General Regulations

Graduate students are responsible for being fully acquainted and complying with all
requirements for Graduate School and for the respective degree programs. When a particular
situation is not covered in this Graduate School section of the catalog, graduate
students should refer to the General University Regulations.

Graduate Dean

The Graduate Dean serves as the chief administrative officer for graduate programs
in the university. The Graduate Dean makes final decisions on admissions, changes
in degree status, admission to candidacy for the degree, certifying candidates for
graduation, and all other aspects of graduate studies.

Grade Point Average

All references to grade point average (GPA) regarding admission to Graduate School
and graduate credit in degree programs refer to the cumulative grade point average,
defined as the grade point average computed on all hours attempted.

Graduate Credit

A student may receive graduate credit only for courses taught by members of the graduate
faculty and only for work taken while enrolled as a graduate student or as a qualified
senior undergraduate.

Graduate Credit for Southeastern Seniors

A Southeastern senior may register for graduate credit if he has at least a 3.0 cumulative
GPA on all previous undergraduate work attempted and lacks no more than nine hours
for a regular semester or six hours for a summer session to complete the Baccalaureate
degree. In a regular semester he may register for no more than 15 hours, six of which
may be graduate. In a summer session he may register for no more than 10 hours, four
of which may be graduate. He must register to complete all requirements for the Baccalaureate
degree and must be recommended by the appropriate Academic Dean. The student retains
undergraduate status until rewarded the Baccalaureate degree. Credit for the graduate
courses will be awarded when all undergraduate degree requirements are met.

Transfer Credit

After having earned a minimum of 12 hours of graduate credit at Southeastern, a student
may appeal to the Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor for approval to
apply for transfer credit from another university. That university must be an accredited
institution that regularly grants the Master’s degree or an equivalent foreign institution.
The student must be eligible for readmission to the institution from which credits
are to be transferred and must have earned a minimum grade of “B” in each course to
be transferred. No transfer credits may be used to remove a student from probation.
No transfer credits may be earned for courses taken more than six years prior to the
date of graduation. No more than one-third of the hours required for graduation may
be transferred. The Graduate Coordinator or the graduate Faculty Advisor will recommend
to the Graduate Dean the courses to be transferred, and the Dean will make the final
determination as to whether any or all of the recommended courses will be accepted
for transfer credit.

Off-Campus Credit

There is no limit to the number of graduate hours a student may earn in off-campus
courses. The Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor will recommend to the
Graduate Dean the number of graduate hours earned in off-campus courses that will
count towards a graduate degree.

Correspondence Study

No graduate credit is allowed for courses completed by correspondence study with any
college or university.

Standardized Test for Admission

The appropriate standardized tests should be taken no later than April for Fall semester
admission, October for Spring semester admission, and February for Summer admission.
Scores are to be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services. Information about
the Graduate Record Examination, the Graduate Management Admission Test, and the Test
of English as a Foreign Language is available from the Southeastern Office of Testing
or from Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 955, Princeton, NJ 08540. Applications
to take any of these tests should be completed and forwarded to Educational Testing
Service along with the examination fee at least one month in advance of the testing
date.

Time Limitations

A student must earn all the credit, including transfer credit, in the graduate degree
program within6 years immediately preceding the date on which the degree requirements
are completed.

Eligibility of Faculty and Staff for Graduate Degree

To be admitted to a degree program (any level) at Southeastern, an unclassified employee
must secure the approval of his/her supervisor. All faculty members may become candidates
for graduate degrees at Southeastern, provided the degrees are offered in a department
other than the one in which the faculty member is employed. “Unclassified employees”
includes all the full-time faculty members holding rank and all twelve-month, unclassified
personnel serving on the administrative staff.

Full-Time Status

For graduate students not holding Assistantships or Fellowships, full-time status
is defined as enrollment in at least nine hours of course work or the equivalent during
the Fall and Spring semesters, and at least four hours during the Summer term.

Graduate Assistants and Graduate Teaching Fellows

Full-time status is defined as enrollment in at least six hours of course work during
the Fall and Spring semesters, and at least three hours during the Summer term.

Course Loads

For graduate students not holding Assistantships or Fellowships,maximum course load
registration is 16 hours of course work during the Fall and Spring semesters, and
nine hours during the Summer term.

