Academic Policies

Academic Standing
Graduate degree students are required to maintain a B grade average. A student who fails to meet the scholarship standards may be dismissed from a degree or graduate level certification program. If a student falls below a 3.0 average, he/she will be placed on probation and so notified by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Failure to raise the grade average to a minimum of 3.0 during the next semester in which the student is enrolled will result in dismissal from graduate studies at Millersville University. (Summer is considered a semester.) Individual departments may have scholarship requirements beyond this minimum level; students should consult their adviser and the departmental section of the catalog. Students may appeal dismissal to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

GRADUATE GRADING POLICIES

Regular Graduate Courses
Graduate level courses are those regular courses taught at the 500-600-700 levels. Undergraduate courses (100-400) may not be counted for credit in a graduate degree program. The letter grades A, B, C, F, I (Incomplete), and AU (Audit) will be used. Grades of P, H, and AU are not used in computing the grade point average.

Incomplete Grades
A student, upon consultation with the instructor, may receive a grade of Incomplete. The student has the responsibility to complete the appropriate work as outlined by the instructor by the end of the following regular term. In the case of research reports and theses, the grade of Incomplete must be removed within one (1) calendar year. If a change of grade is not made by the instructor to indicate completion of requirements in the appropriate time span, the grade will be changed to an F. Under extenuating circumstances, the student may petition the Dean of Graduate Studies, with the recommendation of the instructor, for an extension of time to complete the course or research requirements.

Theses, Research Reports/Projects, and Practicum Courses
These are evaluated on the basis of H (Honors), P (Pass), F (Fail) or I (Incomplete).

Workshop Courses
Special workshop courses are designated by a W following the department prefix (e.g., EDW) and will be graded on a P (Pass) or F (Fail) basis. They are not approved for inclusion in a degree program.

GRADUATE RECORDS POLICIES

Change of Curriculum or Degree Status
Students wishing to change admission status or curriculum must initiate the process by completing the appropriate forms available in the Office of Graduate Studies. Additional admission requirements may apply to these changes; further, curriculum and degree status changes must be approved by both the Dean of Graduate Studies and the student’s department(s).

Change of Name and Address
It is the responsibility of each student to provide accurate and current information for all University records. When any change of personal data occurs, the Office of Graduate Studies is to be promptly informed through the use of the appropriate update forms.

Transcripts
A Student or graduate wishing to obtain an offical copy of her/his academic record must request a transcript in writing or complete form available in the registrar's office, Lyle Hall. If the requester wishes to obtain an offical copy for a third party, the requested transcript must be sent directly to the designated third party.

Graduation
Students who plan to graduate at the end of any term must make application for graduation by the deadline printed in the registration information each semester. A $30 graduation fee is charged. A student who applies for graduation but does not complete degree requirements by the anticipated date must reapply in the semester when he/she does expect to graduate. Students are billed by the bursar for the graduation fee.

POLICIES GOVERNING GRADUATE COURSES

Academic Appeal
Students who believe that an academic injustice has occurred should try
to resolve the problem at the lowest appropriate level of authority. If the problem is not resolved at this level, the case should be presented
to progressively higher levels of authority for further consideration.
The levels of authority, from lowest to highest are: individual faculty
member, department chairperson and/or department grievance committee, school dean and, lastly, the provost/vice president for academic affairs.

Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is the presenting as one’s own work:

(1) a research paper bought from a term paper service,
(2) a paper or other work wholly or partially done by someone else,
(3) a passage copied from a book, article, or other source without giving credit to the author, or 
(4) a creative or mechanical idea copied without giving appropriate credit to the creator or producer.

A student committing plagiarism will receive an F for the course and is
subject to disciplinary action as provided in the Student Code of
Conduct.

Auditing
Students who audit must be officially admitted to the University. With
the consent of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the instructor, a
student may be admitted to any course as an auditor if space is
available. An auditor is registered and required to attend at least
one-half of the sessions, but is not required to participate in any of
the work of the course. No credit toward a degree is issued for an
audited course. A student enrolled as an auditor may be dropped from the
course when in the judgment of the instructor and the Dean of Graduate
Studies such action is justified. A student shall pay the regular
graduate course fee for the privilege of auditing. A student who has
audited a course may, with the adviser’s and the appropriate graduate
program coordinator’s permission, repeat that course for credit. The
student must register again for the course and remit the appropriate
fees.

