Graduate School Regulations
Time Limit for Completion of Degree
All requirements for the master's degree must be completed within SIX calendar years, beginning with the date the student commences courses carrying graduate credit applicable to the degree program. Semesters in which students are not enrolled in classes because they have been granted a leave of absence are still included in determining the six-year deadline.
Continuous Enrollment
Students must remain continuously enrolled during the six-year period of study. If you fail to maintain continuous enrollment, your student status will be cancelled and you will have to apply for readmission.
Course Loads
A full-time graduate course load is 9 to 15 credits per semester (including audits) and 6 credits per summer session (including audits). Audits in subjects in which the student has no previous experience will be evaluated at full credit value in determining course load. Audits taken as repetition of work previously accomplished are considered at one half of their value in calculating course loads. With the single exception of foreign language audits, all audit registrations must fall within the range of maximum permissible course loads. Foreign students on F-l and J-l visas are required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to carry a full-time course of study to remain in status.
Grading and Academic Standing
Grade reports are posted on the NCSU Registration and Records Web Site http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/reg_records/ at the end of every semester. They are only viewable by the students, via password, and their academic advisors. Performance in 500-level courses is evaluated on a plus/minus A/F scale. In order to receive graduate degree credit, a grade of "C" or higher is required. In all 600-level courses, "S" (Satisfactory) and "U" (Unsatisfactory) grading is used.
The grade of Incomplete ("IN") may be given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed because of a serious interruption in a student's work (usually late in the semester) not caused by the student's own negligence. An "IN" must not be used, however, as a substitute for an "F" when the student's performance in the course is not passing. An "IN" is only appropriate when the student's combined record of attendance and course assignments is already well established and is passing.
A student who receives an "IN" must complete the unfinished work to have the Incomplete converted to a final grade as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the next semester in which the student is enrolled. Otherwise, the "IN" will be automatically converted to an "F" or a "U," according to the grading approved for the particular course. All grades of "IN" must be cleared prior to graduation. NB: The responsibility for making sure that incomplete work is completed in time lies entirely with the student.
The graduate grade point average (GPA) includes all grades on courses taken for graduate credit, including courses numbered 400 and above. "S" and "U" are not included in calculating the GPA. Courses at the 300 level and below are not considered for graduate credit, and grades earned for them are not included in calculating the GPA.
NB: 400-level courses with "ENG" designations CANNOT be used for graduate credit in the MA program.
Except in the case of Interinstitutional Registration, grades on courses transferred from another institution will not be included in computing the GPA.
Academic Warning
Graduate students are given a notice of academic warning if they have accumulated fewer than 9 hours at the 400-1evel or above and have a GPA of less than 3.0 ("B" average).
Academic Probation
Graduate students are placed on academic probation if they accumulate between 9 and 18 hours at the 400-level or above and have a GPA of less than 3.0.
Termination
A student's graduate study is terminated if 18 or more hours at the 400-level or above are accumulated with a GPA of less than 3.0; no further registration in a graduate classification will be permitted. Under extenuating circumstances the student will be reinstated upon the written recommendation of the DGP and approval by the Graduate Dean.
A graduate student must be in good academic standing (3.0 minimum GPA) to be eligible for appointment to an assistantship or fellowship and must be registered in each semester in which the appointment is in effect.
Audits
During any semester when a student is registered and paying for coursework, one free audit is permitted. Permission of the instructor is required for a student to audit a course. While auditors receive no course credit (they register for 0 hours credit), they are expected to attend class regularly. The extent to which auditors participate in class beyond regular attendance is up to the individual instructor; an instructor who believes that an auditor has failed to participate as stipulated is justified in filing a grade of "NR" (no recognition). As an auditor, you are responsible for finding the basis on which you will receive a grade of "AU."
Dropping Courses
A student may drop a course or change from credit to audit status (or vice versa) at any time BEFORE the deadline set by Registration and Records (for deadlines, see http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/calendars/). The advisor's signature on the drop form is required; drop forms may be obtained in Tompkins 246.
Transferring Courses
A student may transfer SIX hours of graduate work from another institution.
Present the DGP with as complete a description of the transfer course as possible. This should include at least an official syllabus (electronic or paper) but may also include an official catalogue description, a list of texts, course requirements, and copies of papers or exams. These materials will be used by an appropriate faculty member in our department to establish the correspondence with our course offerings. Any course taken elsewhere that is used as part of a program at this university must have been taken within the six-year time frame for the degree.
Graduate courses taken at NCSU before admission to a graduate program may also be transferred into the degree program. These may be courses taken as an undergraduate or as a post-baccalaureate student (PBS classification). The limit is 12 hours for PBS credits. Such credits are taken by students registered through Lifelong Education and count toward the degree and in the graduate GPA.
If you have any courses you wish to be considered for transfer credit in the MA, you must notify the DGP. Such credits do not have to be requested until after having earned 15 credit hours, but requesting transfer credit sooner can assist you in planning your future schedules and required or elective courses.
NB: The graduate school will not accept courses for transfer credit that were used to satisfy any requirements for a degree that has already been awarded.
