Graduate Catalog  |  School of Graduate Studies  |

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Academic Policies — An A to Z Listing

Graduate students are expected to become thoroughly familiar with the processes and regulations contained in this bulletin and are responsible for complying with its provisions.

Advisers

Students are assigned an initial adviser upon admission to a program. However, students sometimes change advisers after taking some courses and meeting faculty who share their area of interest. A change of adviser must be approved by the new adviser, the chair or graduate coordinator of the academic unit, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. A Change of Adviser Form must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for the change to be effective.

Non-degree students who are taking graduate courses will not be assigned an adviser. However, they may ask a faculty member to serve as an adviser on an informal basis.

Assessment

The University's efforts to improve its academic programs, student learning, and student services includes periodic measurement of student perception and intellectual and personal growth. All students are expected to participate in the assessment program. It may include examinations in intellectual skills and the major fields of study. It also may include opinion surveys regarding specific services or the total University experience. The information obtained through the assessment program measures student competency, academic achievement, and satisfaction, and is used to improve the quality of the teaching and learning experience for current and future students.

Cancellation of Classes

Classes or sections of classes which do not have sufficient enrollment may be cancelled at any time.

Change of Student Class Schedule

• A student may add or drop classes through the fifth class day of the fall or spring semester.
• Summer add, drop and withdrawal dates are listed in the course information on the University Web site or in the summer class schedule.
• After the add and drop period, courses may be added only with the permission of the department offering the course.
• Following the fifth day and up until 50 percent of the semester has elapsed, a student may withdraw from a full-term class and receive a grade of W. See the semester schedule for withdrawal deadline.
• During the final 50 percent of the class, a student may not withdraw.
• Students not attending courses for which they are registered will receive a grade of FN, failure for non-attendance.

Course Load

Course load for graduate students is defined as follows:

• A graduate student enrolled for 8 credits or more is considered a full-time student for academic purposes.
• The recommended normal load in a semester is 8-12 credits.
• The maximum allowable load without special approval is 15 credits.
• The maximum load during summer (the combined total for Intersession, Summer Session I, and Summer Session II) is 15 credits.
• Load includes the total credits of all courses carried, including on-campus, off-campus, on-line, and any other college courses taken concurrently with those at St. Cloud State University.
• A student who wishes to enroll for more than the established maximum must obtain approvals from his or her advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Applications for Overload are available in the School of Graduate Studies and on the Graduate Studies forms page.

Course Numbering System

Courses numbered from 500 to 699 may be used to satisfy the requirements of graduate degrees. Courses open only to graduate students are numbered 600 to 699. Many courses carry double numbers, e.g., 450/550. These courses are open to advanced undergraduate and to graduate students. To receive graduate credit, the student must register for the 5xx number.

• A student who has completed a course at the 400 level may not take that same course at the 500 level.
• Courses numbered in the 300, 400, 500, and 600 series are creditable in the fifth-year program.
• Courses carrying numbers at the 100 or 200 level may not be included in this program.

Credit by Correspondence or Examination

Credits earned through correspondence or by examination are not accepted toward a graduate degree. SCSU does not provide an option whereby graduate credits can be earned by examination or correspondence.

Credit Earned Before Admission

Only six graduate credits earned at SCSU prior to formal acceptance by the department to a graduate program, or the credits completed in the first semester of registration (whichever is greater) will be permitted to apply toward completion of a student's graduate program. In unusual circumstances, credit earned in excess of these figures may be considered for approval by the graduate dean through the petition procedure.

Drop Policy

A student may change registration for course work prior to the start of classes. These courses will not be recorded on the student's record. To determine the last date on which students may drop and add, the student should check the appropriate regular or summer class schedule.

501 Credit by Arrangement

Under certain circumstances, upper division (300- or 400-level) courses may be applied to master's degree requirements. To obtain approval, the student must submit a petition approved by the adviser to the graduate dean prior to registering for the course if the course has not been approved on the proposed program of study. An arranged/independent study course form approved by the instructor, the department chairperson, and the graduate dean is needed to register for the course. The student also must make arrangements to complete the special graduate requirements of the course.

