Academic procedures
COURSE LOAD
A full-time load for graduate students is considered to be at least 6 hours per semester. Students enrolled for fewer than 6 hours in a semester are classified as part-time students. Graduate students enrolled less than 3 hours (half-time) are not eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans.
Evaluation of student performance
Graduate students are evaluated utilizing a letter grade system with quality points. To remain in good standing, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). Grades are calculated according to the following scale:
| Letter grade | Quality points per semester hour |
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 |
| E | 0.0 |
Withdrawal
Students must notify the office of adult and graduate education in writing of their
intent to withdraw from courses. Neither notifying instructors nor failing to attend
courses constitutes withdrawal. Failure to complete appropriate withdrawal procedures
may yield failing grades for the affected courses.
Incompletes
To receive an incomplete, a student must apply for and obtain permission from the
course instructor. It is expected that an incomplete will be removed within the first
two weeks of the semester or term following the one in which it was given. If not
removed by the end of the semester or term following the one in which it was given,
the incomplete becomes an E.
Probation
At the end of each course, the academic performance of all students in attendance
will be reviewed. Any time that a student's cumulative grade-point average falls below
3.0, degree seeking graduate students are placed on academic probation. Students placed
on probation must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of an additional nine
semester hours of coursework or they will be placed on academic suspension.
Suspension
Students on probation whose grade-point average is still below 3.0 after completion
of 9 additional semester hours, as specified above, will be subject to suspension
through the following semester. Academic suspension requires the student to leave
the program for the equivalent of one complete semester.
Students who have been suspended may apply for readmission after the period of suspension has been completed. The program director will consider each request for readmission on a case by case basis. The program director may allow the suspended student to retake one course while on suspension.
The Suspension/Dismissal Committee, a subcommittee of the Graduate Academic Programs Council, consists of the registrar (who chairs the committee), the vice president and dean of academic affairs and/or his/her designate, the vice president for student life and dean of students, , the chairperson of the Graduate Academic Programs Council, and the director of the student’s graduate program.
May 2020