Graduate students must assume full responsibility for knowledge of the rules and regulations of the school and the university, and of departmental requirements concerning their individual programs. Enrollment in a graduate program of this school constitutes students' acknowledgment that they are obligated to comply with all academic and administrative regulations and degree requirements. Students are encouraged to read carefully the regulations that follow.
Before deciding to enroll in a graduate program of this school, students must examine seriously and realistically their abilities to adjust their personal and professional schedules to accommodate the challenge of graduate study. The maximum time limits set by the faculty for completing a graduate degree program are: six years from the first semester of admission for the master's programs; three years from the first semester of admission for the certificate programs and seven years from the first semester of admission for the doctoral programs. Students or applicants with questions about the commitment needed to complete the graduate programs should schedule an appointment with the school's Office of Academic Assistance.
Admission to a graduate program is for the specific semester stated in the acceptance letter. An admitted applicant who does not enroll for the semester for which acceptance was granted may update his or her application only once within one year of the initial term of application. An admitted applicant must notify the Office of Academic Assistance in writing so his or her records may be updated to a future semester and reevaluated according to admission criteria in effect for the future semester. Deadlines for requests to be considered for a future semester are the same as the application deadlines for the desired semester of entry. If the deadline falls on a weekend or university holiday, requests to change semester of entry will be accepted until the next workday following the application deadline. Note: An applicant to the joint doctoral program in Public Policy between Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology may not update his or her application and must reapply each year of desired entry.
An applicant who does not complete his or her application by the application deadline may update his or her application only once within one year of the initial term of application. An applicant must notify the Office of Academic Assistance in writing so his or her records may be updated to a future semester and reevaluated according to admission criteria in effect for the future semester. Deadlines for request to be considered for a future semester are the same as the application deadlines for the desired semester of entry. If the deadline falls on a weekend or university holiday, requests to change semester of entry will be accepted until the next workday following the application deadline.
Applicants who are denied admission to a graduate program must reapply to the desired program of entry by the applicable deadline.
A master's student who wishes to change programs or status may begin the process by notifying the Office of Academic Assistance in writing. The file of the student will then be sent to the Graduate Admissions Committee for a recommended admission decision. All change of program requests must be received by the application deadline for the desired term of entry. A student who has applied for admission to a new program will be notified in writing of the decision. Changes in program require that students making such changes follow the program requirements of the graduate catalog in effect at the time of the change.
Normally, students will be permitted to graduate under the provisions of the graduate catalog in effect at the time of first enrollment. Students may choose to graduate under the provisions of a subsequent graduate catalog; that is, they may choose to change their "catalog edition." Students who choose to do this must meet all provisions of the subsequent graduate catalog.
Students are required to change to the current catalog edition when they change programs/statuses or after certain absences from the program, as explained below. (See also the preceding heading "Changing Programs/Status.")
Students who have not attended Georgia State University within one calendar year are required to fill out a Reentry Application form obtained from the Office of Academic Assistance (aysps.gsu.edu/apply.html).
Students who do not attend the semester for which reentry was originally required must complete a new reentry form for subsequent semesters.
All students who wish to reenter one of the graduate level programs or nondegree status after an absence of one year must meet the degree requirements and academic regulations of the graduate catalog current upon return, along with other reentry provisions as may be in effect.
Reentering students who have earned a minimum of 18 hours of appropriate credit at Georgia State University with a minimum GPA of 3.00 will be eligible for reentry without being required to meet current admissions criteria.
"Appropriate credit" means assigned preparatory courses and/or other courses that are applicable to the student's current program.
Students who have not earned at least 18 hours of appropriate credit at Georgia State University with a minimum GPA of at least 3.00 must reapply and meet current admissions criteria. The provision to meet current admissions criteria includes submission of current scores on the Graduate Record Examination if the latest score on file will be more than five years old at the time of reentry.
