October 5, 2015
Graduate Student
Advisor Handbook
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative Forms .............................................................................................................. 3
Change of Degree or Major ..................................................................................................... 6
Course Withdrawal .................................................................................................................. 4
Doctoral Degree....................................................................................................................... 3
Educational Specialist Degree ................................................................................................. 2
Enrollment Time Limit ............................................................................................................ 2
Faculty Advisor. ...................................................................................................................... 2
Grades ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Graduate Assistantships........................................................................................................... 9
Graduation/Application Process .............................................................................................. 9
Holds on Students' Registration............................................................................................... 5
Late Registration ..................................................................................................................... 3
Leave of Absence .................................................................................................................... 8
Master's Degree ....................................................................................................................... 2
Master's Project ....................................................................................................................... 7
Non-Degree Student Re-Activation ........................................................................................ 8
Overload Course Registration ................................................................................................. 3
Petition for Exception to Registration Form ........................................................................... 4
Plans of Study .......................................................................................................................... 5
Reenrollment ........................................................................................................................... 9
Registration.............................................................................................................................. 3
Student Official File ................................................................................................................ 2
Thesis ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Transfer of Credit .................................................................................................................... 5
Waived Courses ....................................................................................................................... 5
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GRADUATE ADVISOR HANDBOOK
Faculty Advisor
Each student who is admitted into a degree or certificate program in the College of EHHS is
assigned a faculty advisor, co-advisors, or certificate advisor. Faculty should adhere to these
policies and guidelines when advising students:
Student Official File
Each student has an official file that is housed in the Office of Graduate Student Services
(OGSS), Room 418 White Hall. If faculty are meeting with advisees, they may visit 418 White
Hall, pull the student’s file, and take the file back to their offices for advising. Or, they can take
students to the OGSS and advise them at the table provided. Faculty will need to fill out an “Out
Card” if they plan to remove the file from OGSS.
Enrollment Time Limit
Students must register for courses at Kent State University within one (1) year after the term they
are admitted. After one year, if the student has not enrolled, the file will be inactivated. Once a
file is inactivated the student will have to reapply for admission and all requirements in effect at
the time of reapplication must be met. (i.e., If a student is admitted for Summer 2014, he/she
must enroll in classes held no later than Spring 2015.)
Master’s Degree
Master’s degree students are expected to complete their academic work within six years after
their first enrollment at Kent State University. Courses used to fulfill requirements for one
degree can’t be used to fulfill requirements for another degree.
Educational Specialist Degree
Educational Specialist students are expected to complete their academic work within five years
from the term of first enrollment.
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Doctoral Degree
Doctoral students are expected to complete their academic work within nine years from the term
of first enrollment. Doctoral students must be enrolled in courses only at the 70,000 and 80,000
levels. Doctoral plan of study should not include courses other than those at the 70,000 and
80,000 levels. Courses used to fulfill requirements for one degree can’t be used to fulfill
requirements for another degree.
Administrative Forms
All forms can be found on the OGGS website http://www.kent.edu/ehhs/ogs/forms.cfm
Faculty should visit the site to acquaint themselves with the forms and procedures.
Registration
Only a student who has been formally admitted to Kent State University may register for
coursework. An official registration is a record of the student’s approved schedule of classes
maintained online in the university’s student information system, Banner. PLEASE DO NOT
TELL STUDENTS TO ATTEND A CLASS IF THEY ARE NOT ADMITTED OR
REGISTERED. Any student who is not officially registered for a course by published
university deadlines should not attend classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the
course. Students are responsible for their schedules and have the responsibility to confirm the
schedule’s accuracy frequently during the semester before posted deadline dates. Allowing a
member of the university staff to make schedule changes does not relieve students of their
responsibilities.
Late Registration
All late registrations must be completed prior to the beginning of the third week of classes for
fall and spring semesters. No student will be permitted to register for courses after the second
week of the semester. A late registration fee will be assessed for any registration processed after
the first week of classes for fall and spring semesters. LATE REGISTRATION - $100 NONWAIVABLE FEE ASSESSED.
Overload Course Registration
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Students who are trying to register for more than 16 graduate credit hours will need to fill out a
Request of Overload form. The overload will be approved or denied by the associate dean based
on students’ GPA and number of hours for which they wish to register. Students will be notified
by email if the request for an overload has been approved or denied.
Course Withdrawal
Withdrawal from any or all courses is permitted through the 10th week of the semester (or the
prorated deadline for flexibly scheduled sections). After that time, the student is considered to
be committed to all remaining courses and must complete them. Any course withdrawals
initiated before the end of the second week will not be reflected on the student’s transcript. Any
course withdrawal processed after the second week of the full semester will appear on the
student’s academic record with a grade of "W.” If the student is unable to complete the
semester because of extreme circumstances that first occur after the deadline, the student should
contact the instructor(s) of the course(s). If appropriate, the instructor may give the student an
“IP” or suggest the student fill out the Petition for Exception to Registration form. Student must
supply a statement explaining the nature of the request, why the request is being made, and what
extenuating circumstances prevented the student from completing the change before the official
processing deadline for the course(s). Student must also submit any documentation to support
the extenuating circumstances.
