Graduate Coordinators Handbook

Section 3

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Students are expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better on all graduate level work. The Graduate School reviews the academic progress of all students at the end of each semester and identifies those who have a cumulative gpa of less than 3.0. Students who are in Conditional standing are reviewed at the end of their first nine hours of graduate work. Failure to achieve good standing can lead to a hold on enrollment or a drop to Non-Degree status. If a hold is placed on enrollment, the student must visit the Graduate School to discuss matters and to possibly have the hold overridden.

Where a student has three I or IP grades outstanding, the student is not permitted to enroll in additional courses.

All doctoral degree students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination. The rules related to eligibility to take the exam are given in the Graduate Catalog. Included in the Appendix is a form to be used to request authorization for taking a comprehensive exam. Once a student has passed the comprehensive exam, he or she becomes a candidate for a doctoral degree. A candidate is required to be continuously enrolled for at least 3 hours during two semesters within a calendar year.

Prior to graduation, every doctoral student must complete 18 hours of dissertation credit. After a student is admitted to candidacy, enrollment--in course work or dissertation--must be continuous, including an enrollment of at least 3 hours in the term in which the degree is granted (1 hour of enrollment during the summer will suffice for graduation, if the summer semester is not to be used to fulfill the continuous enrollment requirement). Continuous enrollment is defined as enrollment for at least three semester hours during two of the three terms of the calendar year. The calendar year includes the fall and spring semesters and the summer session, enrollment in one of the two summer terms constituting a summer session enrollment. A doctoral student failing to maintain continuous enrollment will be assessed a fee equal to six hours of tuition for each semester of their suspended enrollment. In departments requiring an internship for the doctorate, continuous enrollment is not considered to be interrupted by enrollment in the internship. However, 18 hours of dissertation must still be presented, including 3 hours of enrollment during the semester the degree is awarded.

Thesis committees of the University of Mississippi must consist of at least three faculty from the discipline in which the degree is sought; each must be a member, Associate or Full, of the Graduate Faculty.

Dissertation committees of the University of Mississippi must consist of at least three faculty from the discipline in which the degree is sought, plus one member external to the discipline; each must be a member, Associate or Full, of the Graduate Faculty, but the Chair must be a Full member or have received the special and specific consent of the Graduate Council.

Members of thesis and dissertation committees, as described above, may continue their involvement with those committees after leaving the University; Chairs of thesis and dissertation committees who leave the University may serve as Co-Chairs.

Only appointed members of thesis and dissertation committees may be identified on the signature page even if they cannot be present at the thesis or dissertation defense.

Auxiliary members of thesis and dissertation committees who are not members of the University of Mississippi faculty may be appointed to committees as non-voting members but may not be identified on the signature page.

The following set of guidelines is also given in the Appendix as a form. There must be at least one full semester or calendar equivalent between submission of the prospectus and the semester in which the final dissertation defense is scheduled.

A. A written dissertation prospectus will be required of every doctoral student.

B. An oral defense of the prospectus will be required.

C. A committee will be formed to evaluate the merit of the prospectus. This committee will also serve as the dissertation committee.

D. The committee should consist of at least four members. One member, nominated by the dissertation chairman, will be external to the discipline. All members of the committee shall have equal voting rights.

E. A single negative vote in the committee will require negotiation among the committee members in order to achieve reconciliation of the point(s) of objection.

F. Only if the committee cannot agree on the merits of the prospectus and, through reasoned discussion, accept the prospectus unanimously, a review process by a committee of the department/school will be invoked.

G. Although a unanimous vote of the committee is necessary in order to accept the prospectus, a majority vote only will be required on the final dissertation defense.

H. An approved copy of the prospectus will be filed with the Graduate School immediately following the defense.

I. Any research involving human subjects must be approved by the Institutional Review Board. Any research using animals must be approved by the IACUC. To determine if these provisions apply, please contact the IRB or IACUC through the Office of Research at 7482 for applications and assistance.

J. When any member of the committee believes that a substantial change in the research plan has been made, the committee will be reconvened. Unanimous approval of any substantial revision is required. A report of substantial changes will be filed in the Graduate School.

