Registration, Grades and Other Regulations
Registration
Student Responsibility
It is your responsibility as a student to be informed of and to observe all regulations, procedures, and requirements of the program and department in which you are enrolled. Pleading ignorance or bad advice will not excuse a student from any regulation. Therefore, you should become familiar with regulations and requirements in this Bulletin and with the offerings and requirements of your major department.
Changes made between editions of this Bulletin will be reflected in A Handbook for Graduate Students and Faculty, available in departments, in the Graduate School, and online at www.muohio.edu/graduateschool.
Academic Adviser
You must have an adviser in the department or division in which you are a candidate for a degree. Your adviser's primary duty is to assist you with planning your program of study to fit your needs and satisfy departmental and Graduate School requirements. You should discuss selection of an adviser with the chair or the director of graduate studies in your department.
Academic Calendar
Important academic dates and deadlines are published in the academic calendar. The calendar is in the front of this Bulletin, in other publications, and online at www.muohio.edu/calendar. Please note, however, that dates are subject to change without notice.
Miami Identification (ID) Card
Your registration as a graduate student includes the issue and validation of your student ID card from the Bursar's office. ID cards are issued in 119 Campus Avenue Building and in 115 Shriver Center.
Course Offerings
Course offerings and other important registration information are listed in semester course schedule booklets, available at the Registrar's office. A current course schedule is also available online through BannerWeb at www.mymiami.muohio.edu.
Registration and Graduate Credit
Before registering for courses, consult your adviser to make sure that you are meeting your degree requirements.
You can register, confirm, and change your schedule online through BannerWeb at www.mymiami.muohio.edu. Instructions for registering are included in course schedule booklets.
Students not properly admitted or not properly registered will not receive graduate credit. Registration must be completed and fees must be paid by the first day of classes each semester or summer term. See the academic calendar for registration dates and deadlines.
Note: All students must pay their fees by the deadlines. Graduate award holders, (including graduate grant-in-aids), receive instructional fee waivers; however, other graduate student fees must be paid by the deadlines. The deadline to complete registration and payment is the fifth day of Fall or Spring semester, and the third day of each summer term.
Minimum and Maximum Registration
The maximum number of graduate credit hours that a graduate student can register for in a regular semester is 16. Graduate students are limited to no more than eight credit hours per summer session (except for dissertation and thesis credits) and no more than 12 credit hours in two overlapping summer sessions. Permission of the dean of the Graduate School is required in order to register for more credits.
A student employed full-time may register for a maximum of six graduate credit hours.
Graduate assistants, doctoral associates, and teaching associates with duties of 18 to 20 hours per week must register for at least 10 graduate semester hours and may register for as many as 14 total (undergraduate and graduate) hours per semester.
Modified graduate assistants with duties of eight hours per week must register for at least 12 graduate credit hours per semester and may register for as many as 16 total (undergraduate and graduate) hours.
Grant-in-aid recipients must register for at least 12 graduate hours during each semester and must register for six graduate hours in a single summer term or 12 graduate hours in more than one summer term.
A student holding a dissertation scholarship must register for 16 hours of graduate credit per semester.
Changing Your Courses: Adds and Drops
You can add or drop a course online through BannerWeb at www.mymiami.muohio.edu during Change of Schedule, which ends the first week of each semester or the third day of each summer term.
A course cannot be added to your schedule after the first week of classes unless an exception is made by the instructor with the approval of the department chair. An instructor can refuse to accept a student into class if, in the instructor's opinion, too much subject matter has already been covered. You must have signatures from both the instructor and the department chair on the Change of Schedule form.
Registration for independent study at the graduate level (independent reading, special topics, special studies, special problems, and directed study) should be completed before Change of Schedule ends. Independent study courses may not be added after the deadline to withdraw from a course with a grade of W (after completion of 40 percent of the term).
You must officially drop each unwanted course. After Change of Schedule ends, and before the end of the third calendar week, you may drop a course, in which case no grade or other designation will appear on your official record. After the third calendar week and before the end of the ninth calendar week, you must withdraw from a course; which requires a signature of acknowledgement from the instructor. (See Withdrawal from a Course in the Grades section).
