Academic Regulations

Catalogs of Record and Degree Requirements

UCO admits students under the admission requirements of the Graduate Catalog in effect on the date of their admission approval.  UCO, however, requires students to meet the graduate degree requirements in effect at the time of a graduate student’s first day of enrollment. These requirements will remain in effect for six years. In no case shall the University of Central Oklahoma be obligated to make required courses or activities available for more than six years. During continuous enrollment, individual plans of study, once approved, remain in force regardless of succeeding changes in degree programs unless the Graduate Dean, on the advice of the graduate advisor, grants a substitution for a particular course or courses. Students who have not enrolled for one year or longer must meet the admission standards in force on the date of the approval of their readmission application. As in the case of new students, UCO requires readmitted students to meet the graduate degree requirements in effect at the time of the students’ first day of reenrollment.

Types of Graduate Courses

Traditional Courses

A traditional course is a 16-week class conducted in a classroom setting where the instructor meets face-to-face with the students. The course may have lectures, discussions, activities, or demonstrations with or without web requirement.

Intersession

An intersession course is one offered in the time period between the end of one term and the start of another. Students may take a maximum of 5 credit hours per intersession.

Online and Hybrid Courses

Beyond traditional in-person classroom courses, graduate courses at UCO may be delivered in a variety of online formats, including but not limited to asynchronous online, hybrid, Interactive Video Education (IVE), and self-paced online courses (SPOC). The delivery method of graduate courses is listed on each term’s class schedule. UCO accepts transfer credit for courses delivered in these formats at other universities provided that they meet the criteria for transfer credit outlined in this catalog. Students taking UCO online or hybrid courses earn residential credit. Students may be charged online course fees when enrolling in online courses.

Common Types of Online/Hybrid Courses

Asynchronous Online Courses - Asynchronous online courses are conducted entirely online and have no live component. They can be offered in 16-week, 8-week, or shorter blocks at the discretion of the departments/schools/institutes offering them.

Hybrid Online Courses - Hybrid courses have both an online and an in-person component. The in-person class meetings will be listed on the class schedule each term, and the rest of the course is conducted online asynchronously.

Interactive Video Education Courses (IVE) - IVE courses are a type of synchronous online course in which class sessions are broadcast live via the internet and that allow students to interact with the professor and class via the student’s computer microphone and camera. Students may attend either in-person or remotely. Students enrolled in the online section of an IVE course pay online course fees.

Self-Paced Online Courses (SPOC) - SPOC courses are asynchronous online courses that students complete at their own pace within a prescribed timeframe. Rather than meeting specific due dates, students work at their own pace and must only complete the coursework by the course end date. SPOC courses are available approximately every two weeks throughout the academic year.

Self-Paced Online Course Admission

Self-Paced Online Courses (SPOCs) are available in six- and eight-week blocks throughout each semester. A student wishing to earn transcripted graduate credit must be formally admitted to UCO prior to enrollment in the course. Students are encouraged to consult with an academic advisor before enrolling to ensure that credit will apply. Visit the Academic Advisement website at https://www.uco.edu/admissions-aid/ advisement/ for more information.

In SPOCs, students work independently under the supervision of a UCO faculty member and submit coursework at their own pace. Courses completed count as credit hours toward a degree at UCO. SPOCs are considered correspondence courses. A maximum of 6 hours of SPOC/ correspondence credit may be applied towards a UCO degree. It is recommended a student enroll in no more than two courses at a time.

A student must submit all required course assignments, including the final exam, no later than the final date of the course. The time it takes to complete the course is dependent on many factors such as grading timelines, university holidays, and course-specific requirements and activities. Given the flexible nature of self-paced online courses, no guarantees are made within this timeframe on the exact length of time in which a course can be completed. No SPOC can be completed in less than 30 calendar days from the date of enrollment.

Students may drop an eight week SPOC until the first Sunday after a block begins with a full refund and until the sixth Thursday after the block begins to withdraw with a ‘W’ on their transcript. Six week SPOCs may be dropped until the first Thursday after the block begins with a full refund and until the fourth Monday after the class begins with a ‘W’ on the transcript.

