Academic Policies and Procedures
Academic Advising
In mid-October and early March of each year, all continuing graduate students are required to consult with their major professor to create a course schedule for the next term. Both the student and their major professor must complete a graduate advisement form and return a signed copy to the Graduate Coordinator. A hold will be placed on the student's registration until the advisement form has been submitted.
Modifying Academic Program
Any modification to a student's academic program (change of major professor, change of major area, change of program, etc.) must be approved by the student's major professor and then submitted to the Department Chair for approval. Program modification forms are available online and in the main office.
University Bulletin
Each university publishes a graduate bulletin. The bulletin contains a list of all university regulations and procedures. The bulletins are available online:
- Florida A&M: http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?catalog
- Florida State: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/info/
Registration
Each university publishes a registration guide. The registration guide contains a list of all registration deadlines, drop/add information, information on the registration process and important announcements. The registration guides are available online:
- Florida A&M: http://www.famu.edu/admreg/registrar/index.html
- Florida State: http://registrar.fsu.edu/dir_class/fall/
Minimum Course Load
Any student supported by the Department as a research assistant, teaching assistant or university fellow must register for at least 9 credit hours of graduate-level coursework each semester. Supported students may register for less than 9 hours ONLY with the approval of their major professor AND the Graduate Coordinator.
Registering for Undergraduate Coursework
Graduate students may take undergraduate coursework (courses numbered 3000 – 4999) ONLY with the approval of their major professor AND the Graduate Coordinator. The course must be substantially related to the student's degree program or part of a Department mandated course of study to resolve undergraduate deficiencies.
Courses Requiring Instructor Approval
The following courses require instructor approval prior to registration and must be requested during the academic advisement period.
- EML 5905 – Directed Individual Study (DIS)
- EML 5910 – Supervised Research (SR)
- EML 5971 – Thesis (Master's Students Only)
- EML 6980 – Dissertation (Doctoral)
Final Term Registration
Both universities require students to register for thesis or dissertation hours in their final term, even if the student has satisfied the thesis or dissertation credit requirement for their degree. See Graduation Polices and Procedures section for additional information.
Academic Standing
Minimum GPA Requirement
Students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA each semester they are enrolled. The department also limits the number of "C" grades a student may earn (to two) before they are required to repeat a course.
Academic Probation & Dismissal
A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 3.00 at the end of a term will be considered "not in good standing" and will be placed on academic probation. A stop will be placed on the student's registration until they have met with their major professor and submitted a revised plan of study to the Graduate Committee for approval.
If the student does not raise his or her GPA by the end of the next term they will be dismissed from the graduate program. The student's major may petition the Graduate Committee for reinstatement. The major professor must submit written justification for granting an exception. If the Graduate Committee accepts the petition, the student will be reinstated as a graduate student under academic probation. However, under no circumstance will a student be allowed more than one additional term of academic probation.
