Policies and Procedures Specific to Graduate students

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Please note that unless indicated below, graduate students are bound by the policies and practices that apply to all UArts students, especially as noted elsewhere in this catalog.

Graduate students are considered full-time if enrolled in at least nine credits per semester, with the exception of students enrolled in the Summer MFA program who are considered full-time if enrolled in at least 4.5 credits during the Fall and Spring semesters as per their program requirements. Tuition for part-time graduate students is charged on a per-credit basis.

A maximum of six credits of graduate credit may be transferred and applied toward the graduate degree requirements upon approval of the program director. All transfer credits must be graduate-level classes or upper-level undergraduate classes taken for graduate credit at an accredited college or university, approved by the Registrar and the Graduate Director, and must be a “B” or higher grade.

A student’s class status is determined by the number of credits earned, regardless of the number of semesters of enrollment or the student’s standing in his or her major program. Class status is a factor in determining financial aid eligibility and is one indicator of academic progress. Class standing is also used to prioritize scheduling during registration.

Graduate status is determined as follows:

Undergraduate students who wish to enroll in a graduate course must have Junior status (U3), a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and permission of the instructor to enroll in the course.

Graduate students may register for undergraduate liberal arts courses or studio courses (with permission of the graduate director and director of liberal arts) for graduate credit through the Special Topics mechanism. In order to register, students must complete a Special Topics form, available through the Office of the Registrar. Students are advised to select an area of study that broadens or intensifies their background in the arts, education, and related disciplines. Often this work contributes directly to preparation of the graduate project proposal.

The grade of “IP” (“In Progress”) signifies that the student is making satisfactory progress toward completing the graduate thesis. This grade will apply only to graduate thesis courses where the student’s thesis is still in progress.

This grade is available only for the following courses:

An “IP” grade acknowledges the fact that the final course product (thesis) may require some period of time past the semester of registration to complete. The “IP” grade will remain on the student’s record until a final thesis grade is submitted by the instructor. In some cases, a student will be registered for thesis courses as a sequence (e.g., MSEM 781/B). When the final grade is submitted by the instructor, it will replace the “IP” grade. The “IP” grade is not computed in the grade-point average.

In order to remain in good standing while the thesis is “in progress,” the student must register for the thesis continuation fee for each semester he or she is not enrolled in coursework.

A student who has completed all the course requirements for the master’s degree and is currently working on the graduate thesis, either on or off-campus, must register and pay a graduate thesis continuation fee of .5 credits per semester calculated at the per-credit cost for each semester of non-attendance until the thesis is completed and accepted. This registration, through the Office of the Registrar, is required in each succeeding semester, excluding the summer sessions, until all degree requirements are met. Students completing a degree in the summer must pay the thesis fee in the final summer semester.

1. A student who has completed one degree and wishes to matriculate in another does so by applying to the new program through the Office of Admission.
2. A student may be awarded a particular degree from the University only once; i.e., once the student has earned an MA, he or she may not be awarded another MA.