Annual Plan

At the start of each Fall quarter of your graduate training, you will prepare an annual plan in consultation with your advisors and/or Supervisory Committee Chair. These reports lay out your plans for coursework, teaching, and research during the current academic year. Annual plans can be changed with the written approval (signature) of your advisors or committee chair at any time during the academic year. It is advisable to review your current plan at the start of each academic quarter to assure that you are making adequate progress .

1. All courses fulfilling departmental degree requirements (400 and 500 level courses only) must be taken for a numerical grade unless the course as a whole is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis. A grade of 2.7 is the minimal satisfactory grade for individual courses. You will need at least 18 graded credits at these levels and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for graduation. (See sections on the Master's and Ph.D. Degree Requirements.)

2. Some courses will be offered as Credit/No Credit and designated as such in the University Time Schedule. You cannot receive a numerical grade for these classes, and the credits will not be counted in the 18 graded credits required for graduation.

3. You may opt to take courses other than those fulfilling departmental requirements on a Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory basis. You must make this designation through the Registrar's Office and can change between S/NS and numerical grading through the end of the seventh week of the quarter. The instructor is not aware of your choice. If the Instructor submits a grade of 2.7 or above, your transcript with reflect a grade of S (satisfactory). If the grade submitted is below a 2.7, an NS will appear on your transcript. Credits earned using S/NS grading will not be counted in the 18 graded credits required for graduation.

4. An "N" grade is given in independent study/research courses when a project continues over several quarters and will not be graded until its completion. You must maintain continuous registration in that course until a grade is given, and you must be consistent in registering for either the graded or the Credit/No Credit section.

If your quarterly or cumulative grade point average drops below 3.0, your name will appear on the "Low Scholarship List" sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator by the Dean of the Graduate School. The progress of students on the "Low Scholarship List" will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee and one of the five possible actions listed in Section 3 below may be taken.

At the end of each academic year, you will be asked to complete a self-assessment of your progress over the past academic year. This self-assessment and your annual plan will be used by the department faculty in their annual review of your progress through the program. The annual review will assess performance in courses, research, and teaching where appropriate. You will receive a letter providing feedback on your performance and any appropriate recommendations prior to the start of the subsequent Fall quarter. Details of the evaluation should be discussed with your advisor and/or the Graduate Program Coordinator and the recommendations of the faculty should be reflected in your annual plan for the upcoming academic year. This evaluation and feedback is intended for your guidance and for constructive use in maintaining satisfactory status.

If your progress in the program is less than satisfactory, you may receive feedback from your academic advisor, the Department Chair, the Graduate Program Coordinator and, in some cases, from the Dean of the Graduate School. There are five ways in which unsatisfactory progress can be communicated to a student. They are, in increasing order of seriousness:

1. a verbal warning from the student's advisor, from the Graduate Program Coordinator or from the Department Chair,
2. a written warning from the Graduate Program Coordinator ("Internal Warn"),
3. a change in the student's status to "Warn,"
4. a change in the student's status to "Probation," or
5. a change in the student's status to "Final Probation."

Procedures 1 and 2 are essentially "internal" warnings within the department, whereas procedures 3, 4, and 5 are actions taken by the Dean of the Graduate School.

"Probation" or "Final Probation" status results in a notation on your transcript and in a letter being sent to you by the Dean. Students in each of the three "external" categories (3, 4, and 5) will be informed of the steps required to return to good standing in a letter from the Graduate Program Coordinator. A student is not usually dropped from the University unless she has spent at least one quarter in the status of "Final Probation." Students on Warn, Probation and Final Probation are less likely to offered TA or RA funding. Those placed on Probation or Final Probation after funding has been awarded may have the funding offer rescinded.

At the request of any faculty member, Supervisory Committee, or individual student for herself, the Graduate Committee will review the academic status of any graduate student and will make any appropriate recommendations.

Should you have questions about your evaluation, see your advisor, Supervisory Committee Chair, the Graduate Program Coordinator or the Department Chair.