Academic Standards and Probation for Graduate Study

GPA and Probation: You must maintain at least a B average (3.00 grade point average) to remain in good standing in a graduate program. Graduate regular students who fail to maintain at least a B average will be placed on probation. You must raise your overall grade point average to a B or better with the next 9 graduate credits you take. While on academic probation you cannot carry a graduate assistantship appointment or be admitted to candidacy for a degree. If you fail to raise the overall grade point, you will be dropped from your degree program and will be automatically reclassified as a graduate non degree-seeking student.

Grades of C will be accepted in no more than 8 of the 30 credits that apply toward a degree. Coursework with a grade below C may not be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements. You may not repeat a course unless you get approval from the dean of the college offering the course. For courses taken at this university, only the credit and grade earned in your second attempt will be figured into your grade point average, but the original grades are not taken off your record. If you plan to repeat a course, contact your Program Director for approval prior to registering.

If you need to take extra credits to raise your grade point average, you may take only 6 credits beyond the 30 credit minimum requirements for the degree.

Incomplete and Pass/Fail Grades. You must remove a grade of incomplete before the end of the next semester. If not, it automatically becomes a failure unless it is a culminating experience course.

Pass/fail grades normally do not apply to a graduate degree program. Exceptions may include clinical based curriculum, field work, or competency-based courses. If pass/fail courses are part of a graduate degree program, there is still an expectation for academic quality, rigor, and coherence within the course. Refer to specific graduate degree program requirements for more detail about grading requirements in pass/fail courseworks.

General Requirements for Master’s Degrees and Doctorate Degrees

• Have a maximum of 9 credits completed at the time of admission.

• Complete a minimum of 30 graded credits beyond the undergraduate degree for master's degrees and a minimum of 30 graded credits beyond the master's degree (or 60+ beyond a bachelor's) for doctoral degrees (graded does not include P grades).

• Take at least 15 credits in courses numbered 700 and above.

• Have an approved Program of Study on file with your adviser and the graduate coordinator of your department, school, or college before you complete 15 credit hours toward the degree.

• Maintain a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.00.

• Apply no more than 6 credits total in special topics courses and independent study courses toward your master’s degree.

• Successfully complete a culminating experience.

All credits accepted toward a degree, including transfer credits, must be earned within a seven-year period. The time period starts with the beginning of the term in which the first course approved for your Program of Study was taken. For example: You are accepted into a UW-Stevens Point graduate program in fall 2007. Part of your approved plan of study for your master’s degree includes a course taken in spring 2005. Thus, your seven-year time period to complete the degree starts with the beginning of the spring 2005 semester, NOT the semester in which you were accepted into your graduate program.