• Students who receive approval must register for [name of department or program] 501 [title of course].
• A maximum of six credits earned under the 501 course number may be applied to a master's degree program.
• This procedure is open only to students admitted to a graduate degree program.

Forgeries

The University considers forged signatures and fraudulent information on official documents to be a serious matter. A student who forges a signature or records fraudulent information on an official University document will have nullified the document and may face disciplinary action as determined by the University judicial committee or other University officials.

Grading Appeals Policy

1. A student who considers a grade to have been determined improperly may, within two weeks, of the beginning of the next semester (not including summer terms), confer with the instructor.
2. If step one does not produce mutually satisfactory results, the student should contact the department chair to obtain a grade appeals form which will be presented to the departmental faculty committee, with a copy to the instructor. This will take place within two weeks of the conference with the instructor (within four weeks of the beginning of the next semester, not including summer terms). The department chair then will refer the student to a standing departmental faculty committee and notify the faculty member of the grade appeal.
3. If the instructor in question is a member of the departmental faculty committee, the remaining members will choose another member to replace the instructor for the hearing of the appeal. The committee should resolve the appeal in the same semester the appeal is made, excluding summer sessions. If the contested grade is "F," the committee may let it stand or change it to "W," "U," or "S." If the contested grade is a passing grade, the committee may let it stand or change it to "S," meaning that the course would be counted toward graduation requirements but not be computed in the student's grade point average.
4. The student may request a review of the faculty committee's decision within two weeks of that decision only for the following reasons:
   1. a procedural error which substantially affected the hearing's outcome;
   2. failure of the faculty committee to hear the appeal or to render a decision;
   3. new or newly discovered information of a character which may have substantially affected the outcome.

   The student will submit a written request for such a review to the Vice President for Academic Affairs indicating the basis for the review. If such circumstances are found by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her representative to exist, the Faculty Association Grade Review Committee, a six-member panel composed of one member from each unit, will conduct the review within the semester or subsequent semester or during the semester in which the request for a review is made. The Faculty Association Grade Review Committee will be composed of two members from each unit, but only one member from each unit participating in any single panel of review, with each unit represented on each panel but its representatives alternating. The Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her representative shall convene and chair the committee as a non-voting ex-officio member. Coordination, notification, and reports of the committee shall be handled through the Office for Academic Affairs. The affected student, the affected faculty member and other parties to the dispute have a right to appear at the Faculty Association Grade Review Committee meeting and to present oral and written information. If the contested grade is "F," the committee may let it stand or change it to "W," "U," or "S." If the contested grade is a passing grade, the committee may let it stand or change it to "S" meaning that the course would be counted toward graduation requirements but not computed in the student's grade point average. The decision to the Faculty Association Grade Review Committee is final, and is not appealable. Only the faculty member who assigned the grade, the departmental faculty committee, or the Faulty Association Grade Review Committee has the authority to change a grade using this process.

5. If the departmental committee and/or the Faculty Association Grade Review Committee fails to hear the grade appeal or the administration finds it necessary to change a grade directly, a written justification for such an action will be given to the faculty member and the Faculty Association Grade Review Committee.
6. If the faculty involved feels that any grade appeal decision is arbitrary, capricious or improper, he/she may appeal to the Faculty Association Ethics Committee.

Grading System

The following marks are used in reporting the achievement of graduate students at this institution:

• A (excellent)
• B (good)
• C (acceptable)
• C- (unsatisfactory
• D (unsatisfactory)
• F (unsatisfactory or failure)
• FN (failure due to non-attendance).
• A grade of FN is a failure for non-attendance and affects the student's GPA in the same was as a grade of F.
• Grades of S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) are used for certain specialized courses in which a more precise mark is not deemed appropriate. The U is calculated into GPA as an F.
• Other non-credit marks which are recorded on official transcripts include: I (incomplete), AU (audit), W (withdrawn), and IP (in progress).