A graduate award holder (including grant-in-aid), must petition to drop a course and maintain the award with a registration of fewer credits than required. The petition must be approved by Graduate Council before the course is officially dropped.
Repeating a Course
You may repeat a course if a request is made by your adviser or major department. When a course is repeated, it is counted only once in meeting requirements for a degree. Both course grades, including hours and quality points, are counted in determining your cumulative grade point average.
Change of Status or Program
Any change of graduate standing, such as moving from nondegree to degree status, must be approved by your major department or division and the Graduate School. To change from continuing nondegree graduate status to regular or conditional standing, you must reapply to the Graduate School.
Students with a grade point average below 3.0 who wish to change majors and/or degree programs must have approval of the Student Petitions Committee of Graduate Council.
Transfer Credit
Credit for grades of B or better earned at other accredited graduate schools may be applied toward a graduate degree at Miami University. Transfer credit will not be granted for grades of B- or less. "Credit" or "pass" grades are accepted only if approved by the Student Petitions Committee of Graduate Council.
Extension or correspondence work is not accepted for credit.
Transferred courses may not exceed the age limit of five years for the master's degree and seven years for the doctorate.
To transfer credit, first obtain an official transcript from your other institution (if your adviser does not already have one), and then consult with your adviser. If transfer of credit is recommended, your adviser will send a memorandum of recommendation, with your transcript, to the Graduate School. The dean of the Graduate School will approve your transfer of credit if the above criteria are met, and the Registrar's office will post the transferred credit to your Miami record. Grades of transferred credit are not posted to a Miami record or counted in a grade point average.
Graduate Level Courses for Undergraduate Seniors
Seniors at Miami may apply for permission to take 600-level courses, normally open only to graduate students, for undergraduate or graduate credit.
To apply for permission, you must have at least 112 semester hours toward a bachelor's degree, a cumulative grade point average of 2.75, and a grade point average of 3.0 in the concentration area of the graduate course. Approval must be granted by your academic adviser, the instructor for the course, and the Graduate School.
You must complete the form "Permission for Undergraduate Students to Enroll in Graduate Courses," available at the Graduate School, and return it no later than Friday of the first week of classes in the semester.
Up to 10 semester hours may count toward a graduate degree if the courses are taken for graduate credit. Courses taken for graduate credit cannot count toward requirements for a bachelor's degree.
Regional Campus Registration
Several programs in education and a part-time Master in Business Administration program are available at Middletown and Hamilton campuses. Once admitted to the Graduate School, you may register at any campus.
Greater Cincinnati Consortium
Full-time Miami students can take courses through the Greater Cincinnati Consortium during the academic year and summer. This association can provide courses that are not generally available at the institution where the student is enrolled.
Members of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium include the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Athenaeum of Ohio, Chatfield College, Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, College of Mount St. Joseph, Hebrew Union College, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More College, The Union Institute, University of Cincinnati, Wilmington College, and Xavier University.
The Registrar's office can provide additional information.
Application for Graduation
To graduate, whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony, you must submit an application and pay a fee. If you earn more than one degree, you must pay a graduation fee for each. After you return your application to the Registrar's Office, your account will be assessed the appropriate fee, and you will be billed by the Bursar's office.
You are encouraged to apply for graduation at least a semester in advance. This way, routine checks can be made in time to inform you of any problems in meeting your degree requirements.
Applications must be received no later than 30 working days before commencement. After that date, applications will be deferred to the following commencement.
If you apply for graduation and then do not qualify for the degree, you must pay a reapplication fee and notify the Commencement Office of the date you intend to finish your requirements. All deadlines applicable to first-time applications apply to reapplications.
