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Graduate Course Load
The following course load regulations apply to all graduate programs within the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Nine semester hours is considered a full-time course load for a fall or spring semester, and six hours for the summer, for both master’s and doctoral students. A student working on a thesis or dissertation must be continuously enrolled in a minimum of three hours of thesis/dissertation courses each fall and spring semester, and a minimum of three such hours in the semester in which the work is completed and submitted to the dean’s office for binding.
With approval of the instructor and the graduate advisor, graduate students may drop courses; however, they must adhere to the deadlines published by the university in the Academic Calendar.
Graduate Student Assistants
Graduate student assistants are graduate students in good standing enrolled full-time who hold an appointment requiring the performance of such duties as classroom instruction, academic advising, reading papers and examinations, supervision or research. There are four graduate student appointment categories, encompassing the position of Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistant, Instructional Assistants and Research Assistants.
Graduate students may hold an assistantship for no more than three years in pursuit of a master’s degree, no more than five years in pursuit of a doctoral degree, and a combined total of no more than six years. Faculty consider such factors as the steady progress toward the completion of an advanced degree and the quality of performance of assigned duties in determining the continued assignment of an assistantship. The college grants exceptions to these policies only in rare circumstances, and these exceptions depend solely upon the written petition of a department chair with the approval of both the dean of the college and the Associate Vice President of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Graduate assistants will normally be limited to a 50 percent appointment, which usually entails service for no more than an average of 20 hours per week, including time spent in preparation, in the classroom and laboratory, in reading papers and examinations, and in any combination of these or other activities as assigned. In rare instances, assistants may receive up to a 67 percent appointment with the stipend increased and the required course load decreased proportionately. Approval of these deviations must be justified on an individual basis, involve an exceptional set of circumstances, and receive the consent of both the dean of the college and the Associate Vice President of Graduate and Professional Studies. Teaching Fellows (graduate students teaching a course for credit) must have completed a minimum of 18 semester hours in graduate credit in their teaching field, must be in good standing and must be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. The Teaching Fellow may be listed as the instructor of record.
Pre-grad Status
A pre-grad student is one who has earned one or more degrees at an accredited institution and has not been formally admitted to a graduate program. Students may apply courses taken in the pre-grad status to a graduate degree under strictly limited conditions, subject to the approval of the individual department. Students are encouraged to consult their respective departments about this matter before embarking on a course of action.
Special Departmental Academic Regulations
Each department within the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics maintains a detailed set of academic regulations governing both the master’s and doctoral programs. It is the responsibility of students to obtain a copy of these regulations from their respective departments at the time of their initial enrollment.
General Regulations
Students are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the General Information section of this catalog, which details general university information, regulations, and requirements. |