Graduate Student Course Load

Graduate students may enroll for a maximum of twelve (12) hours of credit during each of the three semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer) during the academic year. A one-credit-hour overload may be authorized by the program director of the student's major department. A graduate student will be considered full-time if enrolled for nine (9) or more hours of credit during each of the three semesters. Graduate Assistants will be considered full-time if carrying six (6) or more hours. Students receiving financial aid should check with the Financial Aid office for requirements necessary to be considered a full-time student. Permission to take more than the maximum loads stated above requires the written approval of the student's advisor, program director, and Dean of Graduate College.

Change of Major

Subject to the approval of the advisor, current program director, new program director, and Dean of Graduate College a graduate student may be allowed to change their major or add an additional certificate or master’s degree.  

Adding and Dropping Courses

Changes in the class schedule must be made on official forms available at the Registrar's Office, Suite 307, Brown Hall. Failure to follow the correct procedure for making changes in the class schedule may result in the grade of "F" being recorded for the courses involved. Deadlines for adding courses, dropping courses, or changing sections are listed in the graduate calendar in this catalog. Please note: A student accumulating an excessive number of unjustifiable absences in a course may be dropped from the course by the instructor with a grade of “WN.”

Repeating a Course

No graduate student may repeat a course for graduate credit except with the written permission of the advisor. The grade from such a repetition as well as the original grade will be counted in computing the grade point average.

Withdrawing

To withdraw officially, the student must complete a "Withdrawal Application." Failure to follow this procedure may result in a grade of "F" being recorded.

The deadline for officially withdrawing from the University with grades of "W" is the same as the last day for dropping courses. Withdrawing after this date, which is listed in the graduate calendar in this catalog, will result in grades of "F" being recorded for the semester/term. If circumstances justify special consideration, appeals should be directed to the Dean of Graduate College.

Auditing Courses

Auditing of courses requires official admission to the University, approval by the instructor involved, and payment of the regular fee for the course. Audit will be on a “space available” basis. Students auditing courses are subjected to the same regulations as other students with regard to registration and attendance, but they do not take examinations nor receive credit for the course. A student accumulating an excessive number of unjustifiable absences in an audited course may be administratively withdrawn at the request of the instructor. Students may change from taking a course for credit to audit during the first thirteen weeks of the semester. Students enrolled for audit who do not wish to complete the course(s) must complete official drop/withdrawal procedures stated in this section of the catalog.

Independent Study Courses

Independent study courses are intended for graduate students who have the interest and the ability to investigate a topic not covered in the graduate courses available in their major field of study. The topic, format, and specific requirements of each independent study project must be approved in writing by the supervising instructor, graduate advisor, program director, and Dean of Graduate College prior to enrollment for independent study credit. The original copy of the independent study approval form will be kept in the student's file in the Registrar's Office as part of the student's official graduate record. A student may not enroll in an independent study course before completing twelve (12) hours of graduate credit.

LIMIT ON WORKSHOP AND INDEPENDENT STUDY CREDIT

No more than six (6) semester hours of graduate course work completed in workshops and/or independent study may be applied to the master's degree.

Grading

The letters A, B, C, D, F are used in grading to indicate the quality of a student's work: A - Excellent, B - Good, C - Fair, D - Unsatisfactory, and F - Failure. The letters AU, W, WN, R, CR, and I are also used: "AU" indicates that the student was enrolled in the course as an "auditor"; "W" is used to indicate that a course was dropped without penalty; "WN" is used to indicate withdrawn for unjustifiable absences/non-participation.  The letter "R" indicates that the student registered for the culminating master's or doctoral project (e.g., thesis, portfolio, dissertation). The mark "R" gives neither credit nor grade points toward a graduate degree. The letters “CR” indicate that the student completed the requirements of the culminating project. "CR" gives credit for hours only.

A maximum of six hours of “C” grades can be counted toward graduate degree requirements; a maximum of three hours of C grades can be counted for a graduate certificate). A student receiving more than six (6) hours of "C" grades for a graduate degree or three hours of “C” grades for a graduate certificate is subject to the rules governing Academic Probation and Suspension. A cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better must be achieved in all graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University for a Graduate Degree and/or Graduate Certificate. Cumulative GPA is calculated based on all graduate courses taken.

If a student needs to repeat a course or a significant portion of a course, a "W" or "F" will be assigned according to regulations governing the assignments of such grades.

Portfolio/Capstone Projects

Candidates for the Master of Education in Educational Leadership, School Counseling and Leadership, and Teaching, Learning and Leadership, and candidates for the Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership are required to submit a portfolio for completion of requirements of the degree demonstrating evidence of the candidate's competencies required by the specific program standards. A satisfactory portfolio is a requirement for completion of the program.

