2003-2005 - Graduate School - The University of Alabama

Academic PoliciesProvisional Language Admission for International Graduate StudentsAn international grad u ate applicant to The Uni ver si ty of Al a bama may be considered for “pro vi sion al lan guage ad mis sion” if he or she does not meet the min i mumTOEFL score re quire ment of 550 (i.e., he or she has a lower TOEFL score or has not takenthe TOEFL). The ap pli cant must meet all oth er admission cri te ria as stat ed for reg u laror conditional admission on p. 83–85 of this catalog, meet all fi nancial and immigrationre quire ments, and be rec om mend ed by the in di vid u al University of Al a bama graduatede part ment to receive pro vi sion al lan guage ad mis sion. A stu dent holding pro vi sion allanguage ad mis sion may not hold an internally funded grad u ate as sis tant ship.Students who have provisional language admission are ac cept ed to the GraduateSchool but must attend full-time intensive En glish lan guage in struc tion at the EnglishLan guage In sti tute (ELI). The student must com plete the ELI’s Intensive English Programwith a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the advanced levels (levels 4, 5, and 6) or earn a score ofat least 550 on the TOEFL before he or she will be allowed to enroll in graduate courses,hold teaching assistantships, or hold internally funded research assistantships. Studentswho have pro vi sion al language ad mis sion are only eligible to hold externally fundedresearch as sis tant ships. (In special cir cum stanc es, the Grad u ate School, de part ment,and ELI may grant permission for a student who has completed ELI Level 4 or higherwith a 3.5 GPA to enroll in one graduate course per semester while completing theremaining levels of the ELI. The specifi c course must be approved by the instructor anddepartment prior to enrollment.)When a student with provisional language admission begins enrollment in graduatecourses, he or she must meet all other requirements for conditional admission, as statedon p. 84 of this catalog.International graduate applicants should inform the Graduate School that they wishto be considered for provisional language admission, when they submit their graduateapplication forms.Admission of Faculty Members for Graduate WorkThe University normally does not permit members of its own faculty to earn advanceddegrees from the University. A faculty member who wants an exception to this rule mustpresent an extremely compelling case and must receive prior approval from the dean ofthe Graduate School, from the dean of the division in which the faculty member holdsappointment, from the dean of the division in which the faculty member wants to study,and from the provost/vice president for academic affairs. A faculty member seeking anexception to the rule should begin by arranging an appointment with the dean of theGraduate School.Seniors in The University of Alabama Taking Graduate CreditA senior at The University of Alabama who has at least a 3.0 grade point average overallmay petition to take graduate courses toward a graduate career. Permission to take aparticular course is granted based on approval by the instructor, the instructor’s departmentchairperson, the dean of the student’s division, and the graduate dean. The totalcourse load for an undergraduate taking graduate courses should not exceed 15 hoursa semester. A senior may accumulate no more than 9 hours of graduate credit. Graduatecourses taken by a senior cannot also be applied to the undergraduate career.Change of Major or PurposeAll students changing their majors or degree levels will be required to submit newap pli ca tions. Students pur su ing doctorates in the College of Education should consultthe College of Education sec tion of this catalog for ad di tion al requirements. Graduatecourses taken by a senior cannot also be applied to the undergraduate career.89