As you prepare for graduation, please follow the instructions below to ensure that you will receive your MA degree.
As you prepare to graduate, double check your student record to verify that you have completed the sequence of required core courses, have earned the 40 units required for the MA degree, and have grades reported for all of your courses. You will not be able to graduate with outstanding incompletes on your student record. (Note that Master's Thesis and Defense, Master's Thesis II, and Thesis Advisement will appear as incomplete grades until you successfully defend your thesis. Gallatin will change these grades at that time.)
If you are unable to meet the requirements for a particular term, you will need to postpone graduation until the following term.
You must be registered during the term in which you plan to graduate. If you are planning to graduate in September, you should be registered for either Master's Thesis II or Thesis Advisement during the Summer term.
If you have not already submitted your adviser-approved MA thesis proposal to Gallatin, you should do so as soon as possible by submitting the Thesis Proposal Submission form. Students must have an approved thesis proposal in order to proceed with submitting the thesis and scheduling the defense.
Review the Thesis Submission and Defense Process information on the Gallatin website for information about submitting the thesis, selecting the committee, scheduling the defense, and submitting the final thesis. This page includes links to all of the forms you will need. Consult the thesis defense deadline calendar to determine the defense deadline for the term when you plan to graduate.
When you have determined the semester in which you plan to graduate, apply for graduation on Albert. Please see the instructions for how to apply for graduation on the NYU Registrar's website. It is recommended that you apply for graduation no later than the beginning of the semester in which you plan to complete all program requirements. Consult the calendar of Graduation Deadlines on the Registrar’s website well in advance of your anticipated graduation. If you have questions or have missed the deadline, you may write to graduation@nyu.edu.
Please note the difference between graduation and commencement. When you apply for graduation, you are letting the Registrar know that you plan to complete your degree in a particular term. In this context, graduation refers to receiving your degree, not to attending the commencement ceremony. (It should be noted, however, that students must apply for graduation in order to be invited to participate in the commencement ceremonies.) For information about graduation ceremonies, please refer to the information below about NYU Commencement and the Gallatin Graduation ceremonies.
Invitations to participate in the 2023 NYU Commencement and the Gallatin Graduation Ceremony are extended to all degree recipients from September 2022 and January 2023, and degree candidates for May 2023. Candidates for May 2023 degrees are expected to complete all outstanding requirements for the degree by May graduation, and must have applied for graduation by the graduation application deadline.
Students who will not complete all degree requirements in time for May 2023 graduation, but who will complete all requirements by September 15, 2023, may submit a petition requesting permission to participate in the 2023 NYU Commencement and Gallatin Graduation ceremonies in May. Petitions will be granted if the following criteria are met by April 15, 2023:
Every Gallatin student completing the graduate degree program will earn a Master of Arts in Individualized Study. Diplomas are mailed to a student's permanent address in Albert about eight weeks after the degree has been awarded. More information about your diploma is available online here, including how to receive it by mail and how to collect it in person.
To request an official transcript from the NYU Registrar, please read the instructions found here.