Policies
You will receive an email from the ITMA staff the semester in which you are ready to Graduate, unless you are finishing up incompletes. Please respond to this email so we know your intentions. Students that have no incompletes and have registered for all 30 hours will be eligible for graduation the semester they are registered for the last 3 credits hours ( IDT Portfolio). If you are finishing up an incomplete and have registered for all 30 credit hours please contact itma@vt.edu so we can discuss your options.
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SSDE is a special enrollment category for students who have fulfilled all requirements, including advisory committee review and agreement that the thesis or dissertation is ready for defense, and are registering only to take the final oral examination.Please reference the Graduate School catalog regarding the rules of SSDE.
The ITMA administrative staff will complete and submit your final plan of study to Graduate School. This must be submitted and approved by the Graduate School prior to you submitting your Application for Degree. The online Application for Degree is found in Hokie SPA, and must be completed by the following dates for the indicated semesters. After these dates, a paper copy must be submitted to the Graduate School.
Follow these instructions to complete your Application for Degree card:
1. Log onto Hokie SPA using your PID and password.
2. Click on Hokie Spa tab.
3. Click on Degree Menu.
4. Click on Graduate Student Degree Menu.
5. Click on Application for Degree.
6. Select the degree you are working on.
7. Click on the Apply button next to the appropriate major.
8. Review your name as it will appear on your diploma.
9. Indicate your expected term of completion (graduation term).
10. Select which degree is this.
11. Indicate your hometown information.
12. Indicate which ceremony you will be attending (please note that choosing "I will not be attending" will excuse you from the departmental ceremony in the Spring).
13. Click Submit.
14. If prompted, enter an address for your diploma, click Submit.
Student's who have their personal information listed as confidential will not have their names appear in the commencement bulletin. If you plan on attending commencement and want your name listed in the bulletin, please remove the confidential status when you submit the Application for Degree.
When you complete the application for degree, a checklist is generated from Hokie SPA. You can ignore this - it is not specific to ITMA students.
Please follow the ITMA required elements for receiving your diploma:
1. All Incompletes must be finished and a grade change must show on your unofficial transcript in Hokie Spa.
2. If courses or transfer courses are 5 years or older you must have completed the course justification request form when a Plan of Study was submitted: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/GAAPforms/Course_Justification_Request.pdf
3. Graduate students that have not been enrolled for more than two consecutive semesters (i.e. Fall/Spring; Spring/Fall) must reapply: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/readmission.html
4. Approved Plan of Study. The ITMA administrative staff will complete and submit your final plan of study. This must be submitted and approved by the Graduate School prior to you submitting your Application for Degree.
5. Student must submit their Application for Degree via Hokie Spa. To apply for your degree, your plan of study must be complete (we do this) and approved by the Graduate School. Regardless of whether you are going to attend commencement, you must fill out an application for degree by the deadline for the term:
- Fall semester - October 1
- Spring semester - March 1
- Summer I - June 1
- Summer II - August 1
Please refer to the instruction to complete your Application for Degree card.
6. We are required to schedule an exam for our students. We will send a list of students to the Graduate School and ask that an exam be scheduled. This exam request will automatically generate an email to your Virginia Tech email account. You can disregard the date, room number and time. Your portfolio and project from the project and report course will serve as your exam.
7. You pass your "final exam" . The portfolio review functions as your final exam.
