2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Course Requirements
Course requirements are stated in each master’s degree program
description. Students who meet certain requirements may be eligible
to participate in accelerated master’s programs that entail completing
both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years by maintaining
higher overall and program GPAs and who are willing and able to
carry increased course loads. High-achieving students are strongly
recommended to discuss this option with their advisers. Accelerated
programs are not available in all majors or colleges.
The stated minimum credit hours can include any or all of the following,
subject to academic unit approval and specific restrictions
stated in graduate policy:
Up to 12 semester hours of credit transferred from a regionally
accredited institution or, in some cases, from a foreign university;
or, in the case of a partner institution in a dual-degree program
with Florida Tech, up to half of the total minimum credit hours.
Up to six semester hours of credit for 3000- and 4000-level
undergraduate courses taken while enrolled in a graduate program
at Florida Tech. Only 4000-level courses will be considered if the
courses are in the student’s major field of study.
Credit previously used to meet the requirements of another master’s
degree at Florida Tech may be used to meet up to half of the
credits required for the later degree.
Credit in excess of the seven-year statute of limitations if a waiver
is in effect, in accordance with the statue of limitations as defined
in this catalog.
Academic credit applied toward the requirements of a bachelor’s
degree, at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may not be used in any graduate
program at Florida Tech, regardless of the level of the course, unless
the student has been accepted into an approved accelerated or fast
track master’s program.
Program Plan
Each master’s-level graduate student is required to have an approved
program plan on file no later than one month before nine credit hours
of graduate courses have been completed.
Only one program plan can be in effect for a student at any given
time. Because of the importance of the program plan in establishing
a new program GPA following a change of major, no request to
change majors will be processed unless accompanied by an approved
new program plan. This requirement applies whether a degree was
earned in the first major or not.
Graduate students receive a degree program plan/flow chart showing
the most commonly accepted sequence of courses for their degree
program as soon as admission is complete. Students should contact
their academic program chair or advisor if they have not received a
degree program plan/flow chart.
Thesis
Master’s theses are required in some programs and are optional in
most others. The credit hours assigned to the thesis vary according to
the program. A student cannot initially register for thesis unless his
or her GPA is at least 3.0. Subsequent to the initial registration, the
student must continue to register for at least three hours of thesis each
academic term, including summer, until the thesis is defended and
accepted by the graduate programs office. An interruption in thesis
registration requires written approval in advance and is permissible
only if the student is making no use of university facilities or personnel.
42 Florida Tech 2013–2014
A grade of S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) is assigned at the end
of each academic term, with zero credit hours earned. The candidate
should contact the graduate programs office early in the thesis preparation
process for guidance regarding style and format requirements. A
Thesis Manual and Style Guide is available at the university bookstore.
After all research has been completed, the written thesis is distributed
to committee members at least two weeks before the thesis defense
is held. If the thesis defense is successful, a P grade is assigned corresponding
to the required number of thesis credit hours. A minimum
of five copies of the approved thesis must be received and accepted
by the graduate programs office before the degree can be awarded.
Design Project
All requirements listed for theses in the preceding section apply
equally to design projects.
Final Program Examination
A final program examination is required in all master’s programs
with the exception of all programs in the Nathan M. Bisk College
of Business and the Human Factors in Aeronautics program in the
College of Aeronautics, for which there is no on-campus counterpart.
For nonthesis students, the examination may be either written or oral,
or both, at the discretion of the academic unit. For thesis and design
project students, the examination consists primarily of an oral defense
of the thesis or design project and takes place during the last term of
registration for M.S. Thesis or design project.
An examination candidate must have a grade point average (both
program and overall, if different) of 3.0 or higher at the time of the
examination to be permitted to schedule any final program examination.
All oral examinations must be included in the weekly schedule of
examinations published by the graduate programs office. Scheduling
an oral examination is the responsibility of the candidate and his or
her committee. Notification to the graduate programs office too late
for inclusion in the weekly schedule will normally result in postponement
of the examination. For written examinations, application must
be made by the student to the academic unit at least one month in
advance of the desired examination date. Examination dates will normally
be announced each term by academic units requiring written
examinations.
A candidate must be enrolled during the term the examination is
taken or retaken in the case of a failed examination. An exception is
made for a nonthesis student if a separate examination fee is paid.
Transfer Credit
If the courses constitute a logical part of the student’s master’s program,
a maximum of 12 semester hours of transfer credit from regionally
accredited institutions may be accepted, with the approval of the
head of the appropriate academic unit and the director of graduate
programs under the following conditions:
The courses must have been taken for graduate credit and must
not have been applied previously to any undergraduate degree.
They must have been graded courses, and grades of at least B or
equivalent must have been earned in each course.
Graduate Study at Other Institutions
A currently enrolled student may take a limited number of courses at
other institutions for transfer to a Florida Tech graduate degree program.
The restrictions on graduate transfer credit listed above apply.
Prior approval is mandatory. The student must complete and submit the
designated form with all required signatures and a written justification.