Retention and Termination of Graduate Studies
This is from the 2005-2006 Graduate Catalog
Retention Standards
Nondoctoral Programs
1. Graduate courses with a final grade of C may be credited toward completion of any part of a nondoctoral degree
program, but any student who receives a final grade of C on courses totaling in excess of 6 s.h. will have his or her
program terminated.
2. A B average is required for graduation based on semester hours of A graded work equal to or exceeding semester
hours of C work.
3. A student who receives either
(a) two Fs, or
(b) two Cs and an additional F or C, or
(c) three Cs
will be subject to termination as described below.
Doctoral Programs
1. Students must maintain a cumulative B average in all formal course work while enrolled in doctoral programs, based
on semester hours of A graded work equal to or exceeding semester hours of C work. If the cumulative average
falls below B, the student’s program is subject to termination. However, at the discretion of the student’s
department, one or two semesters of additional course work may be allowed to bring the cumulative average to
B or better.
2. No grade less than B in a graduate-level course may be used to satisfy any part of the minimal credit hours required
for the PhD or EdD degree. A grade less than B in a course defi ned by the student’s department as being essential
for the doctoral degree might, at the department’s discretion, result in program termination.
3. A cumulative B average in graduate-level courses is a prerequisite for the administration of the PhD candidacy
examination and of the EdD qualifying and comprehensive examinations.
4. The PhD student’s department and individual advisory committee are responsible for evaluating research skills with
respect to potential for independent and creative research. Failure to meet departmental standards may result in
program termination.
………
TERMINATION OR CONTINUANCE OF GRADUATE STUDY
Each graduate student is admitted to study on the recommendation of the graduate faculty of a college, school, or department,
or its authorized agent, who are responsible for courses and research in the major fi eld of the student’s program. When a
student’s record indicates that he or she has failed to maintain standards described in this section, or specific standards of the
student’s program described elsewhere in the graduate catalog or in school or departmental program descriptions, the dean
of the GraduateSchool will notify the student by letter (copy to the advisor of the student) that his or her program must be
terminated unless special arrangements for continuance are recommended by his or her major faculty, or an authorized agent,
and approved by the Administrative Board of the GraduateSchool. The advisor will confer with the unit graduate faculty or
its authorized agent. Any appeal by the student must be considered at this stage in the process. Following conference and
possible student appeal, the advisor will forward a written recommendation (copy to the student) to the chairperson of the
Administrative Board of the GraduateSchool. If the recommendation is for termination, the student’s program is terminated.
A recommendation for continuance should stipulate requirements through which the student could complete his or her
graduate program.
The Administrative Board may either accept the requirements or request that the student’s major faculty modify them. When
the requirements are acceptable to the Administrative Board, the dean of the GraduateSchool will inform the student by
letter of the approved requirements (copy to the advisor of the student). The GraduateSchool office will ensure that these
requirements are met before the student graduates.
This was changed in the 2006-2007 catalog to:
Retention Standards
Nondoctoral Programs
1. Graduate courses with a final grade of C may be credited toward completion of any part of a nondoctoral degree
program, but any student who receives a final grade of C or F on courses totaling in excess of 6 s.h. will be subject
to termination.
2. A B average is required for graduation based on semester hours of A graded work equal to or exceeding semester
hours of C and F work. A student failing to maintain a B average will be subject to termination.
This was changed in the 2009-2010 catalog to:
Scholastic Standards
To meet the requirements for graduation and to remain in good academic standing, a student must demonstrate acceptable
performance in course work after being admitted to a graduate program. This requires a cumulative 3.00 GPA in all
course work.
In addition to the expectations for successful performance of course work described in the previous paragraph, good academic
standing requires satisfactory progress in the overall graduate program. The students’ advisor or graduate advisory committees
may render judgments as to whether satisfactory progress is being made toward the degree, taking into account all aspects of
academic performance and promise, not necessarily course work alone. A positive judgment is required to remain in good
academic standing. For students involved in research-oriented programs, the student’s department and individual advisory
committee are responsible for evaluating the student’s skills with respect to performing quality research. Failure to meet
programmatic/departmental standards may result in program termination.
Probation and termination policy
In order to remain in good academic standing, graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 once they
have a total of 9 credit hours attempted* and any additional or higher academic standards established by their program of
study. Students who fail to meet their program’s criteria may be placed on probation or dismissed from the program.
Students who fail to remain in good academic standing in accordance with the paragraph above, will be automatically placed
on academic probation by the GraduateSchool, during which time they will have an opportunity to correct their academic
deficiencies. The probationary period will last for the term(s) in which the next nine credit hours are attempted. Enrollment
in the GraduateSchool will be automatically terminated for students who fail to correct their academic deficiencies by the end
of the probationary period. Graduate students will not be allowed to take classes once it becomes mathematically impossible
to achieve an overall cumulative GPA of 3.00 by the end of the remaining probationary period.
Students may appeal dismissal decisions by following the process outlined in the Graduate School Appeals Procedure.
*Total credit hours attempted is the sum of credit hours for all graduate courses in which a graduate student is enrolled
as of the tenth day of each semester (the Official University Enrollment Report Date or “Census Date”). Courses with a
grade of “I” (incomplete) or dropped after census date are included in the calculation of credit hours attempted. Thesis
and dissertation courses are not included as they may be repeated multiple times and no grade is assigned until the thesis
or dissertation is defended.