Concerns related to the below proposed revisions may be discussed with Jim Coakley,
Graduate Council member, from Noon-1:00 PM on both March 30 and April 7 in 300 Austin
Hall. These revisions were initially presented during the March 10, 2016 Faculty Senate
meeting, and a vote on these revisions is anticipated during the April 14, 2016 Faculty Senate
meeting. If you are unable to attend either session, concerns may be forwarded to Jim
Coakley at jim.coakley@bus.oregonstate.edu.
Graduate Council Policy Change Recommendations
a) Doctoral time to degree: For a masters degree, all work must be completed within
seven years (see URL
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=39#Section2268 ). For
doctoral degrees, there is no limit on the time to degree. The only restriction is that the
candidate must repeat the preliminary oral exam every five years (see URL
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=39#Section2268 ).
Recommendation: The Council recommends that the time to degree for doctoral
degrees be set to nine years. Under extenuating circumstances, the Graduate School
has the authority to grant additional time for completion of the degree.
In “Policies Governing Doctoral Degree Programs”—after the section “Graduate Study
Program”, add a section specifying the Time Limit for degree.
(URL http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=40)
Policies Governing Doctoral Degree Programs
Index
General Requirements
Graduate Study Program
Time Limit
Residence
Language Requirements
Preliminary Examination
Thesis
Final Examination
Doctor of Education Requirements
Time Limit
All work toward a doctoral degree, including transferred credits, course work, thesis (if
required), and all examinations, must be completed within nine years. Extensions of
this time limit may be requested by submitting a petition to the Graduate School.
b) Minimum Registration/Continuous Enrollment Policy: (see URL
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=38#Section1804 )
Minimum Registration
Unless on approved leave of absence (see Section II), all graduate students in graduate
degree and certificate programs must register continuously for a minimum of 3 graduate
credits until their degree or certificate is granted or until their status as a credentialseeking graduate student is terminated.
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Unauthorized Break in Registration
A graduate student who takes an unauthorized break in registration by failing to
maintain continuous enrollment or by failing to obtain regular or planned leave of
absence will relinquish his or her graduate standing in the university. Students who wish
to have their graduate standing reinstated will be required to file an Application for
Graduate Readmission, pay the readmission fee, and register for 3 graduate credits for
each term of unauthorized break in registration.
Issues:
Number of leaves of absences are restricted (one for masters, one before prelims
and one after prelims for PhD).
For non-thesis programs (Pharmacy, VetMed, MBA, MPH, etc.), there is not a thesis
component. Students would be forced to take additional course credits that do not
contribute to earning the degree.
If there is a break in registration, and student is readmitted, requirement to charge
for three credits for each unauthorized term is problematic.
Recommendation: Council recommends that the current policy be changed:
1) Presuming we set a time limit on doctoral degrees, we would use the time to
degree as limiting factor on Leave Of Absences (LOAs). The number of LOAs
would not be restricted (as they are in the current policy). However, the
maximum length of a LOA will be 3 terms (not including summer). A student
must renew the LOA before it expires to continue in the LOA status. If the
LOA does lapse, then it will be considered an unauthorized break in
registration.
2) In the event of an unauthorized break in registration, the student must apply
for re-admission to the program. The readmission will reset the catalog year
of admission, and the student must comply with all degree requirements in
place at the time of readmission. Readmission is not guaranteed. When
readmitted, there will not be the requirement to register for three credits for
each term of unauthorized break.
We recommend the following changes:
B. Leave of Absence Categories
Regular. Regular leave of absence is granted on a term-by-term basis in cases where
the student demonstrates good cause (e.g., illness, temporary departure from the
university for employment, family issues, financial need, personal circumstances).
Students who request a leave of absence must:
1. be in good standing,
2. submit the Leave of Absence/Intent to Resume Graduate Status form
indicating each term for which leave is requested, and
3. complete all degree requirements within the time limits established in this
catalog.
Family and Medical Leave. This leave is different from regular leave in that
it is for 12 continuous weeks that may span multiple terms and must meet FMLA
leave requirements as determined by the Office of Human Resources. See policy at
the following URL: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/docs/Graduate-StudentFamily-and-Medical-Leave-Policy.pdf.
C. Limits
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Regular Leave of Absence is granted for a specified time period that may not
exceed three terms, excluding summer session. Time spent in on-leave status will
be included in all time limits pertaining to the student’s degree program.
Family and Medical Leave is available for 12 continuous weeks that may span
multiple terms and must meet FMLA leave requirements as determined by the
Office of Human Resources. These absences will be included in all time limits
pertaining to the student’s degree program. Contact the Graduate School for
additional details.