S/U Grading Method

Students are encouraged to take seminar courses under the S/U grading method. All culminating projects including field studies and theses, starred papers, creative works and portfolios use the S/U grading method. There is no maximum number of credits that may be taken with the S/U grading method. The majority of graduate programs offer their foundation courses under the standard grading method of A through F.

In Progress (IP)

The mark of IP (in progress) is used when the completion of theses, creative works, field studies, some independent study projects, and certain special courses is not normally anticipated during the semester in which the credit is registered. Where the work is projected to extend over two or more semesters, the grade will be recorded as IP (in progress), until such time as the work is completed. If the student has not met all of the requirements of a master's thesis, creative work, or a specialist degree field study by the end of the semester in which it was registered, the research is reported as IP (in progress). If the IP grade is not removed before one year has elapsed the grade will change to an F. If the student has graduated with an IP still on their transcript, the IP will be changed to W (withdrawn).

When the student has completed all of the requirements for a master's thesis, creative work, or a specialist degree field study, the adviser submits a mark of S (satisfactory) to replace the IP.

Incomplete (I)

When a student who is otherwise doing satisfactory work in a course is unable, for reasons beyond control, to complete all course requirements during the term, a grade of I (incomplete) is recorded. Such incompletes must be removed by the student within one semester. The only exception is an incomplete given in spring semester must be removed by the end of the following fall semester. If it is not removed within the time limit, the I (incomplete) is changed to F.

Computing Grade Point Average

A student's grade point average is a numerical ratio of the total credits attempted and the total grade points received. The method of computing GPA is to multiply the credit hours a class is worth (4-credit class, 3-credit class, 2-credit class, 1-credit class) by the GPA (honor) points for the grade received.

GPA (honor) points:

A+ = 4.00	A = 4.00	A- = 3.67
B+ = 3.33	B = 3.00	B- = 2.67
C+ = 2.33	C = 2.00	C- = 1.67
D+ = 1.33	D = 1.00	D- = 0.67
F = 0	FN = 0

For example, add the number of credits for the classes in which an A+ or A was received and multiply by 4; add the number or credits for the class in which an A- was received and multiply by 3.67; add the number of credits for the classes in which a B+ was received and multiply by 3.33, etc. When a mark of F or U is earned, the credits attempted are included in the computation of a grade point average. Courses in which the mark of S is given are not included in the computation of grade point average. Divide the total GPA (honor) points received by the total credits.

Only courses taken at St. Cloud State University or courses taken through an approved off-campus program are used in computing a student's SCSU grade point average. Courses in which a mark of C-, D, F, FN, or U was earned will not be accepted for graduate credit. If a course is repeated, both marks are used in determining the total grade point average. Graduate students should note that a U is figured in as an F.

Marks of I (incomplete), IP (in progress), AU (audit), W (withdrawn), or Z (no grade submitted) do not represent credit earned and are not included in the computation of grade point average.

Graduate Only Course Work

At least one-half the minimum requirements of curriculums leading to a specialist, master of engineering management, master of arts, master of business administration, master of music, master of science degree, and to a sixth-year program must be met through courses, seminars, and other learning experiences offered only to graduate students.

Independent Study

Each department offers independent study opportunities for advanced students wishing to pursue a special problem in the major area of concentration. These courses carry the designation: [name of department or program] 600, Special Problems. A maximum of three credits of Special Problems is permitted on a graduate degree program.

Prerequisites

Completion of prerequisites for a course must occur before a student can start that course, unless the student obtains permission from the department offering the course to waive the prerequisites. Failure to complete prerequisites can result in cancellation of registration for the course.

Repeating a Course for Additional Credits

Students may only receive credit once for the completion of a course unless otherwise stated in the course description.  The maximum number of credits allowed is stated in the course description.  For each enrollment the student receives credit hours and a grade.