The candidate must enroll in two (2) hours of portfolio study after completion of 28 hours of course work. The portfolio is to be completed at the end of course work during the last semester of enrollment.

IN-COMPLETION OF CAPSTONE PROJECTS

Students enrolling in capstone projects such as the project in educational research, the liberal arts project, or thesis research maybe given a grade of "R" if requirements are not completed by the end of the semester. The grades of "R" or "CR" do not affect hours or grade point. Students receiving the grade of "R" will be required to enroll in the course the following semester(s) until the requirements are completed. The grade of "CR" gives credit only for the hours enrolled.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS

Some programs require comprehensive exams as a part of their degree requirements. Comprehensive exams are intended to demonstrate students’ knowledge and mastery of the discipline. The format of comprehensive exams may vary by department or program. Please check with your program director or advisor to determine the comprehensive exam requirements for your program.

Students who do not pass the comprehensive exam may be allowed to retake the exam once at the discretion of the program director. The scheduling of a second comprehensive exam is at the discretion of the department but can be no earlier than the subsequent semester after the first attempt. A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of graduate coursework in the semester in which they take their comprehensive exam. If a student does not pass the second attempt at the comprehensive exam, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Master's Thesis

Candidates who prepare a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a master's degree must exhibit the capabilities of gathering, organizing, evaluating, and reporting data which are pertinent to the topic of investigation.

The candidate's thesis committee will be appointed by the program director in consultation with the student's department head which will include at least one other qualified member of the graduate faculty. In addition to the regular graduate faculty members, a person having no official relationship with ATU may be appointed to serve with prior approval of the graduate faculty in the program. The program director will have final approval of the dissertation chair and committee. Total composition of all thesis/dissertation committees shall be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Dean.

Once the general area of research is determined through conference with the advisor(s), the student begins the process necessary for preparation of the thesis. Under the direction of the committee, the student prepares and submits a Topic Approval Request for approval by the Dean of Graduate College via the program director along with IRB approval letter (if applicable). The Topic Approval Request form is found under Student Resources at Thesis Topic Approval Form. All thesis must be written in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the thesis writing guide Thesis Preparation Guide.

If a program requires a thesis proposal, a thesis may not be proposed and defended in the same semester. The student and advisor must follow all deadlines posted on the Graduate College website for thesis forms and drafts. If a student does not meet the Graduate College deadlines, the student will not graduate in that semester.

An oral defense, conducted by the thesis committee, of the thesis is required. Committee members must be provided a 10-day reading period prior to the date of the defense. The Graduate College must have 10-day notice of a thesis defense in order to advertise the defense publicly. The committee will notify the Dean of the Graduate College in writing when the student has passed the oral defense. Students who do not pass the oral defense may be allowed to repeat the defense once at the discretion of the program director. The scheduling of a second thesis defense is at the discretion of the department but can be no earlier than the subsequent semester after the first attempt. A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of graduate coursework in the semester in which they defend their thesis. If a student does not pass the second attempt at the thesis defense, the student will be dismissed from the program.

The thesis, in its defended and committee approved form, along with corresponding Graduate College forms must be electronically submitted to the Graduate College via the ATU Online Research Commons no later than two (2) weeks prior to the date of graduation; if revisions are required graduation may be deferred to the following semester.

The grade for the course will generally be CR (Credit) or NC (No Credit), with the understanding the person(s) supervising the thesis or project can assign a letter grade to explicitly indicate a student is making good (A or B) or unsatisfactory (C or lower) progress toward graduation.

Students working on thesis and other master's projects beyond the term in which coursework for the degree has been completed, will be required to enroll in at least one (1) hour of coursework each ensuing semester until all requirements for the degree have been met. Students who fail to continuously enroll will be dropped from the master's program. A student who has been dropped for failure to continuously enroll as stipulated by this policy (excluding summer, unless the student is planning to graduate in the summer) may be readmitted to a master's program by reapplying to Graduate College with written approval of the person(s) supervising the thesis or project and the Program Director. Readmitted students will be required to reapply for graduation and enroll in a number of hours of coursework equal to the number of semesters that have lapsed since the last time they were enrolled, up to a maximum of three (3) hours.

Dissertation

As a formal research paper, the dissertation should reveal the candidate is able to produce original research that meets the professional standards of the discipline. Preparation for writing a dissertation should include careful and wide reading of professional journals and texts of involved disciplines, including the most recent scholarly work in the academic field. Students must exhibit capabilities of gathering, organizing, evaluating, and reporting data which are pertinent to the topic of investigation, as well as exhibiting their ability to use technology appropriate to the discipline. A dissertation may not be proposed and defended in the same semester.

