Academic Policies
Academic policies for graduate students are published on the Florida Tech website (Graduate Policies). All graduate students are advised to review graduate policy early in their graduate careers and to refer to the website or the Office of Graduate Programs on the Melbourne campus if in doubt about any aspect of graduate policy.
Admission Policies
All graduate applications are reviewed by the Office of Graduate Admission and/or the respective academic department to determine an applicant’s potential for success and admissibility to the university.
All graduate applicants must possess, or be scheduled to be conferred, a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited domestic institution or its international equivalent, prior to enrollment at this university. Previous conferred degree programs must provide suitable preparation for success in the applicant’s chosen graduate field of study.
An applicant who does not have a graduate degree must have earned a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale to the most recent undergraduate degree. An applicant with a graduate degree must have earned a minimum grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale in the most recent graduate degree. All students are encouraged to apply as Florida Tech individually reviews each applicant for the ability to be successful in their chosen degree programs.
Applicants may be admitted below the minimum GPA or with deficiencies in prior coursework if it is determined by the academic dean or their designee that the student possesses the potential for success within their department. Admitted graduate students with deficiencies will be notified, at the time of admission, of any additional coursework that must be completed within their program of study.
Application Deadlines and Requirements
Prospective students can apply for admission any time within a year prior to the desired entry term by visiting Applying to Florida Tech. The university evaluates applications on a rolling basis.
The following specific graduate programs within the School of Psychology and Behavior Analysis have designated or priority application deadlines, and admitted students are limited to fall semester entry only.
- December 1 - Psy.D. Clinical Psychology
- January 15 – M.S. I/O Psychology; Ph.D. Behavior Analysis and I/O Psychology
- February 15 – M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), M.S. Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
An applicant for graduate admission must submit the following items to be evaluated for admission to the university:
Application: A complete online application through the designated university application system.
Application Fee: As published on the university website.
Transcripts: Official or unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities attended in the US or international equivalent, in which the applicant has completed 12 or more semester credit hours and/or has been conferred an undergraduate or graduate degree. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable to make an admission decision. Additionally, international degree programs that are determined equivalent to US bachelor’s degree programs are acceptable to include 3-year bachelor’s degrees obtained from any A or higher (Division I) NACC rated university or international programs that partake in the Bologna Process agreement.
It is recommended that applicants review Program-Specific Application Requirements that are published for each degree program. They may include the following:
Recommendations: Individuals who can attest to previous academic and professional performance and to the potential for success in graduate study should email letters of recommendation directly to the graduate admissions office or use the elink provided by the student. At least one letter of recommendation, if required, should be from a full-time faculty member, especially if the applicant is applying to a doctoral program; if a master’s thesis was carried out, a letter from the thesis advisor is normally required.
Résumé: The résumé should detail all past professional and educational experiences, including such information as publications and memberships in professional organizations. Nontraditional educational experiences, teaching and relevant employment should also be discussed.
Statement of Objectives: This statement of approximately 300 words should include a discussion of intended graduate study, professional career goals, and past and proposed activities in the field of study.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Official scores not more than five years old may be required. The computer-based test (CBT) is now the standard form for the General Test and may be taken year-round at designated sites around the country. International students may still have an opportunity to take the paper-based test at selected sites.
For a listing of the sites, check the GRE Information and Registration Bulletin available online. The official test results are mailed within four to six weeks of the examination date. The unofficial test results for the CBT are available immediately after the test. The official results of the CBT are mailed within 10 to 15 days of the examination date.
English Language Proficiency: Any student whose home language is not English may be accepted for any degree program, but will be subject to limitations on registration for academic courses until certain English language requirements are met. Florida Tech Online students must provide proof of English language proficiency before attending courses. For details, see General Academic Information (All Students) .
Reapplication: Admission to most graduate programs is valid for one year from the semester of acceptance, subject to approval by the respective department head, but for the Psy.D. program and all biological sciences graduate programs, admission is only valid for the semester of acceptance. Individuals wishing to begin or resume graduate work after a two-year lapse are required to reapply for admission. Individuals who leave Florida Tech and attend another university without first having received written permission must reapply for admission and submit grade transcripts regardless of the length of time since last attending Florida Tech. See Readmission Policy under General Academic Information (All Students) .