IV. Unauthorized Break in Registration
A graduate student who takes an unauthorized break in registration by failing to maintain
continuous enrollment or by failing to obtain regular or planned leave of absence will
relinquish his or her graduate standing in the university. Students who wish to have their
graduate standing reinstated will be required to file an Application for Graduate Readmission
and pay the readmission fee. The readmission application must be approved by the
student’s major professor, department/school/program chair, and graduate dean.
Acceptance back into a graduate program is not guaranteed even if the student departed in
good standing. The petitioner for readmission will be required to meet university and
departmental admission requirements and degree completion requirements that are in
effect on the date of readmission. Review of the Application for Graduate Readmission may
also result in a change of residency status from resident to nonresident.
c) Transfer credits:
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=38#Section1802
Courses to be transferred must be graduate level with letter grades of B (3.00) or better.
Courses delivered off-campus or by electronic means must satisfy the OSU guidelines for
the electronic delivery of courses. It is the responsibility of the student wishing to transfer
the course to provide the necessary documentation to satisfy the OSU guidelines.
Traditional extension and correspondence courses with no live or real-time interaction with
the instructor are not transferable.
Issue: Our Ecampus courses are asynchronous. Thus, the last sentence of this policy
would prohibit the use of OSU Ecampus courses as transfer credit.
Recommendation: The council recommends deleting the last sentence. In addition, a link
should be added to a page that contains the “OSU guidelines for electronic delivery of
courses.”
“Courses to be transferred must be graduate level with letter grades of B (3.00) or
better. Courses delivered off-campus or by electronic means must satisfy the OSU
guidelines for the electronic delivery of courses (see URL
http://oregonstate.edu/admin/aa/apaa/academic-programs/curriculum/curricular-policiesand-procedures#85). It is the responsibility of the student wishing to transfer the course to
provide the necessary documentation to satisfy the OSU guidelines.”
d) Accepting three-year degrees:
(http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/admissions/academic-requirements )
If the applicant has completed his or her baccalaureate degree in a country that is a
signatory of the Bologna Declaration, then:
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A Bologna compliant baccalaureate degree at a recognized college or university of at
least three years duration, with a cumulative B average (equivalent 3.00 on a U.S. 4.00
grading scale) on the degree, plus all subsequent graded course work.
Issue
We currently accept three-year undergraduate degrees from Bologna compliant universities.
The Bologna accords were implemented by a consortium of universities and colleges in
Europe – and thus only apply to universities and colleges in Europe.
Other countries that have educational systems similar to Europe, especially India and
Australia, also offer three-year degrees. However, by definition, these schools are not
Bologna compliant.
We are in the last year of a pilot program to accept three-year degrees from India. There
have been very few applicants during this three-year period – thus one would not be able to
draw any conclusions from the pilot program. The opposition to accepting three-year
degrees is generally centered on lack of general education requirements within the degree
programs.
Recommendation:
Programs should have the option of validating that professional and/or three-year degrees
appropriately prepare students for their graduate program of study.
1) Colleges, or programs within a College, may develop a list of countries, or
schools and degree programs within certain countries, that are acceptable. The
list will be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Council and the Graduate
School. If reservations, then the list will be sent to Graduate Admissions Council
for review and approval.
2) When programs submit the Departmental Action Form requesting admission of
the candidate, they will annotate that the student has earned a three-year
degree from a country/school on their approved list.
3) Programs may use a petition process to the Graduate Admissions Council for
individual student situations.
e) Graduate Minor.
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=38#Section1798
A graduate minor is an academic area that clearly supports the major. Master's program
minors must include a minimum of 15 quarter credits of graduate course work; doctoral
minors require a minimum of 18 credits. On a master's or doctoral program, a minor may
be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
an academic area available only as a minor,
a different major,
the same major with a different area of concentration,
an approved major at another institution in the Oregon University System, or
an integrated minor.
An integrated minor consists of a series of cognate courses from two or more areas. These
courses must be outside the major area of concentration, with most of the courses being
outside the major department. The graduate faculty member representing the integrated
minor must be from outside the major department. Graduate minors are listed on the
student's transcript.
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Issue
OUS no longer exists.
Recommendation: Remove item 4. Transfer coursework toward a minor
“… On a master's or doctoral program, a minor may be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
f)
an academic area available only as a minor,
a different major,
the same major with a different area of concentration, or
an integrated minor.
Language requirements
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=39#Section2266
Language Requirements
For the master of arts degree, the student must show foreign language proficiency
(including American Sign Language) equivalent to that attained at the end of a second-year
university course in that language with a grade of "C" (2.00) or better. English is not
considered a foreign language for purposes of this requirement. There is no language
requirement for the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree. For other master’s
degrees, there is no foreign language requirement unless a language is required in the
individual student’s program. The foreign language requirement for the MA degree must be
completed before the student takes the final oral examination for the degree.
