DRAFT Handbook - Policies and Procedures

See Graduate Student Policies for additional information.

Annual Evaluations of Graduate Students

The academic performance of all graduate students will be evaluated annually by faculty in their track. While the formats of the evaluation will be decided by each track, it is required that all evaluations include two documents, both signed by the student and one of the faculty (typically the student’s advisor) conducting the evaluation. One document will cover the student’s progress with regard to their academic program. The other will cover the student’s work as an employee (i.e., their work as an instructor or teaching assistant). For the academic form, each track can use a form of their own design. The employment form is standardized; all tracks will use the same form. Once the forms are signed, the faculty member conducting the evaluation should give both forms to the department’s Academic Program Specialist, who will add to the student’s record. The Graduate School monitors and tracks this process. The annual evaluations are designed to ensure that graduate students are working at a satisfactory level with regard to both their academic progress and their work as employees. Having both parties sign both forms clarifies that the student is aware that the faculty consider their work, as a student and an employee, to be satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

In terms of their work as an employee, issues such as not attending class or grading assignments can result in being evaluated as unsatisfactory on the student’s employment form. Being evaluated as unsatisfactory may result in termination of the student’s employment status. In this case the employment evaluation will specify what problems have been identified and need to be corrected. When a student’s academic work is evaluated as unsatisfactory, the faculty conducting the evaluations must on the form write benchmarks that specify what they expect the student to achieve during the following year (such as finishing one chapter of their dissertation or completing their comprehensive exams). Achieving the defined benchmarks will constitute that the student’s work or progress will be satisfactory. Specifying benchmarks will clarify for the student how to make progress moving forward. If these benchmarks are not met by the end of the next academic year, the student may, at that end of year review, be dismissed from the program or lose their employment status. Students should inform the Director of Graduate Studies of their progress toward meeting these benchmarks by the end of the calendar year in which a student has received an evaluation of unsatisfactory.

See also “Faculty Evaluation of Teaching Assistants” in the departmental Teaching Assistant Handbook.

Advising

As noted on the Religion Department homepage, both graduate degrees (M.A. and Ph.D.) are awarded within one of four “tracks” or “fields of study.” Once accepted into one of these four tracks, students are informally advised by the team of faculty in their area. In conversation with this team, students will eventually choose a formal thesis/dissertation committee.

Graduate students should consult regularly with their advisors about plans for coursework, publishing opportunities, and progress toward a degree. Students are encouraged to have a thesis or dissertation topic in mind early on in their graduate work, to prepare themselves as well as they can for future job possibilities, and to conceptualize their study each semester as part of a larger, holistic endeavor.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Course Option

With the permission of the major professor or chair of the student’s major department, a student may enroll in as many as six credit hours during the master’s degree program, or up to nine credit hours during the doctoral program, on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. A student’s registration in a class under the S/U option must be indicated on the proper form to the Office of the University Registrar from the major professor or chair of the student’s major department. A student may change to a letter-grade (A, B, C) or S/U basis during the first seven weeks of the Fall/Spring term or, in the case of Summer terms, by the prorated deadlines published in the Summer ‘Academic Calendar’ in the Registration Guide. Please note that some courses are offered for S/U grade only and are not available for a letter grade. Credit hour restrictions as stated above on the S/U option do not apply to classes normally offered on the basis of the S/U grading system, including classes in the College of Law for students of other graduate programs. Such hours are exempt from the total stipulated as permissible in the preceding paragraph.

In individual study, thesis, dissertation, recital, supervised research, and internship credit, as well as for classes taken with the S/U option, the assigned grade will be “S” (satisfactory) or “U” (unsatisfactory). Although class hours with a grade of “S” will be credited toward a degree, the “S” and “U” grades are not used in determining grade averages for admission to candidacy or for conferral of a degree.

