The following academic policies apply to credential and graduate programs.

Normal Progress Toward a Degree or Credential and Time Limit for Degree or Credential

School of Education students have a maximum of five years to complete all program requirements for the degree and/or credential, with the exception of doctoral students, who have six years to complete all program requirements. In rare instances, extensions may be requested by petition. Granting of such a petition may entail additional degree requirements, credential requirements, and/or repeating courses that have expired.

Good Academic Standing

To maintain good academic standing, School of Education students are expected to make satisfactory progress toward completion of their program. There are three criteria to the Good Academic Standing policy, in keeping with university academic quality standards and eligibility requirements for federal financial aid:

1. Minimum GPA Requirement: Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 in their program of study.
2. Time to Degree Completion: School of Education students have a maximum of five years to complete all program requirements, with the exception of doctoral students, who have six years to complete all program requirements.
3. Successful Completion of Credit (CR)/No Credit (NC) Courses: School of Education students must earn a grade of CR for Credit/No Credit courses in which they enroll.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Students who do not meet the definition of good academic standing outlined above are subject to academic probation and will be given one enrollment period to demonstrate satisfactory progress toward good academic standing. Certain designated courses within the School of Education (e.g., fieldwork, supervised teaching, dissertation courses, etc.) are graded on a Credit (CR)/No Credit (NC) basis. A grade of NC is interpreted as a failing grade, which can have implications for a student’s continued satisfactory progress and academic standing.

Minimum Requirements for Certificate, Credential, Master’s, and Combined Master’s Degree and Credential Students

Students in master’s and/or credential coursework must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Courses with a grade lower than B- (including NC grades) are not applied to master’s or educational specialist (Ed.S.) degree requirements or to credential/certificate requirements and must be repeated. Students who earn an NC grade are required to meet with their program director or chair to identify knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions that may need strengthening and to develop a performance improvement plan. Students who earn an NC grade will be placed on probation and given one enrollment period to demonstrate satisfactory progress according to the terms of the improvement plan. Students who do not meet the standards for satisfactory progress after a period of probation may be dismissed from the program.

Students are expected to successfully complete their culminating clinical practice, fieldwork, and internship courses at first attempt. On rare occasions, students with unsuccessful first attempts will be eligible to petition to the appropriate academic department to repeat the course. A successful petition is required for a student to repeat. A culminating clinical practice, fieldwork, or internship course can be repeated only once.

Students who earn an NC grade in a culminating clinical practice, fieldwork, or internship experience as a result of a lapse in professional responsibility, integrity, or ethical conduct may not be eligible to petition to repeat the course for which they received the nonpassing grade.

Minimum Requirements for Doctoral Students

A doctoral student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Courses with a grade lower than B- (including NC grades) are not applied toward doctoral degree requirements and must be repeated.

In order to ensure satisfactory academic progress, a doctoral student who receives an NC grade or grade lower than B- in 700-level courses, or whose grade-point average falls below 3.2, is required to meet with his/her advisor to identify academic skills that may need strengthening and to develop a performance improvement plan.

Doctoral students with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0, or those who have earned two or more NC grades, will be placed on probation and given one enrollment period to demonstrate satisfactory progress according to the terms of the performance improvement plan. Students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress according to the terms of the performance improvement plan after a period of probation may be dismissed from the program.