Academic Standards

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Academic Standards

  • Graduate credit is only granted for courses completed with a grade of B-­ or higher. Individual programs may have stricter requirements, and those are published with their degree program requirements.
  • Graduate students receiving grades below "B-­" in 9 or more credits, including undergraduate courses taken while a graduate student, may be dismissed from the Graduate School.1
  • Graduate students enrolled under the accelerated master's program receiving any grade below "B-­" in a graduate course while in dual status may be dismissed and have their admission to the Graduate School withdrawn.
  • Graduate students will have a maximum of two opportunities to successfully complete final examinations for the master's or Ed.S. degree.
  • Doctoral students will have a maximum of two opportunities to successfully complete qualifying or final examinations for the Ph.D. degree.
  • Graduate students admitted on a conditional basis must meet the conditions as stated in the letter of admission in order to remain in the Graduate School.
  • Graduate students MUST have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to graduate.
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Each individual program may set and announce standards for coursework, examinations, and/or research achievement that are more rigorous than the Graduate School standard. Thus, students may be dismissed if they accumulate fewer than 9 credits below the "B­-" level, and/or fail to make adequate progress in other aspects of their graduate program.

Appeals Procedure

Policy and Appeals Procedure for Graduate Students Dismissed for Failure to Make Satisfactory Academic Progress or Professional, Ethical, or Behavioral Misconduct

The process by which a student can be dismissed for violations of academic standards or violations of professional, ethical, and/or behavioral expectations of the program is outlined below along with the process by which such decisions can be appealed.

Dismissal for Failure to Make Satisfactory Academic Progress

(Note: This procedure is not available to graduate students who have received failing grades in 9 or more credits.)

A department chairperson or a graduate program coordinator, upon the recommendation of the appropriate faculty committee, may recommend dismissal for a student who is failing to make satisfactory academic progress in their program. This recommendation shall be forwarded in writing to the associate dean of the Graduate School with a copy to the affected student. The associate dean of the Graduate School will act on the faculty recommendation and inform the student and the graduate program coordinator or department chair of the action taken. A student disagreeing with the action taken should make every effort to resolve the situation through informal discussions with the individuals involved in the decision. If the recommendation to dismiss is changed at this point, the associate dean will be notified and after review will notify the student of the decision. If the decision to dismiss stands, a student wishing to enter a formal appeal shall follow the procedure outlined below. A student who has been dismissed for failure to make satisfactory academic progress may, with the permission of the dean of the Graduate School, enroll as a special student in courses in his/her program pending a final decision on the appeal.

Dismissal for Professional, Ethical, or Behavioral Misconduct

Graduate students shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the norms and practices of their program and/or discipline.

A department chairperson or graduate program coordinator, upon the recommendation of the appropriate faculty committee at the department/program level, may recommend dismissal for a student who is failing to meet the professional, ethical, and behavioral expectations of the program or otherwise fails to act in ways that are consistent with the norms and standards of the profession or discipline. This recommendation shall be forwarded in writing to the associate dean of the Graduate School with a copy to the affected student. The associate dean of the Graduate School shall act on the faculty recommendation and inform the student and the graduate program coordinator or department chair of the action taken. A student disagreeing with the action taken should make every effort to resolve the situation through informal discussions with the individuals involved in the decision. If the recommendation to dismiss is changed at this point, the associate dean will be notified and after review will notify the student of the decision. If the decision to dismiss stands, a student wishing to enter a formal appeal shall follow the procedure outlined below. A student who has been dismissed for professional, ethical, or behavioral misconduct may, with the permission of the dean of the Graduate School, enroll as a special student in courses in his/her program pending a final decision on the appeal.

Appeals Process for Graduate Students Dismissed for Failure to Make Satisfactory Academic Progress or Professional, Ethical, or Behavioral Misconduct

Step 1: The student shall request that the faculty member or committee making the original recommendation reconsider their decision, generally within 10 working days after the receipt of the official decision from the Graduate School. The student's request shall be written and shall contain any information which the student feels warrants a reconsideration of the decision. A copy of the request shall be sent to the dean of the Graduate School. As soon as possible after receiving this request, the faculty member or committee group will reconsider their decision and notify the student and the dean of the Graduate School of the result of their deliberations in writing. If the original recommendation is reversed at Step 1, the associate dean will review the new material and act on the recommendation and inform all parties involved.

Step 2: If the student is not satisfied with the decision reached in Step 1, they may request that the chairperson of the appropriate department or program convene a meeting of all graduate faculty members in the department or program to review the decision, generally within 10 working days after the receipt of the official decision reached in Step 1. The student's request shall be in writing, and a copy shall be sent to the dean of the Graduate School. In some cases, participation from all graduate faculty in the meeting may be unfeasible, and in these cases the chairperson will notify the student in advance of the faculty who are unable to attend, and to consider delay to allow greater attendance either if the student so requests or if the availability for attendance is very low. After the meeting, the chairperson will provide the student and the dean of the Graduate School with written notification of the decision of the faculty. If the recommendation to dismiss is reversed by the graduate faculty, the associate dean will again review the case, act on the recommendation and inform all parties involved.

Step 3: If the student is dissatisfied with the decision reached in Step 2, they may request that the dean of the Graduate School review the decision, generally within 10 working days after the receipt of the official decision reached in Step 2. The student must request such a review in writing and stipulate the reasons for dissatisfaction with the decisions reached in the earlier steps in the review procedure. Within a reasonable period of time, the dean of the Graduate School will hold separate meetings with the student and the appropriate faculty and the associate dean to discuss the case. After these meetings and after reviewing any other information deemed appropriate, the dean of the Graduate School will inform the college dean about the appeal process to date. In consultation with the Graduate Council, the dean of the Graduate School will then arrive at a final decision, which will be communicated in writing to the student, the department or program faculty, and the college dean.

In Steps 1 and 2, the student may, at the discretion of the faculty body involved in hearing the appeal, be present to state their case during the review of the appeal. A member of the University community may appear with the student, as an adviser, before the dean of the Graduate School and before any faculty meeting, which the student is permitted to attend. An adviser may be present, but may not directly participate, in any of these proceedings. Students shall not be present during deliberations.

Approved by the Graduate Council, April 6th, 2010.

Amended with approval by the Graduate Council November 3rd, 2017.