[Objectives] [Admission] [Graduate Centers] [Registration and Related Topics] [Grades and Marks] [Academic Dismissal] [Administrative Requirement for Graduation] [Degrees Offered] [Master's Degrees] [Educational Specialist Degree] [Doctor of Education] [Doctor of Philosophy]
In addition to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge, the general objective of the Graduate School is to provide an opportunity for the development of the intellectual potential of individuals in an environment of freedom of expression and inquiry and to enhance the academic integrity of the institution.
Any person who wishes to earn graduate-level credit, whether as a degree-seeking student or as a non-degree student, must make formal application to, and be officially admitted by, the Graduate School.
The Graduate School shall admit only those applicants whose enrollment the Graduate School considers will not be detrimental to the quality of life or to the quality of educational programs of the Graduate School.
Application. Applications for admission to the Graduate School must be accompanied by a $25.00 application fee ($35.00 for international applicants) which is not refundable and will not apply against the general registration fee if the applicant enrolls. The application form may be obtained from, and should be submitted directly to, the campus appropriate to the student's interest:
GRADUATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS OFFICE
Transcripts. It is the applicant's responsibility to request EACH college or university which the student has previously attended to send directly to the appropriate Graduate School Office two official copies of the student's academic record including all courses, grades and credits attempted and indication of degree(s) earned. (Note: The fact that courses completed at one institution may be included on a transcript from another institution will not suffice; official transcripts must be received from each institution previously attended.) All transcripts become the property of the University of Arkansas Graduate School and will not be released to the applicant or to any other person, institution or agency. All application materials including all official transcripts, should be received by the University at least one month prior to the date of registration.
Previously Enrolled or Currently Enrolled at Fayetteville. For those previously enrolled or currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the Graduate School obtains transcripts from the Registrar's Office. For a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, (baccalaureate degree) the only transcripts required are those from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and those from each institution attended after completing the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, degree. Anyone who was previously enrolled, but who is not currently enrolled in the University of Arkansas Graduate School, is considered a "readmission" and is required only to submit an Application for Admission (no fee) and official transcripts from institutions attended after the University of Arkansas Graduate School enrollment. (See Admission Classification: Readmission.)
Admission is for a Specific Semester Only. Applicants who wish to change their date of entry after submitting an application must notify the Graduate School Admissions Office; applicants who have already been admitted should also notify the department in which they plan to major. Application materials for applicants who apply for admission, but who do not subsequently enroll, will be retained by the Graduate School Admissions Office for two calendar years from the date of the applicant's original proposed semester of entry. However, applicants must file a new Application for Admission (no fee) to notify the Graduate School of their request for reconsideration. Applicants who are admitted but do not enroll for two years or more after admission must submit an application for admission, application fee, and have two official copies of the student's academic record sent from each college or university attended and follow procedures for initial admission.
Admission to Graduate Standing. Official notice of the decision concerning admission will be sent from the Graduate School. Admission will not be granted until all requirements are met, and graduate credit will not be granted retroactively. Further, admission to graduate standing does not automatically constitute admission to a specific program of study leading to a graduate degree. Therefore, in addition to satisfying the general requirements of the Graduate School, applicants must comply with the specific requirements and have the approval of the department in which they desire to pursue graduate study.
Adviser. At the time of admission to a degree program of the Graduate School, the student is assigned to a major adviser who acts as the adviser throughout the student's program of study. The appointment of the adviser is made in the student's major department and is determined primarily by the student's particular areas of interest in the field. More detailed information regarding the student's program of study can be secured from the appropriate department chairperson.
International and Resident Alien Applicants. International applicants and resident aliens must submit a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) taken within the preceding two years, unless their native language is English or they have received a graduate degree from an accredited U.S. graduate school. Individual departments may have higher requirements and reference should be made to program descriptions. Resident aliens must submit a copy of their Resident Alien card with their application. International applicants must have all material submitted by May 1 for fall semester admission, by October 1 for the spring semester, and by March 1 for the summer session. International applicants must be acceptable to a program of study as a condition to being granted admission to the Graduate School and must meet the requirements for regular admission status unless holding a degree from the University of Arkansas.
International students and resident aliens whose native language is not English must demonstrate competency in spoken English by submitting a test score of at least 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) in order to be eligible for a graduate assistantship with teaching responsibilities.