K. Any committee member who does not sign the final dissertation must file an objection with the Graduate School.

Final oral or written examinations for a masters or doctoral degree must be scheduled no later than 14 days and 10 days, respectively, prior to the intended examination date. These exams must be scheduled on or before the last day of class (i.e., a final exam cannot be scheduled during the regular University testing period or between semesters). See the Graduate Catalog for additional regulations. Included in the Appendix is a copy of a form to be used to request permission to sit for (and the scheduling of) a final exam.

A student who expects to complete all degree requirements by the end of a particular semester must submit a degree application form (see Appendix) to the Supervisor of Graduate Records in the Graduate School. The deadline for submitting this application form is approximately one month after the beginning of a fall or spring semester; actual deadlines are posted on the Graduate School's web page.

When a student completes a degree application form, he or she will be given information regarding deadlines for the submission of the thesis, doctoral essay, or dissertation and for completion of the final oral examination. Also, information is provided to the student about the required format for the dissertation or thesis, fees for binding and microfilming, and fees and procedures for applying for copyright. The Graduate School requires two copies of the thesis, doctoral essay, or dissertation. The student is also required to complete a Survey of Earned Doctorates.

A student can request to apply toward a degree up to nine hours of course work taken as a Non-Degree II students.

A temporary mark of IP ( In-Progress) can be assigned to a graduate student in a course, such as a graduate research-oriented course in which the nature of the course and the expectations of students cannot anticipate completion within one semester. IP marks must be changed to grades within one calendar year and will not be accounted for in the grade point average until that time. After one year, unless an extension is approved by the Graduate School, IP marks will be calculated as F grades. In contrast, an I (Incomplete) grade in a course converts to an F (if not satisfactorily converted to a passing grade) on the last day of the next regular semester (excluding summer terms).

Grades for all courses taken by Graduate students will remain a permanent part of their transcript. Except for courses identified in the catalog as "may be repeated for credit," no course may be repeated more than once, and no more than two courses may be repeated and applied toward a degree. In instances of repeated courses, the second grade will be used to determine eligibility to graduate. Departments may impose higher standards.

The Graduate School does not have a "forgiveness policy." However, if a graduate student repeats a course for credit, only the second (or last) grade is used in determining eligibility to graduate.

Undergraduates within 15 hours of undergraduate degree and having a 3.0 grade point average on all upper division courses may take 3 hours for graduate credit; undergraduate within 12 hours of undergraduate degree and having a 3.0 grade point average on all upper division courses may take 6 hours for graduate credit. An undergraduate may take a maximum of six semester hours for graduate credit.

As explained in the Graduate Catalog, a maximum of six credit hours can be recommended for transfer credit from another institution for a student pursuing a masters degree (twelve hours for a student pursuing an MFA or Specialists degree). The Graduate School does not accept transfer credit toward the doctoral degree. However, University of Mississippi transcripts for doctoral students may include statements as to the number of credits completed at other institutions, by name of institution and number of credits earned, but will not list the specific course numbers or titles. See the Appendix for a form.

All work applying to a masters degree must be completed within a six year period of time, including any transfer hours.

The total duration of study for the doctoral degree may not exceed seven years. It is expected that students will have been admitted to candidacy, that is, have passed all parts of their comprehensive examinations, within four years. Students who have not defended a dissertation prospectus within seven years will forfeit all credit earned toward the doctorate. However, students who do not complete all requirements for the degree within seven years may appeal to re-defend their prospectus in an oral examination. The prospectus committee may be the same or may be different than the previous committee. The prospectus topic may be the same or maybe be different than that presented earlier. If it is the same, the student must review work published in the last five years that impact the proposed dissertation. The faculty may question the student to assess competency to perform the proposed work. As a result of this questioning, the department may require the student to take another written comprehensive examination, take specific courses, or other remedies deemed appropriate by the faculty. Successful presentation and adoption of the prospectus, as determined by a unanimous vote of the committee, and the completion of any other requirements, will extend up to two years the student's eligibility to graduate

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