Incomplete Grade Policy

Incomplete (“I”) grades should be recorded only in exceptional cases when a student, who has completed a substantial portion of the course and who is otherwise passing, is unable to complete a well-defined portion of a course for reasons beyond the student’s control. Students in these circumstances must petition the instructor and should be prepared to present documentation that substantiates their case. Incomplete grades should not be granted to allow students to do extra coursework in an effort to increase their grade. Even under these circumstances, the authority for determining whether to grant an incomplete rests solely with the instructor. A graduate teaching assistant must have approval from a supervising faculty member to grant an incomplete. One exception to this guideline occurs when an incomplete is applied because of allegations of academic dishonesty that have not been resolved by the end of a semester. Deans’ offices can often provide guidance to instructors regarding the appropriateness of an incomplete grade in individual cases. To assign an incomplete, an instructor is required to indicate on the grade roster the time frame for resolution of the grade and the default grade to be assigned if the student does not complete the remaining academic work. Some departments also require that an incomplete grade be documented with an “Incomplete Grade Agreement.” It is the student’s responsibility to complete the remaining academic work within the agreed-upon time frame. Under University policy, an incomplete grade automatically reverts to the predetermined default grade at the end of the semester that has been specified by the instructor as the time frame for resolution, unless one of two conditions is met: 1. Upon completion of the agreed-upon work, the instructor submits a grade- change form that replaces the “I” with the final grade for the course; 2. The instructor submits a separate “Incomplete Extension of Time” form to the Evaluation and Posting Section of Admissions and Records before the end of the semester in which the “I” is set to expire. In cases where no default grade or instructor-determined expiration semester exists, incomplete grades will expire to an IE (Incomplete Expired) at the end of the next term of enrollment unless the instructor submits a grade change form prior to the official grade posting deadline. An incomplete grade should not be set as the default grade for an existing incomplete. Furthermore, grades are awarded based on progress of work completed during a set semester/term and as such, a graduate student should not receive several semesters of incomplete grades for thesis, treatise and/or dissertation hours until completion of the defense. No grade changes will be made to default grades or unresolved “I” grades after the degree has been granted. Thus, it is critical that an instructor work closely with the student and department staff regarding the clearance of an incomplete grade.

Master’s Degree Programs

The following policies pertain to MA degrees in all tracks of study in the Religion Department.

The major professor must be selected and approved during the first semester of enrollment. The thesis-track master’s degree supervisory committee must consist of a minimum of three members. All members must hold Graduate Faculty Status. Two members, including the major professor, must be from the major in which the student will receive a degree. Course-type master’s degree students must be assigned a major professor who holds Graduate Faculty Status or co-directive Status. In the Religion Department, a master’s thesis is not required in all tracks of study. Please consult the descriptions of each track for more information.
A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit must be successfully completed with a 3.0 graduate GPA in course-type master’s programs. Twenty-one semester hours of graduate credit in the course-type program must be taken on a letter-grade basis (A, B, C). The academic department or degree program may require students in course-type programs to complete more than 30 graduate semester hours. A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit must be successfully completed with a 3.0 graduate GPA in thesis-type programs. A minimum of eighteen semester hours of graduate credit in the thesis-type program must be taken on a letter-grade basis (A, B, C). Coursework taken more than seven years prior to graduation may not be used toward the degree requirements.
Only six hours of graduate transfer credit is applicable toward the degree. No student may be awarded more than 12 hours of combined non-degree seeking student and/or prior-institution graduate transfer credit. This rule means that a student wishing to post six hours of graduate transfer credit, which has not been posted under a previous degree at that institution, can be awarded no more than six hours of non-degree seeking student transfer credit, to reach the aggregate maximum of 12 credit hours.
Students in thesis-type master’s programs must successfully complete a minimum of six thesis hours and be registered for a minimum of two hours of thesis credit in the semester that their degree will be awarded. Thesis-type degree students must successfully complete an oral thesis defense and meet all manuscript clearance requirements and submission deadlines set by The Graduate School in the semester of graduation.
Students must have a 3.0 GPA in all graduate coursework to be eligible to apply to graduate through the University Registrar and the department.
The credit hour requirements for the MA program vary among the tracks of study in the Religion Department. Consult the descriptions of each track for more details.
Students lacking these materials and requirements will not be cleared for final term degree posting.

