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Master’s Degree

The minimum requirement for the master’s degree is 30 credit hours. A student may complete a Plan I: thesis option, or a Plan II: course work option. At least 24 hours must be completed at the 5000 level or above; this must include a minimum of 4, but not more than 6, thesis hours for those students completing a Plan I degree. Â鶹ÒùÔº in the MFA in Creative Writing must complete 9 thesis hours. A maximum of 6 credit hours taken at CU Boulder may be completed at the 3000 or 4000 level at the discretion of the academic department.

Independent study course work cannot exceed 25 percent (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the course work required for the master’s degree.

Doctoral Degree

The minimum requirements for the PhD or DMA degree are 30 credit hours of course work at the 5000 level or above. Those students pursuing the PhD shall complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of dissertation work beyond the minimum course work requirement.

Unless otherwise specified by departmental requirements, all courses at the 5000 level or above, taken for the master’s degree at CU Boulder, may be applied toward the doctoral degree if they meet all applicable standards. Course work taken in completion of a doctoral degree cannot be applied toward subsequent master’s degree work.

Graduate Status Courses

All courses at the 5000 level or above must be taught by an approved member of the Graduate Faculty.

Last updated July 2023