Academic Appeals
A student who has been dismissed can appeal the dismissal to the Academic Review Board, or equivalent structure within each college, through the dean of his or her college and request reinstatement. Dismissed students have the option to appeal if they believe their academic deficiencies are due to extenuating circumstances or computational errors in calculating their GPA or academic progress. The appeal should include some reflection on the cause of the poor performance, documentation of any extenuating circumstances, and a plan of action for improving performance if the student is admitted back into the University. The appeal and all supporting documentation of the appeal must be presented within fourteen (14) days after receipt of the formal dismissal letter. The Academic Review Board or equivalent structure will make a recommendation to the dean of their college in a timely fashion. The dean of the college will then make a final decision on the appeal. This concludes the appeal process.
Academic Forgiveness
A student who has successfully repeated a failed course and wants to make an adjustment to his/her transcript must submit the appropriate repeated course form to the Registrar’s Office.
If an F course grade was the result of a violation of the University’s policy on academic integrity, the grade is not subject to forgiveness. That is, the grade will remain in the computation of the GPA. If the Repeated Course Request is approved, only the more recent of the two grades will be counted in the computation of the grade point average (GPA). The original grade, however, will be kept on the transcript. This policy is limited to the first F successfully repeated during graduate study. Criteria for the successful repetition of a failed course will be established and promulgated by the respective program faculty. The limitation to forgiveness of a single F grade may be waived by student petition to the program or department director, with final approval of the petition being made by the college dean.
Student Status
To be considered a full-time graduate student at the University, candidates must maintain registered status for 9 credit hours per term.
Graduate students who are enrolled for a minimum of 3 credits in a term are considered half-time. International students (on an F-1 visa) must enroll for nine credit hours each term, Summer sessions excluded.
General Degree Requirements
A graduate degree requires the completion of at least 27 credits which must include all required courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students who do not meet credit requirement may only graduate with approval from the Dean.
A student must complete all the requirements for the degree within six years of the date of completion of the first course in the program. An extension of the time limit for completion of the degree can be granted only by the dean of the college after consultation with the program director.
Research Projects and Independent Study
Many programs allow or require students to participate in research projects and/or courses of independent study. In both instances, these require prior approval by the academic program director and dean of the college, and close supervision by a faculty member. Students should consult with the academic program director about their interest in a research project or independent study, and must obtain the necessary approval before registering for a research project or independent study course.
In research designs proposing to use human subjects, students are required to seek approval from the University’s Human Subject Review Committee before engaging in their research project. For further information, contact the dean of the appropriate college.
Thesis
A thesis may be required, encouraged, or an option of a student’s graduate program. Since a thesis is a special form of original research, it requires careful supervision by either an individual faculty member or a program thesis committee. Students considering a thesis should discuss their interest with the appropriate program director or the office of the dean of the appropriate college.