The student and advisor must follow all deadlines posted on the Graduate College website for thesis forms and drafts. If a student does not meet the Graduate College deadlines, the student will not graduate in that semester.

Students working on a dissertation beyond the term in which coursework for the degree has been completed will be required to enroll in at least one (1) hour of coursework each ensuing semester until all requirements for the degree have been met. Students who fail to continuously enroll will be dropped from the doctoral program.

Dissertation Committee Composition

The graduate student who plans to write a dissertation is responsible for determining the content area of the projected study in consultation with the dissertation chair. The dissertation chair must have doctoral faculty status and expertise in the selected topic area. Together they will decide upon the other members of the dissertation committee, which will include at least one other qualified member of the graduate faculty. In addition to the regular graduate faculty members, a person having no official relationship with ATU may be appointed to serve with prior approval of the graduate faculty in the program. The program director will have final approval of the dissertation chair and committee. Total composition of all thesis/ dissertation committees shall be reviewed and approved by the Dean of Graduate College.

If more than three members are appointed to the dissertation committee, a majority of the members must hold regular graduate faculty status. A Graduate Faculty member holding non-regular graduate faculty status may serve on a dissertation committee, with prior approval of the program director and written approval by the Dean of Graduate College.

If a dissertation committee makes a change in its membership, a “Dissertation Committee Member Change” form must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate College for approval.

Responsibilities of the Dissertation Committee

The committee will approve the dissertation proposal and ensure particulars of the proposal are carried out. Other responsibilities include reading the dissertation for content, style, and standard English usage; ensuring mechanics are followed according to departmental and university guidelines; affirming proper research techniques are followed, an in-depth review of the literature is completed, and the conclusions reached are both legitimate and supported by data; and ensuring plagiarism does not occur. The committee should make certain the dissertation is of quality and reflects high standards of scholarly writing. The dissertation committee chair is responsible for the initial reading and initial corrections of the student’s paper. The chair is then responsible for submitting the dissertation to the committee members for their review. Please use the Graduate College Dissertation Timeline that governs this process. The committee and chair will meet with the student as needed during the time the student is engaged in the Dissertation process.

Dissertation Committee Appointment Form

Students must submit a Dissertation Committee Appointment Form with all Committee Members signatures to the Dean of Graduate College for final approval of the dissertation committee. The form is available on the Graduate College website.

Dissertation Proposal Defense Form

A dissertation proposal must be prepared and defended by the student and approved by the dissertation committee before work on the dissertation continues. A Dissertation Proposal Defense Form is available on the Graduate College website. After the dissertation proposal has been defended successfully and signed by the dissertation committee and the program director, it is then submitted to the Dean of Graduate College for final approval. After the oral defense, the student may make no change to the dissertation, unless authorized by the dissertation committee.

Request to Schedule Dissertation Defense Form

The dissertation student and their committee chair must work together to determine a date and time to schedule the dissertation defense. Committee members must be provided a 10 day reading period prior to the date of the defense. A “Request to Schedule Dissertation Defense Form” is available on the Graduate College website. The form must be signed by the dissertation committee and the program director, it is then submitted to the Graduate College dean for final approval. The Request to Schedule Dissertation Defense Form should be submitted to the Graduate College at least 10 days before the defense date.

Dissertation Defense Final Report

An oral defense of the dissertation is required. It will be conducted by the dissertation committee, which will then notify the Dean of Graduate College, in writing, the student has passed the final oral defense. The Dissertation Defense Final Report form is available on the Graduate College webpage. The oral defense of the dissertation be successfully completed at least six (6) weeks before the degree is conferred for fall or spring graduates. After the oral defense, the student may make no changes to the dissertation, unless authorized by the Dissertation Committee.

Students who do not pass the oral defense may be allowed to repeat the defense once at the discretion of the program director. The scheduling of a second dissertation defense is at the discretion of the department but can be no earlier than the subsequent semester after the first attempt. A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of graduate coursework in the semester in which they defend their dissertation. If a student does not pass the second attempt at the dissertation defense, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Dissertation Approval

The dissertation committee, program director, Graduate College reader, and Dean of Graduate College must approve the dissertation before it is reproduced in its final form.

Credits and Grades

A grade of R is given on all dissertation enrollments until the dissertation is accepted, and then appropriate credit is granted. The mark R gives neither credit nor grade points toward a graduate degree. The mark CR gives credit for hours only. Departments may choose to assign a letter grade or only give credit for hours.

University Policy

While every effort will be made to conform to catalog announcements, the University reserves the right to adapt its program as may be necessary.

Graduation

Please refer to the section entitled Graduation Requirements for information pertaining to candidacy, application for graduation, payment of graduation fees, and other graduation requirements.