Academic Dismissal

Students may be recommended for dismissal on the following grounds, described under “Academic Dismissal” in the Graduate Catalog:
  1. Failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average required by The Graduate School (3.0)
  2. Receiving a grade of “D+,” “D,” “D-,” “F,” or “U” in any course
  3. Failure to satisfy a foreign language or related area requirement for a degree
  4. Failure of the doctoral General Examination
  5. Failure to produce an acceptable Doctoral Dissertation Proposal
  6. Unsatisfactory performance in any aspect of the research or writing for a required master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation
  7. Failure of a final examination for the master’s or doctoral degree
Kimberly Curry is the Director of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Support and is available to discuss what transpired leading up to the academic dismissal and the resources available.  Meetings can be scheduled here.

              Appeal Process

              Student's recommended for academic dismissal the right to appeal; however, the time to do so is limited.

              Per the Graduate Catalog:

              "A graduate student may file an appeal with TGS when they disagree with actions taken or academic consequences imposed by an individual faculty member, graduate program, department, school, or college and when all good faith efforts to resolve their concern either through direct communication with the individual(s) involved or through applicable procedures in the graduate program, department, school, or college have failed."

              An appeal must be filed in writing to The Graduate School within 10 business days of notification using The Graduate School Appeal Form. All materials submitted during the appeal process should be clearly organized and labeled. Appeals will not be reviewed if the information is incomplete.

              Categories of actions or academic consequences that an appeal might address include, but are not limited to: Academic dismissal, termination of status, allegation of scholarly misconduct, and academic consequences imposed by allegation of scholarly misconduct.

                          What should the appeal form include?

                          • A detailed description of the actions or academic consequences giving rise to the appeal, including documentary evidence (e.g., correspondence, notes, descriptions of interactions, and dates of occurrence) supporting the allegation.
                          • A description of actions already attempted to resolve the concern (e.g., correspondence with the person(s) records of meetings with graduate program directors, department heads, or deans).
                          • The names of those requesting the appeal.
                          • For academic dismissal and termination of status appeal, a description of a plan for removing barriers to successful program completion.

                          What is the timeline for submitting an appeal?

                          Submit the appeal form to The Graduate School within 10 business days of receipt of the notification of the action or academic consequence. TGS will notify the major advisor and graduate program/department of your intent to appeal the action or academic consequence within five business days. The appeal process will follow the guidelines set forth in TGS Hearing Procedure described here.
                          Consistent with the University’s Non-Retaliation Policy, "retaliation against any person who makes or participates in an appeal under this policy is strictly forbidden."