GEMS Blog for Advisors

November 16, 2017

Planning for Autumn Quarter 2017 Graduation

Because many faculty and advisors take time off and travel during the holiday season, we ask departments to plan ahead to ensure a successful and timely graduation for students graduating in December. Grades are due from faculty on Tuesday, December 19, and the department should submit degree recommendations no later than December 20.

Students must have completed all degree requirements on or before December 15, 2017. Before you recommend graduation in MyGrad (by Wednesday, December 20th at 5 p.m.), please ensure the following steps have been completed:

  • Verify the master’s request indicates the correct degree code; contact GEMS if the degree code is incorrect
  • Verify that all department contingencies have been cleared
  • Verify that all required courses have grades appearing on the degree audit in MGP
  • Verify that any necessary petitions have been submitted and approved by GEMS (e.g., “count GNM credits” or “extend time limit”)
  • Verify that all requirements appear OK (satisfied) by running the Degree Audit from the Student Detail Page in MGP. There are a few exceptions (see below “Requirement Status on Degree Audit”)
  • Verify that grades have posted to the transcript for the final quarter of enrollment (grades are due by 5 p.m., Tuesday, December 19th).
  • Print the warrant before approving a Master’s Degree Request (see MGP help files)

If you have any questions or are unable to recommend a student for graduation by Friday, December 22nd at 5 p.m. (e.g., due to unposted grades), please contact GEMS at 206.897.1487 or gemshelp@uw.edu.

Requirement Status on Degree Audit

The Degree Audit is color-coded to help you quickly identify the status of requirements:

IP – The requirement is satisfied when the current or in-progress courses are completed.
NO – The requirement has not been satisfied.
OK – The requirement has been satisfied.

You can run the Degree Audit from the Student Detail Page in MGP to verify that all requirements appear OK with a few exceptions:

The following requirements will always appear as NO because they are satisfied by GEMS during graduation processing:

  • Thesis accepted by the Graduate School
  • Thesis written in English
  • Dissertation accepted by the Graduate School
  • Dissertation written in English
  • Registered as a graduate student the quarter the Final Exam is taken

The following requirement will appear as NO if the student is paying the Graduate Registration Waiver Fee:

  • Maintain registration as a graduate student through the end of the quarter in which the degree is conferred

All other requirements should appear OK before you recommend graduation in MyGrad.

Degree Audit Tips

  • Examine the IP requirements closely. Sometimes grades are missing for required courses taken in previous quarters/years.
  • Do not recommend graduation if an IP course is a required course. Confirm the grade has posted before you recommend graduation.