Graduate advising
Plan and complete your degree
Successful degree completion begins well before your final semester. Use your program requirements and interactive Plan of Study (iPOS) to track your progress, prepare for your culminating experience and complete graduation requirements on time.
Your path to degree completion
1. Understand your degree requirements
Review your current program handbook, degree checksheet and ASU catalog requirements. Your handbook identifies program-specific coursework, grade requirements, policies and culminating-experience expectations.
Find your program requirements
2. Create and maintain your iPOS
Your interactive Plan of Study is the official agreement between you, your academic unit and the Graduate College. It records the coursework, committee and culminating experience that will be used to complete your degree.
Students admitted in fall 2022 or later must submit an iPOS during their first semester. Update it when your coursework, committee or expected graduation semester changes.
Access your iPOS through My ASU
View Graduate College iPOS guides
3. Complete your culminating experience
Degree requirements vary by program. Some programs may require a culminating experience while other programs are coursework only. Your program may include a capstone, applied project, comprehensive examination, portfolio, thesis or dissertation.
Review your handbook early. Some culminating-experience courses require an approved iPOS, minimum GPA, completed prerequisites, a faculty committee or a course permission override.
4. Apply for graduation
Apply for graduation for the semester in which you will complete your final degree requirements. Before applying, verify that your approved iPOS is accurate and that all required changes have been submitted.
Apply through the Graduation area in My ASU. Graduation-application deadlines and fees are published by University Registrar Services.
Final-semester checklist
- Confirm that your iPOS is approved and up to date.
- Verify that you are enrolled in all remaining requirements.
- Complete your culminating experience and any required approvals.
- Apply for graduation by the published deadline.
- Monitor your graduation status and Priority Tasks in My ASU.
- Confirm your name and diploma mailing address.
- Register separately for any commencement or convocation ceremony you plan to attend.
- Continue checking your ASU email until your degree is posted.
Degree completion and graduation ceremonies are different processes
Applying for graduation allows ASU to evaluate your record and confer your degree. Registering to attend a ceremony reserves your participation in commencement or convocation. Completing one process does not automatically complete the other.
University Graduate Commencement
Thesis and doctoral students
Students completing a thesis, dissertation or equivalent document must also follow Graduate College requirements for committees, defenses, formatting and document submission.