The publication International Student Information is available from the International Admissions Office, 215 Silas H. Hunt Hall.
Classifications of Admission to Graduate Standing
Regular Admission. To be considered for regular admission to graduate standing, applicants must have earned a baccalaureate or a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, or from a regionally accredited institution in the United States with requirements for the degrees substantially equivalent to those of this University, or from a foreign institution with similar requirements for the degrees. Admission to graduate standing does not automatically constitute acceptance to a program of study leading to a graduate degree. To pursue a graduate degree a person must also be accepted in a program of study by a department after gaining regular admission to graduate standing. International applicants cannot be admitted to graduate standing unless they are also accepted by a department in a degree program AT THE SAME TIME.
Persons who achieve regular admission but are not initially seeking a graduate degree (non-degree) and who subsequently decide to pursue a degree must apply for and be accepted in a degree program by the appropriate department and by the Graduate School. A student with regular graduate standing who has not been accepted in a program of study leading to a specific graduate degree may take no more than 12 semester hours of graduate-level courses that can be counted toward the requirements for a graduate degree. At the time of acceptance in a degree program, the chairman of the appropriate department will recommend to the Graduate School which courses previously taken, if any, are to be accepted in the degree program.
Requirements for regular admission to graduate standing and acceptance in a program of study leading to a graduate degree are:
1. For regular admission to graduate standing:
a. a grade-point average of 2.70 or better (A=4.00) on all course work taken prior to receipt of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or
b. a grade-point average of 3.20 or better on the last 60 hours of course work taken prior to receipt of baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or
c. a grade-point average between 2.50 and 2.69 on all course work taken prior to receipt of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education and a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examinations general test, the Miller Analogies Test, or a similar test acceptable to the Graduate Dean.
d. conferral of a post-baccalaureate graduate degree (excluding professional degrees) from a regionally accredited institution.
2. For acceptance to a graduate degree program the requirements are:
a. fulfillment of either 1.a or 1.b, and recommendation of the chairman of the department offering instruction for the degree program; or
b. fulfillment of 1.c, recommendation of the chairman of the department offering instruction for the degree program and approval of the Graduate Dean, on the condition that the student makes a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 or better on the first 12 hours of graduate-level course work in that degree program and meets any other conditions that may be specified by the faculty of the department.
Any other consideration for regular admission must be by individual petition to the Graduate Dean and, where pertinent, a recommendation from the appropriate departmental chairman, and will be considered on its own merits, case by case.
Letter of Good Standing. A graduate student who is in good standing at another regionally accredited institution in the United States may be given admission (non-degree status) to the Graduate School for one semester upon submission of an Application for Admission and a letter of good standing from the Dean of the Graduate School at that institution. If at sometime in the future the student should wish to pursue a degree in the University of Arkansas Graduate School, it will be necessary to follow the normal procedures for admission and to have official transcripts sent from each institution previously attended. Graduate courses transferred and used for requirements for a degree at another university cannot be used for a graduate degree at this institution.
Readmission. Readmission to the Graduate School is not automatic. Students who have been enrolled in the Graduate School within the two preceding academic years but have not enrolled in the immediately preceding semester will be readmitted if:
1. The student has earned at least a 2.70 cumulative grade-point average on all (12 hours or more) graduate credits attempted during all previous enrollments;
2. A new Application for Admission form (no fee) is filed prior to the desired registration date (preferably, at least one month prior to that date);
3. The Graduate School has received two official transcripts of all course work attempted at other institutions subsequent to the previous enrollment in the University of Arkansas Graduate School;
4. The student's graduate status at the end of the previous enrollment was "regular;"
Students who have been previously enrolled in Graduate School but who have not been enrolled within the preceding two years and who meet the above conditions may be granted further registration after completion of a readmission process. Students seeking readmission for the purpose of entering or resuming a graduate degree program must be accepted by the faculty of that program of study. Such acceptance must state specifically what credit will be granted for the earlier work, any conditions which must be fulfilled to qualify this earlier work in the degree program, and an exact timetable for the completion of all degree requirements. When such recommendations exceed the normal time limits or other conditions established by the Graduate School, the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School will be required. Such recommendations must be submitted and approved prior to the granting of readmission.
Readmission to the Graduate School (including that of students who were conditionally admitted) under any other circumstances will be considered and decided on an individual basis. Students interested in obtaining such readmission should contact the Graduate School.