Moving from the M.A. to the Ph.D.

Students wishing to obtain a Master’s degree and continue on in the doctoral program must during the final year of their MA program inform the faculty in their track that they would like to move from the MA to the PhD program. The faculty will confer and decide on one of the three options: 1) they agree to the request and inform the Director of Graduate Studies and/or the department’s Academic Support Specialist that they would like the student’s status upon graduation to be changed to PhD; 2) they ask the student to submit an application to the doctoral program as would external applicants; also as with external applicants, their application can be accepted or rejected; 3) they can deny the student’s request outright.

Preliminary (Comprehensive) Examinations (Ph.D. students)

Satisfactory completion of a set of preliminary examinations (which, in the shorthand of the Department of Religion, are called “comps”) shall be required for admission to candidacy for the PhD degree. No student may register for dissertation hours prior to the point in the semester in which the preliminary examination was passed. An admission to candidacy form must be completed and filed in the Office of the University Registrar prior to registration for dissertation hours. After completion of the admission to candidacy process, the student may retroactively add dissertation hours for that semester in which the preliminary examination was completed. Retroactive changes are only permitted if the preliminary examination is passed by the end of the seventh week of the semester. For term-specific deadline dates, please refer to the “Academic Calendar” in the Registration Guide.

The preliminary examination is designed to test scholarly competence and knowledge and to afford the examiners the basis for constructive recommendations concerning the student’s Religion Department Graduate Student Handbook/23subsequent formal or informal study. The form and content of this examination will be determined by the department, college, school, or committee (typically, but not necessarily the same composition as the supervisory committee) administering the degree program. Prior to the examination, the student’s examining committee will determine whether the student 1) has a 3.0 average, and 2) has progressed sufficiently in the study of the discipline and its research tools to begin independent research in the area of the proposed dissertation.

The maximum number of exam credit hours a PhD student can take is 24; customarily, this means that doctoral students will have no more than three semesters in which to complete their comprehensive exams.

The chair of the major department, the academic dean, and the Dean of The Graduate School may attend any session of the supervisory or examining committee as nonvoting members. A member may be appointed to the examining committee at the discretion of the academic dean or Dean of The Graduate School or on recommendation of the major professor. Normally, the examining committee will be identical with the supervisory committee. The examining committee will report the outcome of the examination to the academic dean: passed, failed, additional work to be completed, or to be re-examined; the report following the reexamination must indicate the student either passed or failed. The results of the examination will be reported to the Office of the University Registrar for inclusion in the student’s permanent record. If a student fails the preliminary examination before being admitted to candidacy, then the student is ineligible to continue in the degree program unless a re-examination of the preliminary examination is offered by the student’s supervisory committee or other relevant decision-making body within each department or unit, per that department or unit’s doctoral student handbook. The Academic Dean’s office should be notified of the outcome of any preliminary exam attempt. Students can take the preliminary examination for admission to candidacy a maximum of only two times. A second failure on the preliminary exam makes the student ineligible to continue in the degree program. The second attempt at the preliminary exam shall occur no sooner than six full class weeks after the results of the first attempt are shared with the student. For the purpose of this policy, a “full class week” is defined as a week with five days during which classes are held at FSU. Students must be registered separately for their first and second attempt, if necessary, within the same semester, and must receive either a “pass” or a “fail” grade for each attempt.

An exception request regarding the timing of the re-examination can be submitted for consideration to the Academic Dean’s Office by either the student or the supervisory committee. Students who allege that academic regulations and/or procedures were improperly applied for the re-examination of their preliminary exam may have their grievances addressed through the general academic appeals process.

