Current Policy from 2010-2011 Graduate Catalog
Expectations for Satisfactory Graduate Level Student Performance
Graduate students are expected to earn grades of at least “B” in most of their course work for their degree. For graduation, a graduate student must have earned a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all graduate course work at Kennesaw State University College of Education
Earning grades below “B” in graduate courses will result in the following consequences:
I. Academic Warning
Upon earning a grade lower than “B” in at least two credit hours of graduate course work, the student will receive a letter of warning and be advised of the consequence that will result if additional grades lower than “B” are earned in graduate courses at Kennesaw State University.
Upon earning a grade lower than “B” in at least six credit hours of graduate course work, the student will be given a letter of warning. Upon earning a grade lower than “B” in nine or more hours of graduate course work, the student will be dismissed from further graduate study at KSU and will not be eligible for readmission as a graduate student.
Upon earning a grade lower than “B” in at least six credit hours of graduate course work, the student will be given a letter of warning. Upon earning a grade lower than “B” in nine or more hours of graduate course work, the student will be dismissed from further graduate study at KSU and will not be eligible for readmission as a graduate student.
II. Academic Probation
Whenever a graduate student’s cumulative graduate grade-point average drops below 3.0, that student will be placed on academic probation and be advised of the significance and potential consequences of this action. While on probation, the student will not be permitted to apply for admission to candidacy, take comprehensive exams, or obtain a graduate degree. Graduate students can have their probationary status removed by raising their cumulative grade-point average to at least 3.0.
III. Academic Exclusion
If a graduate student earns nine credit hours of grades below “B” in graduate course work, or if a graduate student on probation earns a semester or summer grade-point average below 3.0, that student will be dismissed from further graduate study at KSU and will not be eligible for readmission as a graduate student. Individual graduate programs may have additional grading policies. Please see specific graduate program section of the catalog for additional information on grade expectations.
A student who wishes to appeal after the first exclusion must submit a letter describing the situation and stating the reasons for requesting the appeal to the appropriate graduate program director who will forward his/her recommendation to the dean of graduate college. The dean of graduate college will then notify the appropriate graduate program director, the office of the registrar and the student of his/her decision. The decision of the dean of graduate college is final and students may not appeal a second exclusion.
Proposed wording:
Expectations for Satisfactory Graduate Level Student Performance
Graduate students are expected to earn grades of at least “B” in most of their course work for their degree. For graduation, a graduate student must have earned a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all graduate course work at Kennesaw State University
Academic Probation
Whenever a graduate student’s cumulative grade-point average drops below 3.0, that student will be placed on probation and be advised of the significance and potential consequences of this action. While on probation, the student will not be permitted to apply for admission to candidacy, take comprehensive exams, or obtain a graduate degree. Students on probation are only allowed to register for courses during final registration.
Graduate students can have their probationary status removed by raising their cumulative grade-point average to at least 3.0. Graduate students will have (9? or 18?) semester hours in which to improve their cumulative grade-point average to at least 3.0. After (9? or 18?) semester hours, if the cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 has not been met, the student will be dismissed from further graduate study at KSU and will not be eligible for readmission as a graduate student.
Individual graduate programs may have additional expectations and/or grading policies. Please see specific graduate program sections of the catalog for additional information on graduate expectations.
Reinstatement
A student who wishes to request reinstatement after their dismissal must submit a letter describing the situation and stating the reasons for requesting the reinstatement to the appropriate graduate program director who will forward his/her recommendation to the dean of graduate college. The dean of graduate college will then notify the appropriate graduate program director, the office of the registrar and the student of his/her decision. The decision of the dean of graduate college is final and students may not appeal this decision. Graduate students that are granted a reinstatement must agree to a remediation plan. Any deviation from the remediation plan will result in permanent exclusion.
6 comments:
I have read the new policy and it makes a lot of sense. If I have understood it completely, full-time students basically have 1 or 2 semesters to make up a C grade by getting an A to balance it off. From the draft it seems that the policy could go either way by making the probation last for either 9 or 18 credits. My preference would be 18 for this reason: We have many students who get B grades all the way along, and then take a more challenging course such as Research Methods, and earn a C grade. Their best chance for remediating their GPA would be during their internship which they undertake in their final semester. By successfully completing their internship and its associated paper, the student could then earn an A and graduate as planned.
Let me also say, that if KSU had plusses and minusses (+/-), this would be less problematic because more Bs for our studnets are likely to actually be B+s while most Cs are also actually likely to be C+s. So, the GPAs would be both more nuanced, accurate, and less likely to result in a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 for our graduate students. I know this is a long-standing challenge for KSU and that it is not within your power to change...only perhaps continue to advocate for change :)
I should also note that our RPG will likely decline as a result of this policy change and that the graduate programs will need to take proactive steps with each impacted student. We certainly have already made these changes to our advising so as to catch problems early. I only bring this to your attention so that reduced RPGs at the graduate level as a result of this policy are not inaccurately interpreted as being due to some other factor or seen as a reduction in program quality. In fact, it is possible that some of those students who should not have been graduating (due to mediocre performance) will indeed not now be graduating, so a reduced RPG can be seen as a reflection of increased quality expectations in our programs.
Thanks for your clear and consistent communication and elicitation of feedback throughout this process. It has been greatly appreciated.
Susan Raines
I think the policy is clear and I vote for 9 hrs to bring up the GPA. I think 18 hrs is too much. Thank you,
Tommie Nelms
Under "Academic Probation," second paragraph: I'm in favor of 9 semester hours, not 18.
I also now understand why there was confusion during the Grad Council meeting over "exclusion." I believe that except for the first paragraph under "Reinstatement," the word that was used was "dismissal," and it will help readers greatly to keep with the same language throughout the document. At the same time, I'd omit the word "first" on the first line: A student who wishes to request reinstatement after the first..." I think "first" confuses readers. It's certainly not necessary at that point in the document because a second one hasn't been discussed yet. Use or ignore as you see fit.
Jim Elledge
With our administrative structure and my responsibilities as Associate Dean of Graduate Study, I believe the first level of request for reinstatement should come to me. Can we specify that in the catalog...in the following way...? See red font in the original attachment.
Nita Paris
Is there value in using a reinstatement process at the graduate level that is similar to what is used at the undergraduate level? Students must submit documentation to support their request (if needed) along with a letter of support from the program director/faculty member/etc. Such a process is a committee decision and provides for some consistency across all programs. It would also provide for an appeal process to the graduate dean.
Dorothy Zinsmeister
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