Academic Policies
STUDENTS' RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Upon admission to a graduate studies program, the student assumes responsibility for knowing program requirements and following established procedures. Conversely, the student has the right to expect that all program requirements will be made clear, and that all course requirements, including grading criteria and procedures, will be made known. The student has the right to instruction that encourages the free and open discussion of ideas, and that respects reasonable student needs and aspirations. It is the student's responsibility to contribute to a classroom decorum and atmosphere that encourage maximum learning. Further, each student is entitled to academic advisement, but must initiate the advisement process by scheduling appointments with either the graduate program coordinator in the case of degree admission, or with the dean of graduate studies in the case of nondegree admission status.
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. 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 Academic Program section of the catalog. Students may appeal dismissal to the dean of graduate studies.
To the top
Graduate Grading Policies
Regular Graduate Courses
Graduate level courses are those regular courses taught at the 500-600-700 levels. Undergraduate courses (100-400 level) may not be counted for credit in a graduate degree program.
The letter grades A, B, C, F, H, P, W, I (Incomplete), and AU (Audit) will be used. Grades of P, H, W, I, and AU are not used in computing the grade point average. Grade point average (GPA) will be rounded to two places.
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.
To the top
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 official copy of her/his academic record must request a transcript in writing or complete the form available in the registrar's office, Lyle Hall. Forms are also available on the MU website, MAX Student Forms Center. If the requester wishes to obtain an official 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.
To the top
POLICIES GOVERNING GRADUATE COURSES
Academic Appeal
Students who believe that an academic injustice has occurred must try to resolve the problem at the lowest appropriate level of authority. The levels of authority from lowest to highest are: individual faculty member; department graduate coordinator and department graduate committee (if existing); department chairperson; dean of graduate studies; and lastly, the provost/vice president for academic affairs. The case should be presented to progressively higher levels of authority until resolved.
To the top
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is the presenting as one's own work:
- A research paper bought from a term paper service;
- A paper or other work wholly or partially done by someone else;
- A passage copied from a book, article, or other source without giving credit to the author; or
- A creative or mechanical idea copied with out 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.
To the top
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 permitted to register for any course as an auditor if space is available. An auditor is registered and required to attend at least 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. To register to audit a course, contact the registrar's office, Lyle Hall, for information and a permission form and submit it by the end of the add period. Audit privilege may not be changed to credit status. Audit privileges are ordinarily limited to one course per semester. 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.
To the top
Graduate Level Courses For Undergraduates
Well qualified Millersville University undergraduates may enroll in graduate courses for undergraduate or graduate credit. Specified conditions apply to each of these two credit alternatives:
- 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.
- An undergraduate with an overall 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.
To the top
Graduate Course Work Outside Major Field
A student may elect up to, but not more than, six semester hours of work in a discipline outside the major field provided the courses elected are approved by the adviser and graduate program coordinator. Required Professional Core courses (M.Ed. programs) are not included in this limit.
To the top
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. Only the most recent grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.
To the top
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.
Withdrew (W). The notation made on a student's record about a withdrawn course depends on when the student withdraws. Students who "drop" or withdraw by the end of the first week of classes have all references to that course deleted from their records.
Students who withdraw between the beginning of the second week of classes and the end of the ninth week receive a grade of Withdrew (W), which does not carry any quality points and will not be calculated in the student's GPA.
Students who withdraw after the end of the ninth week of classes receive an instructor-assigned grade as earned.
The official date of withdrawal is the date the withdrawal form is submitted with proper signatures to the registrar's office. Deadlines for returning the form are strictly enforced. It is the student's responsibility to obtain all required signatures in time to meet the deadline.
Failure to withdraw from a course properly may result in additional tuition fees as well as a failing grade. For example, a student who does not attend a class but only submits a withdrawal form during the second week of classes may be subject to additional tuition for that two-week period. See the section on Expenses for more information.
During summer sessions, the registrar sets equivalent deadlines for withdrawing from a course without a grade or with a W grade.
To withdraw from a course, contact the registrar's office, Lyle Hall, for an appropriate form, or obtain a form on the web in the Student Forms Center.
To the top
Drop/Add Policy
Schedule Adjustment
- Students may drop or add courses by web or phone from the early registration period until the start of the term. Prior to the first day of classes, faculty signatures are not required to drop or add a course.
- It is the student's responsibility to make official changes to his/her class schedule. There is no automatic drop policy for nonattendance.
- For the fall and spring terms, a student may drop a course through the end of the first week of classes. Courses dropped will not be entered on the student's record. During the first week of classes, the signature of the course instructor (or their designee) is required to drop a class.
- For the fall and spring terms, the "add" period is extended to the seventh class day of the semester. The signature of the course instructor (or their designee) is required to add a course during the first week and two days of classes.
- During the summer and winter sessions, the registrar will determine equivalent dates for the no grade, W grade, and regular grade periods.
To the top
Frequency Of Course Offerings
- When a course is always offered in fall, spring, and summer: no notation is shown.
- When a course is listed as "Offered in...": it is offered only in the semesters noted.
- When a course is listed as "Offered periodically": it is offered on an irregular or as-needed basis.
- When a course is listed as "Offered infrequently": the course has not been offered for two years and will not be offered for two more years.
- When a course is listed as "Offered annually": the course is taught in either spring or fall.
To the top
Thesis
The Graduate Course and Program Review Committee has adopted the Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th Ed., 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 the 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 thesis production are available from advisers and the Office of Graduate Studies.
To the top
Transfer of Credit Policy
Credits 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 a regionally accredited institution prior to admission at MU. 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 a regionally accredited institution on its main campus, or at an established center. Grades of B or above (or documented equivalency) must be achieved in these courses. (Documented equivalency is confirmed with the originating institution by the graduate coordinator of the program of the degree-seeking graduate student). Requested transfer course grades must come from an accredited graduate program, some of which only give grades of P/F; these exceptions to the transfer of credit policy can only be requested in writing by the graduate coordinator of the student's program. 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 and graduate coordinator and the prior approval of the dean of graduate studies. Approval forms are available in the Office of Graduate Studies.
To the top