Admissions Decisions
Admission decisions are made within a few weeks after a completed application is received. All offers of admission are contingent upon an applicant successfully graduating, and being conferred, a bachelor’s degree prior to enrollment.
Graduate admission decisions are determined by the respective academic department. An academic dean or their designee can delegate graduate admission authority to the Office of Graduate Admission with admission guidance for designated programs. The graduate application evaluator may defer an admission decision if the evaluator determines that more background information is needed to determine potential for success. Deferred applicants will be notified to access the Application Portal to review what additional documents are needed to render an admission decision.
Admitted Student Requirements
Graduate applicants will receive an electronic notification, within two business days after an application is reviewed, that a decision has been posted by graduate admission to their Application Portal. Through their application portal, applicants will find the decision(s) displayed and will have the option to print official letters. Students must be admitted to a degree program prior to registering for courses.
After a graduate applicant is admitted, graduate admission will verify required items and actions that must be submitted by the end of the first 16 weeks of classes to be eligible for continued registration. It will include a request for final, official copies of transcripts and score reports for any student admitted based on unofficial documents.
Course Loads
Melbourne Campus and Education Centers
Students may register for a maximum of 14 semester credit hours for any fall or spring semester and 13 semester credit hours for any summer term. Registration in excess requires the prior written permission of the dean of the appropriate college.
Florida Tech Online
Students may register for a maximum six credit hours per term. Registration to exceed six credit hours requires students to contact their academic department.
ABA Online
Students may register for a maximum 7 credit hours per term. Registration to exceed 7 credit hours requires students to contact their academic department.
Master’s Degree Policies
Assignment to one of the following classifications is made at the time of admission.
Regular Student: A student who has earned a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all coursework applied to the most recent undergraduate degree earned, or a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the final 60 semester credit hours of coursework applied to the most recent undergraduate degree earned. Individual academic units may have higher minimum standards.
Special Student: Special student classifications exist at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and are used for students who, for various reasons, are not enrolled in degree programs. Specific instances include:
- a student taking coursework for credit to apply at another institution;
- a student taking courses to fill specific professional or vocational needs; or
- a prospective graduate student with generally acceptable undergraduate achievements but with subject-matter deficiencies (usually as a result of changing fields) that, in the judgment of the academic unit, precludes immediate acceptance to the degree program.
In the last-mentioned case, the student will normally have the option of pursuing an undergraduate degree in the desired discipline or making up the deficiencies while enrolled as a special student. The student will then be considered for admission to the appropriate graduate degree program once sufficient additional work has been done to form an adequate basis for a decision by the academic unit.
The customary classification of special students will be as undergraduate students, regardless of the existence of previous bachelor’s degrees. A student may, however, be classified as a special graduate student. In such a case, designation and continuation of graduate student status will be at the discretion of the respective academic unit, or the director of graduate programs in the case of students who are not seeking eventual admission to a graduate degree program.
Course Requirements
A candidate for the master’s degree must successfully complete at least 30 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree as specified on the approved program plan. A candidate for the specialist degree must successfully complete at least 30 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree as specified on the approved program plan. To qualify for a graduate degree from the university, no less than one third of the credit hours required for graduation must be completed at Florida Tech.
Course requirements are stated in each master’s degree program description. Students who meet certain requirements may be eligible to participate in accelerated master’s programs that entail completing both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. High-achieving students are strongly recommended to discuss this option with their advisors. Accelerated programs are not available in all majors or colleges.
The stated minimum credit hours can include any or all of the following, subject to academic unit approval and specific restrictions stated in graduate policy:
- Up to 12 semester hours of credit transferred from an accredited institution or, in some cases, from a foreign university or, in the case of a partner institution in a dual-degree program with Florida Tech, up to half of the total minimum credit hours.
- Up to six semester hours of credit for 3000- and 4000-level undergraduate courses taken while enrolled in a graduate program at Florida Tech provided that graduate-level rigor is documented. Only 4000-level courses will be considered if the courses are in the student’s major field of study.
