Graduate Academic Program

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Transfer Policies
• Academic Standards
• Academic Policies and Regulations
• Enrollment
• Registration
• Graduation Requirements and Information
• Student Initiated Withdrawl From the Graduate School
• Course Taxonomies for Non-Traditional Coursework

The administration and faculty of Friends University attempt to outline clearly and advise consistently concerning requirements for graduation and the student’s progress in meeting these requirements. Part of the student’s personal development, however, is the recognition and acceptance of responsibility in meeting all graduation requirements. The student is expected to take the initiative and to follow through in the completion of all requirements and details of the academic program.

Credit Transfer
Students may transfer, with departmental approval, up to 6 hours of graduate credit under the following conditions:

1. The institution of origin is accredited by its appropriate accrediting association to offer graduate-level instruction.
2. The credit is fully acceptable to the institution of origin in satisfaction of its advanced degree requirements.
3. The credit is applicable to the student’s program of study at Friends University.
4. The official transcript of the credit to be transferred is on file in the Registrar’s Office at Friends University.
5. Written approval of the credit to be transferred has been filed by the student’s program with the Registrar’s Office.
6. The credit to be transferred carries a minimum grade of B.
7. The credit to be transferred was taken in courses completed within six years of the semester in which the degree work was begun.
8. The Program Director’s signature must be on the completed form and the form must be received by the Registrar’s Office before the start of the graduate student’s program.

Graduate credit work at another college or university shall not be entered on a Friends University transcript except in degree programs and only then after completion of all work for the degree.

Graduate Credit: Courses carrying graduate credit are listed in the graduate section of the Catalog. Other courses may be taken in support of a specific course of study but are not counted toward an advanced degree and are not computed in a student’s graduate grade point average. Only courses numbered 500 and above carry graduate credit.

Independent/Directed Study Credit: A primary goal of graduate study is to encourage independent study under the supervision of members of the graduate faculty. In addition to research projects, internships and practicums, the graduate programs use individual study, case studies and directed readings as the basis for various independent study offerings. The following requirements govern enrollment for credit in independent study.

1. The consent of the instructor must be obtained before enrollment.
2. The content of the study should differ from the content of the regular course offerings.
3. The contact hours between student and professor must be sufficient to ensure consistency with credit earned in regular course offerings.

Pass/No Credit/Audit: Graduate students taking courses numbered below 500 may do so on a Pass/No Credit grading system by declaring their intent to do so at the time of enrollment. Courses numbered 500 and above may not be taken on a Pass/No Credit basis.

Graduate students may take any course numbered below 500 for which they have the prerequisites on an audit basis. A student’s load (total credit hours) does not include audit enrollments. Audit registration may not be converted to credit registration after the second week of the course. Use of the audit basis for a course must be declared at the time of enrollment.

Grading System: Grades for graduate work are A, B, C, D and F. The grades receive the following grade points:

A = 4 grade points per credit hour
B = 3 grade points per credit hour
C = 2 grade points per credit hour
D = 0
F = 0
P = 0 (not computed in G.P.A.)
SP = 0

Certain approved courses numbered 500 and above are graded P (satisfactory) or F (unsatisfactory) for all students enrolled. Such courses are identified in the schedule of classes and/or announced by the instructor. Pass/No Credit courses will not affect the student’s GPA.

Grades below C may not be used to satisfy degree requirements and a maximum of 6 hours of C may be counted toward a degree.

The graduate grade point average includes only those courses taken at Friends University for which graduate credit is earned and for which a regular letter grade is assigned. Courses transferred from another institution and graduate credit courses graded P (satisfactory) do not affect the grade point average.

Satisfactory Progress: SP is the grade submitted by an instructor to indicate satisfactory progress in a course. This grade may only be submitted for internship or practicum courses that have been approved by the instructor and Academic Graduate School Council as a two-term study, or for a course, which continues for more than one term. At the end of the next term, or end of the program, a grade of A, B, C, D, F, P or I will be recorded. If this grade is changed to an I, the student follows the regular incomplete procedure.

