Program Manager Graduate Degree Completion

Oversees graduate degree completion processes with a focus on thesis, dissertations, and specialist projects. Manages communication and resources for students and faculty. Ensures compliance with institutional guidelines and maintains accurate degree completion records. Serves as the primary contact for graduate degree completion, collaborates with campus partners on reporting and catalog updates, coordinates workshops and communications.

• Oversees review and approval of formatting for dissertations, thesis, and specialist projects to ensure compliance with institutional guidelines.
• Ensures adherence to research protocol and copyright requirements and uses available tools and resources to improve efficiency in the formatting review process.
• Manages and implements communication plans and resources for students completing thesis, dissertations, or specialist projects to support progression through degree completion.
• Manages and implements communication plans for faculty chairs involved in thesis, dissertation, or specialist project oversight to support consistent quality and engagement.
• Develops and distributes best practices for mentoring and guiding students through degree completion.
• Manages degree completion data entry. Generates data reports as needed to support degree completion processes and institutional recordkeeping.
• Supports degree completion processes by optimizing the use of the University’s degree audit system for graduate students, coordinating with campus partners on program of study updates, and serving as the primary point of contact for students and departments regarding degree audit entry and guidance.
• Creates and distributes the department newsletters. Develops and coordinates writing support, formatting instructions, and thesis and dissertation workshops, including serving as the primary resource on dissertation, specialist project, and thesis policies and procedures.
• Oversees processing of forms and records relating to dissertations, specialist projects, and thesis and develops reports. Compiles data from exit surveys. Gathers data in response to departmental requests.
• Ensures accuracy of graduate catalog edits.

Minimum qualifications based upon job documentation and industry best practices. Any current employees not meeting these qualifications will be grandfathered until they move to a different job.

• Bachelor's degree in related field from an accredited institution.

• Two years' relevant experience.
• Experience in higher education, student services, or academic program support.
• Knowledge of graduate education processes, policies, and academic requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing professional correspondence and resources.
• Attention to detail and ability to ensure compliance with academic and institutional policies.
• Proficiency with student information systems, degree audit tools, or related data management systems.

Office or other indoor work with minimal physical demands such as occasionally lifting or moving materials less than 25 pounds.

Work is generally performed in a well-lit, temperature-controlled indoor environment with occasional exposure to the outdoors or any number of elements.

Revised: 2026-03-06