Repeating a Course for Improvement of Grade

Graduate students may not repeat a course for graduate credit without the written permission of their adviser and the approval of the dean of the School of Graduate Studies.  Students may only repeat courses to improve their grade if the original grade was a C-, D, F, FN, or U.  The original grade and the grade from the repetition will both appear on the student’s transcript.  No course grades will be removed from the official transcript. 

• If a course is repeated, both marks are used in determining the total grade point average.
• The resulting grade from the first repetition of the course is averaged with the original grade in the computation of grade point average. 
• The original grade will appear on the student’s transcript with a mark of R indicating that the course was repeated. 
• Graduate students should note that a “U” is figured in the grade point average as an “F”. The repetition of a course in which a U was earned will also be marked with an R on the transcript. 
• Courses in which the mark of “S” is given are not included in the computation of the grade point average. 
• If the first repetition of the course results in a grade of C-, D, F, FN, or, U, the student may not repeat the course again without obtaining special permission from both the adviser and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Research Involving Animal Subjects

SCSU policy requires that all research involving the use of animal subjects must be reviewed and approved before initiation by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This policy applies to any employee or student of SCSU who uses animals living or dead, in research or teaching. Those planning to involve animal subjects in their research should obtain and review the IACUC packet, available in the College of Science and Engineering dean's office, 145 Robert H. Wick Science Building.

Research Involving Human Participants

In keeping with University policy and federal regulations, some graduate research involving human subjects requires review by the SCSU Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB). Generally, projects must be reviewed if they present more than minimal risk, involve a vulnerable population, or are externally funded. Students who plan to involve human participants or their data in class projects/assignments, theses, or other research activities should consult with their faculty adviser to determine whether the activities are exempt from review. Definitions, guidelines, and application forms are available on the Sponsored Programs Web site at http://www.stcloudstate.edu/osp or in the Office of Sponsored Programs, 210 Administrative Services Building. Additional guidance is provided by Sponsored Programs staff or IRB members.

Residence Credit Requirement

Candidates for the master's degree, specialist degree, or sixth-year program must earn a minimum of 20 semester credits in on-campus classes. Graduate courses offered at resident centers established by the University are considered on-campus credit.

• For the fifth-year program, a minimum of 10 credits must be earned in residence at SCSU.
• Graduate courses offered at resident centers established by the University are considered on-campus credit.
• Individual departments may establish residence policies requiring a period of full-time study.
• Each student should consult with the major department to determine specific departmental requirements.

Standard of Scholarship (Provisional)

Graduate students are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if they maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA.

Candidates for a Graduate Degree (Master’s, Specialist, or Doctoral) must maintain a 3.00 or higher grade point average in the major field, the total program, and all graduate course work taken at St. Cloud State University.

Candidates for Graduate Certificate Programs must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.00 in the course work taken in the program and at least a 3.00 GPA in all graduate course work taken at St. Cloud State University.

For Candidates in All Graduate Programs Courses in which a letter grade of I (Incomplete), IP (In progress), N (No grade reported), W (Withdrawal), F (Failure), FN (Failure for nonattendance), FW (Failure for not withdrawing), or U (Unsatisfactory) is received will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Courses in which a mark of C-, D+, D, D-, is earned will count as credits completed but will not be accepted toward graduate program completion. If a course is repeated, both marks are used in determining the total grade point average. A student who fails in the first course of a sequence cannot take the following courses in that sequence until the course has been completed with a passing grade.

Continuation in the program of study may be denied at any time during the program by not maintaining the standard of scholarship of the University.

Graduate students whose records show less than a 3.00 average at the completion of the approved program of courses may be permitted to register for a maximum of nine additional semester credits to be earned in courses approved by the petition procedure. The nine additional credits will be designed with the adviser and may include both repeated and new courses. If, after the completion of these nine additional credits, the average is still less than a 3.00 the student will be dismissed from his/her program of study.