Incompletes: Grade “I” indicates an Incomplete.  A grade of “I” may be given by the course instructor if circumstances beyond the student’s control prevent completing the coursework.  The student must have started the course to receive the grade of “I”.  The instructor of record for the course will work with the student to complete any remaining coursework.  Only one grade of “I” will be given at any time.  A grade of “I” must be changed to a letter grade at the conclusion of 8 weeks from the date the “I” was given.  If the coursework is not completed by the end of the 8 weeks and the instructor has not indicated a replacement grade, the outstanding grade of ‘I’ will be changed to a grade of ‘F’.

Grade “NS” when given, indicates a letter grade was not submitted by the course instructor.

Friends University classifies online course and program offerings according to three discrete taxonomies. These taxonomies are consistent with many other colleges and universities that offer online courses and programs.

• Online Course/Program (ONL): Refers to a course or program that is designed and delivered entirely online with no scheduled face-to-face classroom instruction. All curricular didactic instruction is conducted through a Course Management System using digitized materials; streaming video and/or  audio;  text;  graphics; and other instructional methodologies. Required seat time is eliminated.
• Hybrid Course/Program (HYB): Refers to a course or program that is designed and delivered in a blended format that combines some face-to-face instruction with some online instruction using a Course Management System. This can also include, but is not limited to use of instructional media such as CDs and/or DVDs. There is a reduction, but not elimination in seat time. (e.g., a course that meets first and last sessions face-to-face and the remainder class sessions online.)
• Web-Enhanced Course/Program (WEB): Refers to a traditional course or program that uses online components – primarily delivered through a Course Management System – to complement the instruction. There is no reduction in required seat-time

Online and Hybrid delivered courses are managed through specific University policy and approval processes.  Web-Enhanced courses are gudied and managed by University policies consistent with on-ground courses.

Academic Probation:  Students will be placed on academic probation at any time that they:

• Receive a second grade of C
• Receive a grade of D
• Receive a grade of F
• Their cumulative GPA falls below 3.0

Such students placed on probation must have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the completion of an additional term (as defined by the program schedule).

Students who are provisionally admitted are placed on probation and must earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA by the completion of their first term of enrollment.  Students are automatically removed from probation at the conclusion of any term in which their cumulative credit hours earned exceed 6.0 and their cumulative GPA is 3.0 or better.

Academic Dismissal: Students shall be dismissed from graduate programs upon:

1. Receiving more than 6 hours of “C” or lower grade;
2. Failure of students placed on academic probation to achieve a 3.0 cumulative GPA average at the end of any term.

Students who receive a dismissal letter will have 10 business days to appeal the dismissal in writing.  If the appeal is denied, petition to return to the graduate program may be made after 16 weeks following the dismissal.  Petitions must be in writing and addressed to the Graduate School Academic Council.

Academic Course Load: Enrollment for Graduate Programs is on a term basis.  Load requirements for financial aid programs vary, and each student should check this requirement individually with the Financial Aid Office.

Satisfactory Academic Progress:
Term		Credit Hours Completed		CGPA
1		6 credit hours or more		3.00
2		15 credit hours or more		3.00
3		24 credit hours or more		3.00
4		33 credit hours or more		3.00

Program Regulations: Students pursuing a graduate degree at Friends University must be admitted to the specific program from which they are planning to graduate. Students may not be admitted to more than one graduate degree program at a time.

Upon the approval of the appropriate department a maximum of 6 hours of work in one earned master’s degree program may be applied to a second master’s program.

All master’s degrees require a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit. Specific program requirements are listed in the program descriptions.

Qualifying Examinations: Qualifying examinations are administered by some departments to determine the student’s qualification to continue graduate study.

Time Limits: Work for the master’s degree should be completed within five years of the first registration as a graduate student at Friends University. Additional course requirements may be imposed by the Academic Graduate School Council if the program extends beyond this limit.

