PLEASE NOTE: Graduate students in APS are admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. Master's Degrees can be awarded to students who have completed Comps.
A student must pass Comps at the Master’s level in order to receive a Master’s degree. It is possible to pass Comps at the Master’s level but not advance to candidacy. It is not possible to receive a Master’s by completing the required coursework but not passing the comprehensive exam at the Master’s level.
Take a look at the APS Comprehensive Examination Guidelines for more detailed information.
Graduation requirements are governed by policies of both the Department of APS and the University of Colorado Graduate School. The basic requirements for attaining a Master's degree are:
- Complete within 4 years.
- Complete 30 hours of course work with at least a B– in each class by the end of a student’s fourth year in the program
- Retain a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Complete the Comps Exam.
Prepare for Comps:
- File the Candidacy Application for an Advanced Degree form at least two weeks before the Comps exam
- Major: Astrophysical & Planetary Sci
- Status: Active
- Plan Code: ASPS-MS
- Apply to graduate online through Buff Portal by the posted deadlines.
- Submit Master’s Examination Form to the Graduate School.
- Submit the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam Form to the Graduate School.
The APS department only recognizes Plan II because the Comprehensive Examination presentation is also an oral exam (note that a Comprehensive Exam paper is not a “Master’s Thesis”). The Comprehensive Exam serves as both the exam to advance to doctoral candidacy as well as the final exam to earn a Master's degree.
Plan II - Master's Without Thesis
The minimum requirement for a Master's Degree is 30 non-dissertation credit hours. The courses must all be at the 5000 level or above.
Paperwork and Deadlines for Graduation
The Department of Astrophysical & Planetary Science works with the University of Colorado Graduate School to ensure our candidates meet all requirements before graduation. As such, the Graduate School has provided a complete list of required documentation and corresponding deadlines for students who are seeking degrees under Plan II (Without Thesis).
Students must apply to graduate online, at the Buff Portal. Please note that the deadlines are strictly adhered to and no exceptions will be made. Deadlines can be found on the Graduate School Web site.
Applying for PhD Candidacy post-comps
Within two weeks of passing the comprehensive exam, students must submit the candidacy application. When the student’s candidacy application has been approved by the Graduate School, their status is changed to D in CU-SIS for the semester following that in which they passed the comprehensive exam.