Issue. Students may be enrolled in second year language course in same term they are
ready to complete degree requirements. However, they must delay their final exam for an
additional term to meet this requirement.
Recommendation: change the policy to: “A student must be enrolled to complete their
foreign language requirement before they take the final oral examination for the degree”.
Language Requirements
For the master of arts degree, the student must show foreign language proficiency
(including American Sign Language) equivalent to that attained at the end of a second-year
university course in that language with a grade of "C" (2.00) or better. English is not
considered a foreign language for purposes of this requirement. There is no language
requirement for the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree. For other master’s
degrees, there is no foreign language requirement unless a language is required in the
individual student’s program.. A student must be enrolled to complete their foreign
language requirement before they take the final oral examination for the degree.
g) 24 hour rule (URL
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=36#Section1792 )
A postbaccalaureate, nondegree-seeking graduate, or graduate certificate student may be
considered for status as a regular degree-seeking graduate student under one of the
following provisions, depending upon prior academic records:
If the student, prior to entering as a postbaccalaureate, nondegree-seeking graduate, or
graduate certificate student had been denied graduate admission or would have been
ineligible for graduate admission, as determined a posteriori by the University Graduate
Admissions Committee, the postbaccalaureate, nondegree-seeking graduate, or graduate
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certificate student must complete option A or option B below and reapply or reactivate an
application for admission to graduate-level study:
a. complete 24 credits of courses each with a grade of B (3.00) or better, or
b. complete sufficient credits to bring the cumulative grade-point average (that for the
last 90 credits of undergraduate work plus that for courses taken as part of the 24credit rule) to 3.00 or better before being eligible to apply for graduate admission.
Issues:
Reference item a: At Masters level, a student can only transfer 15 credits to satisfy degree
requirements, yet we require 24 credits to demonstrate they are capable of doing graduate
level work. In some programs, students need foundational knowledge which could be used
as all or part of the 24 credits. If, however, the student has met all of the foundation
knowledge requirements for the degree, then it should be sufficient if they complete 15
graduate credits involving lecture and textbook instruction (rather than demonstration and
laboratory study that involves blanket-numbered courses – see course numbering guidelines
at URL http://oregonstate.edu/admin/aa/apaa/academic-programs/curriculum/curricularpolicies-and-procedures#77 ).
Reference item a: There is no specification of the level of credits earned to demonstrate
capability of doing graduate-level work. We recommend only upper-division or graduatelevel coursework be counted.
Recommendation:
a. complete 24 credits of upper-division or graduate-level courses, each with a grade of
B (3.00) or better, or
b. complete 15 credits of graduate coursework involving lecture and textbook
instruction, each with a grade of B (3.00) or better, or
c. complete sufficient credits to bring the cumulative grade-point average (that for the
last 90 credits of undergraduate work plus that for courses taken as part of the 24credit rule) to 3.00 or better before being eligible to apply for graduate admission.
h) Capstone Requirements
(see URL http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=39#Section2264 )
General Requirements
All master’s degree programs require a minimum of 45 graduate credits including thesis (6
to 12 credits) or research-in-lieu-of-thesis (3 to 6 credits). Exceptions to this capstone
requirement are specified under the degree descriptions that follow these universal master’s
degree requirements. Effective fall 2005, all graduate student programs of study submitted
to the Graduate School must consist of, at a minimum, 50 percent graduate stand-alone
courses. The remaining credits may be the 500 component of 400/500 slash courses.
General regulations for all master’s programs are cited here, with certain exceptions
provided for master’s degrees in the professional areas listed on the following pages.
All master’s students must:
a. Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work, and
b. Demonstrate mastery of subject material, and
c. Be able to conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner
The assessment of these outcomes and the specification of learning objectives related to
these outcomes are to be carried out at the program level.
Issue:
Within the University, we have four types of “capstone” requirements that have evolved
within our existing graduate programs (See table below):
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

Two that are research-based
 Thesis
 Research-in-lieu-of-Thesis (some projects)
Two that are non-research-based
 Integrative Experience (internship, field work, etc.)
 No capstone -- coursework only (MEng, EdM)
Existing non-research-based programs do not meet our current policy that requires
thesis (6 to 12 credits) or research-in-lieu-of-thesis (3 to 6 credits), and may not meet
learning outcome (a).
Recommendation:
Change General Requirements and Graduate Learning Outcome (a) to allow integrative
capstone experience.