Graduate Assistants and Graduate Teaching Fellows

Maximum course load registration is 12 hours of course work during the Fall and Spring
semesters, and six hours during the Summer term. Minimum course load registration
is six hours of course work during the Fall and Spring semesters, and three hours
during the Summer term.

All Graduate Students

Course load registration must be approved by the student’s Graduate Coordinator or
graduate Faculty Advisor. Appeals for increasing or decreasing the course load requirements
should be made to the Graduate Dean, whose decision is final.

Adding and Dropping Courses

A course may be added or dropped only in accordance with the dates indicated in the
University Calendar. The student initiates the action by completing the appropriate
form obtained from the Office of the Enrollment Services. After the drop/add and late
registration period is over, a student may withdraw from a class or resign from the
University by completing the proper form(s) and obtaining the required signatures.

Combined Courses

Courses combining instruction of undergraduate and graduate students clearly differentiate
the course requirements for both groups and require the graduate student to perform
work at a substantially higher level of complexity and maturity.

Cumulative Grade Point Average

All references to Grade Point Average (GPA) for Degree Status students shall mean
the cumulative GPA, defined as the grade point average computed on all graduate hours
attempted.

The Graduate Grading System

* A=4 quality points per semester hour
* B=3 quality points per semester hour
* C=2 quality points per semester hour
* D=1 quality point per semester hour
* F=No quality point value
* P=Passing (See Pass-Fail Option)
* I=Incomplete (See Incomplete Grades)
* IP=In Progress (Thesis Courses Only)
* W=Officially withdrawn as stipulated in catalog

“D” and “F” Grades

A grade of “D” means unacceptable work, and all courses to be counted towards a degree
in which a “D” is earned must be repeated with a grade of at least a “C.” A grade
of “F” means failure, and all courses in which an “F” is earned must be repeated.

Incomplete Grades

A grade of “I” means incomplete and is given only for courses in which, because of
circumstances beyond the student’s control, cannot be completed during the semester
in which the course is taken.
AN “I” GRADE MUST BE REMOVED FROM A GRADUATE STUDENT’S TRANSCRIPT BY THE END OF THE
NEXT SEMESTER, INCLUDING SUMMERS, UNLESS EXTENDED BY THE GRADUATE DEAN. IF THE “I”
GRADE IS NOT REMOVED, IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE CHANGED TO AN “F.”

Pass-Fail Option

All courses
Graduate students have the option of registering for graduate courses with a P (Pass)
– F (Fail) option. Except for thesis courses and certain internships, Pass grades
may not be counted toward a graduate degree. Graduate students may change from regular
letter grading to Pass-Fail, or vice versa, up to the last day for adding courses.
Students must notify the instructor in writing of this decision. For graduate credit
courses, only “C” quality or better work will earn the grade of “P.”

Thesis Courses
The grade of “P,” with a maximum credit of six hours, shall be assigned to all Thesis
courses, upon final approval of the Thesis by the faculty and by the appropriate authorities,
and upon receipt of the final approved copy of the thesis in the office of the Graduate
Dean.

Good Standing Grade Requirement

Appeals of grades must first be made to the instructor. If the instructor’s decision
is not satisfactory, the student may appeal, in writing, to the instructor’s Department
Head and the instructor’s Academic Dean. The Department Head will render a decision
within ten working days. If the decision of the Department Head is not satisfactory,
the student may appeal, in writing, to the instructor’s Academic Dean, with copies
to the instructor and Department Head. The Dean will render a decision within ten
working days. The decision of the Dean is final.

Probation, Suspension, Readmission, and Dismissal

Probation
Graduate students whose semester or term GPA and/or cumulative GPA in graduate courses
falls below 3.0 shall be placed on probation. During their next semester or term of
enrollment in Graduate School, students on probation must achieve a minimum 3.0 GPA
for that semester/term and may not register for any courses on a Pass-Fail basis.
Students will remain in Probation status as long as their cumulative GPA remains below
3.0.

Suspension
Students whose semester or term GPA falls below 3.0 for two semesters of enrollment,
including summers, will be suspended from Graduate School. Students suspended for
the first time may not enroll in Graduate School for at least one semester following
notification of Suspension status.

