters, the student will not need to reapply, may re-enroll for classes at Chapman, and will be assigned the catalog requirements in effect at the time the student returns to Chapman. Students may request to return to their original catalog, and that request will be reviewed and decided upon by the Department or School; decision by the departments or School is final.

Any graduate student who has broken enrollment for a period of more than one semester (interterm and summer sessions do not constitute a semester) without receiving an approved Leave of Absence is required to request re-enrollment through the Department. The student is held to the degree requirements in effect at the time of return unless approved for the original catalog year requirements by the Program Director or Associate Dean.

Note that graduate students must complete their degree requirements within seven years of first matriculating. Leaves of absence do not suspend or extend this seven-year clock.

For more information about interrupting enrollment, see the Interrupted Enrollment guidelines.

In some cases, transfer credit may be awarded. To receive transfer credit, you must provide transcripts to the Registrar’s Office prior to re-enrollment. Please note unsatisfactory performance may nullify re- enrollment.

Students who need extra time to finish their theses may continue working on their thesis by enrolling in IS 698A or IS 698B for 1 credit for each additional semester of thesis work. The continuous enrollment course allows students to remain in active status and retain access to university resources. Students electing not to enroll in the continuous enrollment course will lose active status, library privileges, and access to other university resources unless they make special arrangements with the Program Director. Whether active or inactive, however, no student may take longer than seven years from the time of first enrollment to complete all the requirements for their degree.

Prior to the semester in which you will complete your degree requirements and defend the thesis, submit an Application for Degree Conferral in the Student Center.

As per university policy, students must successfully submit their thesis projects to the library in order to complete the degree requirements.

If you have applied for your degree and will not be able to complete some aspect of your program (e.g., coursework, thesis), you need to send an email to conferral@chapman.edu and request that your graduation date be moved to your anticipated term of completion.

The schedule of commencement ceremonies and events schedule is available online on the graduation home page.

Once you submit your Application for Degree Conferral (via the Student Center), you will be added to an email notification list that will advise you of the deadlines for walking in the graduation ceremony and the process for buying robes and hoods. If you have any questions, please visit the commencement website or contact the commencement team at (714) 997-6740 or commencement@chapman.edu.

2024: General copy edits for clarity. Addition of updated thesis assessment rubric. Removal of Professor Zoellner from the core faculty.