Graduate Policies
- Accreditation
- Appeals
- Auditing Courses
- Background Checks
- Certification/Licensure
- Change of Graduate Program
- Continuing/Continuous Registration
- Course Load
- Course Registration
- Credit for Non-Academic Experience
- Grading System
- Graduate Courses
- Multiple/Dual Graduate Degrees
- Time Limitation
Current graduate students may register the first day of pre-registration for any term. Telephone and web registration is available. For evening, off-campus, and any special session courses students may register at the first class meeting.
Class schedules and descriptions of the registration procedures for any semester may be secured from the Registrar's Office one week prior to pre-registration for that semester. Opportunities for advance registration for returning graduate students may be made available according to schedules and procedures specified by the Registrar.
Registration must be completed and all tuition and fees must be paid to the Business Office before published deadlines in order to avoid assessment of late registration fees.
The normal course load is 12 credits. Eight (8) credits of enrollment are required for full-time status for students receiving financial aid, including the graduate assistant or work-study awards. The normal load in each summer session is 6 credits. Permission of the appropriate College Dean is required for registration in excess of 15 credits in any academic term.
Courses at the 600 and 700 level are offered for graduate credit only. Courses offered at the 600 level are open to graduate students or to undergraduate seniors who meet specific requirements. Courses at the 500 level may be counted toward a graduate degree; these courses are also offered as 400 level courses for undergraduates. Graduate students are expected to perform on a qualitatively higher level than the undergraduates in 500 level courses; normally, additional requirements are made in these courses for graduate students. At least one half of the credits meeting the degree requirement must be in 600 or 700 level courses (exclusive of thesis or starred paper).
An entry of AU (audit) may be made upon a student's permanent record when a course is audited. As an auditor, a student may attend all class sessions, but need not complete assignments or projects, take part in class discussion, or take examinations. A student who wishes to audit a course must register and pay tuition and fees as though taking the course for credit. A student may change from regular credit to audit status with the written permission of the instructor through the tenth day of classes during the semester, or the fourth day of classes in a summer session. Credit may not be earned in courses taken as a visitor or auditor except by re-enrollment for credit and completion of the course with a satisfactory grade.
All requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years (5 years in Counseling and Student Affairs) after taking the first graduate course that will be included in the program of study. In the exceptional case when students need to petition for an extension in order to complete the degree, they should contact the Director of Graduate Studies to initiate an appeal process.
Credit for Non-Academic Experience
It is the policy of Minnesota State University Moorhead that graduate credit will not be granted for work and other non-academic experiences.
Grades and Grade Points
Grades given in graduate courses include A, B, C, D, F and P (Satisfactory). In a continuing research course, a student may be given a grade of IP until the course is completed. W signifies withdrawal without penalty from the course. Only those credits which were completed with a grade of A, B, C, or P may be applied toward a Master's degree. Graduate programs may designate core courses which must be completed with a grade of A or B in order to count toward the degree. Students may repeat a course with a grade of C, D, or F one time.
Failure to pass the comprehensive examination after two attempts results in termination of the degree program.
The grade on the final project or thesis is an IP until the final oral examination has been successfully completed. Then the grade is changed to P. A student who fails the final oral examination cannot receive a passing grade on the project or thesis.
| A+ | 4.00 grade points per credit | |
| A | 4.00 grade points per credit | |
| A- | 3.67 grade points per credit | |
| B+ | 3.33 grade points per credit | |
| B | 3.00 grade points per credit | |
| B- | 2.67 grade points per credit | |
| C+ | 2.33 grade points per credit | |
| C | 2.00 grade points per credit | |
| C- | 1.67 grade points per credit | |
| D+ | 1.33 grade points per credit | |
| D | 1.00 grade points per credit | |
| D- | 0.67 grade points per credit | |
| F | 0.00 grade points per credit | |
| N | 0.00 grade points per credit | |
| I | Incomplete | |
| P | Satisfactory | |
| IP | In Progress | |
| AU | Audit | |
| W | Withdrawal |
Grade Point Average
The grade point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the number of grade points earned in a given course or courses by the number of credits attempted. The GPA is based on MSUM grades only. Transfer credits are not used in computing the GPA.
Credits with grades of "P", "I", "IP", "AU", or "W" are not included in computing the GPA.
Credits with grades of "F" are included in computing the GPA.
Incomplete Credits
The mark of I (Incomplete) is granted when students are unable to complete source requirements for reasons beyond their control and when arrangements have been made with the instructor before the end of the semester.
It is the responsibility of students to develop a contract to meet the instructor's requirements for making up an Incomplete. If an Incomplete has been given, and if the Incomplete has not been made up by the end of the next semester, the "I" grade will be changed to an "F".
Continuing/Continuous Registration
Candidates for graduate degrees must be enrolled for academic credit at the time they sit for the final oral examination. This requirement may be satisfied in one of three ways:
1. Concurrent enrollment in course work.
2. Enrollment for project (697) or thesis (699) credits.
3. Enrollment for one credit in 698 or 798: Continuing Registration.
Continuous registration is required in the School Psychology and Counseling and Student Affairs programs.
Occasionally students will decide to change their degree program after being admitted to or starting a graduate program. Students much meet the admission requirements of the new program including a review and acceptance by that program's admission committee. To initiate a change in graduate program, a student must:
1. Complete a Change of Program form and submit it to the Graduate Studies Office.
2. Submit any required application materials for the new program that are not on file in the Records Office.
Any student wishing to pursue multiple graduate degrees from MSUM must meet all admission criteria and degree requirements for each program. A separate plan of study for each degree must be submitted and approved for each graduate program. Any duplicate coursework must follow current Transfer of Credit guideline in the Graduate Bulletin.
Course Grade Appeal
The appeal process for course grades follows the standard procedure set for undergraduate work at the University. Students first bring their appeal to the faculty member of the course. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved in discussion, students bring their appeal to the Department Chair, and then to the College Dean for informal discussion and appeal. If the informal process does not resolve the issue, the students may request the forms from the College Dean to begin a formal, written review process. The Dean will give the students the printed outline of the review process to follow if a formal review is requested.
Appeal of University Regulations
Retroactive withdrawal from courses or other appeals of academic university regulations should be made to the Academic Appeals Committee, and then, if contested, to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Programmatic Appeals
Admission, termination, degree requirements, and other such matters may be appealed at the appropriate administrative level. For example, if the department recommends admission, but the College Dean denies it, the initial appeal is made to the College Dean not the department or program chair. The order of appeal is from the program coordinator or chair, to the College Dean, to the Graduate Studies Programmatic Appeals Committee, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Programs of study at Minnesota State University Moorhead are designed to help graduates meet certification or licensure requirements in Minnesota and North Dakota, but actual certification or licensure is the function of the states, not of any college or university. Earning an academic degree does not lead automatically to state certification or licensure. Students should consult with a faculty member for advice about current state requirements for licensure or certification and design a program of study accordingly.
Minnesota law requires that any person who provides services that involve direct contact (as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subd. 3) with patients and residents at a health care facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health have a background study conducted by the state. Any individual who is disqualified from having direct patient contact as a result of the background study, and whose disqualification is not set aside by the Commissioner of Health, will not be permitted to participate in a clinical placement in a Minnesota licensed health care facility. Failure to participate in a clinical placement required by the academic program could result in ineligibility to qualify for a degree in this program.
Students whose programs may involve health care facilities should contact the coordinator of their graduate program. Forms may be obtained from the faculty member responsible for their clinical placement or from the program coordinator.