Upon completion of a SPOC, letter grades earned will be posted to an official UCO transcript and marked with an asterisk to indicate the course was correspondence. If a SPOC is not completed by the course end date, a grade will be determined by the course instructor based on the work completed through the final date.

SPOCs adhere to all policies and regulations set forth in Students Rights and Responsibilities regarding: 1) Honor Codes, 2) Academic Policy, 3) Grade Appeals, 4) Dishonesty Policy, 5) Conduct, 6) Enrollment, and 7) Refunds.

All standard graduate admission rules apply to them.

Categories of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit from Graduate Courses

Students granted regular admission to the Jackson College of Graduate Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma may enroll in graduate courses for which they have completed either the prerequisites or obtained the appropriate instructor or departmental permissions. Students should focus on courses that satisfy degree requirements.

Graduate-level courses will not count toward graduate degree requirements if the student previously earned undergraduate credit for the course. Students should work with their program advisors to find suitable course substitutions.

Graduate Credit Earned While Still an Undergraduate (Accelerated Degree Pathway)

Juniors at UCO may apply to an accelerated degree pathway. Acceptance for Accelerated Degree Pathways is subject to the following minimal criteria. Departments and programs may have more strict criteria.

Qualifications:

1. Current UCO undergraduate students in the last semester of their junior year, soon to be entering senior year (within 30 hours of graduation). Exceptional juniors who are not within 30 hours of graduation may be considered with a letter of support from a UCO faculty member.
2. As a graduate transfer student, transfer credit to UCO from another institution.

Applying:

1. Junior undergraduate UCO students interested in an Accelerated Degree Pathway shall submit the application materials for the Accelerated Degree Pathway. Program application materials may include items such as: official updated UCO transcript, letters of recommendation, written statement of intent, writing sample, etc. Applicants should confirm the needed materials prior to applying.
2. Department/program Accelerated Degree Pathway application deadlines (if applicable) will be listed on the Graduate College website and/or graduate program degree sheet.
3. The department/program will notify the Graduate College of the program’s recommendation. If accepted, it is the responsibility of the accepted student to complete the graduate admissions application.

Enrollment:

1. Accepted Accelerated Degree Pathway students may take up to twelve (12) graduate credit hours as determined by their program. These twelve (12) graduate credit hours taken will count as credit on both the undergraduate and graduate transcripts of the student upon completion of the undergraduate degree.
2. Accelerated Degree Pathway students will be held to both the undergraduate-level and graduate-level academic standards as outlined by the university undergraduate and graduate catalogs. No grade below “C” is acceptable for graduate credit and no more than six semester hours of “C” shall be applied toward the degree.

Graduate Credit Earned While Still an Undergraduate (Mixed Enrollment)

Qualified undergraduate seniors who seek to enroll in master’s- level coursework may do so by submitting a UCO Graduate Studies Mixed Enrollment Packet. Approved students may enroll in a maximum of 12 graduate credit hours before receiving their bachelor’s degree. Continuous enrollment in graduate courses is not required. Students may only take these hours during their last two undergraduate semesters; however, if the bachelor’s degree is not posted within the first 12 graduate hours taken, the student will not be allowed to enroll in future graduate courses. Students seeking mixed enrollment must meet the following criteria:

1. An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher.
2. Enrollment in no more than 16 total credit hours per fall or spring semester or 12 hours in the summer. The maximum number of graduate credit hours in a fall or spring semester is 10 credit hours. The maximum number of graduate hours during summer term is 8 credit hours.
3. Mixed enrollment students may not count graduate courses for both graduate and undergraduate credit. An Accelerated Degree Pathway (ADP) is the only way to double count graduate courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
4. Only two semesters (counting either or both summer terms as one semester) of a mixed enrollment are allowed until the bachelor’s degree is granted.

Seniors at other universities who plan to go to graduate school at UCO are eligible for mixed enrollment provided that they are within 30 hours of undergraduate graduation at their home institution and meet the criteria listed above. Students from other institutions who seek graduate mixed enrollment will be asked to provide a letter of good standing from their home institution’s registrar that indicates the proposed undergraduate graduation date, grade point average, and
prospective degree/major.

