Academic or Time Limit Termination

A student may submit to the college an exception request for termination due to grades. Included in this exception request must be statements from the student's advisor and the Economics Department Director of Graduate Programs regarding the student's continued enrollment at the university. The student is responsible for contacting the advisor and the Director for their statements.

The process for submitting an exception request for an academic termination due to grades is administered by the college. The student will need to provide:

• an explanation of circumstances that led to the unsatisfactory grades, and
• evidence that these circumstances have been remedied, and
• Graduate Termination Appeal form, and
• a statement of support from their advisor and the Director of Graduate Programs.
  • To request this statement, email econgrad@gmu.edu .

Students seeking a master's degree have six years from the time they first register after being admitted to their programs to graduate. Doctoral students have six years from the time they first register after being admitted to their programs to advance to candidacy. Once they advance, they have a total of 9 years to complete the degree, advancing to candidacy within no more than six years.

When students fail to complete their requirements within these time limits, they must request an extension from their program and Dean to continue in their program. Students who fail to submit an extension request will be terminated from their academic program. See below "How to Request an Extension of Timelimit."

The Director of Graduate Programs is reluctant to approve extensions if the cause for delay is due to the timing of passing required graduate exams. The student will need to demonstrate that the delay was due to extenuating circumstances outside of the student's control.

The process for submitting an exception request for a time limit termination is administered by the college. The student will need to provide:

• an explanation of circumstances causing the delay in meeting their deadline, and
• an executable plan for how they will accomplish the proposal if given an extension, and
• a statement of support from their advisor or dissertation advisor and the Director of Graduate Programs.
  • To request this statement, email econgrad@gmu.edu .

Extensions are reviewed and decided at the college-level. The college will not review an extension request unless it has Director of Graduate Programs support. 

The instructions that follow are for those who have a deadline to advance. This same type of information is also needed for those who have a deadline to defend and graduate.

STEP 1

Read the information posted on the Department website and the college's website. Extension requests are officially submitted for the college's review via a dynamic form.

STEP 2

Confer with your dissertation advisor regarding what remains to be completed and a timeline for accomplishing the remaining work. 

STEP 3

Before submitting the extension request to the college, email the Director of Graduate Programs at econgrad@gmu.edu to notify the Director that you would like to request an extension.

The Director of Economics Graduate Programs will only review a request if the following is provided: 

• Date of admission to program. 
• 6-year deadline for advancement or deadline to defend/graduate.
• Number of 998 semesters completed and how many credits or number of 999 semesters completed and how many credits.
• Projected term of defense/graduation.
• Status of progress on dissertation proposal or defense: 
  • What has been completed to date; 
  • What remains to be completed in order to propose or defend; what do your advisor and committee require. 
• Timeline for completing remaining work, proposing, and projected term of defense/graduation: 
  • Provide specific dates or time periods by when you will accomplish each portion of the remaining work needed.
  • This should be a detailed plan for completing the remaining work with milestones indicated.
  • This timeline/plan must be signed off by the dissertation advisor. 
• Extenuating circumstances that prevented you from accomplishing proposal the past 12 months. 
• Explain any delays that prevented you from beginning enrollment in ECON 998 by end of third or fourth year in program. 

If the Director determines that your request is supportable by the Department, the Graduate Studies Office will let you know so you can submit your request to the college.

STEP 4

If supported by the Director, submit your official request for extension to the college.

If an academic exception request is denied by the college, the student has the option to appeal that decision to the Associate Provost for Graduate Education. 

During the review of any request or appeal, the student may register and enroll in classes. Once an academic policy exception request or appeal period has expired, or when the student's exception request has been denied by the academic unit, a letter of termination will be sent to the student by mail and by email within one week. A notification of academic termination will be affixed to the graduate student's official record and the student may then be administratively dropped or withdrawn from currently enrolled classes.