POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY 2005-2007

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
requires the approval of the Office of
Academic Affairs.
Individual programs may specify
required courses, minimum GPAs in specific
courses or course groups, and/or
require a comprehensive examination,
presentation of a seminar or completion of
a project or thesis.
Master of Engineering
Admission to Master of Engineering programs
requires a bachelor’s degree in an
appropriate preparatory discipline from an
institution acceptable to Polytechnic.
Candidates for the degree Master of
Engineering must complete no less than 36
units of advanced study and/or research
beyond the bachelor’s degree in the program.
Doctor of Philosophy
Requirements for the degree Doctor of
Philosophy are both qualitative and quantitative.
Students will find that the formal
requirements of residence, course units
and dissertation provide a framework
within which they are free to construct
individual programs for creative learning
at an advanced level.
Graduate students who wish to enter
into a systematic program leading to a
PhD should confer with an adviser in the
department of major interest regarding
(1) selection of courses, (2) major and
minor fields of study, (3) formulation of
a guidance committee, (4) qualifying and
language examinations and (5) degree
candidacy. Students must satisfy the
detailed requirements of the degree program
selected.
All doctorate candidates must complete
a minimum of 90 units of graduate
work beyond the bachelor’s degree,
including a minimum of 24 units of dissertation
research (depending on major).
They must take a minimum of 30 units,
including all dissertation units, at
Polytechnic.
Students may not register for
dissertation research until they have passed
the doctoral qualifying examination given
by their major department. These examinations
are generally scheduled once
or twice each year, and students should
consult the academic department for
specific information. Once students have
started their dissertation, they must
register for at least 3 units every semester
until it has been completed and
accepted, unless a leave of absence is formally
granted.
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA
34
(equivalent to a B letter grade) or better
for all graduate courses taken at
Polytechnic and a B or better average for
the dissertation. Some departments have
specific course or grade requirements that
must be fulfilled.
Full-time students must complete all
work for a PhD within six calendar years
counted from the time of admission graduate
work at Polytechnic. Part-time students
must complete within 12 years. Any
extension of these periods requires prior
approval of the Office of Academic
Affairs.
Graduate Advanced
Certificate Programs
Polytechnic offers a number of graduate
advanced certificate programs in specialized
subject areas for students who do not
wish to enroll in a full-degree program.
Students must officially enroll in a certificate
program when they begin graduate
study at Polytechnic. Detailed
descriptions of the certificate programs
are available from the responsible departments.
Please see Certificates Offered at
Polytechnic in this section of the catalog
for a full listing.
Depending on the program, 12 to 15
units must be taken at Polytechnic in order
to earn a certificate, and the courses may
also be applied to graduate degrees.
Applicants must be formally admitted to
a certificate program before beginning
course work. Admission requirements are
the same as those for related MS programs.
Students must have a cumulative GPA
of 3.0 in all graduate courses taken at
Polytechnic to receive a certificate. No
courses applied to one certificate program
can be applied to another. Requirements
for certificates must be completed within
three years.
Students in such a program who subsequently
decide to pursue a graduate
degree must file a separate application
for admission to the regular graduate program.
GRADUATE UNITS AND
REQUIREMENTS
Residency
To satisfy residency requirements for a
graduate degree at Polytechnic University,
students must complete the following minimum
number of units at the University:
• Master of Science 27 units
• Master of Engineering 27 units
• Doctor of Philosophy 30 units
(including dissertation)
• Graduate Certificate 12-15 units
Transfer Units
Students may transfer a limited number of
units toward meeting the requirements
for master’s, doctoral or graduate certificate
at Polytechnic, if the unit courses are
(1) consistent with Polytechnic’s residency
requirements, (2) completed with
honor grades A or B, (3) from accredited
institutions (4) acceptable at the transferring
institution for similar degree programs
and (5) taken after receipt of a
bachelor’s degree. The student’s major
academic department evaluates the graduate
transfer units.
Graduate courses taken at Polytechnic
while a student is pursuing an undergraduate
degree may be subsequently applied
toward a graduate degree, provided that
they earned a B grade or better and did not
use this course to fulfill requirements for
an undergraduate degree. Such courses
are not subject to the 9-unit maximum
transfer limitation for the MS degree, and
the grades are not figured into the cumulative
GPA.
Graduate Validation Units
When it is unclear whether a course taken
outside Polytechnic is suitable for transfer
credit, students may qualify for transfer
credit by passing a validation
examination. Permission to take the examination
must be recorded in advance on the
student’s transfer evaluation form. The
format of the examination is at the discretion
of the department giving the
course. Scheduling of the examination is
by mutual agreement, but in no event can
it be scheduled more than one calendar
year after the student begins study at
Polytechnic. A grade of B or better is
required for graduate students. An examination
may not be taken more than once.
A student who registers for or attends the
course at Polytechnic forfeits the right to
take a validation examination.
The sum of validation units, special
student units and transfer units is limited
to a maximum of 9 units for the MS degree.
Graduate Registration Status and
Maximum Units Permitted
Graduate students pay tuition at the perunit
rate.
• Full-time MS students are registered for
9 units or more.*
• Part-time MS students are registered for
less than 9 units per semester (except
in summer). Part-time students do not
qualify for most financial assistance
programs.