Policies & Procedures
General Information
To graduate from the University with a bachelor's degree, a student must (1) satisfy all General Education requirements, (2) satisfy all other applicable University academic requirements, and (3) satisfy the requirements of her/his academic major, and any academic minor. A student must also meet the requirements for teacher certification if she/he is seeking teacher certification. The graduation requirements for each degree are set forth in the University's catalog. Each student must also satisfy any outstanding financial obligations to the University prior to graduation.
A student is graduated at the end of the academic term in which she/he completes the requirements, and the date of graduation is indicated on the student's academic record. All deficiencies for graduation, such as incomplete grades, must be satisfied within two weeks following the end of the term in which the student seeks to graduate; otherwise, the student will be graduated at the end of the academic term in which all deficiencies are completed.
A candidate for a baccalaureate degree should file an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar at the beginning of the senior year. Each applicant for graduation is assessed a graduation fee, payable at the time of application. Applications are mailed routinely to students when they reach this level (90 semester hours). Application forms are available in the Office of the Registrar. Following application, the Office of the Registrar evaluates whether the student has met the University's General Education and other general academic degree requirements; the appropriate academic departments evaluate whether the student has met the requirements for the student's major and any minor. The Office of the Registrar then informs the student of requirements that must be completed. An Application for Graduation will not be processed after the announced final deadline which is three months prior to graduation.
Commencement exercises are held each term. Attendance at commencement is voluntary. The graduation fee does not cover the rental cost for the cap and gown. These items, as well as invitations, are ordered through the Bookstore in the Morris University Center, and questions regarding them should be referred to the Bookstore. Participation in commencement exercises does not entitle a student to a degree.
Bachelor's Degree
A candidate for a bachelor's degree must fulfill all academic requirements of the University and of the student's major and minor, and maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.00 for work completed at SIUE, as well as a 2.00 overall grade point average.
Each bachelor's degree candidate must complete a minimum of 124 semester hours of credit in approved courses. Of the 124 credit hours required: (1) no more than 64 hours may be earned at an accredited two-year institution; (2) at least 30 hours must be earned at SIUE; and (3) the remaining 30 hours must be earned at SIUE or at a four-year institution approved by SIUE.
Second Degree
A student seeking a second baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the requirements for the first degree, and must satisfy the requirements of the primary concentration for the second degree. At least 15 semester hours must be taken in residence at SIUE.
Foreign Language Requirement for Bachelor of Arts Degree
A person seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree must establish, either by examination or by approved college courses, proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to having completed one year of college-level work in the language. Requirements for some degrees may require proficiency in a foreign language at a level exceeding that equivalent to one year's college-level study.
Graduation Appeals Committee
The University Graduation Appeals Committee hears student petitions regarding the University's general requirements for a baccalaureate degree. The Committee does not consider appeals concerning satisfaction of requirements established by an academic department for the major or minor concentration. An appeal concerning those requirements is initiated through the respective academic department.
Appeals to the Committee are initiated through the Office of the Registrar. Ordinarily, the Committee will give consideration to an appeal only if there is tangible evidence that the matter at issue resulted from conditions beyond the student's control.
General Information
Degrees are awarded at the end of each semester and at the end of the summer session. In order to qualify for a diploma, a student must (1) file an application to graduate, (2) complete all course requirements of a degree program, (3) have on file in the Graduate Records Office positive results of a final examination, (4) turn in the thesis (if a thesis is a program requirement), and (5) satisfy all other program requirements such as internship, practicum, or foreign language requirements where appropriate. The date of a degree shall be the end of the semester or summer session in which the Graduate Records Office is able to document all of the above.
The Graduate Records Office must be notified two weeks in advance of the scheduled date for a graduate final examination. Results of the examination must be on file in the Graduate Records Office no later than the last day of classes just preceding final examination week, which is also the deadline for final deposit of theses.
The Graduate Records Office will clear for graduation those students who have completed course requirements or who are registered in final courses and who have on file the items listed above. Clearance for graduation consists of formal notification to the Graduation Department of the Office of the Registrar and to the student and academic unit that, with the recording of grades for certain stipulated courses and maintenance of appropriate grade-point average, a student is entitled to a diploma.
Commencement exercises are held each term. To be listed in the printed Commencement program, a graduate student must have filed an application to graduate according to the schedule established by graduate policy and published in the Graduate Catalog. Participation in Commencement exercises does not entitle a student to a degree.