Students who were not enrolled in the Spring Semester, but who were enrolled for the Summer Session will have registration materials available for the Fall Semester should they wish to continue their registration.
Admission to Graduate Centers
In an attempt to fulfill the recognized need for graduate education for Arkansas residents who find it impossible or inconvenient to attend classes at Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas Graduate School offers selected graduate-level courses at graduate centers throughout the state.
All courses and instructors at these centers have been individually evaluated by the University of Arkansas Graduate Council and are subject to the same standards of quality that apply to graduate faculty and graduate programs at Fayetteville.
Similarly, persons desiring to enroll in these courses must follow the same admission procedures and are subject to the same admission criteria as persons admitted at Fayetteville. There are no exceptions or deviations from these policies and procedures. Admission materials, including all official transcripts, should be received in the Graduate School at least one month prior to the requested semester of entry. (See Section on "Admission.")
For more comprehensive information regarding format of instruction, schedule of classes, enrollment and registration, fees, etc., contact: Director of Continuing Education, Number 2, University Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701.
Persons intending to enroll for classes at the Graduate Resident Center for Engineering (University of Arkansas at Little Rock, host campus) must submit application for admission to the Graduate School at least one month prior to initial registration through:
Graduate Resident Center for Engineering
3189 Bell Engineering Center
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701 telephone: 1-800-423-1176 or (479) 575-6015
To assure timely processing of the Application for Admission, a check or money order made to the University of Arkansas for the $25 application fee must accompany the application when submitted to the Graduate School.
Contact the above address for information pertaining to classes, enrollment, fees, etc.
The University of Arkansas offers graduate level courses for residence credit at Graduate Centers located off the Fayetteville campus. There are two types of graduate centers currently in existence--Twelve-Hour Graduate Centers and Graduate Resident Centers. Graduate courses completed at Graduate Resident Centers may be used to satisfy course work requirements for any graduate degree but may not be used to satisfy residence requirements for doctoral degrees.
Twelve-Hour Graduate Centers. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, offers graduate courses at off-campus locations. At those locations, not defined as Graduate Resident Centers for specified degrees, a student may complete a maximum of twelve semester hours of courses for residence credit applicable to the master's degree requirements at the University of Arkansas.
To obtain graduate credit for courses offered at off-campus locations, the student must gain admission to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Graduate School. If graduate credit so received is to be applied to a specific master's degree, the student must be accepted in a program of study leading to that degree. Graduate courses completed, but not applicable to the requirements for the master's degree the student is pursuing, will not be accepted as part of the 30-week residence required for that degree.
Graduate Resident Centers. The University of Arkansas offers graduate level courses for residence credit off the Fayetteville campus. All of the residence requirements for some graduate degrees may be completed off campus at Graduate Resident Centers. These centers are located at Camden, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Monticello, Pine Bluff, Russellville, and at military bases in Little Rock; Hulburt, Florida; and Millington, Tennessee.
FORT SMITH GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTER. All course requirements for the Master of Business Administration degree and the Master of Education degrees in elementary education, secondary education, special education, and vocational education may be completed at the Graduate Resident Center in Fort Smith.
LITTLE ROCK GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTER. All of the course requirements for the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in rehabilitation education may be completed at the Graduate Resident Center in Little Rock.
PINE BLUFF GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTER. All course requirements for the Master of Education degree may be completed at the Graduate Resident Center in Pine Bluff. In addition, all requirements for Educational Specialist degree with a specialization in adult education, educational administration, or vocational education may be completed at the Graduate Resident Center in Pine Bluff.
GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTERS AT MILITARY BASES AND THE CAMDEN AND THE RUSSELLVILLE GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTERS. The Master of Science degree (M.S.), with a major in operations management, is offered at Graduate Resident Centers established at the Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee; the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville; the Hurlburt Field Air Force Base in Florida; and in Camden and Russellville. For further information on this degree program and a description of courses offered, see page 170.
GRADUATE RESIDENT CENTER FOR ENGINEERING IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS (University of Arkansas at Little Rock as host campus). All requirements for the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) degree may be completed at the Graduate Resident Center for Engineering, University of Arkansas at Little Rock as host campus.