- Up to nine credit hours (nonthesis or nondesign project formal coursework) applied to the first degree may be used to satisfy the requirements of the second or subsequent degree. At least one-half of the coursework leading to any master’s degree granted by Florida Tech must have been taken at Florida Tech but never applied to any other degree.
- Credit in excess of the seven-year statute of limitations if a waiver is in effect, in accordance with the statute of limitations as defined in this catalog.
Academic credit applied toward the requirements of a bachelor’s degree, at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may not be used in any graduate program at Florida Tech, regardless of the level of the course. An exception to this policy is granted only for students during their senior year when earning at least a B grade, and who have been admitted into an approved accelerated or fast track master’s program, to apply up to 6 5000-level (graduate) credit hours to both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Master’s students may receive written authorization to take an undergraduate course (generally at the 4000-level) and apply it to their master’s degree requirements (Graduate Policy 1.9). Once an undergraduate course is approved for use in the master’s degree and moved to the graduate transcript, no reversal is permitted.
Program Plan
Each masters-level graduate student is required to have an approved program plan on file no later than one month before nine credit hours of graduate courses have been completed.
Only one program plan per degree can be in effect for a student at any given time. Because of the importance of the program plan in establishing a new program GPA following a change of major, no request to change majors will be processed unless accompanied by an approved new program plan. This requirement applies whether or not a degree was earned in the first major.
Graduate students receive a degree program plan/flow chart showing the most commonly accepted sequence of courses for their degree program as soon as admission is complete. Students should contact their academic program chair or advisor if they have not received a degree program plan/flow chart.
Graduation Requirements
Master’s and Specialist Degree Final Assessment and Committee Requirements
All master’s and specialist degree candidates must complete a culminating experience as part of their degree. The format, such as a thesis, final program examination, capstone, portfolio or professional practice project, is determined by each academic program and must align with program learning outcomes and university academic standards.
Students must hold a minimum 3.0 program GPA and 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA at the time of final assessment or degree conferral.
Thesis Option Programs
Students completing a thesis must complete at least 30 credit hours, including 6 thesis credit hours, conduct original research under faculty supervision, submit a thesis that meets university formatting standards, successfully complete an oral thesis defense, and submit the final approved thesis to the university repository.
A thesis committee must comprise at least three graduate faculty members, including committee chair from the student’s home academic unit (typically the thesis advisor), academic unit graduate faculty in the student’s unit and graduate faculty from outside the student’s home academic unit serving in an outside member role. Committees must be established at least four weeks before the defense. Changes require approval from the Office of Graduate Programs.
After initial thesis registration, students must remain continuously enrolled in thesis credits each semester until the defense and submission of the approved manuscript. Limited exceptions require formal approval. The thesis manuscript must be submitted to the committee at least two weeks before the defense. The oral defense may include open and closed portions; passage is determined solely by the thesis committee. Students may have up to three defense attempts under approved conditions. A third failure (or denial of a third attempt) results in dismissal from the major and a transcript notation.
Final Program Examination (Nonthesis Programs)
Programs using a final program examination require at least 30 credit hours of coursework and a written and/or oral exam covering the major field.
The examination occurs during the student’s final full semester of enrollment (excluding summer). Students must have a minimum of 3.0 program and 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA and have completed at least 70% of program coursework before the examination semester begins.
The final examination committee must comprise at least three graduate faculty members, including committee chair from the student’s home academic unit, academic unit graduate faculty in the student’s unit and graduate faculty from outside the student’s home academic unit serving in an outside member role. Committees must be established at least four weeks before the defense. Changes require approval from the Office of Graduate Programs.
Students may attempt the exam up to three times with required waiting periods between attempts. A third failure (or denial of a third attempt) results in dismissal from the major and a transcript notation.
Professional Practice-Oriented or Structured Curriculum Programs
These nonthesis, coursework only programs require a minimum 30 credit hours of coursework and demonstrated mastery through capstones, portfolios, structured course sequences or supervised professional practice experiences.
Capstone courses may require a substantial project demonstrating integration of program learning outcomes and are graded using standard academic grading (A-F). Programs with internships or other experiential components include faculty evaluation of student performance.
Successful completion of all required coursework with a minimum 3.0 program GPA and 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA serves as the final program assessment for these programs.