Transfer Credit

Students may not transfer in credit for capstone courses, program projects, internships, theses, or similar non- classroom, summary, or application requirements. These requirements must be met through UCO. A maximum of 10 (ten) semester hours of graduate credit from an appropriately regionally-accredited, degree-granting institution may be transferred to a graduate degree program at the University of Central Oklahoma, unless UCO has a Memorandum of Understanding and/or a Transfer Agreement with the sending institution or its agents. These 10 hours must carry grades of “B-” or higher, must apply to the student’s UCO program and must appear on a UCO Plan of Study. Courses must be approved by the graduate program advisor and the Dean of the Jackson College of Graduate Studies. Transfer courses are approved or disapproved at the discretion of the graduate program advisor and Graduate College Dean.

Some programs require that a transfer student present a letter to the graduate program advisor, prior to enrollment, indicating that the student is in good academic standing with his/her former institutions.

If the courses have been used to satisfy degree requirements at other universities, they cannot count toward degrees at UCO, unless UCO has a Memorandum of Understanding and/ or a Transfer Agreement signed or approved by the Graduate College Dean with the sending institution or its agents providing for an exception to this rule. Only those courses approved by graduate program advisors for credit toward UCO degrees will count toward GPA calculations. All provisions for transfer to UCO are subject to modifications in cases where UCO has a Memorandum of Understanding and/or a Transfer Agreement with the sending institution or its agents providing exceptions to the transfer rules. Limits imposed in this catalog under “Degree Time Limit” apply equally to credits earned at UCO and to transfer credits.

Internship Credit

Internship credit may not exceed 8 credit hours.

Credit for In-Service Training

In-service courses will be counted toward a degree only when offered through a regionally-accredited institution of higher education and listed on a certified transcript from that institution. Such credit is subject to the transfer credit regulations above.

Workshop Credit

No more than six hours may be earned by the participation in workshops. No more than three hours may be earned by participation in the Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP), 2007-2009. Graduate program advisors must approve all hours earned through workshops.

Auditing Courses for No Credit

On a space-available basis, students may audit graduate courses if they obtain written permission from the instructors. The instructors of audited courses are not obligated to grade or evaluate the course work or performance of auditing students. Students receive no credit for audited classes. These courses neither meet degree requirements nor count toward the GPA. Fees are the same for audited and credit courses. Students may not drop audited courses and subsequently pick them up for credit.

Extra-institutional Examinations

Extra-institutional examinations may not be taken as graduate credit.

Credit for Individual Study

Graduate credit may be earned through Individual Study. Students should consult with their program advisors if they are interested in pursuing Individual Study courses. A student is limited to 12 hours of Individual Study with no more than 4 hours in any one Individual Study course, as indicated by the course title. Graduate program advisors may petition the JCGS Dean to allow individual study courses to go beyond 4 hours. Additionally, graduate program advisors may petition the JCGS Dean to allow students to go beyond 12 hours of individual study in extraordinary circumstances.

Prior Learning Credit

The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) provides students with opportunities to receive graduate credit for knowledge and achievements gained through non-academic, prior learning experiences, such as military service, professional trainings, or other relevant work experience. Students may be granted a maximum of six (6) graduate credit hours for prior learning experiences through national standardized tests, departmental exams, portfolio assessment, and/or other departmentally- approved assessments subject to Regents’ policy.

Students must be enrolled or eligible to enroll to have prior learning considered for graduate credit. If prior learning credit is approved, then it will be applied after students successfully complete twelve (12) hours of graduate credit at UCO. Any credit awarded for prior learning experiences will count toward the maximum of ten (10) hours of transfer credit allowed. Prior learning credit, once evaluated and approved, will appear on students’ transcripts as a neutral grade of “P” or “pass” and will not figure into their grade point averages.

Academic departments and programs are responsible for conducting prior learning assessments or approving existing prior learning assessments relevant to their degree programs. Departments have discretion to determine “passing” and “not passing” grading criteria. As per Regents’ Policy 3.16.3, any assessments created or adopted must be valid, reliable, and replicable to a degree that external evaluators would arrive at the same scores as the faculty conducting the assessments. Students taking departmental exams may not test out of a course in which they are currently enrolled. A failed exam may not be repeated, and a failed portfolio may not be resubmitted.