Grades
The Grading System
| Grade |
|
Points Per
Semester Hour |
| A+ |
|
4.0 |
| A |
Excellent |
4.0 |
| A- |
|
3.7 |
| B+ |
|
3.3 |
| B |
Good |
3.0 |
| B- |
|
2.7 |
| C+ |
|
2.3 |
| C |
Fair |
2.0 |
| C- |
|
1.7 |
| D+ |
|
1.3 |
| D |
Poor |
1.0 |
| D- |
|
0.7 |
| F |
Failure |
0.0 |
Other grades include:
I = Incomplete; calculates the same as F until actual grade is recorded. This may be removed any time during the first 12 weeks of the student's next semester of enrollment following the term in which the incomplete was received.
Caution: Holders of graduate assistantships, teaching associateships, and graduate grants-in-aid should be aware that I calculates as F in the g.p.a. and may affect continuance of a graduate award.
L = Audit; no credit points.
N = No grade submitted by instructor.
P = Passing; carries no credit points (for final thesis and dissertation hours).
S = Satisfactory progress (for thesis, dissertation, research courses, independent studies, special projects, internships, practicums); changes to final grade upon completion of course requirements.
U = Unsatisfactory progress (for special projects as above).
W = Withdrawal; assigned to a student who officially withdraws from the university; or who withdraws from a course after the third calendar week and before the end of the ninth calendar week. W is not calculated in the g.p.a. (See Withdrawal from the University and Withdrawal from a Course)
X = Credit in a course taken credit/no-credit. In a graduate course, B or better must be earned for credit. Credit is not granted for B- or less. X is not calculated in the g.p.a.
Y = No credit in a course taken credit/no-credit. In a graduate course, credit is not granted for B- or less. Y is not calculated in the g.p.a.
Scholastic Requirements
You must maintain a minimum grade point average (g.pa.) of 3.0 in both your cumulative g.p.a and your major field. Departments may have higher standards.
A graduate student whose cumulative g.p.a. falls below 3.0 (not including incompletes) will receive a warning letter and will be allowed to register for one semester beyond the term in which the unsatisfactory g.p.a. resulted. If at the end of the additional semester, the cumulative g.p.a. remains below 3.0, the student may not register for any further graduate credit at Miami University. Appropriate adjustments are made for a student enrolled on a part-time basis.
Note: To be eligible to take a final examination for any graduate degree, a graduate student must have a 3.0 g.p.a. or better and may not have grades of incomplete.
Credit/No-Credit
A student may be allowed to register for a graduate course on a credit/no-credit grade mode with written permission of the instructor. Certain approved research and internship courses may be taken credit/no-credit. A department may suggest that a student register for credit/no credit grade mode in a related course outside the department.
A grade of B or better must be earned for credit in a graduate course. No more than one-fourth of the total hours (not counting thesis or dissertation) may count for a graduate degree with the credit/no-credit arrangement.
Appeal of Grades
A student who wishes to appeal a grade should consult The Student Handbook and A Handbook for Graduate Students and Faculty for the procedure. Extension of the deadline dates for removal of incompletes may be made by petition to the Student Petitions Committee of the Graduate Council.
Dropping a Course
Dropping a course is a formal administrative procedure; merely ceasing to attend class is not the same as dropping a course. Before dropping a course, a student should consult with his or her instructor and academic adviser. A student may drop a course within three calendar weeks of the date classes begin, in which case no grade or other designation will appear on the student's official record.
Withdrawal from a Course
As with dropping a course, the act of withdrawing from a course is also a formal administrative procedure; merely ceasing to attend classes is not the same as withdrawing from a course. Before withdrawing from a course, a student should consult with his or her instructor and academic adviser. A student may withdraw from a course after the third calendar week and, ordinarily, before the end of the ninth calendar week. A grade of W will appear on the student's official record; a W is not calculated in the student's grade point average.
When considering withdrawing from a course, please note the following:
- Before the end of the ninth calendar week, a student may withdraw from a course with a signature of acknowledgment from the instructor.