Transfer Credit
If the courses constitute a logical part of the student’s master’s program, a maximum of 12 semester hours of transfer credit from accredited institutions may be accepted, with the approval of the head of the appropriate academic unit and the director of graduate programs under the following conditions:
- The courses must have been taken for graduate credit and must not have been applied previously to any undergraduate degree.
- They must have been graded courses, and grades of at least B- or its equivalent must have been earned in each course.
Graduate Study at Other Institutions
A currently enrolled student may take a limited number of courses at other institutions for transfer to a Florida Tech graduate degree program. The restrictions on graduate transfer credit listed above apply. Prior approval is mandatory. The student must complete and submit the designated form with all required signatures and written justification. A copy of the other institution’s published course description(s) must be attached. The student must arrange for an official transcript to be sent by the other institution directly to the Florida Tech registrar’s office.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) and Doctor of Aviation (Av.D.) degrees include the general requirements listed here and specific program-by-program requirements and variations as presented in later sections. In addition to the Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D. degrees, the university also offers the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree, described under the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts in the Degree Programs section. To qualify for a graduate degree from the university, no less than one third of the credit hours required for graduation must be completed at Florida Tech.
The Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D. degrees are awarded on the basis of clear evidence that the recipient possesses knowledge of a broad field of learning and mastery of a particular area of concentration within that field. The work leading to the degree consists of advanced studies and research that represents a significant contribution to knowledge in the subject area. Each student must complete an approved program of study, pass a comprehensive examination, complete an original research program, and prepare and defend a dissertation on that research.
Credit Hour Requirements
Although the Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D. are awarded primarily on the basis of original scholarly accomplishment rather than the accumulation of a specified number of credit hours, minimum standards are enforced regarding the number of credit hours that must be successfully completed by all Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D. students, subject to the limitations delineated in the graduate policy.
Graduate Policy 2.2.2 lists minimum requirements for total credit hours, coursework (formal and informal) credit hours, dissertation credit hours and supervised research credit hours.
Credit earned for courses taken in fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree, either at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may be used in meeting some of the minimum requirement for coursework, subject to the restrictions stated above and provided the courses are directly applicable to the field of the doctoral degree. A student should expect to take a significant amount of coursework at a more advanced level, even if graduate degrees in more than one field have been earned.
Doctoral students may receive written authorization to take an undergraduate course (generally at the 4000 level) and apply it to their doctoral degree requirements (Graduate Policy 2.2.2). Once an undergraduate course is approved for use in the doctoral degree and moved to the graduate transcript, no reversal is permitted.
Doctoral Committee
At least 90 days before the comprehensive examination, the student must select a major advisor with the concurrence of the individual selected and the student’s academic unit head. The major advisor serves as both the research supervisor and chair of the doctoral committee and need not be the same person who served as the academic advisor while the student was taking courses.
At least 60 days before the comprehensive examination, the major advisor nominates a doctoral committee for approval by the student’s academic unit head and the director of graduate programs. The committee consists of at least four Florida Tech graduate faculty members, including the major advisor. One member must be a full-time graduate faculty member from an academic unit that is administratively different from the student’s and major advisor’s. At least three members, including the major advisor, must be approved for doctoral-level advising.
This committee serves in an advisory capacity throughout the remainder of the doctoral program and is responsible for formally evaluating the candidate’s progress by conducting the comprehensive examination, reviewing and approving the dissertation proposal, conducting the dissertation defense and approving the dissertation.
Comprehensive Examination
After the completion of all formal coursework (as determined by the academic unit) included in the doctoral program of study, the student is required to take a comprehensive examination administered by the doctoral committee established for the student. The examination covers the student’s major area of emphasis in-depth but may also include other areas considered appropriate by the doctoral committee. The examination may be written, oral or both, according to the requirements of each doctoral program. To pass, the student must have the unanimous approval of the committee.
A student who does not pass the examination may, at the option of a majority of the committee, be allowed one opportunity to retake the examination after a suitable period of study. The examination must be passed at least one calendar year before the degree is awarded. Scheduling the examination to meet this requirement is the responsibility of the candidate and their committee. A candidate must be enrolled at the time the examination is taken. Otherwise, a separate examination fee must be paid.