MASTER'S DEGREES
A student is required to complete at least 30 semester hours of acceptable graduate credit with an average of 3.0 or higher (A = 4.0). One-half of the required credits must be earned in courses numbered 500 or above and at least two-thirds must be earned in a field of major study or a cooperative or inter-disciplinary program. Only credit earned within a six-year period preceding the completion of all requirements, whether at SIUE or elsewhere, is counted toward a master's degree. The Master of Fine Arts degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit, one-half of which must be in 500-level courses.
Second Majors
A student may complete a second graduate major under a single degree title by applying to the Graduate School and the appropriate academic unit and by completing no less than two-thirds of the total hours required for a degree in the second major as well as all of the requirements for that second major. Application to a second major is made through the Graduate Admissions Office.
If a student pursues a second major concurrently with the first, the graduate adviser in each major approves the combination of studies. With approval of the directors of both of the graduate programs involved, a student may jointly satisfy such requirements as one committee, one project or thesis, and/or one final examination.
A student who holds a master's degree from SIUE may complete a second major and have it added to the official record, provided the academic unit offering the second major admits the student for this purpose. Course equivalencies from the former master's program amounting to no more than one-third of the total hours for a degree in the second major may be considered for application toward the second major program.
Transfer Credit
The Graduate School accepts as transfer credit a maximum of one-third of the total number of hours required for a master's degree. Some departments may have more restrictive policies limiting transfer credit to less than one-third of the total hours required in their programs; in such cases, the Graduate School conforms to departmental limitations. Credit can be added to a graduate student's official record only upon approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
Credit presented for transfer may have been earned for work at another university or in unclassified status at SIUE. If a request to transfer credit from another institution is granted, credit hours, but not grades, are added to a student's record. The grade-point average is computed for grades earned at SIUE only.
An evaluation of transfer credit is made in every case and may result in the transfer of less credit than was requested. Credit earned in the thesis or any other concluding components at another university is not accepted for transfer. Credit earned by correspondence is not accepted. Credit earned at any off-campus site where a complete degree program is offered by SIUE is considered residence credit and students need not request transfer of such credit.
Credit is granted only for courses bearing a grade of B or better. Requests to transfer credit for courses bearing a grade such as P (Pass) or CR (Credit) must be supported by certification from the instructor that the student's work was of at least B quality on an A to E [F EFFECTIVE FALL 2001] scale.
Ordinarily, course work completed for one degree cannot be used to satisfy requirements for another degree at the same level. However, if a student is pursuing a degree at the master's level that is recognized by the Graduate School as a terminal master's degree and that requires completion of 60 or more graduate hours, one-third of the credits required for the degree may be transferred from a prior master's program of traditional scope and duration. In no case is transfer approved for credit earned in the thesis component or any other concluding components completed for the prior degree. Courses used for a prior degree that may be considered for transfer must be of a kind that encompasses or teaches a standard segment of the lore or a standard skill normal to the terminal degree program to which the student is admitted, repetition of which would be unnecessary or of no additional benefit to the student. Before recommending such courses for transfer, the department determines that the student has mastered and retained the substance of the courses.
Recommendations of representatives of the student's graduate adviser and of the program director are required in support of requests for transfer of credit. An official transcript showing completion of the courses requested must be on file in the Graduate Records Office. Requests to transfer credit for some types of courses are to be accompanied by syllabi or other descriptive materials that help to define their nature or content, as well as by documentation showing satisfactory completion of course requirements. Examples of courses requiring such descriptive materials include those which have no published description, which are identified by titles such as "Independent Study," "Special Topics," "Readings," or which were completed at institutions that do not issue a graduate catalog or are not listed in the indexes of standard accrediting agencies.
Thesis or Other Creative Effort
Each candidate for a master's degree shall prepare and submit a thesis except where a graduate program has been approved by the Graduate Council to provide for some other arrangement. The thesis ordinarily may be counted for not more than 6 nor less than 3 semester hours of credit. Under special circumstances, a student's advisory committee may recommend that a student be permitted to apply for as many as 10 hours toward fulfillment of degree requirements. In such instances, students file a written request with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research's Office.
Each master's degree thesis must be supervised by a committee of at least three members of the graduate faculty. The thesis proposal must be approved by the committee and the title of the thesis registered with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research no later than the last day of classes in the academic term preceding the one in which the student expects to graduate. In order to comply with federal regulations, proposals that involve human subjects, animals, or biohazardous materials, including recombinant DNA, must be cleared by the appropriate University committee and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research before data collection begins. The Graduate School's Office of Research and Projects publishes guidelines for research involving humans. Persons whose research involves human subjects, animals, or biohazardous materials, including recombinant DNA, should contact the Graduate School's Office of Research and Projects for additional information and assistance.
