Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor prior to registration. Students who “self-advise” risk taking courses out of sequence or which may not count as part of their program. Appointments can be made by calling Graduate and Adult Learning at 740-826-8038.

Academic Credit

The unit of academic credit for all graduate courses is the semester hour of credit. Each graduate program specifies the number of credit hours required for degree or licensure completion.

Academic Dishonesty, Plagarism

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offenses at Muskingum University, and the faculty member has the prerogative of invoking the severest penalty for an initial offense. Each department is responsible for developing its definition of plagiarism, but in general, plagiarism is the verbal, written, graphic, or three-dimensional presentation of borrowed material without citing its source. Students must cite the source for quotations, paraphrases, or borrowed ideas, models, information, or organization of material. Students who are uncertain about the need for a citation should consult the faculty member for whom the work is being prepared. For a first offense, the minimum penalty for plagiarism and/or cheating is a failing grade on the assignment, paper, or examination; the maximum penalty in this instance is a failing grade in the course. The student found responsible a second time may also be suspended or expelled from the graduate program. In either case, the faculty member should submit a written report of the offense to either the Provost. Plagiarized work is filed in the office of the Provost. A grade given for academic dishonesty shall supersede any withdrawal. See additional information under “Order of Appeal.”

Academic Standards Policy

Academic Standing

To be in academic good standing, a student must earn and maintain a grade point average of 3.0. and follow the standards set forth in each graduate program.

Academic Probation

A graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. The Program Director will notify the student of the probationary status and develop an individual learning plan through which the student can regain academic good standing. To regain good standing, the student must raise the grade point average to 3.0 by the end of the following term of enrollment.

Restrictions

A student who is on academic probation may not enroll for more than 15 hours. On the recommendation of the student’s academic advisor, adjustments may be made to the student’s course load.

Notification

The student will receive notice of academic probation status and its accompanying requirements and restrictions from the Program Director.

Academic Dismissal

A graduate student whose cumulative grade point average remains below 3.0 for two consecutive terms of enrollment may be dismissed from the graduate program. Formal appeals of academic dismissal must be initiated by sending a written request to the Provost within six weeks following the decision. The Provost will issue a response after the appeal has been received and reviewed.

Readmission

Application for readmission of a student dismissed for academic reasons will be considered only after a minimum of one semester following dismissal and will be subject to program requirements in effect at the time of reinstatement.

Attendance Policy

Graduate students are expected to actively engage in learning, participating in both online (synchronous or asynchronous) and face-to-face classes and completing work on time. Faculty should be notified of the reason for any absence. Please see your program handbook for specific attendance policy details.

Auditing Courses

Audit (L) grades may be awarded if a student does not desire or qualify to receive graduate credit. Auditors are required to pay full tuition unless otherwise covered by university policy. Auditing students may enroll only on a space available basis, and with the permission of the Registrar and the course instructor. A grade of “L” may not be converted to another grade. Audited courses appear on a student’s transcript but are not counted toward the GPA.

Catalog of Entry

The program requirements of students who have applied and been admitted to a degree or licensure program will be governed by the Graduate Catalog in effect at the time of application. Curriculum changes to meet licensure requirements supersede provisions in the catalog of entry. The program requirements of students who take more than nine semester hours of credit in any program, but who have not been admitted, will be governed by the Graduate Catalog in effect at the time of their first enrollment. The University reserves the right to change, without notice, rules, policies, fees, curricula, courses and other matters.

Commencement

The University hosts a commencement ceremony twice a year - in May and in December. Muskingum University issues diplomas to students who have completed all requirements of their degree program three times each year on dates corresponding roughly with the end of each academic term. Students must apply for Graduation in Muskie link 8 week prior to the commencement in order to participate. The application is available on Muskie Link. Students who fail to apply by this deadline may not be permitted to participate in commencement exercises and/or not included in the commencement program.

Graduate students are eligible to participate in commencement if all remaining coursework is fully planned and scheduled by the date of the ceremony. This eligibility includes students who have outstanding fieldwork or student teaching requirements, provided those components are already arranged and will be completed in a future term.

Course Repeat Policy

A student may repeat a course if they do not meet the minimum grade requirements for their program (see individual handbook).

A course may be repeated only one time without special approval. Students who wish to attempt a course for a third time must submit a written appeal to the University Registrar prior to registration. The appeal must include:

A rationale for requesting a third attempt,

An explanation of steps the student will take to improve performance (e.g., tutoring, academic coaching),

A timeline for completing the course successfully.

When you repeat a course, both grades will appear on your transcript, but only the most recent grade counts toward your GPA - even if it’s lower than your original grade. The only exceptions are if your most recent grade is an I (Incomplete), WIP (Work in Progress), or W (Withdrawal); in those cases, the earlier grade will still be used in your GPA.

Although a repeated course updates your GPA, it does not change past academic standing decisions such as probation, dismissal, or Dean’s List status.

Students cannot receive credit more than once for any course repeated to replace a grade.

Course Withdrawals

Graduate students may add or drop classes without penalty during the add/drop period indicated in the graduate schedule of classes for the session.