Dissertation Proposal
Subsequent to the successful completion of the comprehensive examination, a dissertation proposal must be submitted to the doctoral committee, who ascertains whether the subject of the dissertation is of doctoral quality and that completion of the dissertation is feasible.
Degree Candidacy
An overall grade point average of 3.2 is required for admission to candidacy. After a student has passed the comprehensive examination and has had the dissertation proposal approved by the doctoral committee, the student will be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree by submitting the required form for approval and forwarding it to the registrar.
Residency Requirement
The residency requirement consists of the performance of research under the direct supervision of Florida Tech faculty for at least one calendar year and enrollment in a Florida Tech graduate program for a minimum of two years from the time of original registration.
Doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy must normally register each academic term thereafter for at least three credit hours of dissertation throughout the remainder of their program. In some cases, registration for fewer credit hours is permitted in the final semester of registration. See the online graduate policies for details. After admission to doctoral candidacy, an interruption in registration is permissible only if the student is not making any use of university facilities or personnel and has obtained written approval by the academic unit head and the director of graduate programs.
The student’s dissertation performance is evaluated in each term of registration, and grades of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) are assigned. These grades do not affect the student’s grade point average. S grades corresponding to the required number of dissertation credit hours are replaced by grades of P (pass) upon successful completion of the dissertation.
Dissertation Preparation and Defense
The dissertation must demonstrate critical judgment, intellectual synthesis, creativity and skills in written communication. The general format must follow the guidelines established by the academic unit and the Office of Graduate Programs. Copies of the dissertation must be submitted to the doctoral committee at least one month before the proposed date of the dissertation defense. The Office of Graduate Programs must receive written notification of the defense at least two weeks before its scheduled date. The candidate and his or her committee chair are responsible for scheduling the examination and notifying the graduate programs office.
The doctoral committee administers the dissertation defense. The defense may be partitioned into two components: an optional open component open to anyone, and a mandatory closed component open only to members of the graduate faculty. If an academic unit requires a candidate’s defense to include an open component, this must be stated as a degree requirement in the university catalog entry for that Ph.D. program. Requirements for the degree are not completed until the dissertation is accepted by the graduate programs office. A completed UMI Publishing Agreement form and Survey of Earned Doctorates form (both available online and from the graduate programs office) and an additional title page and abstract must accompany the required dissertation copies.
Academic Unit Requirements
The requirements specified above comprise the minimum requirements for doctoral degrees at Florida Tech. Academic units may specify additional requirements for their doctoral degrees as defined by Florida Tech graduate policy.
Grading System
Graduate work is evaluated by letter grades, with only grades of A, B, C and P being credited toward graduate degrees. Grades of D, F and U are failing grades in graduate courses. Failed courses must be repeated at the earliest opportunity if they are required courses. An elective course in which a D or F is received must be repeated unless the academic unit approves an additional course to be taken in its place. When P/F (pass/fail) grading is used, the total credit hours earned increases without having any effect on the GPA if a grade of P is earned, whereas no credit hours are earned and the GPA is adversely affected in the case of a grade of F, just as with any other F. P/F grading is used for certain courses and for master’s theses, design projects, doctoral dissertations and doctoral research projects. The program GPA is based on the student’s program plan and includes all courses shown on the program plan as applying toward the degree, both graduate numbered and undergraduate numbered.
In cases where the degree-related GPA referred to above does not include all graduate courses taken at Florida Tech, an overall GPA is also calculated and reported. Graduate courses used to compute the overall GPA, but not the program GPA, include courses taken as deficiencies, courses unrelated to the student’s degree program, courses taken before a change of major and courses taken in satisfaction of the requirements of a previously earned graduate degree. Courses related to the degree program that are taken in excess of degree requirements are normally included in the program plan. It is not possible to delete a course from the GPA once the course has been taken, although an exception is made if the statute of limitations is exceeded, at which time it is dropped from the program plan and from both the program and overall GPAs on written request. Courses are not otherwise dropped from the overall GPA except by special action of the Graduate Council following a change of major. If no degree was earned in the first major and the courses are clearly not applicable to the new major, the council can approve deletion from the overall GPA.
