Completion of a planned program of study, including a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work, is required for a master's degree. At least 24 hours of graduate credit must have been completed at Spalding. Academic programs which exceed this requirement are the following: Master of Arts in Psychology (60 hours are required for this degree and 48 hours must be completed at Spalding), Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (all courses must be completed at Spalding), and Master of Fine Arts in Writing (at least 62 hours are required for this degree (or 50 hours in the case of acceleration) and 50 hours must be completed at Spalding).

For the doctorate in Leadership, 60 semester hours beyond the master’s level are required, all of which must be earned by taking the 10 six-credit-hour courses in Spalding’s Ed. D.: Leadership Program. Spalding’s Ed. D. program does not accept transfer credits.

For the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the master's level is required, all of which must be earned in courses above the 600 level. No more than 30 credits from an accredited graduate program can be transferred in as doctoral level courses. All remaining doctoral credits must be completed at Spalding. For more information on how many hours a graduate student may transfer in, please refer to the Transfer Credit section.

The School of Professional Psychology requires master's students to take and pass a comprehensive exam. Doctoral students must take and pass a qualifying exam prior to the last year of study and must complete a dissertation.

Students in the Master of Arts in Education program are required to submit satisfactory final assessment projects. Students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program are required to satisfactorily complete a clinical experience and portfolio requirements to exit the program. In the Doctorate of Education program the comprehensive examination and the dissertation provide the culminating assessments.

Students in the Master of Arts in Writing program are required to submit a satisfactory final writing project with presentation. Students in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program are required to submit a creative thesis, give a 20-minute reading from the thesis, and deliver a 30-minute Graduation Lecture

For more information, see the SCPW Student Handbook.

For the professional (entry-level) DPT Program, the School of Physical Therapy requires a minimum of 110 semester hours of DPT course work at the 700 level and beyond, all of which must be completed at Spalding University. The post-professional DPT degree requires 30 hours, 20 of which must be completed at Spalding University.

For more information about the specific expectations of each graduate program refer to the individual program descriptions.