Students are advised that some graduate programs may not grant credit for prior learning, and students are responsible for any costs associated with evaluating prior learning for credit even if credit is not granted. Prior learning credit cannot count towards non-transcripted badges, micro-credentials, or graduate certificates, and prior learning credit does not count as credit taken in residence. Furthermore, a prior learning credit experience transcripted at the graduate level may not be awarded for both undergraduate and graduate credit, unless the corresponding graduate courses are part of an approved Accelerated Degree Pathway (ADP). Direct instruction or coursework from technology centers shall not be awarded credit through this policy.

To learn more about the process for having prior learning assessed for graduate credit, please contact the Jackson College of Graduate Studies at 405-974-3341 or gradcoll@uco.edu. For questions related to how a specific program assesses prior learning for graduate credit, please reach out to the graduate program advisor listed on the degree sheet for the relevant program.

Enrollment Regulations

Enrollment Requirements

All students, except mixed enrolled undergraduate students, must be admitted before the student enrolls in a graduate course. Degree-seeking students must also be accepted by their programs before enrolling.

Enrollment Periods

Enrollment at the University of Central Oklahoma begins in April for the Summer and Fall Semester, and in November for the Spring Semester.

Enrollment Status

A full-time graduate student in each term is a student who has been admitted to the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and is enrolled in at least nine credit hours in a fall or spring semester or at least five hours in the summer sessions. In each term, the courses must be on the student’s Plan of Study or approved by the advisor as a variation from the student’s plan.

Enrollment Status and Assistantships

Full-time graduate students with teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or graduate assistantships (a graduate assistantship is a graduate intern employed in a non-academic department) must enroll in at least five graduate hours, except in their final semester when full-time graduate students working as TAs, RAs, or GAs may take a minimum of three hours. The summer minimum for TAs, RAs, and GAs is three graduate hours, or a commitment to enrollment as a full-time graduate student in the fall.

Enrollment Status and Financial Aid

Enrolling in fewer than nine hours in any fall, spring, or summer term even if receiving a teaching assistantship, research assistantship or graduate assistantship may affect a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Students should direct questions about their own financial aid to the Financial Aid Office.

Advisement

The graduate program advisors for graduate degree programs advise students on enrollments and program requirements. After admission, a student meets with his/her graduate program advisor to develop his/her individual plan of study. It is important that the student work closely with his/ her advisor to ensure that all program requirements are met.

Graduate program advisors are not always on campus during semester breaks. Students should make appointments to ensure their availability.

Course-Load Limits

Without advance written approval, graduate students may enroll in no more than 12 graduate hours during the fall or spring semester (16 weeks) or 9 hours during the summer. With written approval from the graduate dean, a student may enroll in 15 graduate hours during spring or fall semesters or 12 graduate hours during the summer term. Overload permission forms are available in the Jackson College of Graduate Studies. Traditional courses, workshops, intersessions, institutes, and course work taken electronically or at other institutions are included in this total. Up to five hours of intersession credit are allowed immediately following each semester. Graduate enrollments above maximums will not be applied toward a master’s degree at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Students may enroll in sixteen (16) or fewer hours of mixed- enrollment and accelerated degree pathway (graduate and undergraduate) credits in a regular semester, including no more than 10 hours of graduate credit. The maximum number of mixed-enrollment in the summer is 12 hours with 8 of those hours in graduate courses.

Graduate students on academic probation may only enroll for a maximum of 10 (ten) graduate hours in the fall and spring and 6 (six) graduate hours in the summer.

Changing Programs

Students who wish to change from one graduate program to another must meet all admission requirements for the new degree program, meet with their new graduate program advisor to complete the Graduate Program Change Request form (available at https://www.uco.edu/graduate/files/graduate-program-change.pdf), and submit the request along with a formal plan of study for their new program, to the Jackson College of Graduate Studies. Students must meet all admission requirements for their new programs, including those involving the undergraduate and graduate GPAs.