Course Load Limits
The suggested maximum graduate credit-hour load during either fall or
spring semesters is twelve (12) credits. During the summer the number of
credits carried should not exceed six (6) for any five- week session or
twelve (12) for both summer sessions.

Graduate Level Courses for Undergraduates
Well-qualified undergraduates may enroll in graduate courses for
undergraduate or graduate credit. Specified conditions apply to each of
these two credit alternatives.

A. Undergraduates may enroll in 500-level graduate courses for
undergraduate credit with permission of the instructor and adviser. The credits earned count toward baccalaureate degree requirements and cannot be converted to graduate credits.

B. An undergraduate with a 3.0 GPA or higher may enroll in 500- and 600-level graduate courses for graduate credit. The student must have a maximum of 15 semester-hours to be completed in the baccalaureate degree program. Written permission must be acquired from the adviser, the course instructor, the graduate program coordinator and/or chair of the
department offering the course, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. The undergraduate will also need to be admitted as a nondegree graduate student. A maximum of nine graduate credits may be earned by an undergraduate. These credits may not count toward the completion of the student’s baccalaureate degree.

Nondegree Graduate Offerings
Some workshops and other learning experiences are appropriate for
personal and professional development but because of their purpose,
focus, and mode of instruction cannot be applied towards a master’s
degree program. In order to clearly distinguish such nondegree graduate
offerings, a W is added to the abbreviation, e.g., EDW. The W
identifies nondegree courses and appears as such on transcripts.

Repeating a Graduate Course
Graduate students may repeat a course only once unless given special
permission by their major departments. Transcripts will reflect grades
each time the course is taken. The most recent grade will be counted.

Withdrawal from Classes
A student may withdraw from a course provided he/she conferred with both the course instructor and his/her adviser and has filed a course
withdrawal form, which is available at the registrar’s office.

Up to and including the end of the third week, a student may withdraw
from a course without a grade on his/her record. Beginning the fourth
week and up to the end of the ninth week a W grade shall be issued by
the instructor. The W shall be entered on the student’s transcript. The
tenth week and thereafter a student must receive a regular grade.

Students should be aware that there is no “automatic” drop or withdrawal
from a course. In accordance with the above procedure, withdrawal is the
sole responsibility of the student.

Thesis
The Graduate Course and Program Review Committee has adopted the Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations as the standard for thesis production. The committee recognizes that alternative style manuals are standard in certain disciplines and for that reason has approved use of the American Psychological Association’s style manual in the technology education, psychology, and special education departments. 

The original and two copies of the approved thesis, unbound and unperforated, must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies two weeks prior to the graduation date. The Office of Graduate Studies will arrange for thesis binding, and the student must cover costs of binding all three copies. At the time that the thesis is submitted, three copies of a 300- to 500-word abstract of the thesis are required. The format for the abstract is available in the Office of Graduate Studies. The original must be on 20-pound, 8 1/2" x 11" paper with at least 50 percent rag content. Payment for binding is due upon completion of binding. More specific directions and requirements for research reports are available from advisers and the graduate studies office.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT POLICY

Credits Completed Prior to Admission at MU
Students must request approval from their department and the Dean of Graduate Studies for the transfer of graduate credit completed at an accredited institution prior to admission here. Forms for the approval of transfer credits are available in the Office of Graduate Studies. The student must arrange for this office to receive official transcripts directly from the institution at which the graduate work was taken. Transfer credit may amount to a maximum of twelve credit hours from other accredited institutions, subject to completion of the residency requirement, and is subject to the time limit for the completion of all degree requirements. Except in the most extenuating circumstances, no transfer credit will be allowed for work completed more than five years prior to admission to Millersville university.

All work recommended by the department for transfer credit must be taken in a regular program of studies offered by an accredited institution on its main campus, or at an established center. Grades of B or above must be achieved in these courses. Extension work and courses offered in a non-academic institutional setting are not considered appropriate for transfer.

Permission to Complete Credits in Transfer Following Admission to a Degree Program
Following acceptance into a graduate degree program, students desiring to pursue graduate work at another institution for transfer purposes must receive the prior recommendation of their adviser or graduate coordinator and the prior approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Approval forms are available in the Office of Graduate Studies.