Grades of S and U are used as progress grades in thesis, dissertation, design project, research and internship, and final grades in some zero-credit seminar courses. They are similar to grades of P and F except that they carry no credit, and S grades (when used as progress grades) may be replaced at any later time by credit-carrying grades of P. U grades remain on the transcript permanently, but like grades of S, they do not affect the GPA.
The basic requirement for receiving any master’s degree is a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale where A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0. Both the overall GPA and the applicable program GPA must be 3.0 or greater for a master’s degree to be awarded.
For a doctoral student, a 3.2 program GPA represents minimal satisfactory academic performance and is required for admission to candidacy and for graduation. In addition, an overall GPA of at least 3.0 is required, based on all courses taken as a graduate student at Florida Tech.
Statute of Limitations
Master’s Degree
A seven-year statute of limitations is in effect on all work applied toward a master’s degree at Florida Tech. All coursework and thesis research, including thesis/design project acceptance or final program examination, must be completed within a total elapsed time span of not more than seven years. The student’s department head may approve a waiver of the statute of limitations for up to six semester credit hours of coursework taken either at Florida Tech or elsewhere, subject to the following conditions:
- Any course so approved must have been completed within the previous 10 years and with a grade of at least B.
- Only those courses where course content has not changed significantly in the intervening years may be approved.
- The student must provide evidence of current mastery of the course content.
The department head must notify the registrar in writing of the action.
In the case of a waiver request that does not conform to these requirements, or a request involving more than six semester credit hours, the dean of the appropriate college or school may either deny the request outright or approve it based on accompanying proof of currency by written examination endorsed by Florida Tech faculty with a recommendation for a favorable decision by the academic unit head. In no case will a waiver request be considered if the original course grade was less than a B.
All waivers will be valid for a period of seven years from the date they were granted.
Courses over the time limit for which the limit has not been waived will not be included in GPA calculations subject to the following conditions:
- The request be made in writing by the student
- Notification of the department head and director of graduate programs of the request indicated by affixing their signatures prior to forwarding the student’s request to the registrar.
Education Center Full Course Load and Time Limits
The normal course load for a part-time education center student is two courses per semester, each requiring one class attendance each week. This allows completion of a degree program in less than two years, less if transfer credits are accepted. Although a degree program may be extended beyond two years, the cumulative work including transfer credits may not span an elapsed time of more than seven years.
Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Business Administration and Doctor of Aviation (Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D.) Degrees
The statute of limitations for students pursuing a Ph.D./D.B.A./Av.D. degree is five years from the end of the academic semester during which the comprehensive examination is successfully completed. If this period should expire before completion of the degree, and if the student wishes to continue enrollment in the program, a new doctoral committee must be formed and the comprehensive examination must be re-administered. This new examination should reflect developments of importance in the area of study occurring since the first examination, as well as areas of general importance.
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) Degree
A student who has not completed the requirements for the degree within seven years of initial enrollment will no longer be considered a candidate for the degree. Appeals for reinstatement of candidacy status must be directed to the Graduate Council.
Graduate Academic Standing and Dismissal
Master’s students must continue to demonstrate academic proficiency in coursework and must show reasonable progress toward the 3.0 cumulative GPA required for graduation.
Master’s students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 are no longer considered to be in academic good standing. Students are returned to good standing by earning a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
Students no longer in academic good standing who fail to meet the required minimum term GPA of 3.0 will have their academic standing progress sequentially through warning, probation and dismissal as outlined below. Students’ transcripts will be annotated at the end of each term. Students and their academic units will be informed about the student’s academic standing in writing at the end of any term when the cumulative GPA is below 3.0.
Academic Warning: The university will place a graduate student on academic warning when he/she began a term in academic good standing but did not maintain a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of the term. This status serves as an early intervention mechanism. Students on academic warning are expected to:
- meet with their academic advisor within the first two weeks of the next term to develop an academic improvement plan, and
- utilize appropriate academic support services as recommended by their advisor.
Academic Probation: A graduate student enters academic probation status when he/she begins a term in academic warning and fail to achieve either the minimum 3.0 term GPA or the minimum 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA required. During the probationary period, students are expected to:
- meet with their academic advisor within the first two weeks of the next term to develop an academic improvement plan,
- complete any remedial coursework specified by the program, and
- utilize appropriate academic support services as recommended by their advisor.
