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GRADUATE DIVISION

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Student Responsibilities

Admission

Application Procedures and Deadlines

Standardized Examinations

Additional Requirements and Information

Classification of Students

Summer Session

Registration

Enrollment Requirements

Credit Hours

Grades

Requirements for Continued Registration

Diplomas

Degree Checks

Conferring of Degrees

Transcripts

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS

DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

TUITION, FEES, AND FINANCIAL AID

Grades

Student achievement is designated by: A+, A, A- (high achievement), B+, B, B- (meets expectations), C+, C, C-, (below expectations), D+, D, D- (inadequate performance), F (failure), CR (credit), NC (no credit), NG (no grade and work in progress), S (satisfactory), and I (incomplete). L is the designation given to audited courses. Grades lower than C- may not be used to fulfill requirements for advanced degrees.

The 500 course is offered as a 1-credit course, with credit awarded upon completion of the Plan B requirements. Credit for this course does not count toward meeting degree requirements or toward meeting full-time enrollment status. Students must be registered during the term in which the degree is to be awarded.

An I is given to students who fail to complete a small but important part of a semester's work before the semester grades are determined, if the instructor believes that the failure was caused by conditions beyond the student's control and not by carelessness and procrastination. Students are expected to complete all courses. Therefore, students receiving an I should contact the instructor to determine the steps to be taken to remove the I. The deadline for removing an I received in the fall semester is the following April 1; for removing an I received in the spring semester or the summer session, the deadline is the following November 1.

Instructors who record a grade of I for undergraduate courses (100-499) must also record the grade that will replace the I if the work is not made up by the deadline; that grade is computed on the basis of what grades or other evidence the instructors have, averaged together with Fs for all incomplete work (including the final examination, if it is not taken). This alternate grade may be the appropriate letter grade, or if the course was taken under credit/no credit, CR/NC. (The designation W cannot be used as an alternate grade.)

Instructors who record a grade of I for graduate courses (600-799, excluding 700) have the option of recording an alternate grade to replace the I if the work is not made up by the deadline. This includes courses taken for letter grade or for credit/no credit, CR/NC. If the instructor chooses to record an incomplete for a graduate course with no alternate grade, the instructor may (1) allow the grade of I to remain permanently unaltered on the student's record; (2) submit to the Office of the Registrar a change-of-grade form, with the grade computed on the basis of work completed by the deadline noted above; (3) after the deadline for removing the I, at the student's request submit a Change of Grade form to the Graduate Division Student Services Office requesting a conversion of the I to a grade. Such conversions may be permitted on a case-by-case basis only during the two semesters immediately following the semester in which the I was received. After that period, the I will be permanent.

If work for a course in which an I has been assigned is completed prior to the deadline, the instructor will report a change of grade, taking the completed work into consideration. A grade of F or NC, as appropriate, will be assigned in those cases where an instructor has not assigned a grade to a student who has never attended or has ceased to attend class without officially withdrawing.

Change of Grades

Grades may be changed only within one full academic year following the end of the semester in which the course was completed. To change a grade, the course instructor completes and submits a Change of Grade form to the Graduate Division Student Services Office. The instructor must state the reason for the grade change on the form and sign the form. "Additional work submitted" is not an acceptable reason for changing a grade.

Repeated Courses

Solely for the purpose of graduate academic actions in the computing of the GPA of students who retake a course that is otherwise non-repeatable, only the most recent grade will be included.

Students switching from either Plan A or Plan B to Plan C must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses completed (300-398, 400-498, 600-798). Credit hours taken under the credit/no credit option (except 699) while under Plan C will not be counted toward degree requirements for either Plan A or Plan B.

Credit/No Credit Option

The major purpose of the credit/no credit option is to encourage students to broaden their education by venturing into subject areas outside their fields of specialization without hazarding a relatively low grade. Under the option, students receive grades of CR (credit) or NC (no credit). These do not carry grade points and, therefore, are not computed in the student's GPA.

The option must be exercised at the time of registration and only under the following conditions:

1. Except as noted, courses taken under the CR/NC option may not be applied toward the requirements for the master's degree. Only 699 directed reading/research courses may be taken on CR/NC at the option of the graduate program and may be granted credit toward a master's degree within the limits already prescribed by the Graduate Division (see master's degree requirements, Plan A and Plan B).
   
2. A course for which a grade of NC is received may be retaken under the CR/NC option.
   
3. The CR designation in the non-letter grade system denotes C caliber work or better.
   
4. The NC designation and the course in which it is received will appear in official records as part of the student's academic history.
   
5. The NC designation affects neither the credit hour total nor the grade point total of the student.