Before registering, graduate students should obtain approval of their proposed schedule from their adviser(s).
The Director of Graduate Studies in the student's major program should be consulted concerning course requirements, any deficiencies, the planning of a program, and special regulations. Programs may have degree requirements that are not listed in the Bulletin.
It is to be noted that the Dean of the Graduate School interprets the Graduate Bulletin. Only the Graduate Council may waive requirements stated in this Bulletin.
1. to other school officials, including faculty within the educational institution or local educational agency, who have legitimate educational interests;
2. to officials of other schools or school systems in which the student intends to enroll, upon condition that the student be notified of the transfer, receive a copy of the record if desired, and have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record;
3. to authorized representatives of 1) the Comptroller General of the United States, 2) the Secretary of Education of the United States, 3) an administrative head of an education agency or 4) state educational authorities;
4. in connection with a student's application for, and receipt of, financial aid;
5. where the information is classified as "directory information." The following categories of information have been designated by the University as directory information: name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, photographs, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, enrolled hours, and the most recent previous educational institution attended by the student. If you do not wish such information released without your consent, you should notify the Student Records Office in writing.
Questions concerning this law and the University's policy concerning release of academic information may be directed to the Student Records Office.
Courses numbered at the 800 or 900 level are normally not accepted for credit toward a graduate degree. Exceptions can be made if permission is granted by the Graduate Council to a program to offer specific professional courses as part of its academic program. Prior approval to take a course must be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies, the Dean of the Graduate School and the dean of the professional college. Without such approval, professional courses may not be counted toward satisfying degree requirements. Courses numbered at the 600 or 700 level should be taught by members of the Graduate Faculty or by such other instructors as are approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Students satisfactorily completing nine course credits, or equivalent, of graduate level work during a semester, are classified as full-time students by the University. Students satisfactorily completing five course credits, or equivalent, during a summer term are classified as full-time. Those completing less than these amounts are classified as part-time. For the student who is a full-time teaching assistant or whose service to the University requires approximately 20 hours per week, the academic load shall not exceed 10 hours. This maximum may be increased to 12 hours for students with lighter service loads upon recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies and approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Full-time students who fall below the minimum full-time equivalent as the result of failing or dropping one or more courses are reclassified as part-time students for that semester or term.
Master's candidates working on their theses may register for up to 12 credits of course number 768 in the appropriate department. Plan A master's degree candidates who are in residence and receiving financial support from the University and/or utilizing University resources while working on the thesis must be enrolled in the Graduate School. Candidates not enrolled in course work to meet degree requirements must be enrolled in their department's course number 748 or 768 each semester.
The grading in graduate courses is done according to the following scale:
A-High achievement 4 grade points per credit
B-Satisfactory achievement 3 grade points per credit
C-Minimum passing grade 2 grade points per credit
E-Failure 0 grade points per credit
I-Incomplete See explanation below
S-Satisfactory See explanation below
U-Unsatisfactory See explanation below
D grades may not be awarded to graduate students. Graduate courses (400G-799) may not be taken Pass/Fail.
A grade of I (incomplete) may be assigned to a graduate student if a part of the work of a course remains undone and if there is a reasonable possibility that a passing grade will result from completion of the work. All incompletes (I grades) must be replaced by a regular final letter grade within 12 months of the end of the academic term in which the I grade was awarded or prior to the student's graduation, whichever occurs first. If an I grade has not been replaced within the allowable period, the University Registrar shall change the I grade to a grade of E on the student's permanent academic record and adjust the student's grade point average accordingly, unless otherwise approved because of exceptional circumstances by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies in the student's program.
Instructors who assign an I grade must file with the student's Director of Graduate Studies information which includes 1) the name of the student, 2) the course number and hours of credit, 3) the semester and year of enrollment, 4) specific information on the work to be completed before a final grade can be assigned, and 5) the time frame in which the specific requirements are to be met (not to exceed 12 months). Graduate students should consult with their Director of Graduate Studies concerning procedures relative to the awarding of I grades and the conditions under which they may be removed.
A grade of S (satisfactory) may be recorded for students in graduate seminars, independent work courses, and research courses which extend beyond the normal limits of a semester or summer term. This grade may not be given to a student in a course carrying credit if the student has done unsatisfactory work or failed to do a reasonable amount of work, in which case a grade of U (unsatisfactory) will be assigned. The project must be substantially continuous in its progress. All S and U grades must be removed prior to the final examination (or qualifying examination for doctoral students), except for those given in Residence Credit 748, 749, 768, and 769, or in graduate courses which carry no credit.
An overall average of B (3.0) on all graduate work in the program must be attained before an advanced degree may be awarded. Graduate-level courses (numbers 400G-799) are computed in the graduate grade-point average, with the exception of 400G courses in the student's program.
Once a grade other than I, S, or U has been reported to the Registrar's Office, it may not be changed unless an error was made at the time the grade was given and recorded, and then only upon the written unanimous approval of the instructor, the Registrar, and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Exceptions to this policy can be made only by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Students placed on scholastic probation are not eligible for fellowships or tuition scholarships and may not sit for doctoral qualifying examinations, or master's or doctoral final examinations.
1. Scholastic probation for three enrolled semesters.
2. Having failed twice the final examination for the master's degree or the qualifying examination.
3. In cases where the student's Advisory Committee recommends termination after the qualifying examination has been passed, the Graduate Faculty in that program will meet to vote on the recommendation. When the Graduate Faculty of that program concurs and the student dissents, the student will have an opportunity to meet with the Graduate Faculty of the program, after which a second vote will be taken and a final recommendation will be made to the Dean of the Graduate School.
Each program sets specific requirements and standards of performance, evaluative procedures and criteria, and procedures for terminations. The student should be informed of these criteria at the time of enrollment by the Director of Graduate Studies of the program.
Instructional standards for off-campus and short courses should be the same as those established for on-campus and regular courses. A comprehensive final examination will normally be required to assess the student's capability for scholarly thinking in the subject matter area. Practicum or laboratory short courses should require other experiences of comparable rigor.
Visiting Student status may be granted only to a student who is in good standing in a degree program.
Doctoral Degree. All degree requirements for the doctorate must be completed within five years following the semester or summer session in which the candidate successfully completes the qualifying examination. In the event that all degree requirements are not met during the five-year period, degree candidates who provide evidence of the likelihood of completing the degree during an extension of time may be granted such an extension by the Graduate Council. Requests will be considered only upon written recommendation of the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies after the candidate has again successfully completed the qualifying examination process as currently administered by the program. (Note: Failure to pass the re-examination will result in the termination of degree candidacy; a second re-examination is not permitted.) An extension of no more than five years may be granted.
To be eligible for a degree, a student must file Application for Degree Cards in the Graduate School within 30 days after the beginning of the semester (15 days in the summer session) in which they expect to graduate.