Academic Dismissal: For graduate students, academic dismissal occurs under any of the following circumstances:
- Progressive Academic Deficiency: For a student who began the term on academic probation, failure to achieve the minimum 3.0 term GPA required.
- Immediate Dismissal Conditions:
- A cumulative graduate GPA less than 2.0 at any time.
- Two or more failing grades (D, F, or U) in any courses taken as a graduate student.
- Program Specific Requirements:
- Failure to meet program-specific academic requirements, including, but not limited to, unsatisfactory performance on the final attempt of a final program examination, master’s thesis defense, doctoral comprehensive examination, doctoral proposal defense, dissertation defense or other required milestones.
- Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) Program Only: Unsatisfactory grade for one semester for 9 credit hours of internship.
- Professional Conduct:
- Failure to maintain satisfactory progress in coursework and/or research, as determined by a majority vote of the graduate faculty in the student’s academic unit (requires concurrence of both the respective college dean and the Office of Graduate Programs).
- Academic Misconduct:
Appeals for Reinstatement
An academic dismissal may be appealed at any time for educationally sound reasons. Appellants will not be permitted to register for or attend classes until after a favorable decision about the appeal has been made. For information about the appeal process, please see the university’s Graduate Academic Standing policy.
Appeals from Reinstatement Denials
A denial of the request for reinstatement will usually be considered final. However, if new information not available at the time of the original appeal is discovered, the student may reappeal for reinstatement with the approval from their academic/major advisor and academic unit head. Students will not be permitted to register for or attend classes until a final decision for the reappeal has been made. All decisions on the reappeal are final.
Reinstatements
Graduate students whose appeals are approved must:
- meet with their academic/major advisor and graduate program chair or academic unit head to review conditions of reinstatement, if any,
- complete any required remedial coursework,
- follow any conditions or restrictions on registration as specified in the reinstatement letter, and
- maintain a term GPA of 3.0 or higher.
The transcript annotation will be changed to “academic probation.”
Appeals from Second and Subsequent Dismissals
Reinstatement appeals following a second or subsequent dismissal may only be submitted with the approval of the student’s academic advisor(s) and academic unit head. If the request to submit an appeal is not approved, the student may submit an appeal for reinstatement after one calendar year from the end of the last full semester attended.
Doctoral Students
The basic standard for successful performance at the doctoral level is a minimum 3.2 program GPA and an overall minimum GPA of 3.0. The program GPA for a doctoral student includes all courses shown on the program of study as applying toward the doctoral degree, both graduate numbered and undergraduate numbered. The overall GPA is based on all coursework taken at Florida Tech while enrolled as a graduate student. A program GPA less than 3.2 after 15 or more credit hours will result in probation; if the program GPA of 3.2 is not attained after completing the probationary semester, the dean of the graduate school will consider dismissal of the student. An overall GPA below 3.0 or two failing grades (D, F or U) at any stage of the doctoral program will result in the student’s dismissal. If a student fails to maintain satisfactory progress in coursework or research, as determined by the graduate faculty of the student’s major academic unit, academic dismissal may be recommended regardless of the GPA. In such cases, the concurrence of the appropriate college dean and dean of the graduate school is required. A dismissed student has the right to appeal the dismissal by submitting a written request for reinstatement as instructed in the dismissal letter, stating the basis for the appeal. A letter of appeal should be submitted to the director of graduate programs. Appellants will not be permitted to register for or attend classes until a favorable decision about the appeal has been made.
Dismissal for Misconduct
Student conduct that violates the legal or ethical standards of the university may result in mandatory withdrawal from all classes and denial of permission to register in future terms for either a definite or indefinite period of time. Examples of academic misconduct that could result in these actions include cheating, plagiarism, knowingly furnishing false information to the university, or forging, altering or misusing university documents or academic credentials. Examples of research misconduct include fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, misappropriation of ideas of others or failure to comply with legal requirements governing research. A dismissed student has the right to appeal the dismissal by submitting a written request for reinstatement as instructed in the dismissal letter.
For more information about dismissal for misconduct, see the Dismissal for Misconduct, Graduate Programs policy.
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