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Staying in and Finishing
Staying In
Both the Graduate School and the Department have rules describing the standards for continued enrollment in degree programs. These rules are summarized here.
Administrative Withdrawal: The Graduate School will automatically withdraw any student who fails to pay University bills.
Withdrawal for Failure to Enroll: A student who fails to enroll will be automatically terminated. To re-enroll, it is necessary to request from the Graduate Program Director authorization for readmission. A student is required to pay a readmission fee plus any required tuition or fees.
Academic Dismissal: Students who do not perform at levels appropriate for graduate work are subject to dismissal by the Graduate School. This may happen in the following ways:
- Inadequate Grade Point Average: The Graduate School stipulates that a student who earns less than a 2.7 average (4.0 = A) is subject to academic dismissal. Dismissal is not automatic, allowing the Graduate Program Director discretion in the event of significant mitigating circumstances. An incomplete (INC) grade converts to an incomplete failure (IF) after two semesters, and is averaged into the GPA. In special circumstances (e.g., serious illness) a student can petition the instructor, the advisory committee, and the GPD with a written request for a one-semester extension in which to complete the coursework for a grade. Note: Graduate degrees are not awarded to students with less than a 3.0 overall GPA in courses applied to degree requirements.
- Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress toward the Degree. This may occur in a range of circumstances, including, for example, if the number of incomplete courses exceeds what is considered to be appropriate, or if the student receives a grade of “Failure” on comprehensive exams, or the thesis or dissertation defense. A failure in any of these degree requirements will mean dismissal from the program.
Finishing
Each semester (and during the summer) the Graduate School distributes a summary page describing procedures and deadlines for students expecting to receive a degree at the end of that term. All students are responsible for checking to see that all appropriate forms are on file.
Example Deadlines for Awarding Degrees:
September degree: August 31, 2023
February degree: January 16, 2024
May degree: April , 2024
...and, Finally
Most of the graduate students in the Department of Communication find the rules for minimal satisfactory performance irrelevant because they are more interested in utilizing the Department’s and University’s resources for exemplary work. This is a department in which most graduate students are actively involved in research beyond any minimal requirements for the degree: many publish articles in scholarly journals and present papers at professional conferences; some develop experimental teaching methods or materials. This is the climate of intellectual excitement and activity that characterizes the graduate program in Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.