Readmission
After an absence of at least one semester, suspended students may apply for readmission
by submitting a completed appeal for to the Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty
Advisor. The Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor will submit the form,
with a recommendation to readmit or not to readmit, to the Graduate Dean. The decision
of the Dean is final. Upon a second suspension, students seeking readmission must
follow the same procedure, except that the student will have been suspended from the
Graduate School for a minimum of one calendar year.

Dismissal
Graduate students with two suspensions must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA each semester
for the remainder of their graduate career, or be dismissed from Graduate School.
This dismissal is final.

Effective Catalog

The degree plan shall be formulated according to the requirements published in the
catalog in effect at the time of the student’s admission to Degree Status or at any
subsequent time during the six-year limit for completing the degree. A student may
adopt a subsequent catalog only with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator or graduate
Faculty Advisor, and of the Graduate Dean.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to receive a master’s degree, students must:

Complete all requirements in their degree plans.
Have filed a completed Admission to Candidacy for the Degree.
Have earned a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all graduate work pursued, including their majors.
Have earned no more than six hours of “C” grades.
Pass the comprehensive examination.
Be recommended for the degree by the faculty committee, department head, and Graduate
Dean.
Have filed the application for graduation.
Be approved for the degree by the Graduate Dean.
Have settled all university accounts.

Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree

All students seeking a Master’s degree must be admitted to candidacy for the degree.
This entails the following: Admission to candidacy for the Master’s degree provides
official recognition that the student has attained a stage in advancement toward the
degree.
Prior to admission to candidacy for the Master’s degree, students’ satisfactory progress
toward the degree will be attested by their having: a) achieved Regular Admission
status, b) completed 12 hours of graduate degree credit at Southeastern Louisiana
University with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0., and c) completed a degree plan
form which has been approved by their Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor.
The application for admission for candidacy for the Master’s degree must be completed
and signed by the student and by the Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor
and submitted to the office of the Graduate Dean no later than 15 days after the first
day of class of the next semester or term in which the student is enrolled.
The Graduate Dean will verify the accuracy of all information in the application and
sign the form, thus officially certifying the admission of the student to candidacy
for the Master’s degree.
The completed, signed, and approved admission to candidacy form must be on file in
the offices of the Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor and Graduate School
at least two semesters prior to graduation.

Applying for Graduation

Students shall apply for graduation in the semester proceeding the anticipated semester
of graduation, according to the published deadlines. Students who do not graduate
in the anticipated semester of graduation must reapply for graduation and pay an additional
application fee for each succeeding semester of application.

Students applying for graduation must: Secure and complete the appropriate forms in
the departmental office.
Pay the application fee.
Complete the on-line application procedure, including the exit survey.

Leave of Absence from Thesis

In certain circumstances, such as illness, pregnancy, or compelling economic pressures,
a student may not be able to enroll in a thesis course on a continuous basis. The
University will allow leaves of absence on an individual, nondiscriminatory basis,
provided the student receives written permission from the appropriate Graduate Coordinator
or graduate Faculty Advisor and the Graduate Dean.

The leave of absence policy does not affect in any manner the six year time limit
for completion of the degree.

Comprehensive Examination

Each candidate for a Master’s degree must pass a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive
examination may be written, oral, or both. The specific date, time and procedures
are established by each department. A time frame for comprehensive examinations is
suggested by the catalog.

Requirements for Second Master’s Degree

A student pursuing a second Master’s degree at Southeastern may, with the approval
of the Degree Committee, use credit from a previous Master’s Degree for up to a maximum
of one-third of the total credit hours specified in the new degree plan. Credit will
be given only for grades of “B” or better and must be approved by the new Department
Head and Academic Dean.

Check-list for Graduate Students

The following represent the minimum steps required of all graduate students. Additional
steps may be required by individual departments.

All students must:

Take the GRE prior to admission or during the first semester of graduate work.
Submit completed application, transcripts, fee payments, test scores, and any other
required documentation, such as valid teaching certificate, TOEFL scores, etc., prior
to published deadlines
Meet with Graduate Coordinator or graduate Faculty Advisor for admission status, degree
plan, course scheduling, etc.
Receive admission to candidacy for the degree.
Pass the comprehensive examination or the equivalent.
Apply for graduation within posted deadlines.
Settle all financial accounts with the University.
Thesis Students: Secure approval of thesis topic.
Pass thesis defense.
Secure final approval of thesis.