- After the end of the ninth calendar week, a student may no longer withdraw from a course unless a petition is approved by the Graduate Council. The petition must include the signatures of the course instructor and the student's academic or divisional adviser. The petition must also describe and document the extenuating circumstances (extraordinary circumstances usually beyond the student's control) that form the grounds of the petition. When possible, a student should continue to attend class until the Inter-Divisional Committee of Advisers has acted on his or her petition. Non-attendance does not void financial responsibility or a grade of F.
If the petition for withdrawal is approved, the student will be withdrawn from the course with a grade of W. If the petition is not approved, the student will be expected to remain in the course. Only in rare circumstances will a petition to withdraw from a course after the ninth calendar week be approved for reasons of academic performance alone.
| Semester Weeks Elapsed |
Grade Recorded |
Note |
Before end of
3rd calendar week |
None |
None |
After 3rd calendar week
and before end of 9th
calendar week |
W |
W is not calculated in g.p.a. |
| After 9th calendar week |
W |
Withdrawal by
petition only |
- If a student is found guilty of academic dishonesty in a course, and withdraws from the course, the student will receive the grade W(AD) for the course and the grade of F will be calculated in the student's grade point average (refer to Section 01.504.A of the online Student Handbook)
- An accelerated course or a summer-term course may be dropped without a grade until 20 percent of the class meetings are completed. Withdrawal with a grade of W may occur until 60 percent of the class meetings are completed. After that date, a student may no longer withdraw from a course, unless a petition is approved by the Inter-Divisional Committee of Advisers. A petition to withdraw may be filed as described above.
Withdrawal from the University
Withdrawing from the University is a formal administrative procedure; merely ceasing to attend classes is not the same as withdrawing from the University. A student withdrawing from the University must file a withdrawal form in the Office of the Registrar. The form must be signed by the student's adviser or the proper University official as indicated on the form. In such a case the withdrawal is noted on the student's official record. International students on non-immigrant student visas are required to to obtain the signature of the Director of interational Education.
If the student withdraws unofficially (i.e., leaves the University without filing a withdrawal form), and if the facts of that withdrawal are not known and grades of F are reported, it is the student's responsibility to petition the Graduate Council to change his or her record. If the petition is approved by the committee, the grades recorded on the student's academic record for that term will be as follows:
- If the student withdraws within the first three calendar weeks of any semester or during the first 20 percent of any accelerated course or summer term, no grades are assigned
- If the student officially withdraws after the first three calendar weeks of any semester or during the first 20 percent of any accelerated course or summer term, a grade of W is assigned for each course for which the student is registered; excluding sprint courses completed or not yet begun prior to the withdrawal date. The student will receive the actual grade earned in any sprint courses completed prior to withdrawal from the University.
Re-enrollment
If the student officially withdraws after the ninth calendar week of any semester or after 60 percent of any accelerated course or summer term, and wishes to re-enroll, the student must submit a petition for re-enrollment to the Graduate Council. The petition must include a description of extenuating circumstances (extraordinary circumstances usually beyond the student's control) that form the grounds of the petition.
Medical Withdrawal
If a student obtains a medical withdrawal certified by the Director of the Student Health Service, he or she will be allowed to withdraw from the University without grades.
Other Regulations
Class Attendance
You are expected to attend every class for which you are registered.
A department may drop a student from a course if the student misses the first class meeting, unless the student notifies the instructor or department by the end of that day (11:59 pm) of an intention to take that course. When possible, instructors and departments will reinstate students who, for reasons beyond their control, were unable to contact the instructor or department by that deadline.
If your instructor notifies the Registrar's Office that, in his or her opinion, you have missed too many classes, you can be dropped from the course with a grade of F. If this occurs, the instructor must notify you in writing.
Do not assume that a department will automatically drop you from a course. You must take responsibility for dropping a course.
Graduate School Handbook
A Handbook for Graduate Students and Faculty, distributed at orientation, contains policy statements and regulations of the Graduate School that have been approved by Graduate Council. The handbook is available in academic departments, the Graduate School, and online at www.muohio.edu/graduateschool.