Progress Toward Degree

By demonstrating progress toward the degree and satisfactory performance of duties, Ph.D. students are eligible, in most cases, for teaching assignments and financial support for two academic years following successful completion of their comprehensive exams. All decisions about teaching assignments and financial support will be based on departmental needs and resources. See also the “Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements” below (under “Theses, Dissertation and Graduation”)

Other Graduate Student Policies and Procedures

Graduate Student Committee

The Graduate Student Committee is designed to represent graduate students of the department with regard to communication between the faculty and graduate students of the department.

The committee comprises four graduate students, one from each track. The students are responsible for selecting these representatives. They will make this selection at the beginning of the academic year. This process will take place each year.

The committee will meet with the chair and director of graduate studies once a month during the academic year. Typically the graduate studies director will schedule these. These meetings will provide a forum by which students can voice concerns or ask questions, and through which the faculty can provide information with regard to upcoming events and deadlines.

If a student is not clear who the current members of this committee are, please contact the director of graduate studies.

Funding Support for Academic Travel

Graduate students are encouraged to participate in academic conferences and symposia. The department urges students to seek support for academic travel from the Congress of Graduate Students (COGS). Travel grants for advanced doctoral students are also available through the Graduate Student Resource Center.

While the Department of Religion cannot guarantee that it will be able to provide graduate students with additional funding for academic travel, some support is customarily available. At the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters the Director of Graduate Studies or the Chair will contact the graduate students about this issue. You can request this funding by providing the name, date, and description of the conference and a cost estimate. You must give a paper at the conference to receive funding. Departmental practice is currently that a Qualtrics survey will be sent out early in both the fall and spring semesters, which students will fill out to request departmental funding for academic travel. The proposals will be evaluated by the Chair and or the Director of Graduate Studies. Priority in terms of determining funding in the spring is given to those students who did not receive this funding in the fall.

All travel MUST be arranged through the University’s Concur system. The pre-travel form for graduate students who will have academic travel supported by the department can be found here. Students who have questions regarding travel should contact Stephanie Gunter.

See also below for information about possible funding to support the academic travel of graduate students, in “Department Level Opportunities” for funding.

Scholarly Engagement/Residency Requirement

The purpose of the Scholarly Engagement requirement is to ensure that doctoral students are active participants in the scholarly community. To meet the Scholarly Engagement requirement, doctoral students should interact with faculty and peers in ways that may include enrolling in courses; attending seminars, symposia, and conferences; engaging in collaborative study and research beyond the university campus; and utilizing the library, laboratories, and other facilities provided by the University. The goal is to prepare students to be scholars who can independently acquire, evaluate, and extend knowledge, as well as develop themselves as effective communicators and disseminators of knowledge.

The following is the Scholarly Engagement Statement for the Department of Religion:

To meet the Scholarly Engagement requirement, doctoral students in the Department of Religion must complete 24 graduate (5000-level or above) credit hours within any consecutive 12-month period. The Scholarly Engagement Requirement replaced the Residency Requirement. If a graduate student has any questions about this policy, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies. This policy does not pertain to MA students.

Leave of Absence Policy

Under special circumstances, graduate students may apply for a leave of absence from the University for a specific period of up to three consecutive semesters (includes Summer term). The circumstances justifying a leave include but are not limited to: personal or family medical conditions, call to active military duty, parental leave, death in immediate family, or completion of an off-campus internship. The student must provide appropriate documentation and a rationale for the leave request.

The form to apply for leave of absence may be found on the Graduate School website.

To apply for a leave of absence, a student must complete the Request for Leave of Absence Form and submit it together with appropriate documentation to the major professor/advisor/Program Director. If the major professor/advisor/Program Director approves the application, it should then be forwarded to the department head and subsequently to the college’s academic dean for consideration. If approved at all of these levels, the college academic dean should notify the Registrar’s Office and the Dean of the Graduate School (or designee) of the decision. The college academic dean should also notify the student of the decision (approved or denied). The Registrar’s Office will place a notation on the student’s record. A student who is denied a request for leave at any step may appeal the decision to the Dean of The Graduate School (or designee). Retroactive Leave of Absence Requests are not permissible nor are Leave of Absences Requests for the semester of admission or readmission. A leave of absence is not meant for one semester or term of non-enrollment.