Adds, Drops and Withdrawals

Adds

Students may add classes anytime before the end of the first week of classes. Please refer to the Class Schedule online under Web Registration Deadlines for specific deadline dates at: https://www3.uco.edu/registrar/sched/

Drops

Pre-Semester Drops: Students may drop a class before the first day of the semester either at the Enrollment Management Office or online. No records of courses dropped before the start of the semester will appear on transcripts. There are no financial penalties for such drops.

Early Semester Drops: As long as they do not withdraw from all classes, students may drop classes before the end of the second week of the fall or spring semesters by completing the appropriate forms either at the Enrollment Management Office or online. No record of courses will show on transcripts. There are no financial penalties for such drops.

Late Semester Drops with Permission: As long as the student does not withdraw from all classes, students may under unusual circumstances, as defined by the university, drop classes after the end of the second week of classes of the fall and spring semesters. Examples of unusual circumstances include emergencies, hospitalization, military deployments, and moving to out-of-state jobs. Poor academic performance or lack of deadline compliance does not merit approval. Requests to drop in this manner require documentation, instructor confirmation of relevant information, and permission of the Director of Admissions and Records. All approved drops show on transcripts as either “withdraw” if the student is passing the course or “F” if not passing. The student is responsible for full payment of tuition and fees.

Students who abandon their studies without formally dropping their courses will receive grades of “F.”

Note: A late drop can have a significant negative impact on financial aid.

Please refer to the Class Schedule online under Web Registration Deadlines for specific deadline dates.

Withdrawals from All Courses

Pre-Semester Withdrawals: Students may withdraw fromall of their classes before the first day of the semester at the Enrollment Management Office. No records of courses withdrawn before the start of the semester will appear on transcripts. There are no financial penalties for such withdrawals.

Early Semester Withdrawals: Students may withdraw from all classes before the end of the second week of classes of the fall and spring semesters by completing the appropriate forms at the Enrollment Management Office. No record of courses will show on transcripts. There are no financial penalties for such withdrawals. Withdraws are not official until processed by Enrollment Services.

Late Withdrawals with Permission: Under unusual circumstances, as defined by the university, students may withdraw from all classes after the end of the second week of classes of fall and spring semesters. Examples of unusual circumstances include emergencies, hospitalization, and moving to out-of-state jobs. Poor academic performance or lack of deadline compliance does not merit approval. Requests to withdraw in this manner require documentation, instructor confirmation of good standing, and permission of the Director of Admissions and Records. All approved withdrawals show on transcripts as either “Withdraw” if the student is passing the course or “F’s” if not passing. Withdrawals are not official until processed by Enrollment Services. Students who abandon their studies without formally withdrawing will receive grades of “F.” The student is responsible for full payment of tuition and fees.

Note: A late withdrawal can have a significant negative impact on financial aid.

Summer Semester Drops and Withdrawals:

1. Regular Summer Semester (8 weeks) - financial penalties will apply after the first week of class.
2. Block I and Block II Semester (4 weeks) - financial penalties will apply after the first three days of class.

Please refer to the Class Schedule online under Web Registration Deadlines for specific deadline dates at: https://www.uco.edu/admissions-aid/enrollment-services/dates-deadlines-summer

Administrative Withdrawals from Courses for Non- Attendance: The university may withdraw students for failure to attend between the end of the second week and the end of the eleventh week of class. The university charges students who withdraw in this manner an amount equal to 25 percent of the courses’ original costs for tuition and fees. Withdrawals are not official until processed by Enrollment Services.

Grading System

The following system of grading is used at the University of Central Oklahoma.

*Failure - given when students fail to meet minimum standards for passing. Also given when students discontinue class attendance and do not formally drop or withdraw. An “F” grade is also assigned by the instructor when a student is failing the course but is allowed to drop or withdraw after the established deadlines.

Note: For the purpose of calculating grade point average (GPA) UCO converts grades listed on the transcripts of other institutions to UCO’s 4.0 grading scale. UCO does not recognize “plus” or “minus” grades, so, for example, transferred grades of B+ or B- would be recorded at UCO as B with a point value of 3.0.