Graduate students must complete at least 66.67 percent of all credits attempted at the University. A student whose completion rate falls below 66.67 percent will be placed on probationary status for one semester or summer term. If, at the end of the probationary semester or summer term, the student has completed 100 percent of credits for the semester or term but has not raised the cumulative completion rate to the required minimum, the student will be granted one additional semester or term of probation. A student on probation who fails to raise the cumulative credit completion rate to the minimum during the probationary semester or summer term and, as appropriate, the additional one will be suspended from the university through the next semester.

A student who has been suspended may appeal for reinstatement.

(Note: Students should check their university e-mail accounts regularly to be aware of notices of their academic status.)

Notification of violation letters will be sent to graduate students who have a cumulative grade point average of less than 3.0 and they will be placed on probationary status.The letters sent to the student and the advisor will contain a compliance date. Students are granted a minimum of one semester to bring their cumulative grade point average into compliance or to file a petition for an extension of the deadline. All petitions must be filed prior to the compliance date.

Dismissal letters will be sent to students who were placed on probation and who failed to meet the deadline set in the notification of violation letter and whose cumulative grade point average is less than 3.0.

Termination of Graduate Student Status

A student may be terminated from a graduate program and the School of Graduate Studies "for cause" based on the recommendation of the adviser/graduate committee, the department chairperson, and the graduate dean. "For cause" includes professional judgment of the department and the graduate dean that the student does not meet the academic or professional standards required for a student earning a graduate degree.

It is important for students to know the guidelines stated in this catalog are minimum requirements and that each graduate program is free to establish specific terms by which a student's progress is measured for continuation. When performance is unsatisfactory, in terms of a student's grades or normal progress toward their degree objective, the graduate student status may be terminated.

Students are encouraged to see the graduate chairperson in his/her program for complete information on degree progress standards, academic performance standards, and the procedures used to monitor these standards.

Tours/Field Trips

No more than six credits earned through tours/field trips (510) may be counted toward completion of a degree or certificate.

Transcript

A copy of the student academic transcript may be obtained by submitting a request in writing to the Office of Records and Registration. The student's complete name, current address, social security number or student tech ID, dates of attendance, and written signature are needed when requesting a transcript. Further information is available at www.stcloudstate.edu/registrar. There is a $5 fee for each transcript. Fees are subject to change.

Transfer Credit Policy

A maximum of 10 semester credits of graduate work completed at other accredited universities or extension credit earned from this University may be considered for application to the program.

To be accepted as transfer credit and applied towards a SCSU graduate degree, the following conditions must be met:

• Credit must be from a regionally accredited educational institution, approved to offer graduate degree programs in the major field where the credit was earned, at the time the credit was earned.
• Credit must be appropriate to the student's program.
• Credits transferred into an accredited program may need to come from an accredited program.
• Course evaluation and approval by the student's major adviser and the School of Graduate Studies is required.
• At time of transfer, credit must be officially recorded on the approved program form.

The following will not be accepted as transfer credit:

• Correspondence, individual or similar study.
• Credit earned at a location in Minnesota through a university headquartered in another state or country.
• Credit for courses conducted by proprietary groups.
• Credit applied towards another degree.
• Extended campus credit from a university that does not accept that credit for its own on-campus graduate programs.
• Workshops, continuing education courses and in-service training credits.

Additional transfer guidelines include:

• The grade recorded for these credits must be B or above or an S or P in S/U or P/F grading systems. No transfer credit can be accepted that was earned more than seven years prior to completion of the degree.
• For the fifth-year program, a maximum of 10 semester credits of graduate and advanced undergraduate work earned after the awarding of a bachelor's degree may be accepted. A grade of C or better must have been achieved in the courses.
• With the prior approval of the graduate adviser and the graduate dean, a maximum of 16 semester credits of appropriate graduate credit may be transferred from other universities of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and applied to a program at St. Cloud State University.
• When transferring credit to a specialist degree program, a minimum of 20 of the last 30 credits must be taken at this institution.
• After the student's program of study has been approved, no additional transfer credits will be accepted unless the student has received prior approval via the petition process.
• Any questions or concerns about the transferability of credit earned at other institutions should be directed to the School of Graduate Studies before a student enrolls for that credit.