Petition for Exception to Registration Form
This is a Registrar’s Office form found at http://www.kent.edu/registrar/forms/index.cfm and can
be used when a student does not withdraw from any and all courses by the deadline (10 weeks
after the semester starts). Once again, the student must supply a statement explaining the nature
of the request, why the request is being made, and what extenuating circumstances prevented
the student from completing the change before the official processing deadline for the course(s).
Student must also submit any documentation to support the extenuating circumstances. The
form can also be used if the student applies for the right course but the wrong section. The
OGSS also uses this form if a student fails to register continuously for Dissertation hours or
thesis hours.
Grades
A grade of C- or below cannot be applied toward completion of degree. Program faculty may
require students to repeat a course in which they have earned a grade below B.
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Holds on Students’ Registration
All students who are admitted into a degree or certificate program have a hold placed on their
registration at the time of admission by OGSS. The admission letter informs students to make an
appointment with their advisors. Master’s degree seeking students and certificate students will
be blocked from registering after their 2nd semester of enrollment (including Summer) until a
Plan of Study has been filed in OGSS/Room 418 White Hall. Doctoral students will be blocked
from registering after their 4th semester until their Plans of Study are filed in the OGSS. Once
students submit their signed plans of study into OGSS the hold on registration will be removed.
Plans of Study
A Plan of Study is the schedule of courses required by program areas for degree completion. If
there has been a change in a student’s Plan of Study a memo (email) should be sent to OGSS/
Room 418 White Hall stating the change. The email will be printed and attached to the Plan of
Study on file. Faculty may also pull the student’s file in room 418 White Hall and make any
necessary changes on the Plan of Study. The advisor will need to initial and date the Plan of
Study where changes have been made. A new Plan of Study is not required. Doctoral students
must be enrolled in courses only at the 70,000 and 80,000 levels. Doctoral plan of study should
not include courses other than those at the 70,000 and 80,000 levels. Courses used to fulfill
requirements for one degree can’t be used to fulfill requirements for another degree.
Waived courses
A waived course is a course that a student took previously in another degree program, or is too
old to transfer in, yet its content has remained the same. Faculty advisors have the option to
waive the course so the student does not have to retake the course; however, the student would
need to take another course to make up the required hours. Waiving a course does not mean the
program is waiving the hours.
Transfer of Credit
A maximum of 12 semester hours of credit taken outside of the degree may be transferred from
accredited institution to a degree program. An “accredited” institution is one that is approved or
accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency or the Higher Learning Commission
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for graduate level work. This may include courses taken at other institutions, and courses taken
at Kent State University non-degree, guest, etc. The course being transferred must meet the
following regulations as specified by the College of EHHS:
 The student earned an “A” or “B”
 The student was admitted as a graduate student and completed the course at graduate
level
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The credit is less than six (nine) years old at the time of the master’s (doctoral) degree is
conferred at Kent State University.
The coursework is compatible with the planned degree program of studies
In compliance with the Ohio Revised Code and the University course numbering
system, credits requested for transfer into a master’s or master’s certificate program
must have been earned at the 50,000 or 60,000 (500 or 600) level. Credits requested for
transfer into a doctoral program or doctoral certificate must have been earned at the
70,000 or 80,000 (700 or 800) level.
Transfer of coursework will be denied for the following reasons
 The work is not “A” or “B” quality
 The coursework was used to fulfill requirements for a previous degree
 Coursework is more than 6 years old at time of graduation
 The coursework does not meet the learning outcomes of a designated KSU course
Change of Degree or Major
Students must complete a Request for Change of Degree and/or Major form if they intend to
change their degree or major. The form can be found on the web and outside of OGSS/Room
418 White Hall. Once students complete and return the form to 418 White Hall, OGSS staff will
make sure students have the admission requirements for the new major. Students must provide a
new Statement applicable to the new major. Once this is completed, the Request for Change of
Degree and/or Major form will be attached to the existing file and sent to the coordinator of the
new degree and major program area for approval
Thesis
Advisors will notify their School administrative support staff to start registering a student for
thesis hours. The advisor will submit a grade of “IP” each semester except for the semester the
student graduates when a final grade is assigned. Once students are registered for Thesis, they
will be expected to register for each and every semester including Summer and the semester they
plan to graduate. They must register for 6 hours of Thesis I which can be done over a few
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semesters. When the student applies for graduation, part of the clearing process will be to make
sure the student has registered for 6 hours of Thesis I and has maintained continuous registration
of Thesis II each semester including the semester the student plans to graduate. Students must
submit have the Notification of Approved Thesis/Master’s Project Committee & Proposal form
to the OGSS/Room 418 White Hall, before they apply for graduation.
When students are ready to begin thesis, they should meet with their assigned advisor. If the
student is considering a topic outside the advisor’s area of expertise, the advisor may arrange for
the student to confer with another faculty member.
