Grade Requirements

GPA Requirement

Graduate students must maintain an overall graduate GPA of 3.0. A student falling below this minimum after nine (9) semester hours will be placed on academic probation and assigned provisional status.

Passing Grade

The minimum passing grade for graduate credit is a “C”. No more than six (6) semester hours of “C” graded credit may be applied toward the degree. “D” graded graduate credit may not be applied toward the degree.

Program Requirement

The student must successfully complete a minimum of 33 graduate semester credits in an approved plan of study and maintain an overall graduate GPA of 3.0. A student falling below this minimum after nine (9) semester hours will be placed on academic probation and assigned provisional status.

Incomplete Grades

The grade of incomplete may be negotiated with an instructor when the student has failed to meet a specific and important requirement in the course but has in other respects done passing work for the semester. The grade of incomplete must be removed during the regular semester following the term in which it was reported. If the deficiency is not made up within the specified time, the incomplete will revert to the grade earned at the time the incomplete was negotiated.

Repeating a Course

Any course previously taken for which the grade received was below a “B” may be repeated once. All repeats will be recorded along with the initial attempt. The second grade becomes the grade of record and replaces the first in computing overall GPA. Only two (2) graduate courses, prerequisite and/or required, may be repeated to satisfy completion of the degree.

Academic Probation

Graduate students placed on academic probation and assigned Provisional status must raise their overall GPA to at least a 3.0 within the next nine (9) graduate credit hours taken; if not the student will be dismissed from the program/institution.

Notification of Degree Requirement Changes

It is VCSU’s responsibility to inform active and potential students of changes to the degree requirements. Students must be given sufficient notification so as to allow them to finish their program requirements. When this is not possible, substitutions must be provided.

Research Approval

To ensure adequate safeguards and to discharge the responsibility of the institution, no research or related activity involving human subjects may be undertaken unless approved through the IRB pre-screening process. All human subject research connected with Graduate Studies must be pre-screened to to determine whether IRB review is required.