All graduate students must complete a Course of Study form (available in the department office or clinic) listing all courses to be completed in order to receive the degree and/or certification. The form should be completed no later than the second quarter in which the student is enrolled. The Course of Study requires the approval of the student's graduate adviser or program director, the department chair, and the dean of graduate studies and research.

An approved Course of Study must be on file before the thesis can be considered for approval.

Course Level:

Graduate credit is given for courses numbered 500 and above. However, courses which are numbered 500 are designed for inservice and continuing education of professionals and will not be counted toward a master's degree. Courses numbered at the 400 (senior undergraduate) level may be accepted for credit toward a graduate degree provided that they are approved as part of the student's course of study. Additional coursework may be required of graduate students in 400 level courses. Courses numbered at the 100, 200, or 300 level will not be accepted for credit toward a graduate degree.

Number of Credits:

A maximum of nine (9) quarter credits may be applied toward the master's degree from other accredited institutions which offer graduate degrees, provided that the credits are approved as part of the official course of study and did not apply to another degree. For example, if you took a graduate-level course as an undergraduate, you may not count that course as meeting the requirement of the master's degree if that course was also used to meet the content or credit requirements of the baccalaureate degree. The general rule is that you cannot count the same course for two different degrees.

Credit / No-credit Courses:

Credit / no-credit courses cannot be counted toward master's degree credits.

Time to Degree:

No credits earned more than six (6) years before the date of the awarding of the master's degree may be counted as part of the degree credit requirements unless approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. It is the policy of the Department that petitions to include old courses generally are not supported.

• Credit toward the graduate degree or certification will not be accepted for courses in which a grade lower than C is earned.
• Grades for all courses included on the Course of Study must average at least a 3.0.
• The cumulative grade point average is calculated on all courses taken after admittance into a graduate program, whether part of the approved Course of Study or not.
• A graduate student whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.0 at the end of any quarter will be placed on academic probation for the next academic quarter. While on probation, a study may not hold a graduate assistantship. If the cumulative GPA remains below 3.0 after a second consecutive quarter, the student will no longer be eligible to continue in the master's degree or certification program.
• Certain courses, such as counseling and school psychology practica, require the development of appropriate interpersonal skills, as well as academic achievement. Assessment of progress in such courses requires the exercise of professional judgment by the supervisory faculty. Students who are not judged to be making satisfactory progress may be given one additional quarter of supervised practicum experience provided that it is the judgment of the faculty that the student has made sufficient progress to suggest that additional experience will result in satisfactory performance. If a satisfactory performance level is not achieved, the student's participation in the program will be terminated, regardless of the level of performance in the academic component of the program.

Academic grievances are defined as follows:

1. A claim that an assigned grade is the result of arbitrary and capricious application of valid standards of academic evaluation; or
2. A claim that the standards for evaluation are arbitrary or capricious; or
3. A claim that the instructor has taken an arbitrary or capricious action which adversely affects your academic progress; or
4. A claim that a university department, program, or office has made a decision not in keeping with university policy or has taken an arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory action which adversely affects your academic progress.

A student who wishes to pursue an academic grievance should take the following steps prior to the filing of an official academic appeal:

1. Attempt to resolve the matter with the instructor.
2. If resolution is not achieved, ask the department chair to resolve the grievance.
3. If resolution is not achieved at the department chair level, the chair will forward a written summary to the dean of the College of the Sciences in a further effort to achieve resolution.
4. If resolution is not achieved at this point, you may petition for a hearing before the Board of Academic Appeals. An appointment should be made with the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs to obtain the necessary forms and information relative to filing the petition.

The following is University policy:

Master's degree students seeking to interrupt their studies while remaining on active status may do so for the six-year period from the date of admission during which their courses may still count toward the degree. In order to remain on active status, students must pay a non-refundable fee for registration as an on-leave student. This fee covers four successive academic quarters beginning with fall quarter. While on leave, graduate students maintain their library privileges. If a degree program is not completed during the six-year period from the date of admission, the student must reapply to the university and begin the entire graduate program over.

Practicum / Internship Students:

In order to adequately identify a sufficient number of supervisors and/or sites for practicum and internship placement, it is important that students preregister for PSY 593ABCE and PSY 681/682. Failure to pre-register for these courses may result in the lack of an available placement for practicum or internship.

Graduate Assistants:

In order to facilitate appropriate assignment of graduate assistants to department activities, all students receiving assistantships must preregister for the following academic quarter. Graduate assistants who fail to pre-register run a risk of receiving an assignment that conflicts with a desired class. Should that happen, progress toward the degree may be impeded.

An assistantship is a contractual obligation to provide assigned services to the department in a professional manner. At the end of each quarter, faculty supervisors are asked to evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and thoroughness of their graduate assistants' works and the extent to which the assistants have taken appropriate initiative. Graduate assistantships are limited to a maximum of two years (excluding summers); however, in order to be considered for a second year the student must reapply through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. While it is the expectation that students who have received assistantships in the first year of graduate study will receive assistantship awards for the second year, this continuance is contingent upon satisfactory performance evaluations and on the continued availability of funding. A small number of assistantships may be available during the summer session. These are generally awarded independently of the regular academic-year assistantships.

Assistantship assignments are subject to change each quarter, depending upon the needs of the department. This is a complex procedure in which we attempt to take the students' class schedules into account. It is important, therefore, that we know what each assistant's quarterly schedule will be at the time assignments are made. To facilitate this process it is important that all students receiving assistantships preregister for the following academic quarter. Graduate assistants who fail to pre-register run a risk of receiving an assignment that conflicts with a desired class. Should that happen, progress toward the degree may be impeded.

A full-time assistantship requires an average of 20 hours per week of work and enrollment in at least 10 but not more that 14 hours per quarter with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 each quarter. If you work fewer than the required number of hours over the quarter, the difference must be deducted from your wages. If you have any difficulty working the required number of hours, discuss this with your supervisor. If difficulties remain, see the department chair. It is important that any problems be addressed at the earliest possible time so that you can be assured of receiving your full stipend.

All graduate assistants must fill out time sheets showing the actual number of hours worked each day. Completed and signed time sheets must be turned into the department office according to a schedule given to you in your contract letter each quarter (approximately the 15th and 30th of each month). If time sheets are not received on time, we will be unable to ensure payment for that time period.

Initiating Research Activity:

No human or animal research of any kind may be conducted without obtaining prior approval from the relevant department and university review committees. In the case of research with human subjects, the review is conducted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). (To expedite the process, a committee of psychology faculty has been authorized to give preliminary approval.) Animal research is subject to regulation by the University Animal Care and Use Committee. Consult with your advisor prior to undertaking any research, and do not begin running subjects until official approval has been received. Forms for initiating the approval process can be obtained in the department office.

Graduate students are expect to comply with the university's Student Judicial Code (Page 266), including policies regarding academic honesty.