Conduct
Graduate students are subject to the student conduct regulations of Miami University, outlined in The Student Handbook, except in those regulations that are specified as applying only to undergraduates.
All graduate students have an obligation to exhibit honesty and to respect ethical standards in carrying out their academic assignments. Academic misconduct cannot be tolerated and will be treated in accordance with the regulations stipulated in A Handbook for Graduate Students and Faculty.
Grievance Procedure
A statement of effective learning and teaching, an academic grievance procedure, and a grievance procedure concerning service assignments of graduate award holders have been approved by the Board of Trustees. See A Handbook for Graduate Students and Faculty for more information.
Petitions
A graduate student may petition for an exception to an academic regulation. Petition forms are available in the Graduate School and in academic department offices. A petition must be initiated by the student and must be submitted with recommendations by the adviser and major department.
Divisional Petitions Committees handle petitions of the following nature: first request for extension of the time limit to finish a degree; registration for nine hours in a summer session; substitution of a course to fulfill degree requirements; credit for course work that is more than five years old; transfer of hours from one degree program to another; registration with a combination of graduate and undergraduate hours. These petitions should be directed to the appropriate divisional office.
The Student Petitions Committee of Graduate Council handles all remaining types, including petitions of the following nature: change to the academic record; holding a graduate award without full registration; reinstatement in the Graduate School; second request for extension of time to finish a degree. These petitions should be submitted to the Graduate School office.
Right to Privacy and Access: Student Records
The Registrar's office maintains records on all Miami students that include academic and demographic information. To protect students' privacy, and to ensure that their records are accessible to them, Miami has a policy for maintaining and administering student records.
Miami's policy is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The complete policy is included in The Student Handbook, but general guidelines are listed here. More information on FERPA is available from the Registrar's office.
- Educational records are defined as those records, files, and documents that relate directly to the educational progress of students. These may include academic records, advisement records, discipline records, and placement records.
- You have the right of access to your records after presenting proper identification (your student ID card).
- After reviewing your files, you have the right to challenge anything you perceive to be inaccurate or misleading. See The Student Handbook for the procedure for a hearing.
- The university has a responsibility to protect students from the release of information about them to others without the student's consent. An exception to this is public information or directory information, which may be released without the student's consent. This includes the student's name, age, date of birth, home and local addresses, phone number, dates of attendance, current enrollment, degrees and awards, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.
- If you do not want information about you included in the Miami University Directory, published at the beginning of each academic year, you can restrict it by notifying the Registrar's office in writing . This must be done each academic year, by the established deadline (usually September 10; check with the Registrar's Office at 513-529-8703 for details).
Electronic Directory
Miami's electronic directory, like those of other institutions, is accessible worldwide across the Internet. To preserve the privacy of students, faculty, and staff, the following data is only accessible within the Miami University community:
- University-supplied data:
Spouse name (staff, faculty; if authorized)
Division (staff, faculty)
Office address (staff, faculty)
Home address and phone number (students, staff, faculty; if authorized)
School address and phone number (students)
- Optional individual-supplied data:
Pager e-mail address and phone number
Mobile phone number
Office hours
High schools attended
Other colleges attended
A student who wants to be excluded from publication in the print and electronic directories must complete a request form at the Office of the Registrar; this must be done every academic year.
Under provisions of FERPA (Buckley Amendment), students entering Miami for the first time (freshman, transfer, and graduate students) are automatically excluded from the electronic directory until September 10 to give them opportunity to visit the Registrar's office. If a student wishes to release the information before September 10, an option is available online at www.muohio.edu/directory/.
At the beginning of each academic year, faculty and staff receive information update forms from the personnel offices. If authorization is given to print personal information (home address and phone number), that information will appear in both print and electronic directories.
Subsequent exclusion requests are reflected in the electronic directory approximately 24 hours after being processed by the Registrar's office or a personnel office. Emergency exclusions, requested by the Miami University Police, the Office of Student Affairs, or a personnel office, are processed as soon as possible by the IT Services Network Applications Group (nag@muohio.edu).
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