All master’s degree programs require a minimum of 45 graduate credits including thesis
(6 to 12 credits), research-in-lieu-of-thesis (3 to 6 credits), or an integrative capstone
experience (3 to 6 credits).
a.
Conduct research, produce some other form of creative work, or participate in an
integrative capstone experience; and
Capstone
Requirement
Final Oral
Exam
Research Paper
Required
Research Paper
Required
Not Specified
Required
Master of Business Administration
45
Master of Business Administration and
MBAA Accountancy
45
Project
Required
Project
EdM
Master of Education
45
Required
Written
Exam
MEng
Master of Engineering
45
MFA
Master of Fine Arts
60
Coursework?
No Thesis or
Project
Required
no - all required
to complete thesis Required
MFor
Master of Forestry
45
MHP
Master of Health Physics
45
MMP
Master of Medical Physics
45
MNR
Master of Natural Resources
MPH
Degree Name
MAIS
Master of Agriculture
Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary
Studies
Credits
45 - 24 outside of
major
49 - min of 9 in each
area
MAT
Master of Arts in Teaching
48
MAg
MBA
Technical report Required
Not Specified, but
non-research
focus
Required
Required
45
Not Specified
Non-thesis only,
capstone project
Master of Public Health
60
Project
Required
MPP
Master of Public Policy
62
Essay
Required
PSM
Professional Science Master
50 - 57
Internship
Required
i)
Exam Requirements
(http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=39#Section2270)
Final Examination
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Required
Successful completion of a final oral examination is required for all master's degrees with
the exception of students who complete the nonthesis option under the EdM degree. In
those cases, nonthesis EdM students must take a final written examination. Some
departments also require the student to pass a written exam prior to the oral exam.
The final oral examination for master's candidates may, at the discretion of the graduate
program, consist of a public thesis defense followed by a closed session of the examining
committee with the candidate. Under normal circumstances, the final oral examination
should be scheduled for two hours.
For master's candidates whose programs require a thesis, not more than half of the
examination period should be devoted to the presentation and defense of the thesis; the
remaining time can be spent on questions relating to the student's knowledge of the major
field, and minor field if a minor is included in the program of study. Graduate faculty serving
on thesis-oriented master's degree programs may contribute to the direction of the
student's thesis, will assess the student's thesis and his or her defense of it in the final oral
examination, will vote to pass or fail the student, and may sign the thesis when it is in
acceptable final form. The examining committee consists of at least four members of the
graduate faculty—two in the major field, one in the minor field if a minor is included, and a
Graduate Council representative. When a minor is not included, the fourth member may be
from the graduate faculty at large. All members of the student's graduate committee must
approve the scheduling of the final examination.
Students writing a thesis must have a Graduate Council representative on their committee.
It is the student's responsibility to obtain his or her own Graduate Council representative
from a list provided by the Graduate School. This must be done prior to scheduling the final
exam.
When no thesis is involved, not more than half of the examination period should be devoted
to the presentation of the research project; the remaining time can be spent on questions
relating to the student's knowledge of the major field, and minor field if one is included in
the program. For nonthesis master's degree programs, the major professor is responsible
for directing and assigning a final grade for the research or culminating project. Other
members of the nonthesis committee will assess the student's defense of the project in the
final oral examination, as well as the student's knowledge of his or her field, and vote to
pass or fail the student. The examining committee consists of three members of the
graduate faculty—two in the major field and one in the minor field if a minor is included.
When a minor is not included, the third member may be from the graduate faculty at large.
Issue:
Examination requirement presumes thesis or research-in-lieu-of-thesis.
Recommendation:
Add to the final examination policy to allow non-M.A., non-M.S.“M.Other” degrees flexibility
in terms of final exams/summative assessments:
For all non-M.A., non-M.S. master’s degrees, (e.g. MBA, MENG, MAT, MFA, MPH) programs
may bring forward a proposal to allow for an alternative summative assessment in lieu of
the final oral exam requirement. The alternative could include, for example, a national
licensure/credentialing exam or substantive project portfolio review. In the case of national
licensure exams, individual thesis review committees are usually not necessary. For most
other types of summative assessments at least two faculty must grade the final assessment
and have a provision for a third faculty member to participate if there is not consensus.
Proposals should include a description of how the three university-level graduate learning
outcomes will be adequately assessed by the program using the alternative summative
assessment. Programs may also request an exemption from a Masters-level graduate
learning outcome but should provide a strong rationale for doing so (e.g. Provide evidence
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of similar alternative approaches used by other universities with equivalent degrees). Any
alternative summative assessment and/or variation from the standard faculty composition
of the examination composition must be approved by the Graduate Council and listed by
program in the course catalog.
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