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Academic procedures

Admission
See admission procedures for each graduate program.

For questions about admission, please contact admissions@bluffton.edu or 419-358-3257

Conditional admission
When an applicant fails to meet the regular admission requirements and there is cause for significant concern about the student's success in the program, the program director may recommend conditional admission for that applicant. A student who is conditionally admitted must achieve a 3.0 grade point average during the first nine semester hours of coursework in order to be removed from that status. A conditionally admitted student who fails to achieve a GPA of 3.0 during the first nine semester hours of coursework will be placed on academic suspension. At this point the regular suspension procedures apply.

Add, drop, and non-emergency withdrawal deadlines

  • For graduate level courses, the add deadline is 1/15th of the course (one week of a 15-week semester). The drop deadline is 2/15th of the course (two weeks + the weekend and Monday of a 15-week semester). The non-emergency withdrawal deadline is 7/15th of the course (7 weeks + the weekend and Monday of a 15-week semester).
  • For graduate level courses which are 4 weeks in length, the add deadline would be the end of the second day, the drop deadline would be the end of the 4th day, and the non-emergency withdrawal deadline would be the end of the 13th day.
  • For graduate level courses which are 6 weeks in length, the add deadline would be the end of the third day, the drop deadline would be the end of the 6th day, and the non-emergency withdrawal deadline would be the end of the 20th day.
  • For graduate level courses which are 8 weeks in length, the add deadline would be the end of the fourth day, the drop deadline would be the end of the 8th day, and the non-emergency withdrawal deadline would be the end of the 26th day.

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.  

Credit by exam
Credit by exam is not generally allowed toward a graduate degree.

Credit for prior learning
Dietetics students may petition to be granted credit for practicum experience for prior learning. These petitions will be reviewed by the program director.

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). Graduate students must earn a grade of C or above in all courses. They may repeat courses to earn improved grades. Students must pay for courses each time they are taken.

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

Graduation
Students who plan to complete all graduation requirements by the end of the fall semester of the same calendar year may participate in spring commencement exercises. Students with a maximum of 12 credit hours remaining to complete at the end of the spring semester are eligible to participate in the spring commencement exercises. The remaining hours should be completed in the same calendar year and listed on the “Intent to Graduate” form, which should be submitted by January 31 of the year in which the student intends to participate in commencement exercises.

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.

Reenrollment
Students who choose not to enroll for a period of 1 semester or less are not required to reapply: Note that this does not apply to students who have been suspended or withdrawn by Bluffton University. Students who have chosen not to enroll for a period of longer than 1 semester must complete a reapplication to Bluffton University and must pay a deposit prior to reenrollment.

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. 

Time Limits for Degree Completion
All work for a Master of Arts in Education must be completed within ten years from the first graduate level course taken at Bluffton University.

All work for all other graduate degrees must be completed within six years from the date of matriculation to the graduate program.

To request an extension of the time limit, the student must submit a written request to the director of the graduate program specifying the amount of time needed and the reasons an extension is necessary. The director, in consultation with the program faculty, will notify the student in writing of the decision on an extension request.

Transfer Credit
Up to nine semester hours (or 13.5 quarter hours) of credit for the Master of Social Work program or up to six semester hours (or nine quarter hours) of credit for all other graduate programs may be transferred in from another accredited college or university as long as the credit is at the graduate level, from an accredited institution, and approved by the Bluffton content professor or a designee (core courses) and the program director or designee (elective credit). In accordance with program policy, workshop credits will not be transferable. In addition, for work to be accepted it must be completed no later than 10 years prior to application. Other specific policies regarding transfer credit apply to each program. See the respective handbook or talk with the program director for more information.

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.

June 2023

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