SYMBOLS USED TO INDICATE COURSE STATUS

P: Passing - given for workshops, student teaching, physical education activity courses, and extra institutional credits.

S: Satisfactory - given for 0-level (non-collegiate/ developmental) courses.

U: Unsatisfactory - given for 0-level (non-collegiate/ developmental) and physical education activity courses and indicates the student’s level of understanding is not sufficient to take the next level of course work.

I: Incomplete - given at the instructor’s discretion to indicate that additional work is necessary to complete a course. It is not a substitute for an “F” grade and no student may be failing a course at the time an “I” grade is awarded. To receive an “I” grade, the student should have satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the required course work for the semester. Students have one year to resolve incomplete grades. In extenuating circumstances, the instructor may grant exceptions. “I” grades not changed by the instructor to a letter grade, within one year, will remain as a permanent “I” and not contribute to the student’s GPA. “F” grades cannot be changed to “I” grades.

W: Withdrawal - given when a student initiates a withdrawal by the established procedures and deadlines.

N: Not Reported - given when an instructor fails to submit grades by the established deadline.

AUDIT - given when students formally audit classes.
AUD-U - given when a student enrolled for audit but did not meet the instructor’s attendance and/or participation requirements for auditors.

X: Thesis in Progress

Grade Appeals

In cases where graduate students wish to appeal a final grade, they must follow the Academic Appeal Policy located online under the UCO Academic Affairs Website at: https://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/academics/academic-grade-appeals.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

A prerequisite is a course, skill, or knowledge required to be completed PRIOR to taking another course. Prerequisites are established for courses requiring a specific background knowledge or skill level for successful completion. Many courses have more than one prerequisite.

Corequisites are complementary courses which require concurrent enrollment and which together comprise a body of knowledge or skills for the student.

Prerequisites and corequisites are established for the benefit of students. Insufficient background knowledge is an obstacle to success and often results in frustration, lower grades, and withdrawal.

Meeting prerequisites and corequisites is the responsibility of the student. (Exceptions must be cleared by the appropriate department or instructor.) Prerequisites and corequisites are listed in the catalog and on the Web class listings. Some prerequisites may be taken concurrently, and are listed as such in the course descriptions.

Students who pre-enroll in a course which requires a prerequisite or corequisite in which the student is currently enrolled may be dropped from that course by the university if they subsequently fail or drop the prerequisite/corequisite course.

Repeating Courses

Students may repeat up to three graduate courses in which they earned grades of “B” or lower. A graduate course may be repeated a maximum of one time (excluding withdrawals) unless the student’s program specifically designates it as a repeatable course. When a course is repeated, regardless of the grade earned, the original and subsequent grade(s) is/are included on the permanent record. The credit for the course, however, is counted only once toward satisfying graduation credit requirements. The grade which will be used to clear students for graduate requirements is the highest grade given for course credit. Courses which are no longer offered cannot be repeated. Cross-listed courses appearing under more than one course prefix are considered the same course for repeat counting. JCGS requires a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 for “B,” or better in all graduate work.

The University offers a number of courses that use the same course prefix and number but have variable content from semester to semester. Students receive credit for learning new content so the grade and semester hours earned each time count toward the student’s grade point average (GPA), and total credits. These courses are referred to as “repeatable courses” or “courses that are repeatable for credit,” as listed in their official catalog descriptions. Examples for repeatable courses include, but are not limited to, applied music, independent study, internship, thesis research, and variable topics courses.

Academic Probation and Suspension

Graduate students, regardless of admission status, must maintain an overall graduate grade point average of at least 3.00 in master’s and specialist programs or 3.25 in doctoral programs to remain in “good academic standing” with the University and the Jackson College of Graduate Studies.

A. Academic Probation

• A student will be placed on academic probation if:
  • The student has completed nine graduate hours; and
  • The student’s cumulative graduate grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.00 in a master’s or specialist program or below 3.25 in a doctoral program.
• While a student is on academic probation, the student may not enroll in more than ten (10) graduate credit hours in regular semesters and six (6) graduate credit hours in the summer semester.

