Status, Registration & Enrollment

NON-DEGREE STATUS
Students who meet all requirements for unconditional admission to the School of Graduate Studies (i.e., 3.0 in the undergraduate major and overall) may select non-degree status. Failure to maintain a minimum average grade of 3.0 will result in academic dismissal. Non-degree status is primarily for those students who have indicated that they do not intend to pursue a graduate degree. Students with non-degree status may pursue a maximum of 6 credit hours. Students in a degree program who are dismissed for academic reasons will not be granted "non-degree status."

POSTMASTER'S STATUS
Students with a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution may select the non-degree post master's status. Failure to maintain a G.P.A. of 3.0 will result in dismissal.

GRADUATE WORK BY MORGAN SENIORS
With the approval of the chairpersons of departments concerned, and the Dean of the School Graduate Studies, seniors at Morgan State University who have completed 96 credit hours toward the baccalaureate degree and have a grade point average of 3.0 overall and in their major may register for a maximum of six (6) credit hours of course work in the School of Graduate Studies. The credit will be applied toward a graduate degree at Morgan only after they have received their undergraduate degree and only after they have been formally admitted to the School of Graduate Studies. The graduate work will not be credited toward an undergraduate degree. Interested students should consult this catalog for admission procedures, degree programs, courses, registration dates, and tuition charges.

REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT

The School of Graduate Studies conducts graduate registration. Only persons who have been admitted for graduate study may enroll. With the exception of those with non-degree status, students must enroll in courses prescribed for the degree program in which they have been admitted. A schedule of course offerings is available before the beginning of each session and may be obtained upon request or may be found on Morgan's website.

Foreign students may not register until they have submitted all required credentials including the Confirmation of Financial Resources form to the School of Graduate Studies and an I-20 form has been issued by Morgan State University.

Registration is not complete until all required fees and tuition have been paid. Students are not permitted to attend classes unless they are officially registered. The class roster, distributed from the Office of Records and Registration to all course instructors following registration, determines whether or not a student is officially registered. Only those students whose names are shown on the roster are officially registered and will be eligible for a grade. Students should check with the course instructor to see if their names are listed on the class roster; if not, they should inquire at the office of the School of Graduate Studies. Course instructors are not permitted to add names of students to the class roster.

GENERAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students may pursue only one degree program at a time. All requirements for the first degree must be satisfied before one may be admitted to a second degree program. ( See:" A Second Master's Degree.") Students completing forty-five credit hours or more must satisfy all requirements within seven years; those with less than forty-five credit hours to complete must satisfy all requirements within five years.

CUMULATIVE AVERAGE
To be awarded a graduate degree, a student must attain a cumulative average of at least "B" (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in the program of study and a 3.0 cumulative overall average for all work taken on the graduate level. However, "C" grades may not count for more than 20 percent of total credit hours applied toward satisfying degree requirements. "D" grades are not awarded and "F" grades do not receive any graduate credit and do not count toward satisfying degree requirements, but do count in determining G.P.A. Required courses with a grade of "F" must be repeated.

REGISTRATION: THESIS/DISSERTATION
Candidates required to write a thesis/dissertation must be registered at the time the degree requirements are satisfied, including thesis/dissertation. Registration may be satisfied either by being enrolled for program course work or by being registered for Thesis/Dissertation Guidance. Failure to register will postpone satisfying degree requirements until the student meets all registration requirements stated above. (See: "Thesis/Dissertation Guidance.") Students required to write a thesis/dissertation must enroll initially in __.799, Thesis Seminar, or __.998, Dissertation Seminar. This course enrollment is one time only. Students who do not complete their thesis or dissertation after having enrolled in __.799 or __.998 and who continue their thesis or dissertation writing during subsequent semesters must enroll in __.797, Thesis Guidance or __.997, Dissertation Guidance. The course must be repeated each semester until the thesis or dissertation is completed.

DEGREE CANDIDACY
Approval of degree candidacy by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies certifies that the student's academic performance has been reviewed and that permission to pursuethe program of study to completion has been granted. Admission to candidacy is granted when students have completed at least 12 semester hours and are in good standing. To be admitted to candidacy, the student must have attained a cumulative grade point average of at least "B" and must have met any conditions affecting admission to the School of Graduate Studies or the degree program. Pursuant to a written request, students not in good standing at the completion of twelve semester credit hours may be permitted to enroll for an additional six semester credit hours. Upon completion of a total of eighteen semester credit hours, students must have achieved a minimum overall grade average of 3.0 in their program of study and overall for all work taken at the graduate level. In addition, all other conditions affecting admission to the School of Graduate Studies and/or the degree program must be satisfied. Failure to meet these requirements will result in academic dismissal. A student in a degree program may not accumulate more than eighteen (18) graduate credit hours without having been admitted to candidacy.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCTOR'S DEGREE
Students should consult appropriate sections of this catalog and the "Policies and Procedures" manual available to doctoral students in the departments of History, Teacher Education and Administration, and the School of Engineering, Public Health, Bio-Environmental Sciences and Business.