An approved leave of absence preserves the student’s academic status in his or her degree program, and the time off will not be counted against the time limits for awarding degrees. Consequently, registration is not required during the leave period and the student need not re-apply to the program to return to active status at the end of the approved leave period. A leave may be extended for additional consecutive semesters (includes Summer term). A student should apply for the leave extension no later than four weeks prior to the end of the final semester/term of his or her initial leave to allow time to consider and process the request. Extension of a leave is subject to approval of the program, college, and the Graduate School. The cumulative number of consecutive leave semesters (including summer term) shall not exceed six. The total consecutive or non-consecutive leave time a student is not registered in the program shall not exceed twenty-four months. At the conclusion of the approved leave, a student must enroll at Florida State University and return to active status no later than the start of the next academic semester. Students cannot be on leave during their semester of graduation and must be registered for a minimum of two hours that semester.

A student on a leave of absence may terminate the leave at any time prior to the approved ending date. In such cases the student would be immediately subject to the continuous enrollment and registration policies. Students returning from a leave of absence of more than one year will be required to disclose any legal or campus disciplinary charges that arose during the leave and provide updated contact and mailing address, residency documentation, and other biographical information as required by the University for reporting and processing purposes.

While on leave a student will not have access to campus facilities and personnel. This means a student will not have access to labs, libraries, and online resources that require an FSUID. Students on leave cannot remain in student housing. There is no guarantee that financial aid will be continued.

Students with financial aid or student loans should confer with the Financial Aid Office and review their loan agreements prior to requesting a leave of absence to ascertain the consequences a leave will have on their loan status. University assistantship and fellowship support will be discontinued for the duration of the leave. Programs are not obligated to reinstate funding support that was provided prior to the leave though they are encouraged to do so if funds are available. Students receiving external support, e.g., an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, should check the terms of the award to determine the impact of being on leave. In-state residency status may be impacted if the student moves out of the State of Florida, and then returns to resume the degree program. Students should seek guidance from the Registrar on the potential impact on in-state residency. International students should check with the Center for Global Engagement to determine if a leave would adversely affect their visa status. Students should also consider other factors that might impact their circumstances upon their return to active status. For example, a major professor might depart the University, or under extreme circumstances a degree program might be suspended or terminated. The University has an obligation to provide a path to completion for enrolled students as well as students on a formally approved leave of absence. Note: If allowed by the student’s academic program and University policy, an alternative to taking an official leave could involve reducing the standard course load temporarily because of exceptional personal circumstances.

Summer Teaching Guidelines

The amount of funding available for summer teaching appointments depends on a variety of factors, including enrollments in past years, estimates of participation by incoming first time in college students in the B term (second six weeks), and distributions of special “summer” funds which add to the Department’s base allocation in a given budget year. Decisions regarding summer assignments are ultimately the responsibility of the department chair, who will consult as necessary with those faculty elected to serve on the department’s Executive Committee and/or with the Director of Graduate Studies.

In preparation for those decisions, an announcement will be distributed, ideally in January, instructing those who wish to teach in the summer to let that be known by answering questions in a distributed Qualtrics survey. Some assignments may be made as early as March. Given that the distribution of summer funds is typically not finalized until April, some assignments may be made later.

While the goal is to find some support for as many people as possible, the likelihood is that in many years the number of requests for summer appointments will exceed the available funding. In such cases, the Chair may consider a number of factors, including the following:

Recent history (meaning who has had appointments, while others have not)
Curricular needs (who can teach particular courses, enrollment demands, and the like)
Citizenship status (since the requirements of international students’ visas entail that they cannot work outside the University)

The Religion Department Library

The department has a library on the third floor of Dodd that it shares with the Classics Department (their half is the Thompson Library). Graduate students of the Religion Department are welcome to use this library in accordance with the following rules:

Admission is by key card only. No one is to be admitted who has not been authorized by either the Classics or Religion Departments.
The library shall be kept locked at all times, and both doors are to be closed at all times.
Classics and Religion faculty and graduate students may use the library at any hour but should take care to leave the facility secure when they depart.
No food or drink of any kind, including bottled water, is allowed in the library. This rule will be strictly enforced.
This is a non-circulating library. Books must remain in the room. Please replace all books you use in their proper place on the shelf.
In exceptional circumstances faculty or graduate students may remove a book from the room for use in a class or for photocopying. The book must be returned promptly.
Books on reserve for Classics courses will be placed on the shelves in the front of the room. Please return them as appropriate.
The library is for reading and studying, and not for group discussions or conversations. No talking or conversation is permitted. Group class preparation should be done in the lounge or other public places, not in the library. Please show the utmost courtesy and consideration for those who are working in the library.
Individuals failing to observe these regulations shall lose their library privileges.

Graduate Assistant Tuition Plan

Graduate assistants employed by FSU have the option of deferring the due date for class fees until the end of the semester. For added convenience, plan participants can also enroll in payroll deductions. The rules and stipulations of each term are unique and interested students must complete new paperwork to participate each term. Open the form below to read the most recent terms and conditions, and to enroll in the program. To learn more about the plan and how to enroll, visit the Office of Student Finance website. Email ctl-gradfinance@fsu.edu with questions.

Anti-Sexual Misconduct Policy

FSU’s Anti-Sexual Misconduct Policy

Relevant resources can also be found on the Office of Human Resources website.

Policies and Procedures for Dismissing a Graduate Student for Reasons Other Than GPA

The University reserves the right to dismiss graduate students and terminate their enrollment in an academic program based on a number of different criteria, beyond that of GPA alone. Oversight is provided by The Graduate School, Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, and Office of the Registrar. Additional details on the steps involved in the process are available for faculty and administrators from the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement and for graduate students at the Graduate School.

Dismissed students will not be permitted to register for further graduate study, including registering as non-degree students, in the degree program or college from which they had enrollment terminated.

Graduate students who have been dismissed from one degree program may seek admission to another degree program but will not be readmitted or allowed to add the dismissed degree program back as a second major or degree. This includes seeking admission into a different degree program that shared a joint pathway with the dismissed degree program.

Program terminations (dismissal for a reason other than GPA) are generally identified by the faculty with support from the Department Chair (or unit head) in the department/unit or single- unit college level and may occur for a number of different reasons.

As specified by university policy, reasons may include but are not limited to:

Inability to conduct independent research in a fashion appropriate with the accepted norms of a discipline.
Inability to function within a team environment to the extent that it negatively affects the learning, practice and/or research of fellow graduate students.
Behavior that does not meet the professional standards of a discipline
Failure to meet artistic or creative performance standards.
Failure to be approved for an Extension of Time (EOT).
Failure to complete important degree milestone requirements within a reasonable period of time.
Inability to pass the doctoral diagnostic exam, preliminary exam for admission to candidacy in, etc.
Failure to complete the doctoral degree or make timely progress towards the research or writing of their treatise or dissertation.
Failure to complete the master’s degree or make timely progress towards the research or writing of their thesis, or the production of their thesis-equivalent creative project.

In addition, please note that suspension or expulsion from the university may result if a student is found responsible in a formal Academic Honor Policy (AHP) hearing for an egregious AHP violation, or as an outcome from a Student Conduct Code charge for which a student is found responsible.

This graduate program's handbook provides information about failure to meet specific milestone or behavioral requirements above (see “Annual Evaluations of Graduate Students”). Students who are dismissed for reasons other than grades may follow the General Academic Appeals Process if they have evidence that academic regulations and procedures have been improperly applied.

