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Student Handbook

Final Quarter & Graduation

Final quarter timeline

Review or subscribe to the PMP Dates and Events calendar for quarter-specific dates and deadlines relating to graduation.

Date Action item or milestone
First day of the quarter MS degree request opens. All final-quarter PMP students should file their request early in the quarter.
Friday of the last week of instruction Last day of class
Friday of finals week Last day of the quarter
Deadline to file MS degree request
After the quarter ends Graduating students should prepare for loss of UW NetID computing privileges (see email accounts and drive storage).
After grades post, PMP advisor completes final degree audits and recommends students’ graduations; the Graduate School confers the master’s degree. Degrees post to students’ transcripts the next day.
Two to three months after the quarter ends Physical diplomas mailed (see diplomas and degree verification)

File a master’s degree request

During a PMP student’s final quarter in the program, they must be registered for at least one credit and must also file a master’s degree request in the MyGrad system. The master’s degree request opens on the first day of the quarter and must be filed by the last day of the quarter (Friday of finals week). Your degree cannot be awarded without having filed this request!

Filing the request generates a degree audit for students to view. The audit will initially indicate that some requirements have not been satisfied, such as maintaining registration during the quarter in which the degree is awarded – this is fine. The report should indicate at the top that “all requirements met if in-progress courses completed”. Please contact the PMP academic advisor with any questions about the contents of the audit report.

Master’s degree requests will be acted upon at the end of the quarter after final grades post and the PMP advisor runs a final degree audit. Students will receive an email when the PMP advisor acts on their degree request.

Final-quarter PMP students are strongly encouraged to file their master’s degree requests early in their final quarters so as to ensure this critical step is not missed and to allow sufficient time to address any questions about their degree audits.

Diplomas and degree verification

Physical diplomas are mailed 2-3 months after students’ graduation to the address students indicate in MyUW. PMP students are responsible for ensuring their address information is kept up to date. Learn more about UW diplomas, including indicating how you want your name to appear on yours, on the Office of the University Registrar’s Diplomas page. Students may also request a certified e-diploma starting approximately two months after their graduation date.

Degree verification: Students’ master’s degrees will post to their transcripts the day after their degree is awarded (this is typically within a week of the end of their final quarter). An official transcript is often the easiest way to present verification that the degree was awarded, especially between graduating and the physical diploma arriving in the mail. Degree certification, if necessary, is available from the Office of the University Registrar.

Computing accounts, drive storage, and email forwarding

Changes occur to students’ computing services and drive storage after they separate from UW. PMP students, who have both UW NetID accounts and CSE NetID accounts, should understand the changes for each.

  • CSE NetID (@cs) services will be removed one quarter after graduation (this includes your CSE account, computer login accounts (attu, etc.), home directory data, and access to most resources).
  • UW NetID (@uw) services expire on the 10th day of the second quarter after students’ graduation.

All departing students are recommended to prepare for the loss of their computing privileges and take steps to ensure they can still receive emails sent to their school accounts:

  1. Migrate personal files off of UW or CSE servers and into personal drives or repositories (you are not allowed to migrate official UW records, however).
  2. Update third-party accounts and contacts with a personal email address instead of your @uw or @cs email address.
  3. Set up email forwarding on your @uw email to forward messages to your @cs email.
  4. Set up email forwarding on your @cs email to forward messages to a personal email. We will route and forward mail sent to your original CSE email address indefinitely to the external email address you supply. Your original CSE account name will also be preserved indefinitely.

Graduation events

PMP graduates from the previous autumn and winter quarters and those who expect to graduate in the current spring quarter are eligible to participate in any or all of the following graduation celebrations. All take place annually during spring finals week (typically, the second week of June). Details about the various ceremonies are sent in late spring to students’ UW and/or CSE email addresses and students should ensure that they are prepared to receive messages sent to both accounts.

The PMP graduation reception: Held for graduates and their guests (typically, a spouse or partner) to honor the achievements of PMP students. Graduation regalia is not required and not typically worn. Held on Wednesday of spring quarter finals week.

The Allen School graduation celebration: Celebrates that year’s CSE graduates of all degree levels. Many PMP students enjoy participating in this event while their families cheer them on. Graduation regalia (cap and gown) may be worn if the student has it but is not required. Held on Friday of spring quarter finals week.

The UW-wide Commencement ceremony: Honors UW graduates from all fields and degree levels and their families. Purchase of graduation regalia (cap and gown) is required. Held on Saturday of spring quarter finals week (the day after the last day of spring quarter).

Staying in touch

Check out the Allen School’s alumni web pages, where you can suggest future alumni events and subscribe to alumni email groups specifically for Allen School graduates.

The UW Alumni Association offers a variety of programs, events, and communities for UW grads as well (although some events and services are available to paid members only). Consider engaging with current UW students through the Huskies@Work or Dinners with the Pack programs! These are great opportunities to connect with students and help them explore what their career options could look like after graduation.