Students must register during one of the formal registration periods. Currently enrolled students are expected to register during the priority registration held each semester for the following semester. New students (freshmen and transfers) are expected to register during the registration held in conjunction with orientation. Students, new or returning, who have not already registered should register during the one day registration session which immediately precedes the beginning of classes each semester. Registration is available for students taking evening courses. The evening registration is usually held during the first four days of classes. There is a late registration period of five days at the beginning of fall and spring semesters and one- or two-day late registration period at the beginning of summer sessions, but students must pay a late fee to register during these late registration periods and may also find that many classes are filled.
Registration for Audit
When a student audits a course, that student must register for audit, pay the appropriate fees, and be admitted to class on a space-available basis. The instructor shall notify the student of the requirements for receiving the mark of "AU" for the course being audited. The instructor and the student's dean may drop a student from a course being audited if the student is not satisfying the requirements specified by the instructor. The student is to be notified if this action is taken. The only grade or mark which can be given is "AU."
Proper Address of Students
It is the responsibility of all students to maintain and correct their addresses with the University and to report any change of address promptly to the Office of the Registrar. Failure to do so may result in undelivered grades, registration notices, invoices, invitations, and other official correspondence and announcements.
Identification Cards
Identification cards are made by the Division of Student Services during each registration period and at scheduled times and places during the year. Consult the schedule of classes for the times and locations. The I.D. card can be used as a debit card for purchases at the Bookstore or the Servery.
Adding and Dropping Courses
A currently enrolled student who has registered during the advance registration period should make any necessary or desired schedule adjustments such as adding or dropping courses or changing course sections during the schedule-adjustment period scheduled for the same semester. Students may also add or drop courses during the first five class days of a semester, but a fee will be charged for changes of registration at this time.
A student may drop a course during the first 10 class days of the semester without having the withdrawal shown on the official academic record. After the first 10 class days, and before the drop deadline of the semester, a student may drop a course, but a mark of "W," indicating withdrawal, will be recorded. A student may not drop a course after the Friday of the eighth week of classes in a semester.
Drop-add deadlines for partial semester courses are published in the schedule of classes. Drop-add deadlines for summer sessions are published in the summer sessions schedule of classes.
Withdrawal from Registration
Withdrawing from the University means withdrawing from all classes that have not been completed up to that time. A student who leaves the University voluntarily before the end of the semester or summer term must file and have accepted by his or her academic dean and the Registrar a Petition for Withdrawal from Registration. Withdrawal must occur prior to the last class day of a semester. Students who do not withdraw officially from a class which they fail to complete will receive an "F" in that class.
Attendance
Students are expected to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies and in their class attendance. Students have the responsibility of making arrangements satisfactory to the instructor regarding all absences. Such arrangements should be made prior to the absence if possible. Policies of making up work missed as a result of absence are at the discretion of the instructor, and students should inform themselves at the beginning of each semester concerning the policies of their instructors.
Final grades for courses are "A," "B," "C," "D," and "F." (No credit is earned for courses in which a grade of "F" is recorded.)
A final grade of "F" shall be assigned to a student who is failing on the basis of work completed but who has not completed all requirements. The instructor may change an "F" so assigned to a passing grade if warranted by satisfactory completion of all requirements.
A mark of "I" may be assigned to a student who has not completed all course requirements, if the work completed is of passing quality. An "I" so assigned may be changed to a grade provided all course requirements have been completed within 12 weeks from the beginning of the next semester of the student's enrollment after receiving the "I." If the instructor does not report a grade within the 12 week period, the "I" shall be changed to an "F." When the mark of "I" is changed to a final grade, this shall become the grade for the semester in which the course was originally taken.
A mark of "AU" (Audit) is given to a student who officially registers in a course for audit purposes (see Registration for Audit).
A mark of "CR" (credit) is given for a course in which the University allows credit toward a degree, but for which no grade points are earned. The mark "CR" is not normally awarded for graduate-level courses but may be granted for independent academic activities. With departmental (or program area) approval and in special circumstances, up to a maximum of six semester hours of "CR" may be accepted toward the requirements for a graduate degree.
A mixing of course letter grades and the mark "CR" is not permitted in graduate-level courses and is not to be so reported on the Official Final Class Report. If a letter grade is reported for any student on the Final Class Report, then all students listed on that report must receive a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) or a mark of "I." A change of grade (from "CR" to a letter grade) is not permitted for courses in which "CR" marks are reported.
