Academic Catalog 2017-2018 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
Academic Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Academic Information - Graduate Studies


Change of Schedule 

Course(s) may be added to or dropped from a student’s schedule during the time specified in the official university calendar. For the Plainview cam-pus, schedule changes must be approved by the graduate studies office. For external campuses, the executive director/dean or an approved counselor must approve schedule changes. Other regulations related to adding or dropping a course follow:

Adding a Course

To add a course, a student who attends the Plainview campus, or who is classified as an online student, must contact the graduate studies office in order to add additional courses to their schedule. The contact can be made via e-mail confirmation by the student with the following information required: student’s name, student ID number, and course(s) to be added to the schedule. For student’s who attend an external campus, they should contact the campus for the appropriate paperwork. There is no charge for adding a course. Under no circumstance may a course be added after the end of late registration as indicated in the official University calendar.

Dropping a Course

To drop a course, a student who attends the Plainview campus, or who is classified as an online student, must contact the graduate studies office in order to drop courses in their schedule. The contact can be made via e-mail confirmation by the student with the following information required: student’s name, student ID number, and course(s) to be added to the schedule. Student’s who attend an external campus should contact the campus for the appropriate paperwork. A fee of $10 will be charged for each course dropped. A student may drop a course without record through the date indicated in the official calendar for Last Day to Drop Without Record. For courses dropped after that date, the student may receive a W, indicating withdrawal, by dropping the course prior to the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a W as indicated in the official calendar.

Students dropping a course after the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a W may receive a WP or WF by dropping the course prior to the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a WP or WF as indicated in the official calendar. Students dropping courses after that date will receive the grade assigned by the course instructor. A student is officially dropped from a course only after the student has submitted in writing (i.e., via e-mail) a request for drop and the request has been presented to the Business Office, and all necessary fees paid. Failure to notify in writing (i.e., via e-mail) can result in a grade of F in courses affected.

Repetition of a Course

A graduate student may repeat once any course taken at the University. All grades received will remain on the transcript, but only the second grade will be used to calculate the cumulative GPA.

A course may be repeated for multiple credit toward graduation only when so designated in the catalog course description and approved by the graduate advisor and academic school dean. In cases where this regulation is violated, only the last effort will be calculated into the GPA.

Withdrawal from the University

(Withdrawing from the University is defined as “dropping all courses in which currently enrolled.”) A student who finds it necessary to withdraw from the University must file a written request (i.e., via e-mail) to the graduate studies office or with the external campus executive director/ dean by the Last Day to Officially Drop or Withdraw as indicated in the official university calendar. Failure to file this form may result in grades of F in courses then in progress.

A student may withdraw without record through the date indicated in the official calendar for Last Day to Drop Without Record. For courses dropped after that date, the student may receive a W, indicating withdrawal, by withdrawing prior to the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a W as indicated in the official calendar. A student withdrawing after the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a W may receive a WP or WF by withdrawing prior to the Last Day to Drop or Withdraw With a WP or WF as indicated in the official calendar. A student withdrawing after that date will receive a grade assigned by the course instructor. A student who withdraws from the university according to the procedures stipulated will be allowed a grace period of two working days to rescind the withdrawal. Reinstatement is allowed only during regular class days. Therefore, final examination days and days thereafter are specifically excluded.

Students enrolled on the Plainview campus and who live in student housing who withdraw from the university must have a “Withdrawal Card” appropriately completed with all required signatures.

To receive a refund and/or a transcript, all accounts in the Business Office must be paid. 

Administrative Withdrawal from the University

A student who fails to comply with University regulations may be required to withdraw after university review. In such a case, a W will be assigned for all courses currently in progress. This action will be posted to the permanent record and a statement retained in the academic file.

Auditing Courses 

A student may attend classes for a graduate course without receiving credit if he or she completes a Graduate Application for Admission and a Course Audit Form at the time of registration, and has the permission of both the instructor of the course and either the external campus executive director/dean or the dean of the school in which the course is offered. A fee of one-third tuition in addition to all course fees is required. No credit is awarded and no record of the student’s attendance is maintained. Audits are on a space-available basis and no refund will be given if the course is dropped. Under no circumstance may an audit be converted to credit.

Academic Probation and Suspension 

Every student enrolled in the graduate program, whether working toward a degree or not, is required to maintain a high level of performance and to comply fully with the policies of the University. The Graduate School reserves the right to place on probation or to suspend any post-baccalaureate or graduate student who does not maintain satisfactory academic standing or who fails to conform to the regulations of the university. GPA is calculated from the initial point of enrollment in Wayland graduate course work. Leveling courses are not included in calculating graduate GPA. Wayland’s graduate program will honor the probation or suspension imposed by other institutions.

Academic Probation

Except for the Master of Divinity Degree, a student is placed on academic probation when his or her cumulative GPA fall below 3.0 or a grade of D is earned. It is recommended that courses with grades adversely affecting GPA be repeated as soon as possible. A student who is on who is on probation must raise the cumulative GPA to 3.0 or better within the next two terms or the student will be placed on academic suspension.

Academic Suspension

Except for the Master of Divinity Degree, academic Suspension occurs when a student’s cumulative GPA remains below 3.0 beyond the period of academic probation or when a grade of F is earned. In the aforementioned situations, external campus and WBUonline students are required to sit out two consecutive terms of 11 weeks or more (for a minimum of 22 weeks). Plainview campus students are required to sit out one long term. Plainview students placed on suspension during the fall term must sit out the spring term and will be eligible for reinstatement to the graduate program during the summer term. Plainview students placed on suspension in the spring term must sit out the summer and fall terms and will be eligible for reinstatement to the graduate program during the winter online or external term. For the purposes of this policy, the May micro-term is considered part of the spring term and the compressed format summer terms are combined into a single long term.

Academic Probation and Suspension: Master of Divinity Degree

Academic probation and suspension for Master of Divinity students is based on cumulative GPA calculated from the initial point of enrollment in Wayland graduate coursework. A student will be placed on academic probation when the cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students on probation will be restricted to four hours (or less, if so advised). A student on academic probation who receives a term GPA above 2.0 but whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 will be placed on continued academic probation for the next term. Students in this category will be restricted to four hours (or less, if so advised). A student who fails to attain a term GPA of 2.0 or who fails a course while on academic probation will be immediately suspended from the university. In the aforementioned situations, external campus and WBUonline students are required to sit out two consecutive terms of 11 weeks or more (for a minimum of 22 weeks). Plainview campus students are required to sit out one long term. Plainview students placed on suspension during the fall term must sit out the spring term and will be eligible for reinstatement to the graduate program during the summer term. Plainview students placed on suspension in the spring term must sit out the summer and fall terms and will be eligible for reinstatement to the graduate program during the winter online or external term. For the purposes of this policy, the May microterm is considered part of the spring term and the compressed format summer terms are combined into a single long term.

Change of Degree

Graduate students on probation may not change degree programs without a recommendation and special request from the Executive Director/Campus Dean (for external campus students) or the Academic School Dean (for Plainview and WBUonline students) to the Office of Graduate Studies. If a suspended student wants to be readmitted to a different program after serving out the appropriate length of time, that student must reapply to the Graduate Program with the application subject to the approval of the Academic School Dean for the program in which the student is applying.

Readmission

After being on suspension status for the designated length of time outlined above, a student must reapply to the graduate program. Each readmission decision is made on an individual basis. If a student is readmitted after being suspended, the student must repeat the work that resulted in suspension during the first available opportunity.