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

All graduate students are subject to the academic regulations of both the School of Graduate Studies and the school or department in which they are enrolled. Students may expect to obtain a degree in accordance with the requirements set forth under regulations in force at the time they enter the University, or under subsequent regulations published while they are enrolled. However, students are restricted in their choice as to the requirements of one specific graduate catalog.

ACADEMIC PROBATION/DISMISSAL
The minimum grade point average to be maintained in all master's degree programs and the doctoral degree program in Engineering is 3.0. A student will be placed on academic probation at the end of any semester if and when his/her cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0. Students will be notified of their probationary status by written communication. Doctoral students admitted to candidacy in Mathematics Education, Science Education, and Urban Educational Leadership must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.3. Students enrolled in the doctoral program in History must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5. Students must be dismissed at any time they accumulate two (2) consecutive semesters with a cumulative grade point average less than that required for good academic standing in their respective program of study.

APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
In order to be placed on the eligibility list for graduation, the candidate must file a formal Application for Graduation with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by May 31 for December completion and November 1 for May completion in the academic year in which the degree is to be awarded.

ADVISEMENT
Students admitted to a degree program are assigned a department advisor. Students are expected to consult with their advisors for program planning, scheduling, etc., throughout their residency as graduate students.

CHANGES IN PROGRAMS OR STATUS
Students wishing to transfer from one degree program to another must petition the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Students not in good standing may not changeprograms until they have been restored to good standing.

TRANSFER CREDIT
A request for transfer of credit for courses taken prior to enrollment in the School of Graduate Studies will not be considered until the student has satisfactorily completed at least 12 semester hours in his/her degree program at MSU.

No more than six (6) semester hours of graduate credit taken at other accredited institutions may be applied toward the master's degree. Transfer credit is not counted in the cumulative average or overall average of the program of study.

Once admitted to graduate work a student must obtain formal permission from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies before enrolling at another institution for a course that is to be offered in fulfillment of degree requirements at Morgan. Such permission is granted only in exceptional instances and only after the student has been admitted to candidacy and is in good standing and written approval of the Dean of the School in which his/her program is located.

Transfer work must be equal in scope and content to that offered by this University and must represent a coherent part of the required program of study. Only courses in which grades "A" or "B" have been earned may be offered for transfer credit; grades for transfer credits are not counted in the G.P.A.

Course work to be transferred must have been taken within the time period allowed for the completion of degree requirements. Credits for correspondence courses, workshops, and extension classes are not acceptable for transfer.

TRANSIENT STUDENTS
Students enrolled in graduate programs at other universities and wishing to take course work in the School of Graduate Studies at Morgan State University must present a letter of authorization from the graduate dean of the other university.

AUDITING
Students admitted to the School of Graduate Studies may audit courses provided permission is obtained from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the course instructor. The auditing fee must be paid at registration.

COURSE LOAD
Students enrolled for 9 or more graduate credit hours are considered full-time; anything less is part-time. The maximum course load for full-time students in the regular session is 15 credit hours. The maximum course load for all graduate students during the Summer Session is 6 credit hours.

SUMMER SESSION
The School of Graduate Studies conducts two summer sessions. A schedule of graduate courses for each session is available in the Office of the School of Graduate Studies.

GRADING
Symbols used in grading are: "A", Excellent; "B", Above Average; "C", Average; "W" Withdrawal from class; "AW", Administrative Withdrawal. Note: "D" grades are not used. An incomplete grade "(I)" is given only in exceptional cases and is not encouraged. Only those students whose work in a course has been satisfactory and have a documented emergency beyond their control and are unable to complete course requirements will be permitted to petition the instructor for an incomplete grade (I).

Forms for petitioning are available in the Office of the School of Graduate Studies. An "I' grade must be removed by the end of the next semester of enrollment or within one calendar year, whichever comes first, or the grade automatically becomes an "F".

Required graduate courses with a grade of "F" must be repeated. All other graduate course work may not be repeated.

FORMER STUDENTS RETURNING
Former students returning to the University who have not enrolled in the School of Graduate Studies for three consecutive semesters and have not corresponded with the School of Graduate Studies during that period may be required by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to repeat the admissions process.
All rules, procedures and academic standards in effect at the time of new admission will apply and will be strictly enforced. In every case, the five or seven year rule will apply to all previously earned credits for completed course work. (See General Degree Requirements.) This policy does not apply to students granted special leave by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

WITHDRAWAL
Students wishing to withdraw from any course must appear in person at the Office of the School of Graduate Studies to file the necessary forms and obtain authorization for any refund.

