Six Year Rule Instructions

Office of the Registrar

Six Year Completion Rule of Master's Degree Petition Instructions

Instructions for Processing Petition

Completion of the Master's Degree within Six Years

The Principle of Petitions:

The University of Wyoming, as a fully-accredited public institution of higher education, must comply with general laws, regulations, and principles of fairness, uniformity and accountability.  Exceptions to uniform application of general regulations are justified in extraordinary circumstances, when necessary to prevent or remedy an unfair or unjust consequence.

Steps:

1. Take the petition Form to your academic adviser. On the petition, you must clearly and concisely print or type the results and exceptions you seek. Present your version of the facts, circumstances and consequences. Give facts, not conclusions. Your adviser may help you with the wording of the petition or may require you to state your case on the petition before he or she confers with you. After the petition is completed, it is to be signed by you and your adviser. You may download the form from the Office of the Registrar website. Attach additional pages if the information does not fit in the space provided.

2. There is a specific attachment (Attachment A) which must be completed dealing with the certification of the course material in question as being current. You must obtain the signatures required on that form. Section I is to be completed by the student and may be typed on the computer once the form is downloaded. Section II is to be completed by the person currently teaching the course. Section III is to be signed by your entire committee. An Attachment A must be completed for each course being petitioned, only one petition is required for the combined attachments.

3. Take the petition to the other officials listed on the front page of the petition to obtain their recommendations. Complete the process by returning the petition to the Office of the Registrar. Any signer may add clarification or explanatory comments to the petition.

4. After all of the signatures have been obtained on both the petition and Attachment A(s), and the petition has been returned to the Office of the Registrar, it will be reviewed by the University Registrar. Once a decision is made, a copy of petition indicating whether or not it was granted will be mailed to you. If your request is denied by the Registrar, it is your right to refer the matter to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for further consideration.

If you wish to request a review by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, you are responsible for referring the petition to that office. When a petition is denied, after a reasonable period of time (usually one semester) the petition will be considered abandoned.

Process and Return Petition Without Unnecessary Delay