Categories for Dismissal of a Graduate Student for Reasons Other than GPA

Category 1: Failure to make Adequate Progress in the Academic Degree Program and/or Failure to Meet the Professional Standards of the Discipline

This may include, but is not limited to the following:

Inability to conduct independent research in a fashion appropriate with the accepted norms of a discipline.
Inability to function within a team environment to the extent that it negatively affects the learning, practice and/or research of fellow graduate students and/or the faculty PI.
Behavior that does not meet the professional standards of a discipline
Failure to complete important degree milestone requirements within a reasonable period of time.
Failure to complete the doctoral degree or make timely progress towards the research or writing of their treatise or dissertation.
Failure to complete the master’s degree or make timely progress towards the research or writing of their thesis.

Category 2: Failure to Meet University or Program Requirements for Continuation in the Academic Degree Program

This may include, but is not limited to the following:

Inability to pass the doctoral diagnostic exam, preliminary exam for admission to candidacy, etc.
Failure to pass the comprehensive examination, if required by a program for the master’s or specialist degree.
Failure to pass the defense of the thesis, treatise, or dissertation.
Failure to meet the time limit completion requirement for the master’s, specialist, or doctoral degree.
Failure to be approved for an Extension of Time (EOT).

At a minimum, except for situations in which a serious violation of established behavioral, academic, or professional expectations has occurred in the academic degree program, the following steps must be addressed.

Steps for Dismissal of a Graduate Student for Reasons Other than GPA

Step 1: Identification

A graduate student is identified by the faculty or unit leadership in their academic program, department, or single-unit college as:

Category 1: Failing to make adequate progress in the academic degree program and/or failing to meet the professional standards of the discipline. Proceed to Step 2.
Category 2: Failing to meet university or program requirements for continuation in the academic degree program. Skip Step 2. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 2: Remediation Plan

If the reason for the dismissal of the graduate student falls into Category 1 (see above), then the graduate student must meet with their major professor/faculty advisor and Department Chair (or unit head) to develop a detailed remediation plan for improvement.

The unit should provide a written remediation plan and/or written academic communication to the graduate student containing specific information about improvement(s) needed to avoid dismissal.
The remediation plan and/or academic communication should be developed by the major professor/faculty advisor and Department Chair (or unit head) for the individual graduate student and be shared with the graduate student in writing. (For doctoral students, the annual evaluation is one opportunity to document unsatisfactory progress, yet a special review may be conducted at any time.) NOTE: The remediation plan should include a reasonable timeline for the graduate student to meet the goals and objectives of the remediation plan.
The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) must be notified of the situation, the deficiencies, and the remediation plan prior to communication with the graduate student.

*If the reason for the dismissal of the graduate student falls into Category 2 (see above), then the Department Chair (or unit head) can move directly to Step 3 (see below).

Step 3: Consultation with Academic Dean’s Office

If the graduate student fails to resolve/remediate the specified and documented deficiency within a reasonable timeframe, as noted in Step 2 (see above), or falls into Category 2, then the department or single-unit college may initiate a program dismissal. If the program chooses to terminate the academic progress of the graduate student, then the following steps must be completed prior to notifying the graduate student of the termination and sending the graduate student a dismissal letter.

The Department Chair (or unit head) must first consult with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the college (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) regarding their intent to dismiss. The discussion should include the unit’s graduate handbook language, the remediation steps taken (if Category 1), the graduate student’s efforts to date to resolve or address the deficiencies, and the grounds for the program termination.

Step 4: Dean’s Office Consultation with the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to Discuss Potential Program Dismissal

The Associate Academic Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) should contact the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement (Dr. Amy Guerette- aguerette@fsu.edu) and setup a consultation to discuss the program’s intention to move forward with the dismissal (for reasons other than GPA) of a graduate student from a degree program.

If all parties agree that program dismissal should proceed, the Department Chair (or unit head) should use the appropriate Dismissal Letter Template (provided in the fuller CAS explanation of this policy).

Step 5: Draft Dismissal Letter

A specific dismissal letter template must be followed. At a minimum, the dismissal letter must specify the following information.