DROP/ADD
Drop/ Add forms must have the course instructor's signature. Stopping payment on checks for registration fees does not constitute an official withdrawal nor does it relieve the student of his/her financial obligation to the University. Further, not attending classes is not an official withdrawal. If an official withdrawal is not made, the course grade will become an "F".
Students must notify the Dean of School of Graduate Studies of any intent to withdraw from the University.

COURSE CANCELLATIONS
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies reserves the right to cancel courses for insufficient enrollments; to limit enrollments in any class; and to assign students to added or split sections meeting at the same time and day.

TUITION WAIVER
Students, including senior citizens, eligible to use the State College Tuition-Waiver Plan, may register only when regularly scheduled course space is available.

INTENT TO GRADUATE
Students must file an Application for Graduation at the beginning of the Fall semester of the academic year in which the degree is to be awarded. If they do not graduate, a new form must be completed for the year in which the degree is to be awarded. All applications for graduation must be approved and signed by the students' department chairpersons. Application for graduation is not official until the graduate fee has been paid.

A SECOND MASTER'S DEGREE
An application for admission to a degree program from a person who already holds a graduate or professional degree will be considered on its individual merits. Credit hours counted toward one master's degree may not be used to satisfy requirements for a second master's degree. When course duplications occur, substitute courses will be approved in consultation with the faculty advisor and program coordinator. A maximum of two (2) master's degrees may be earned.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
Candidates may be able to apply to take the comprehensive examination when they:
*have completed at least 70 percent of program course work, *are in good standing, and *have departmental approval.

Candidates must be enrolled at the time the comprehensive examination is to be taken. Comprehensive examinations are designed, administered and scored by a department faculty committee with results reported to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. In addition, departments are required to report results by mail to each student concerned.

Students should consult the graduate calendar for examination dates and their department for additional information. Comprehensive examinations may be repeated only once.

THESIS REQUIREMENT
Students may register for the thesis seminar when they: have completed any required methodology courses in their program, are in good academic standing, and have their department's approval. Students who write a thesis must submit copies of the typed manuscript to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The thesis must be signed by the thesis advisor and meet all other requirements prior to its submission. One copy must be an original and the other two copies must be photo duplications. After they are bound, the two copies are deposited in Soper Library, indexed in the main card catalog under title and author entries, and one copy returned to the student. The last date to submit the thesis to the School of Graduate Studies by those students completing degree requirements in the Spring semester is March 15.

THESIS/DISSERTATION GUIDANCE
Thesis/Dissertation Guidance provides a means for students who have completed all program course work, except submission of the Thesis/Dissertation to continue work under faculty guidance. Students are required to register for Thesis/Dissertation Guidance each semester of the academic year (Fall and Spring semesters) until the thesis/dissertation is approved and submitted to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Students failing to maintain continuous registration will be required to pay the costs of all previous semesters for which registration was required. Degree requirements may not be satisfied until this is done.

See grade descriptions for the following courses as shown:
__.797 Thesis Guidance (2 Credits). This course number applies to all master's level programs regardless of discipline code. The grade for this course automatically becomes "S" and no other grade is permitted. (The "S" allows the computer to print out the course.) __.799 Thesis Seminar (3 Credits). The grade for this course automatically becomes "CS" as long as the thesis is still in progress. However, when the thesis is completed, a letter grade is awarded.__.997 Dissertation Guidance (3 Credits). The grade automatically becomes "S". No other grade is permitted. (The "S" allows the computer to print out the course.) __.998 Dissertation Seminar (6 Credits). The grade for thiscourse automatically becomes "CS" while the dissertation is still in progress. When the dissertation is accepted or completed, a letter grade is awarded.

DISSERTATION REQUIREMENT
Students should consult the appropriate sections of this and other publications in their department or school for specific information. The last date to submit dissertations to the School of Graduate Studies by those students completing degree requirements in the spring semester is March 15.

THESIS/DISSERTATION BINDING
Graduate students submitting theses and/or dissertations to the School of Graduate Studies will be charged a fee for binding and/or microfilming. The payment of this fee must be verified by a receipt from the cashier's office accompanying the thesis/dissertation when presented. When the thesis/dissertations are returned from the bindery, students will be properly notified.

COMMENCEMENT
A student to be awarded a degree at the annual spring commencement is required to attend the commencement exercises unless permission is obtained from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to receive the degree in absentia.