GENERAL REGULATIONS

Registration and Course Selections

Graduate students are required to file registration forms at the beginning of each semester. A student who fails to complete his or her semester’s registration by the time appointed by the Office of Graduate Student Services shall be charged a fee of $25 for the privilege of later registration.

Time Limits and Tuition Charges

Requirements for the degree of master of arts may be satisfied in two years of full-time study. The requirements must ordinarily be met within four years from the start of the semester in which the student was admitted to candidacy. There is a $250 registration fee after the two years of study. A student who fails to complete the required work within this period may be readmitted to candidacy only if a new application for admission is approved by the department and the Office of Graduate Student Services (OGSS).

Graduate students at the Ph.D. level who are paid a stipend continue to receive full tuition waiver and insurance benefits as part of their compensation for service to the University as either Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, or in some other capacity.

Student Category Tuition Charges

• Grad students in the B.A./M.A. program None (waived)
• Grad students not on stipend Tutorial/Research
  • First credit $250 / semester
  • Additional credits No charge
  • Regular Courses $4,122/course (05–06)
• Grad students supported on stipend None (waived)

Petition for tuition aid in cases of extreme hardship can be made through the student’s home department to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Change of Name or Address

All students are given the responsibility of informing the University of all name and address changes pertaining to their records. Students should submit any changes in writing to the OGSS.

Leave, Withdrawal, Readmission

The following conditions govern termination of registration.

• 1. Leave of absence: A graduate student in good standing may be granted a leave of absence upon recommendation of the department or program chair. Such leave ordinarily will be for a specified period. If the student does not return at the termination of leave, his or her status will be that of one who has withdrawn voluntarily, and this withdrawal will be entered into his or her transcript of studies. Consideration will be given the student’s application for readmission when submitted to the department or program chair through the OGSS.
• 2. Voluntary withdrawal: This term applies to a student who withdraws from a program of study at any time on his or her own initiative but with the approval of the department or program chair and of the OGSS.
• 3. Refunds: The following guidelines govern refunds to students who terminate registration before the end of a semester.

A. Tuition and fees: If a student leaves college prior to the end of the second week of classes, 100 percent of the tuition, less a $100 University reservation fee, will be refunded. If a student leaves college after the second week of classes and up to the 60th calendar day of classes, 50 percent of the semester tuition charges, including a pro-rata deduction of any scholarship awards granted by the University for that term, will be refunded. Students receiving financial assistance from the federal government should note that refunds will be governed by applicable federal regulations. If a student leaves college after the first 60 days, there will be no refund. The graduate student activities tax and the health services fee are refundable if a student is not in residence for an entire semester but are not prorated for periods less than one semester.

B. Housing: Prorated for the number of weeks in which residence is taken.

• 4. Resigned: This designation refers to students required to resign for academic reasons.
• 5. Dismissal: Separation for reason of bad conduct.
• 6. Withdrawal notice: If a student’s registration is terminated, he or she shall be required to notify the OGSS. The notice must include a statement from the department or program chair stating the conditions of termination, together with recommendations for recording grades and the conditions of readmission, if applicable. Such notice shall also show clearances from the treasurer, the library, and other University offices, testifying that obligations to the University have been met. Identification cards must be turned in to the OGSS.

Grades and Completion of Work in Courses

A student’s work toward the MA or PhD degrees is graded as follows: A, excellent, numerical value, 95; B, good, 85; C, 75; D, 65; E, 55; and F, 45. Letter grades may be modified by the use of plus and minus signs.

A faculty member, in designing any course or tutorial, has the option of giving grades of CR (credit) or U (unsatisfactory) to all members of the course. This option is declared when the course is submitted to the department for inclusion in the curriculum, and information that the course is to be graded on a CR-U basis should be available to students before their registration in the course. Any faculty member employing the CR-U system shall submit a written evaluation of each student’s work in the course to the registrar.

In programs leading to the degree of doctor of philosophy or master of arts, the student must earn a grade of B-minus (80) or better in courses where letter grades are awarded. This required minimum grade also applies to the student’s performance on the oral examination in the department’s master’s program, to the thesis independent study, and to thesis research.

In case of failure to complete the required work of a course, the grade of IN (incomplete) may be awarded to a graduate student only with the written permission of the instructor granting the incomplete. Grades of incomplete will be accompanied by a provisional grade that will become the final grade if the outstanding work in the course is not submitted by the first day of classes of the subsequent semester.