The process followed to notify the graduate student of their deficiencies and the opportunity and guidance that was provided to allow them an opportunity to rectify those deficiencies.
The termination reasons,
Benchmarks missed,
The fact that dismissal from the degree program constitutes dismissal from the University (unless formally admitted to another graduate degree program prior to dismissal).
Clear information about the method and timing of the graduate student’s separation from the degree program and University.
An academic hold will be placed on registration to prevent future registration. Any future registration will be cancelled.
If applicable, outline possible alternatives offered and agreed upon by the graduate student, e.g., conferral of a lower-degree level (see Step 3D below).
Timeline to complete specific coursework for the given semester, if any. For example, the letter needs to clearly articulate to the graduate student that the courses in which they are currently enrolled need to be completed by the dismissal date in order to earn credit for them.
Notification of the right to appeal and information about how to do so, and
A deadline for any appeal submittal to the Associate Academic Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office). *See “General Academic Appeals Process” for more information.

During the consultation with the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement and/or writing of the dismissal letter, there can be a discussion about the possibility of providing the graduate student with alternative opportunities. *This is not required, and it is at the unit’s discretion to offer.

Under certain extenuating circumstances during the dismissal process of a graduate student, the Department Chair (or unit head), or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) may offer the graduate student with the opportunity to change their degree program type or level within the same degree program (i.e., MA to MS, MFA to MS, PhD to EdS, PhD to MA/MS, etc.). The student must accept a conferral of an alternate degree or degree level.

Prior to considering and offering this opportunity to the graduate student, the Department Chair (or unit head), or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) must first evaluate the following:

1. Whether the graduate student already possesses the lower level of the degree, as the University prohibits the awarding of more than one degree from the same CIP Code. *There can be no appeal to this requirement.

2. The Department Chair (or unit head) must clearly explain to the graduate student in writing that if the lower level of the degree is awarded, then:

I. The graduate student can facilitate a Change of Major Request into a different degree program (if accepted by the other program).

II. All coursework leading up to that degree is considered final and credits used towards the alternate degree cannot be used towards a future graduate degree.

Step 6: Approval of Dismissal Letter

Once the dismissal letter has been written and finalized by the Department Chair (or unit head) and reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office), it should be sent for final approval to the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement (Dr. Amy Guerettel, aguerette@fsu.edu).

Step 7: Sending the Dismissal Letter to the Graduate Student

After final approval has been granted from the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, the written dismissal letter must be sent to the graduate student who is being dismissed, as well as several offices for record-keeping.

The dismissal letter must be sent from the Department Chair (or unit head) to the graduate student. If a single-unit college, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office) should send the dismissal letter to the graduate student. The following individuals must be copied (i.e., cc:ed) on the dismissal letter:

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or designated equivalent individual in the Dean’s Office),
Office of Faculty Development and Advancement (Dr. Amy Guerette; aguerette@fsu.edu)
Office of the University Registrar (Dr. Kimberly Barber; kabarber@fsu.edu),
The Graduate School (Mr. James Beck; jpbeck@fsu.edu)

Plagiarism by Graduate Students

Plagiarism by graduate students is rare. It does, however, occur. The regular process for handling plagiarism cases presumes that at issue is plagiarism by an undergraduate student. In a graduate student plagiarism case the situation is handled differently. How they are to be handled is is stipulated in the Academic Honor Policy (August 2022 version), the key portion of which reads as follows:

All alleged violations involving a graduate student engaged in any phase of the preliminary or comprehensive examination, thesis, or dissertation are treated as egregious and are resolved through the Academic Honor Policy Hearing process, in which the major professor will serve as the “instructor” under the hearing procedures. The Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement, the student’s academic dean, (as well as the Vice President for Research in cases involving grant-funded research), and the Dean of the Graduate School or designee should be informed as soon as possible of all such allegations. The decision regarding whether to submit a hearing referral will be made by a committee consisting of the department chair and two faculty members appointed by the academic dean, one of whom should be the student’s committee member serving as the University (outside) representative—if one has been identified—excluding the major professor. In rendering its charging decision, this committee should review all available information and consult with the major professor and the academic dean. In such cases, the instructor should immediately inform the chair and/or the director of graduate studies about the situation.