All students who are approved to reenroll will be eligible to retain all Georgia State credit (and already approved transfer credit, if any) earned previously if their program can be completed within the time limit that was applicable to their program before the absence. The cumulative graduate GPA calculations will include all attempts in all graduate courses at Georgia State. Current time limits would apply.
Students who plan not to register for a particular semester but who intend to continue the program at some later semester should discuss such plans with an academic Advisor in order to facilitate reentry at a subsequent time. Failure to comply with this request may complicate reentry in the semester preferred. An absence from the program, whether planned or unplanned, does not exempt students from the requirement to complete the program within the appropriate time limit.
The course load of a master's student may vary with the circumstances of the individual student each semester. A graduate student may enroll in 3 to 12 hours. Enrolling in more than 12 hours is not recommended and students should seek advisement with the Office of Academic Assistance prior to registration unless employed as a GRA with the university.
In determining each semester's course load, a student must balance other time constraints (work, family, civic, and other responsibilities) with the need to make reasonable and timely progress toward completion of the program. The maximum time limits set by the faculty for completion of a degree program are: six years from the first semester of admission for the master's programs; seven years from the first semester of admission for the doctoral programs.
Students must enroll for courses that are part of the approved curriculum for the program to which they have been accepted. Students who do otherwise are subject to loss of credit and/or loss of eligibility to continue to register. For students to follow the program of study for an AYSPS degree, they must qualify for admission to the AYSPS program.
Each student enrolled at Georgia State University must have access to a computer, and any course offered at the University may require computer-based work. Further, the student's computer must provide access to e-mail accounts, the World Wide Web using a current browser, and spreadsheet and word processing software. Departments and other units may establish minimum machine capability and software requirements, including the requirement that a student in a certain degree program must own a computer. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure his or her access to a computer. Computers are available in the open-access computer laboratories on campus that provide the basic level of computer capabilities, but these laboratories are heavily used and cannot guarantee a student access to a computer at a particular time.
Courses in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies frequently incorporate assignments that require computing skills, and at the graduate level, for some courses, it is essential that the student have computer skills. Courses requiring special skills are listed in this catalog. Overall, the Department of Public Management and Policy requires students to have access to Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and a current version of the Microsoft Explorer browser. The Netscape browser is acceptable if it is configured to allow online access to Word and PowerPoint.
Students who believe they lack either basic or advanced microcomputing skills are expected to acquire this knowledge through whatever means they deem most appropriate before they enter a course.
There are several computer labs on campus available for students with varying hours including some locations that are open 24 hours a day. All labs contain IBM-compatible microcomputers connected to a local area network and laser printers.
Except for the circumstances described in the regulation below titled "Policy on Allowing Undergraduates to Take Graduate Courses," the graduate and undergraduate programs of the school are entirely separate and only those persons who have been admitted to a graduate program may enroll in courses numbered 6000 or higher. No undergraduate course credit, including that obtained in required background work for a graduate degree, may be applied toward any of the graduate-level programs.
Enrollment in independent study is limited to graduate students with a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher. A student may not take more than one independent study or independent readings course to count toward fulfillment of degree requirements. An independent studies/directed readings course may not be substituted for a core course requirement. Faculty will assign letter grades, rather than "S" or "U," for all independent studies and directed readings. A faculty member may seek the assessment of a second faculty reader on any independent study paper. This choice is wholly at the discretion of the faculty member who is principally responsible for supervising the independent work. Students interested in enrolling in independent studies/directed readings should contact the Office of Academic Assistance prior to registration for the semester they wish to take the course.
Transfer of credit will be approved under the following conditions. The course, if completed at an institution in the United States, must have been completed at an institution recognized by a regional accrediting body as degree granting for higher education at the time the course was taken.
A request for transfer credit form must be completed. The request must indicate the specific course(s) for which transfer credit is sought. A copy of the other institution's catalog must be submitted to verify that the course was limited to graduate students only. The Office of Academic Assistance must have an official transcript on file showing course completion for the course being requested. Requests for transfer of graduate credit cannot be processed until all necessary information has been received.