Grade Changes: All requests for a grade change must be initiated within one year of completing the course and prior to receiving the degree.

Academic Advising: Program Directors serve as Academic Advisors to graduate students in their particular program.

Thesis/Project Requirement: Some graduate programs are structured to require a thesis or major project in addition to the required coursework.

Where required, each student is expected to prepare, on an independent basis, a major research paper or a paper. This Thesis/Project is an outgrowth of coursework in the program. The work must be approved by the student’s graduate committee and, upon completion, must be presented orally to a faculty committee.

Details of the Thesis/Project requirement are stated in the respective program descriptions. Individual counseling with the program director is advised.

Students are listed on official class rosters upon completion of their registration, which includes course selection and the payment of fees and tuition.

Add/Drop Course Registration

Students in a Graduate program, with permission from their Program Director, may add or drop a course within their program.  To add or drop a class in a Graduate program, a student must complete the proper forms, obtain the necessary signature of their Program Director and contact Financial Aid and Student Account Services.  Attendance in a class does not constitute the adding to the student schedule of that class.  Non-attendance does not constitute withdrawal from a class.

Graduation Requirements: The following requirements for graduation may be used as check points for satisfactory progress in graduate study.

1. Good academic standing (3.0 GPA or better).
2. The completion of a planned program of required graduate credits with a GPA of 3.0 or above with no more than 6 hours of C to be counted toward the degree.
3. Satisfactory completion of comprehensive examination or review.
4. Satisfactory completion of an exit evaluation (oral or written).
5. The submission and oral presentation of an acceptable Thesis/Project (for programs with this requirement).

Exit Evaluation: Each degree program requires an exit evaluation. The form and expectations differ according to the design of the program. The candidate should confer with the program director in his/her academic area for specific details.

The exit evaluation, oral or written, must be scheduled no later than three weeks prior to the date on which the degree is to be conferred.

Incomplete Grade Policy for Graduate Project or Thesis: Graduate students who have not completed their graduate project or thesis at the end of two calendar years will be allowed a one term grace period under an incomplete (I) grade to finish the project. This one term will coincide with the standard undergraduate fall, spring or summer term. After this grace period expires the student must re-enroll in the project module and pay tuition for that module. This re-enrollment must be for the total number of hours in the project module (3-4) but may be completed in increments totaling 3 (or 4) hours. Minimum enrollment per term (semester or summer) must be 1 credit hour.

Graduation Exercises: Friends University holds commencement exercises in May of each year. Degrees are also awarded in August and December. All graduates are expected to participate in the May exercises.

In the event that unforeseen circumstances prevent a student from attending class for an extended period of time, the student may request a leave of absence. Circumstances which would qualify for a leave could include but are not limited to: 1) serious illness of the student or immediate family member; 2) temporary employment relocation and/or reassignment; or 3) birth of a child.

A student who does not return to class following an approved Leave of Absence will be withdrawn from the University as of the last date of class attendance prior to the start of the Leave of Absence. 

Coursework missed during a student’s Leave of Absence is graded as ‘LA’. A final letter grade will be issued to the student following their completion of the coursework required upon their return from Leave.

A student who returns from a Leave of Absence but later withdraws from the University prior to completing the coursework missed during the Leave period will have the grade of “LA” converted to a final grade of “F”.

Only two leaves of absence will be approved during the length of the student’s graduate program.

To withdraw completely from the University, a student must notify the Graduate Program Director in person, in writing, by e-mail or by fax that they are withdrawing. The student or Program Director will complete a withdrawal form and forward the form to the Office of the University Registrar for final processing.  Student Account Services, Financial Aid, Admissions (if applicable) and Vice President of Student Affairs offices will be notified of the withdrawal.  Discontinued class attendance does not constitute an official withdrawal. The official withdrawal date will be the date this procedure is initiated by the student. If a student is no longer attending any class, the University may withdraw the student’s enrollment (see Administrative Withdrawal).