Graduate students who wish to withdraw from a class may do so any time prior to the last day of class. Students who withdraw from some or all classes after the end of the add/drop period are responsible for paying all tuition and fees for the courses. Students who withdraw from all courses within a given term are not necessarily considered by Muskingum University to be withdrawn from the program. Federal financial aid guidelines, however, consider such students to be withdrawn from the institution.

Financial aid awarded to Graduate students who withdraw from all classes after the end of the add/drop period, but prior to the completion of 60% of the season, will have their federal financial aid adjusted in accordance with federal regulations. Adjustments to financial aid are not required for students who withdraw after the end of the add/drop period from some, but not all, classes within the term. In all cases, Graduate students are responsible for paying any balance due to the University. To withdraw from a course please visit the following link: Course Withdrawals

Late Withdrawal Appeals

Students who seek to withdraw from a course after the applicable deadline due to extenuating circumstances must submit a written appeal to the University Registrar. The appeal must include:

A detailed explanation of the circumstances,

Supporting documentation (if applicable),

The course(s) and term for which the late withdrawal is requested.

Late withdrawal appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and approval is not guaranteed.

Directed Study

Directed Study permits students, under special circumstances, to enroll in an existing course at an alternative time to the class schedule. This requires a course contract with a cooperating faculty member and approval from the appropriate Program Director and Registrar’s Office. The contract specifies required meeting times, readings, writing assignments, studio, or laboratory work.

Exemption from Requirements or Substitution for Courses

Exceptions from requirements and substitutions for courses may be approved if the student has demonstrated mastery of the material through other coursework or experientially. Any exceptions to degree requirements must be approved by the appropriate Program Director in consultation with the Certification Officer or Chair of the department encompassing the content area and must be replaced by a course of equal or greater credit.

Full Time Status

Unless otherwise specified by the graduate program, a full-time academic load is comprised of nine semester hours of credit per term. There is no minimum registration requirement; 4.5 credit hours are considered a half-time load for financial aid purposes. A graduate student enrolled for more than 15 credits in one term is considered academic overload. To qualify for overload, a student must have a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.0 or above and must have the signature of the Program Director.

Grading Policy

Muskingum University includes all courses for which a student has registered-except those resulting in grades of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), L (Audit), or NR (Not Reported)-in the computation of the grade point average (GPA).

GPA Calculation

Term GPA is calculated by multiplying the quality points assigned to each grade by the number of credit hours for each course, summing the results for all courses taken that term, and dividing by the total number of credit hours attempted.
Cumulative GPA is calculated using the total number of quality points and total credit hours earned within a given degree level.

Grade Scale and Quality Points

Graduate courses are graded on the following scale:

Grade	Quality Points	Description
A	4.000	Excellent
A-	3.667
B+	3.333	Good
B	3.000
B-	2.667
C+	2.333	Satisfactory
C	2.000
C-	1.667
F	0.000	Unsatisfactory
L	-	Audit
NR	-	Not Reported
I	-	Incomplete
W	-	Withdrawal (No penalty)

Note: All graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher to remain in good academic standing and to be eligible for graduation. Graduate programs with higher GPA or grading standards-whether for licensure or internal requirements-take precedence over the University’s minimum standard.

Grade Reporting and Academic Standing

At the end of each term, the Office of the Registrar reports final grades and credit totals to the appropriate Program Director. The Program Director is responsible for notifying students of any resulting change in academic standing.

Incomplete Grades (I)

Faculty may assign a grade of Incomplete (I) when a student is prevented by exceptional circumstances from completing coursework during the regular term.

Instructors may set a deadline for the completion of coursework-not to exceed one additional term. If no deadline is set, the student has one term after the original end date to complete the work.

Once completed, the instructor must submit a change of grade. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the “I” has been replaced with a letter grade.

If the work is not completed by the deadline (instructor-defined or one-term default), the “I” will convert to an “F”.

A grade of “I” prevents graduation until resolved.

Order of Appeal

Faculty members are responsible for outlining grading policies to students at the beginning of each course. If students believe they have received a wrong grade on an examination or for a course, the initial step is to discuss the grade directly with the faculty member teaching the course. If that step does not result in a satisfactory explanation or resolution of the perceived problem, the student may bring the matter to the attention of the department chair. The next person in the line of appeal, should the student continue to contest the grade and wish to pursue an appeal, is the division chair. Should the person to whom the student would bring the appeal in this process also be the faculty member in whose course the grade is being questioned, that person has no jurisdiction over the appeal. In the latter case, the Provost will call on an appropriate faculty member from the department or related department in the division to review the circumstances and make a recommendation to the Provost, who will be the final arbitrator in any such appeal.

Statute of Limitations

Graduate students must complete a degree within the time period required by the program or mandated by licensure. If no such requirement or mandate exists, the student is required to complete a degree within eight years following the first term of enrollment regardless of full- time or part-time status. Students who do not complete the degree within the statute of limitations may seek reinstatement by:

• Writing a letter requesting reinstatement

• Completing a new application form

• Paying the matriculation fee

• Interviewing with the Program Director Students seeking reinstatement must meet the admissions standards and graduation requirements in place at the time of reinstatement.

Academic Catalog

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Academic Policies and Procedures

Academic Advising