2.07 Policy on Length of Time to Complete a Master’s Degree

year programs can elect to change their FT/PT status by the add/drop deadline in September of their second year. All requests to change status, including changing Full or Part Time status require approval by the program, the Financial Aid Office, and the Office for Graduate Education and must be initiated by the submission of a change of status form from the program on the student’s behalf. In some cases, change of status will incur additional tuition and/or fees and it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of any relevant changes in fees and/or tuition.

Master of Medical Sciences Programs

The minimum time to degree for a 64-credit, MMSc-only program is expected to be 16 months and the minimum time to degree for a 56-credit, combined MD-MMSc program is expected to be 14 months. In either case, it is likely that scheduling requirements and workload will result in students not completing the degree in 14 or 16 consecutive months, and the curriculum plan should reflect that accordingly. Each program has specified its expectation for the maximum time to degree in Section 1.03 above.

Master of Science Programs

The minimum time to degree for a 36-credit, Master of Science program is expected to be one academic year. A part-time option may also be offered. The minimum time to degree for a 48 credit Master of Science program is expected to be 3 terms. Each program has specified its expectation for the maximum time to degree in Section 1.04 above.

Extension of Time

Students who need time off for extenuating medical/personal issues are advised to take a Leave of Absence from the School (Section 2.08). Students may be eligible to be enrolled at HMS for additional periods for purposes of remediation or completion of degree requirements. Requests for extensions of time are subject to review by the program director and the Academic Progress and Review Board (APRB) for the Master’s programs. See also Section 1.05, Five-Year MD-MMSc Program. Additional time to degree may also incur additional fees and/or tuition requirements. See Section 5.02 for more information about tuition and fees.

Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to take: (1) more than five years from the time of matriculation to complete the requirements for the MMSc degree or any 3year part-time degree; (2) more than three years for the 36 credit Master of Science degree (other than a 3-year PT option); or (3) more than four years from the time of matriculation for the 48 credit Master of Science degree/SM, or for the 2-year part-time Master of Science degree. This includes any leaves of absence.