Although the style of a thesis is to conform either to a journal of the discipline corresponding to a student's major or to a style manual approved by a student's advisory committee, the Graduate School guidelines stipulate items such as preferred weight of paper, size of type, size of margins, and acceptable kinds of copies.
The original and an acceptable copy of the approved thesis must be presented to the Graduate Records Office no later than one week prior to the date of graduation. Upon final deposit in the Graduate School, the thesis must be accompanied by notice of acceptance by the student's Advisory Committee.
Non-Thesis Programs
Students in graduate programs that do not require a thesis are governed by specific requirements of the appropriate programs, and their work is directed by an Advisory Committee of at least three graduate faculty members. Research papers or other projects required in lieu of a thesis are not filed with the Graduate School.
In order to comply with Federal regulations, proposals for research involving human subjects, animals, or biohazardous materials, including recombinant DNA, must be cleared by the appropriate University committee and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research before data collection begins. The Graduate School Office of Research and Projects publishes guidelines for research involving humans. Persons whose research involves human subjects, animals, or biohazardous materials, including recombinant DNA, should contact the Graduate School's Office of Research and Projects for additional information and assistance.
Final Examination
Each candidate for a master's degree is required to pass a final examination, conducted by an advisory committee composed of at least three members of the graduate faculty. The examination requires advanced application of skills and knowledge. The student is expected to demonstrate an approved standard of scholarship and to provide evidence of the ability to think critically, to draw and defend conclusions, and to complete the work in a creditable manner. Report of the results of this examination is filed with the Graduate Records Office.
Foreign Language Requirement
Some graduate degree programs stipulate a foreign language requirement. In these cases, students will make arrangements to satisfy the requirement through means stipulated by the graduate faculty of the program.
SPECIALIST DEGREE
Specialist's degree programs are for qualified students with master's degrees who wish to pursue advanced graduate programs in an educational field. Students complete a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the master's degree. A minimum grade-point average of 3.25 for all work in the program is required. Students are required to pass a final examination for the degree.
A student's program is to be planned early by the student and an advisory committee of three qualified graduate faculty members and must clearly move the student toward the degree sought. A maximum of 12 semester hours at the 400 level may be included, of which not more than 9 may be in the School of Education.
A maximum of 6 semester hours' total credit for work at another university or as an unclassified student at SIUE may be counted toward the degree. All such work must be approved by the student's advisory committee and the Graduate Dean. An evaluation of credit presented for transfer is made in every case and may result in a reduction of the credit accepted. No credit toward a degree is given for transfer work bearing a grade below B. No credit earned through correspondence or used in attaining another degree or certificate may be counted. All credit, regardless of its origin, must have been earned within a seven year period prior to completion of the program.
Full-time, full-load residence of one semester (or two summer sessions of at least eight weeks each) is required. Students who are employed full time may not carry more than two courses per academic term.
DOCTORAL DEGREE
[INFORMATION NOTE: As of Summer 1993, SIUE ceased admitting students to doctoral studies. The University is pursuing collaborative doctoral programming arrangements with other institutions such as SIUC.
A student who had been admitted to SIUE's doctoral program, Ed.D. in Instructional Process, may choose to graduate under the requirements in effect at the time of her/his admission to the program, or a subsequent set of requirements adopted by the University. Such a student should contact SIUE's Graduate School for details.]
Graduation from the School of Dental Medicine implies that the student, as a new dental health practitioner, has acquired the knowledge, skills and values needed to assume the responsibility for the protection of human life and health. Therefore the School of Dental Medicine has defined a set of competencies which all students must demonstrate in order to qualify for graduation. Promotion from one academic year to the next and graduation from the program are based on satisfactorily meeting the performance standards indicative of competence that have been established by the faculty. These include: successfully passing all competency examinations, passing all courses, maintaining a minimum grade point average as established by the faculty, and attaining a sufficient level of clinical experiences as defined in the Student Interactive Learning Progress System. In addition students must meet expectations for attendance and be in full compliance with the Code of Student Conduct for the School of Dental Medicine.
Approved by President effective 1/6/03
This policy was issued on January 23, 2003, replacing the March 13, 2002 version.
Document Reference: 1F1
Origin: OC 7/1/86; OC 9/10/91; OC 3/19/92; OP 4/2/96; OP 1/6/03