Transfer credit will not be considered for master's students admitted in special status or provisional status until the student has completed the special coursework requirements and has been admitted to full status in the master's programs. Once the student has completed these requirements, he or she may follow the procedures outlined above to request transfer credit.
Students who wish to take graduate courses at another institution to complete the coursework for their Georgia State degree should provide the information listed above (except the transcript) to the Office of Academic Assistance before enrolling at the other institution. Advance approval will ensure that the transfer credit can be granted if a "B" or higher is earned in the course(s) and the coursework is completed within the time limit allowed for the student's degree program. Such students should plan to graduate at least one semester after the quarter/semester in which the last course to be transferred has been taken. This will allow adequate time for the necessary transcript to be received and for the transfer credit to be processed. Please refer to the graduation office website for complete instructions and information concerning applying for graduation and the graduation fee: www.gsu.edu/es/graduation.html. A letter certifying completion of degree requirements and stating the date the degree will be conferred can be furnished to the student by the OAA.
A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher is required for graduation in all attempts in all graduate courses taken while a student at Georgia State University. No grade below C is acceptable. No course in which a grade of B or higher has been earned may be repeated for degree credit.
For a master's student, no more than three semester hours of coursework with a grade of C may be counted toward the degree. For a doctoral student, no more than six semester hours of coursework with a grade of C may be counted toward the degree. Only in a course in which a grade of C or lower is earned may a student repeat the course and only one such course may be repeated, one time. When a course is repeated both grades count in the student's cumulative grade point average.
A student may take a particular master's degree only once. However, a student who holds a master's degree of this school may qualify for a different master's degree of this school. To so qualify he or she must meet all admission requirements in effect for the second degree and thereafter fulfill all requirements for the second master's degree. Along with all other requirements, the student must meet the 24-hour minimum residence requirements for the second degree with appropriate grades and coursework that has not been applied in satisfaction of the requirements of any other degree.
The dean or associate dean of the school may require that a student withdraw from a particular course or courses, from a graduate program, or from the school because of unsatisfactory academic work or for other adequate reason. To continue in a graduate program, a student must make reasonable and timely progress in terms of grades, courses, and other requirements toward the degree concerned.
The student's progress may be reviewed each semester. As a result of this review, any student whose scholastic performance does not indicate appropriate progress may be required to reduce the course load or may be required to withdraw from the program.
Each student admitted to a graduate program or status of the school must maintain a grade-point average (GPA) in the program of 3.00 or higher in all attempts at all courses numbered 6000 and higher. (This means that the original grade in a course that is repeated is not dropped from the cumulative GPA for purposes of determining good academic standing.) Also included in this GPA are all graduate level courses at the university in addition to those in the degree program. Therefore, a student who wishes to take a course for personal enrichment or for other purposes not related to pursuit of the degree should audit the course.
The GPA calculation on the university transcript includes all attempts at all graduate courses taken at the Georgia State University. This means that for a student who has previously taken graduate courses, the transcript GPA may differ from the GPA for the current program. To graduate, a student must have a cumulative GPA in all graduate courses completed at Georgia State of 3.0 or higher
Questions about calculation of the GPA for determining academic standing should be directed to the Office of Academic Assistance. Any student with unusual circumstances (such as credit lost due to the time limit for completing a program) must contact the Office of Academic Assistance for further information. The interpretation of the school's scholastic discipline policy as it applies to unusual situations is the responsibility of the dean of the school as represented by the Office of Academic Assistance.
A master's student in the school whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.00 at the end of a semester will be placed on "scholastic warning." After being placed on scholastic warning, a student must attain a 3.00 cumulative grade point average within two consecutive semesters of enrollment; otherwise, the student will be terminated from the master's program.
Students who are admitted to provisional status in a master's program who fail to meet the special admission requirements for the program as outlined in their admission decision letter will be permanently excluded from that program.
Doctoral students should refer to the "Scholastic Warning and Termination" heading in the "Doctoral Programs" section of this chapter.