Graduation Procedures

Award of Degree Procedures

The links below bring you to the procedures for your specific program. If you have questions you may contact the GSBS Student Affairs office or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Contact Nadine Stevens in the Student Affairs office: UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
185 South Orange Avenue
Room C696
Newark, NJ 07101
Phone: (973) 972-4511
Fax: (973) 972-7148
email: stevenna@umdnj.edu

Associate Dean for Student Affairs:
BJ Wagner, Ph.D.
wagner@umdnj.edu
(973) 972-5335

Graduation Procedure for PhD students

Graduation Procedures for MS students

Graduation Procedures for MBS students

Award of Degree Procedure: PhD students

To receive your degree, you must complete all of the program requirements and have the appropriate GPA (3.00). All course work must be completed and grades submitted to the GSBS-Registrar. A completed thesis must be handed in to the GSBS Student Affairs office with final approval (5 copies).

Once you have completed the requirements for degree, your name will be forwarded for approval by the GSBS Executive Council, and then to the UMDNJ Board of Trustees. Your graduation date will correspond to the date it received approval from the Board of Trustees. Because of the deadlines and schedules of Executive Council and Board of Trustee meetings it may take two months or more from your completion of the requirements to the award of degree date. You are eligible to graduate from September – July (the Board of Trustees does not meet in August). If you require documentation that you have completed requirements for the degree before receiving your diploma, you may request an official letter from the GSBS Registrar, Barbara Coleman-Lee (leeba@umdnj.edu; 973-972-8385).

Once you have been confirmed for graduation, notification will be sent to your UMDNJ email account with final requirements for receipt of the diploma. An Application for Diploma will be attached to the email (it can also be found on the web http://njms.umdnj.edu/gsbs/current_students/docs/Application_for_Degree.pdf.). The Application for Diploma should be completed and returned by the deadline indicated. Once the student affairs office receives the Application for Diploma, diplomas will be ordered (although they are ordered by the month of graduation, rather than on an individual basis). Diplomas may take time to be returned by the company.

Summary of steps for graduation and obtaining your diploma:

1. Submit ‘Report of Final Examination/Dissertation Defense’

2. Submit corrected and approved thesis (5 copies total), along with a letter (with appropriate signatures) approving the revisions

3. Complete the following forms located on the website:

Survey of Earned Doctorate [this form will be emailed to you; not on website]
Application for Participation in Commencement Ceremony if applicable
Application for Diploma
Diploma Release Form
GSBS Exit Survey
Completion of Concentration if applicable

4. Schedule and complete an Exit Interview (contact Dr. Wagner-wagner@umdnj.edu)

5. Complete exit interview with financial aid office if applicable

6. Pay $80.00 Graduation Fee (include ID# on check)

7. To pick up diploma, return ID card to Student Affairs office

Please NOTE: Total processing time is at least 2 months. The May commencement ceremony is not the completion of degree. Students with a May graduation date have been processed and approved by the Board of Trustees for the month of May. The graduation date is the date of approval by the Board of Trustees. There is no graduation date for the month of August as the Board of Trustees does not meet. Before approval by the Board of Trustees, there must be approval by the GSBS Executive Council, which meets once a month, except for the month of August.

Award of Degree Procedure: MS students

Summary of steps for graduation and obtaining your diploma:

1. Submit ‘Masters completion of requirement’ form

2. Submit corrected and approved thesis (3 copies total), along with a letter (signed by the thesis mentor) approving the revisions

3. Complete the following forms located on the website:

Application for Participation in Commencement Ceremony if applicable
Application for Diploma
Diploma Release Form
GSBS Exit Survey
Completion of Concentration if applicable

4. Schedule and complete an Exit Interview (contact Dr. Wagner-wagner@umdnj.edu)

5. Complete exit interview with financial aid office if applicable

6. Pay $80.00 Graduation Fee (include ID# on check)

7. To pick up diploma, return ID card to Student Affairs office

Award of Degree Procedure: MBS students

To receive your degree, you must complete all of the program requirements and have the appropriate GPA (3.00). All course work must be completed and grades submitted to the GSBS-Registrar.

Once you have been confirmed for award of degree, notification will be sent to your UMDNJ email account with final requirements for receipt of the diploma. An Application for Diploma will be attached to the email (it can also be found on the web http://njms.umdnj.edu/gsbs/current_students/docs/Application_for_Degree.pdf.). The Application for Diploma should be completed and returned by the deadline indicated. Once the student affairs office receives the Application for Diploma, diplomas will be ordered (although they are ordered by the month of graduation, rather than on an individual basis). Diplomas may take time to be returned by the company.

Summary of steps for obtaining your diploma:

1. Submit ‘Masters completion of requirement form’

2. Complete the following forms located on the website:

Application for Participation in Commencement Ceremony if applicable
Application for Diploma
Diploma Release Form
GSBS Exit Survey
Completion of Concentration if applicable

3. Schedule and complete an Exit Interview (contact Dr. Wagner-wagner@umdnj.edu)

4. Complete exit interview with financial aid office if applicable

5. Pay $80.00 Graduation Fee (include ID# on check)

6. To pick up diploma, return ID card to Student Affairs office