A mark of "R" (Registered) indicates that the student registered for master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. The mark "R" gives neither credit nor grade points toward a graduate degree.
A mark of "S" (Satisfactory) is assigned in courses such as special problems and research when a final grade is inappropriate. The mark "S" is not assigned to courses or work for which credit is given (and thus no grade points are earned for such work). If credit is awarded upon the completion of such work, a grade or mark may be assigned at that time and, if a grade is assigned, grade points will be earned.
A mark of "W" (Withdrawal) will be given for courses from which students withdraw after the first 10 class days of the semester and before the drop deadline of the semester.
For numerical evaluation of grades, "A" is assigned 4 points for each semester hour of that grade; "B," 3 points; "C," 2 points; "D," 1 point; and "F," 0 points.
Students may be dropped from further study in the Graduate School if at any time their performance is considered unsatisfactory as determined by either the program faculty or the Dean of the Graduate School. Academic dishonesty and failure to maintain a specified cumulative grade-point average are considered to be unsatisfactory performance.
Academic dishonesty involves acts which may subvert or compromise the integrity of the educational process at the University of Arkansas. Included is an act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for himself or herself or another by misrepresenting his or her or another's work or by interfering with the completion, submission, or evaluation of work. These include, but are not limited to, accomplishing or attempting any of the following acts:
1. Altering of grades or official records.
2. Using any materials that are not authorized by the instructor for use during an examination.
3. Copying from another student's paper during an examination.
4. Collaborating during an examination with any other person by giving or receiving information without specific permission of the instructor.
5. Stealing, buying, or otherwise obtaining information about an unadministered examination.
6. Collaborating on laboratory work, take-home examinations, homework, or other assigned work when instructed to work independently.
7. Substituting for another person or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take an examination.
8. Submitting as one's own any theme, report, term paper, essay, computer program, other written work, speech, painting, drawing, sculpture, or other art work prepared totally or in part by another.
9. Submitting work without specific permission of the instructor that has been previously offered for credit in another course.
10. Plagiarizing, that is, the offering as one's own work the words, ideas, or arguments of another person without appropriate attribution by quotation, reference, or footnote. Plagiarism occurs both when the words of another are reproduced without acknowledgement or when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased in such a way as to lead the reader to believe that they originated with the writer. It is the responsibility of all University students to understand the methods of proper attribution and to apply those principles in all materials submitted.
11. Sabotaging of another student's work.
12. Falsifying or committing forgery on any University form or document.
13. Submitting altered or falsified data as experimental data from laboratory projects, survey research, or other field research.
14. Committing any willful act of dishonesty that interferes with the operation of the academic process.
15. Facilitating or aiding in any act of academic dishonesty.
If a graduate student has less than a 2.85 cumulative grade-point average on 12 or more semester hours of graded course work taken in residence for graduate credit, the student will be placed on academic probation. The student will subsequently be dismissed from the Graduate School if the cumulative GPA is not raised to 2.85 or above on the next nine hours of graded graduate course work. Using its own written procedures, the graduate faculty of an academic degree program may recommend that the student be readmitted to the Graduate School. Dismissed students with non-degree status may petition for readmission to the Graduate School by submitting a written appeal to the Dean of the Graduate School.
The graduate faculty of any degree program may establish and state in writing requirements for continuation in that program.
Term Paper Assistance
The use of the services of term paper assistance companies is a violation of university policies on academic integrity. Student submission of such research or term papers to meet requirements of any class or degree program is expressly prohibited and constitutes academic dishonesty. Any violation of this prohibition will automatically result in both punitive action by the instructor (e.g., the award of a grade of "F" for the course) and a referral of each violation to the All-University Judiciary Committee for its consideration.
Application for graduation must be completed in the Graduate Dean's office, filed with the Registrar and fees paid for the semester in which degree requirements will be completed and graduation effected. If a student fails to complete the degree, the student must then renew the application and pay a renewal fee.
The faculty of the Graduate School, under the authorization of the Board of Trustees, grants the degrees listed below. The graduate faculty, as represented by the Dean of the Graduate School and through the Graduate Council, has primary responsibility for the development, operating policies, administration, and quality of these programs. Operating through the Graduate Dean, the faculty appoints committees which directly supervise the student's program of study and committees which monitor research activities and approve theses and dissertations.
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