Graduate Catalog - Shippensburg University

Academic Policies and ProceduresRepeating Graduate CoursesStudents may repeat any course taken previously, regardless ofletter grade. Permission from the academic department must be obtainedbefore a course may be repeated. Graduate students are limitedto a total of two repeats where the most recent grade of the coursewill be used in the QPA calculation, regardless of whether that gradeis higher or lower. A single course repeat for grade improvement islimited to one time.If you repeat a course, only the most recent grade will be used incalculating your cumulative QPA. If you repeat a passed course andfail, you will lose both the quality points and the credits you hadpreviously earned.A C or F grade earned at Shippensburg University may not bemade up at another institution of higher learning for the same course.Independent study or individualized instruction may not be used torepeat a course.Transfer CreditIn order to meet the needs of individual students who are nottransfer students, specialized work at other institutions may berecommended to a maximum of nine credit hours. If you are admittedto Shippensburg’s graduate program and wish to take graduatecourses elsewhere for transfer credit after starting your program, youmust receive prior approval from your advisor and from the Dean ofGraduate Studies in order to insure transfer credit can be granted. Amaximum of nine semester hour credits of graduate work earned atanother institution will be accepted provided the courses are appropriatefor your program at Shippensburg University, and the creditsare received on an official transcript with grades of B or higher. Creditstransferred to a Shippensburg University master’s degree programfrom other institutions must not have been applied to a previouslyearned bachelor’s degree.Grades earned in courses transferred from other colleges and universitiesare not included in determining your quality point average inthe graduate program at Shippensburg.Credit earned more than five years prior to the date you begin yourgraduate program at Shippensburg University does not qualify fortransfer credit.Graduation RequirementsAs a fulfillment of its obligation to higher education, ShippensburgUniversity has established high standards of achievement andpromise for its students which must be met without question beforegraduation is approved by the faculty or the administration of theuniversity. Specific requirements relating to individual master’s degreeprograms may be found in the chapter University Curricula.General requirements for the master’s degree include a cumulativeQPA of 3.0, the completion of all course work, the completion of anycomprehensive requirement (including thesis), and the resolution ofall outstanding judicial and/or academic dishonesty matters. Additionalgraduation requirements may also be required by academicdepartments.Applications for graduation must be submitted to the Registrar’sOffice by the end of the second week of your final term.Commencement ceremonies are generally held on Friday eveningat the end of final examination week. A graduate of the universityis expected to participate in the commencement ceremonies at theend of the semester in which they complete all requirements forgraduation. Students who meet those requirements in August havethe option to participate in either the preceding spring commencementceremony or the following winter commencement ceremony.Students who, at the completion of either the fall or spring semester,are within six (6) credits of completing their degree requirements mayapply to participate in the preceding semester’s commencement ceremony.Applications to participate in a ceremony prior to completionof all requirements are to be made to the dean of the student’s collegewith final action by the Provost’s Office. Approval will be grantedonly when warranted by unusual or exceptional circumstances, suchas a student who will be studying abroad and unable to attend theappropriate ceremony.Time LimitAll course work and research for the master’s degree must becompleted within a seven-year period beginning the semester youmatriculate in the degree program. Extensions must be requestedthrough your department chair and approved by your college deanand the Dean of Graduate Studies.AdvisementWhen you are admitted to graduate study, the chair of your majordepartment (or a designated representative) will assign you a programadvisor. It is your responsibility to arrange an appointment with theprogram advisor as soon as possible to outline your program, takinginto consideration previous work and your individual objectives. Youshould follow the curriculum as outlined for your field of specializationunless an adjustment is approved on the basis of previous workor experience. Although the program advisor will assist you in planningyour program, you are responsible for knowing the curriculumrequirements and seeing these requirements are met.Admission to CandidacySome academic departments require you to apply for and be admittedto candidacy in order to complete the program of study leadingto the master’s degree. The candidacy process is used to reviewyour progress and compliance with academic policies.Departments requiring candidacy may establish their own guidelines.Contact your department for further information.Research RequirementAll master’s degree programs must require an appropriate researchand/or statistics course.Comprehensive RequirementThe completion of a master’s degree must have an evaluation or aculminating experience to be determined by each academic discipline.This requirement could be in the nature of a comprehensive writtenexamination, an oral examination, an interview, proof of competenciesbeing met in a program, or other similar evaluation activity thatdemonstrates mastery of subject area.Double CountingThe concept of “double counting” credits for two different master’sdegrees is not encouraged. In certain cases, however, an academic departmentmay recommend a maximum of nine credits earned in onemaster’s degree at Shippensburg be transferred to a second master’sdegree at Shippensburg University.Dual Graduate DegreesFor graduate students completing dual graduate degrees simultaneously,no more than 9 credits can be transferred in from anotherinstitution or double counted from another Shippensburg Universitygraduate program.ThesisBefore registering for thesis you should confer with the departmentchair concerning the appointment of your research advisorand the other members of your thesis committee. The names of theadvisor and committee members must be submitted to the Registrar’sOffice for approval at the time you register for the thesis. Registrationfor the thesis may be completed at the beginning of any semester orsummer session. In planning work on your thesis, you should takeinto consideration faculty members are not always on campus duringthe summer sessions.21