6. Academic Standing, Termination & Appeals

6.1 - Progress toward Completion of the Degree

6.1.1   Early-Stage Students

Early-stage PhD students must remain in good academic standing. Students are in good academic standing if they have not received a grade of "D" or "F" in any course in the prior semester and have received a grade of "C" or lower in two or fewer courses during their program.

Students who fail to maintain good academic standing will be placed on academic notice. Students will regain good academic standing by completing all courses with a grade of “B” or higher in the following semester.

A student is subject to dismissal from the PhD program if they remain on academic notice for two semesters or if they receive a grade of “C” or lower in more than two courses over the duration of the program.

Evidence of progress toward completion of the degree during coursework is provided by successful completion of the courses in the student’s program of study.

Evidence of progress toward completion of the degree once the student has completed their coursework, but has not been admitted into candidacy, is provided by successful completion of the comprehensive examination.

6.1.2   Late-Stage Students

Once the student has passed the comprehensive examination and is admitted into candidacy, evidence of progress toward the completion of the degree consists of completion of assignments given in the dissertation credit course (BA 9000).

If the student’s performance in BA 9000 is deemed unsatisfactory by the professor on record, the professor shall communicate that circumstance in writing, to the student, PhD

Coordinator, Department Chair, and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Research.

When two such memos are received regarding a student’s progress in BA 9000, the PhD Coordinator will initiate the process to recommend the student for termination from the PhD program.

6.2 - Termination

A student who has not made sufficient progress towards completion of the degree, as outlined in the previous subsection, will be recommended for termination. The PhD Coordinator initiates the termination process outlined in the Academic Regulations section of the catalog, Academic Performance Termination Procedures sub-section, bringing the matter to the Department Retention Committee.

The Retention Committee, which is a committee of the Department, will review the situation and decide whether the student should be allowed to continue in the program or be dropped from the PhD program for lack of sufficient progress towards completion of the degree. Each Department’s Retention Committee will be formed at the direction of the Department Chair. Decisions regarding the size and membership of the committee with be at the Department Chair’s discretion.

If the Retention Committee approves a termination recommendation, the recommendation moves on to the next step in the process outlined in the Graduate Catalog. If the final decision is to terminate, the student will receive a termination letter from the Dean of the College. The student can appeal the decision following the procedures noted in Section 6.3.2 of this document.

6.3 - Appeals

6.3.1   Grade Appeals

The student has the right to appeal the final posted course grade (though not individual assignment grades) in accordance with college and university policies.

Grounds for grade appeals are the following:

• Grades were assigned contrary to the instructor’s stated grading criteria (e.g., the syllabus states that a score of 400 receives a B, but the instructor assigns a C to a student who obtains a score of 400).
• The instructor acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner (e.g., two students submit comparable work, but receive different grades).
  
  

As per the College policy: "Grades are never given or adjusted because of student needs for any reason, including, but not limited to, graduation requirements, financial aid considerations, or academic probation issues."

The procedures for grade appeals outlined in the Academic Regulations, Grade Appeals section of the Graduate Catalog must be followed, and a Graduate Grade Appeal form must be used.

As outlined in the Graduate Catalog, grade appeals follow a structured review process. The process starts with the course instructor. If the appeal is not resolved, the appeal is escalated to the chair of the department in which the course was taken, then to the College Dean. If the appeal is not resolved at the College level, the student must file a written request for a hearing before the Graduate Appeals Committee with the Dean of the Graduate School or designee. There are time limitations for this process, indicated in the Graduate School policy.

6.3.2   Retention Appeals

If a student is dismissed from the doctoral program, the student may file a retention appeal.

The reasons for appealing are the following:

• New information, not available at the time of termination recommendation, has become available which would substantially alter the outcome of the termination decision,
• The academic department or college/school failed to conduct the termination process fairly or violated its procedures in such a way as to disadvantage the terminated student,
• The decision of the academic department or college/school is arbitrary in relation to academic and professional performance requirements of the student’s academic

Retention appeals must follow the guidelines provided in the Graduate Catalog, Academic Regulation, Academic Performance Termination and Appeals section, and use the Graduate Student Retention Appeal form.

As outlined in the Graduate Catalog, termination appeals follow a structured review process. A Graduate Student Retention Appeals form is submitted to the Fogelman College Dean's office, which will review the case and issue a decision. If denied, the student may appeal to the Associate Dean of the Graduate School. Please refer to the Retention Appeals Section of the Graduate Catalog for specific timelines. The University Graduate Appeals Committee will then review the case and determine if a hearing is warranted. If a hearing is granted, the student, department chair (or designee), and Associate Dean/Director of Graduate Studies (or designee) will present their cases.

The Committee’s final decision, communicated by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, may include reinstatement with conditions. The Graduate Appeals Committee’s decision is final, except in cases of procedural oversight, where the Dean of the Graduate School may review the process. Students should refer to the Graduate Catalog for full details.