Graduate College Policy
Policy for Graduate Concentrations
Brief Description
The purpose of this proposal is to establish guidelines under which units offering graduate degrees may seek Senate approval of graduate concentrations to be acknowledged on the student's official University transcript.
Background
The University of Illinois graduate transcript lists degrees, majors, and minors at the graduate level, and all have defined requirements and approval routes. This document defines the requirements for formal graduate concentrations, and the approval route in order for it to be noted on a student's official transcript. A formal concentration may be defined as an elaboration or an extension of a graduate major. A concentration may reflect either content specialization within a particular discipline (for example, a taxation concentration in accountancy), or an interdisciplinary program (for example, an interdisciplinary concentration in cultural studies and interpretive research). In order to be noted on the student's transcript, a all cases, however, a graduate concentration requires approval by the disciplinary college, the Graduate College, the Senate and the Board of Trustees.
This proposal seeks to define only those concentrations at the graduate level that would be listed in the Programs of Study and recorded on the student's official transcript. Although most graduate programs require students to specialize in one form or another, not all of these specializations need to be formal concentrations (i.e., represented on the student's transcript). Graduate education nearly always involves some form of specialization or interdisciplinary work, yet the need for transcript recognition varies in importance across the disciplines. Indeed, transcript recognition should be sought only when there is a clear benefit to the student and/or to the department—for example, when transcript notation is required by specialized accrediting bodies, or in response to job market demands.
Guidelines
A graduate concentration should consist of a minimum of 24 graduate hours of relevant course work at the 400- and 500-level and/or thesis credit in the sponsoring department(s), regardless of whether the concentration is intended for master's degree or doctoral degree students.
- Any academic department or unit with the approval of the disciplinary college(s) may initiate a proposal for a graduate concentration.
- An academic department or unit (or a combination of departments or units, in the case of interdisciplinary programs) intending to propose a concentration should prepare a proposal in accordance with these guidelines, including a rationale that indicates why transcript recognition of the concentration is important, and obtain approval(s) from the disciplinary college(s) before sending to the Graduate College. Proposals should be prepared using the standard Senate format for proposals at senate.illinois.edu/ep/Downloads/epcpf.doc. Proposals should be sent to the Graduate College for review and approval by the Program Subcommittee and the Executive Committee. The Graduate College will send approved proposals to the Office of the Provost for forwarding to the Senate and Board of Trustees.
- The department or unit sponsoring the concentration may set additional prerequisites for eligibility for the concentration (e.g., minimum GPA). Additionally, the sponsoring department or unit may set other requirements for completion, such as a qualifying examination, practicum, etc.
- Students must contact the sponsoring department or unit offering the concentration for information about the concentration, and the sponsoring department or unit must make available information and consultation to inform students about requirements for the concentration.
- A student's intent to pursue a graduate concentration must be approved by the student's adviser and graduate program director, as well as the unit offering the concentration. As in the case of graduate minors, the student's major department will determine how many graduate hours of a concentration may count toward the degree requirements in the student's program, or toward completing other graduate concentrations.
- A student who completes a graduate concentration should have at least one faculty member in the area of concentration serve on the student's thesis committee. In the case of interdepartmental concentrations, the thesis committee should comprise faculty members from more than one department or area of knowledge.
- It is up to the sponsoring department or unit to establish criteria and timelines for completion of the concentration, and to certify its successful completion. When a student indicates an intention to graduate with a concentration, the department(s) will confirm whether the requisite course of study has been completed.
Approved by the Urbana-Champaign Senate April 25, 2005; administratively updated August 2009.