B. Academic Suspension

• A student will be placed on academic suspension if:
  • the student’s cumulative graduate GPA falls below 2.00 in any semester; or
  • the student fails to achieve a minimum graduate GPA of 3.00 in a master’s or specialist program or 3.25 in a doctoral program in any semester while on probation.
• A suspended student may not take graduate courses for at least 16 weeks while awaiting adjudication from the Graduate Council.

C. Readmission After Suspension

1. A student who wishes to be considered for readmission must submit a written appeal for readmission to the dean of the Jackson College of Graduate Studies within 30 days of issuance of their suspension. This is the only opportunity for the student to provide information relating to the substance of his/her appeal, thus, the student must include all information which he/she wants to have considered. The Admissions and Retention Committee of the Graduate Council will review the appeal and recommend readmission or dismissal to the Graduate Council.
2. The graduate dean will notify the student of the Council’s decision regarding dismissal or readmission.
3. If the Graduate Council approves readmission, the student must fill out a new application to graduate college, pay the $60 non-refundable application fee, and will continue on academic probation. The student must maintain a graduate GPA of 3.00 in master’s and specialist programs or 3.25 in doctoral programs each semester.
4. Failure to achieve minimum GPA requirements during any semester after readmission will result in immediate dismissal from graduate studies at UCO with no reprieve for further graduate work.
5. Within 30 days of issuance of the notification, the student may appeal the decision in writing to the graduate dean but only on a claim that a university official had failed to follow proper procedures or laws. The dean will not reevaluate the facts of the student’s case, but if the dean finds that procedural errors may have occurred, the dean will resubmit the student’s appeal to the Admissions and Retention Committee which will recommend readmission or dismissal to the Graduate Council. The Council’s decision would then be final.
6. Department chairs and graduate advisors can dismiss students from their programs for failing to meet program standards, but only JCGS can suspend students from graduate studies. JCGS can allow students to transfer to other graduate programs if the students are in good standing with JCGS’ rules, and the new program is willing to accept them.

Honors and Awards

Graduation with Honors

The University of Central Oklahoma grants degrees “with honors” to students who complete the master’s degree with grade-point averages of 4.00 for all graduate work attempted. Students who complete two graduate degrees are allowed to earn honors for one degree without regard for the student GPA in the second degree.

Recognition of graduation with honors at the commencement ceremony is based on the student’s current retention GPA and will not include pending courses during the last semester of enrollment.

President’s Honor Roll

The University of Central Oklahoma grants degrees “with honors” to students who complete the master’s degree with grade-point averages of 4.00 for all graduate work attempted. Students who complete two graduate degrees are allowed to earn honors for one degree without regard for the student GPA in the second degree.

Recognition of graduation with honors at the commencement ceremony is based on the student’s current retention GPA and will not include pending courses during the last semester of enrollment.

President’s Honor Roll

Graduate students who earn all “A’s” in a Spring or Fall semester in which they complete at least nine hours of residence graduate work, are listed on the President’s Honor Roll.

The E.C. Hall Graduate Scholar Award

During the fall and spring semesters, each college and the Forensic Science Institute will, using their own criteria, select an E.C. Hall Scholar, following the procedures below. December masters’ graduates will be eligible for the spring semester award. May and summer masters’ graduates will be eligible for the fall award.

Early in the term, JCGS will supply each of the colleges and FSI with a list of those who graduated in the appropriate time period with a 4.0 GPA. Each College and FSI will review their list, using their own criteria, and select an E. C. Hall Scholar from that list, and simultaneously nominate that person to the Jackson College of Graduate Studies for the E. C. Hall Outstanding Graduate Student Award. The Graduate College will then notify each of these Scholars of their nomination and direct them to submit a two-page narrative showing their scholarly, creative, and/or professional achievements during their time as UCO graduate students.

From among these six college-level E.C. Hall Scholars, the Admissions and Retention Committee, together with the associate graduate dean, will select the E.C. Hall Outstanding Graduate Student, based on the students’ significant scholarly, creative, and/or professional achievements.

Exceptions and Waivers

Exceptions or waivers to any graduate studies requirement must be formally requested in writing and approved by the graduate program advisor, the Chair of the Department, Dean of the College, and the Graduate Dean.