Graduate Programs

Whitworth offers the following graduate and professional degrees:

Graduate Studies in Business (GSB)

School of Business: gradadmissions@whitworth.edu

  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Business Leadership (MBL)
  • Master of Science in Financial Planning (MSFP)

Graduate Studies in Education (GSE)

School of Education: gradadmissions@whitworth.edu

  • Master of Arts in Teaching, Gifted Education & Equitable Instruction
  • Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Master of Education in Social Emotional Learning
  • Master of Education in Teaching & Learning
  • Master of Education in Montessori
  • Master of Education in School Counseling

Master in Teaching Program (MIT)

School of Education: gradadmissions@whitworth.edu

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

College of Arts & Sciences: gradadmissions@whitworth.edu

Graduate Studies in Health Science

School of Health Science: gradadmissions@whitworth.edu

  • Doctor of Occupational Therapy
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy
  • Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy

Academic Policies for Graduate Programs

The following policies are in effect for all graduate programs. Individual programs may have additional, more restrictive policies listed within their program pages or student handbooks.

Academic Standards

  1. Completion of all semester credits in approved courses is required for all graduate degrees. This is in addition to any required prerequisites.

  2. Graduate degree candidates must achieve a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all courses taken as part of the degree.

  3. No credit toward a graduate degree or certification program will be allowed for a course in which the student receives a grade of “C-” or lower. Courses in which a grade of “C-” or lower is earned, if required for the degree, must be repeated. Following any term or session in which a student’s cumulative grade-point average is below 3.0, the student should be placed on academic probation.

  4. Grades of P/NC are not allowed in any graduate-level course.

  5. Incomplete ("I") grades may be granted to students who, because of extenuating circumstances, merit an extension of time to complete a course. Faculty and instructors should document the incomplete grade agreement with the student. For cases in which an incomplete grade is awarded, the work must be completed and a Grade Change Request Form submitted no later than six weeks into the next long semester. If satisfactory progress is not made on completing the required work, the instructor should award an appropriate final grade. If, at the end of that time, no grade is submitted, the incomplete grade will default to an "F" grade. To request an extension for an "I" grade, the instructor is required to get permission from the vice provost of academic affairs and fill out a Grade Change Request Form noting the grade’s change from "I" to "IE" (incomplete extended). All signatures are still required for requesting an extension. Students may only receive one incomplete extension per course.

  6. Credits toward a graduate degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation.

  7. A six-semester-credit course load qualifies a student as full time during each term (fall semester, spring semester, Summer Term). A four-semester-credit course load qualifies a student as being enrolled at three-quarter-time status. A three-semester-credit course load qualifies a student for half-time status.

  8. Regardless of the amount of credits accepted for transfer or substitution, a student must complete a minimum of 24 credits for a master’s degree or 60 credits for a doctorate degree within their program at Whitworth University. Individual programs determine total credits beyond the minimum for degree completion informed by accreditation and industry standards

Transfer and Alternative Credits and Substitutions

Official transcripts or score reports for any transfer or alternative credit completed before a student begins courses at Whitworth must be received by the office of the university registrar before the end of the student's first term or semester at Whitworth.

Whitworth graduate programs may allow students to request a transfer of credits or a substitution of courses that matches their program of study for up to 25 percent of the required total credits. Transferred credits will be in the form of graduate courses taken at another university. A substitution for a course within the program of study can be made based on prior learning experiences that fulfills the requirements for the course. Students need to submit a request and receive approval for transfer of credits or substitution of courses with the program advisor before starting or during their first semester of their graduate program. Requests after completing the first semester will not be accepted except in extenuating circumstances. Please contact the graduate program director as to whether transfers or substitution are accepted, and if so, the process for making these requests.

Final approval of transfers of credits and substitution of courses are at the discretion of the office of the university registrar.

Appeals

Appeals in cases of suspension or expulsion:

Discuss the issue first with the program director; the right of appeal is available to all students if the appeal is presented in writing within three weeks of the incident, to the following people in the following order:

  1. Graduate program director
  2. Committee composed of the dean of the school, the graduate program director and representatives of the program
  3. The Educational Review Board

Active Status and Suspension

Students who do not register for credits during any given semester will be withdrawn and inactivated. Should a student choose to return, they must reapply through graduate admissions and are responsible for any new university or program requirements.

Students may be suspended, expelled or placed on academic probation for failure to meet academic standards and for plagiarism, cheating, misrepresentation of background information, or violation of respective program requirements and university behavior expectations. Subsequent readmission follows the procedures for new admission under the catalog requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.

General Academic Policies

In addition to the graduate-specific academic policies, graduate students and programs are beholden to the general university academic policies as listed within this catalog on the Academic Information page.

Application for Graduation and Commencement Participation

Students must complete an application for graduation during the fall of the academic year in which they will complete their degree. The graduation application is available in Self-Service. In order to be eligible to apply for graduation and, subsequently, participate in the May commencement ceremony, a student’s coursework at Whitworth must be completed before the start of the next academic year. Students who apply for graduation and are unable to complete their degree requirements by their anticipated completion date must submit a second application for graduation if all their degree requirements are not met within one year of their original anticipated graduation date and are subject to all applicable fees.

Detailed commencement information will be sent to all students who have been approved to graduate and indicate they will participate in the commencement ceremony.

Whitworth University reserves the right to withhold diplomas until all campus debts are cleared and all holds on student records are removed.