The advisor and the student are responsible for securing the consent of a qualified professor to
act as director. The advisor may serve as director if agreeable to both parties. The director will
guide the student during the development of the thesis and assist the student in selecting two
other appropriate graduate faculty members to advise and serve on the committee.
When the committee is satisfied with the proposal, students will secure the signatures of the
director and all committee members on the Notification of Approved Thesis/Master’s Project
Committee & Proposal form. The form, accompanied by a copy of the abstract, should be filed
in the OGSS/Room 418 White Hall no later than the first Friday of the term in which the student
plans to graduate.
Completion of the Thesis:
1. Students must complete the thesis to the satisfaction of their committee members. The
committee director will act as consultant during the time the thesis is being completed.
The student completing the thesis must consult the Guidelines for Preparation of Theses
and Dissertations found at http://www.kent.edu/ehhs/ogs/masters/index.cfm regarding
thesis style and form.
2. The student will arrange for an oral defense of the thesis at least one week after delivery
of the document to committee members. The entire committee is expected to be present
for the defense meeting.
3. The committee director will be responsible for the completion of the Report of Oral
Defense of Master’s Thesis or Master’s Project form.
4. The student must follow established and posted deadlines for submission of thesis and
abstract for approval, oral defense of the thesis, and graduation. Deadlines are posted
each term outside of the OGSS/Room 418 White Hall.
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Master’s Project
A master’s project student is required to register for Master’s Project for a total of 6 credit hours
(Hospitality, Tourism and Management major only require 3 hours of Master’s Project).
Registering for Master’s Project can be done in one semester or over a few semesters.
Continuous registration IS NOT required for the master’s project.
Each student must have the Notification of Approved Thesis/Master’s Project Committee &
Proposal form on file in the OGSS/Room 418 White Hall, before applying for graduation.
Non-Degree Student Re-activation
A graduate non-degree student must enroll for at least one term each calendar year to
maintain their graduate student status. If the non-degree student fails to take one course per
calendar year the Non-Degree Student Re-Activation form will need to be filled out in order
to reactivate student status. A certificate or a degree-seeking student MAY NOT use
this form, but must follow the procedures noted below.
Leave of Absence
A leave of absence is granted to degree seeking graduate students, who are in active status but
who must be away from their studies for one or more semesters for compelling personal reasons.
Prior to applying for a leave of absence, the student should consider its potential implications on
funding (including assistantships and veterans benefits), loan repayment, immigration status,
health insurance, university housing and time to degree completion. An international student
should contact the Office of Global Education before the initiation of a leave of absence and
before returning to campus to ensure compliance with SEVIS regulations and visa restrictions.
To be eligible for a leave of absence, a student must be seeking a graduate degree, have
completed at least one full term of enrollment prior to the date a leave is to begin, be in good
academic standing and be making reasonable progress toward the degree. Leaves will not be
granted to students who (1) have completed less than one full term of enrollment; (2) are not in
good academic standing; or (3) have received an extension of the degree time limit.
Leaves of absence are normally granted for one to three semesters. The time taken on an
approved leave of absence is not included in the time limitations for degree completion and
advancement to candidacy.
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Students on a leave of absence are not registered and, therefore, do not have the rights and
privileges of a registered student, including course pre-registration and access to the
libraries, recreational center, and health services.
Leaves of absence must be requested prior to the semester of anticipated leave, or at the latest,
before the end of the first semester of anticipated leave. To request a leave of absence, students
must complete a Request for Leave of Absence form available at
http://www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/forms-library.cfm. To receive an extension of an approved
leave, the student must complete a new Request for Leave of Absence form prior to the
expiration of their leave. If a student does not receive an extension and does not return to the
graduate program, he or she will be considered as having permanently withdrawn from the
University.
Reenrollment
This form should be completed by a certificate or degree-seeking graduate student who has
been on an approved leave of absence from the University and wishes to return to the former
program of study. A student not on an approved leave of absence, who withdrew from or left
the University one or more years before, must formally apply and follow the same admission
procedures required of new applicants.
Graduate Assistantships
Applicants who are admitted on condition/probation are not eligible for a graduate assistantship.
If a student is admitted on condition they will be eligible for an assistantship after the conditions
of their admission has been met. Any student regardless of how they were admitted will not be
given an assistantship if their GPA falls below a 3.0.
Graduation/Application Process
Students need to apply for graduation. The deadline to apply for graduation is always the first
Friday of the semester a student plans to graduate.
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Students are informed in their admission letter that they need to apply for graduation.
Email reminders are sent out to students reminding them of the deadline each semester
from the listserv email.
Deadline dates are posted on the OGGS website.
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Students who submit a graduation application after the posted deadline will be subject to a
$200.00 non-refundable late processing fee.
Students are able to apply for graduation 3 different ways.
1. Apply online
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Login to the FlashLine account
Click tab: Student Tools & Courses
In center column, under heading Apply for Graduation, click link View submitted
Graduation Application
Check that the application status is "Active"
2. Apply in person in the OGSS/418 White Hall
3. Download the application from http://www.kent.edu/ehhs/ogs/graduationapplications.cfm, then fax to 330-672-9162, OGSS/418 White Hall.