The student must request that an official transcript be sent directly to the School of Graduate Studies by the institution awarding the credit. Official transcripts submitted from other institutions are for use in the applicant's admission process and pursuit of the degree at SCSU. These transcripts, or copies of them, cannot be issued to the student or other institutions.

Validation of Courses

Graduate courses taken at SCSU more than seven years prior to the date of graduation must be validated (approved) if used in meeting degree requirements. Graduate courses more than seven years old taken at other universities may not be validated as explained in the section titled Transfer Credit Policy. A course in which a student received a grade of C or less cannot be validated for use on the student's graduate program, and a maximum of one-half of the total program credits may be validated.

Procedures for validating a course:

1. A petition requesting validation of specific courses is approved by the adviser and the graduate dean.
2. Once the petition has been approved, a validation form for each course is sent by the School of Graduate Studies to the department chairperson of the department in which the course to be validated was taught.
3. It is the student's responsibility to contact the department to determine if they are willing to consider validating the course(s). If the department is willing, they will assign a professor who will decide what must be done to validate the course.
4. Following contact with the professor, the student completes the assigned work given by the validating professor.
5. The student submits the assigned work to the professor, and if it is determined to be satisfactory, the validation form will be completed by the professor and returned to the School of Graduate Studies.
6. In the School of Graduate Studies, the professor's recommendation for validation will be reviewed by the graduate dean. The student will be notified of the action taken by the graduate dean, and if the validation is approved, it will be entered on the student's program form.

Withdrawal from courses

See the semester class schedule or www.stcloudstate.edu/registrar for instructions on the withdrawal procedure. The deadline for withdrawing from a course may be found in the academic calendar in this bulletin or the semester class schedule. A failing mark will be given for courses not officially dropped except as noted in the grading system section of this bulletin.

The policy on refund of tuition and fees may be found in the financial information section of this bulletin and the semester class schedule.

Late Withdrawal
A late withdrawal is a request to withdraw from a class after the published withdrawal deadline and is considered only for extenuating circumstances. Typically, requests must be submitted no later than one calendar year from the last day of the semester of occurrence.

Late withdrawal requests require approval from the college offering a course or the Office of Academic Affairs.

The form and procedure for requesting late withdrawals is available at the Office of Records and Registration or online.

Military Withdrawal
Students who are members of any branch of the U.S. military reserves or National Guard and who are unable to complete a semester due to having been called to active duty have two options regarding their academic records.

If less than 75% of the term has been completed, students will receive a full refund of tuition and fees and grades of “W” will be entered into their academic record for all courses.  A notation that the student was called to military service will be entered on the transcript.  Students should be aware that they are liable for any required refunds of state or federal financial aid funds. 

If 75% or more of the term has been completed, the student may request that a letter grade or an “S” be submitted for their courses instead of a “W”.  If in the instructor’s judgment the student has completed sufficient course work to earn a letter grade, that grade will be entered on the student’s academic record. If in the instructor’s judgment the student has completed sufficient course work to earn a grade of “S”, that grade will be entered on the student’s academic record.  If in the instructor’s judgment the student has not completed sufficient course work to earn a grade or if the student has not requested a grade, the student will receive a refund of tuition and fees for the course and a grade of “W” will be entered on the academic record. A notation that the student was called to military service will be entered on the transcript.

Contact the office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to complete the necessary forms. Students must provide copies of their military orders, including notification of date of departure.

The provisions of this policy do not apply to 14-day annual active duty training requirements.

Workshop Limitation

Workshop courses may be applied to graduate degree programs within the following limitations:

Master's degrees
      Plan A — four workshop credits
      Plan B — seven workshop credits
      Plan C — 10 workshop credits
Specialist degree — four workshop credits
Sixth-year program — seven workshop credits
Fifth-year program — 10 workshop credits

Workshops covered by this regulation include permanent workshops that carry a special department number, temporary workshops that carry 595 or 695 numbers, and continuing education workshops that carry a 588 number and that require special approval for inclusion in a degree program.