Maintaining Good Standing

 Grades and Curricular Requirements

CCAS policies regarding grades and scholarship requirements are outlined in the Graduate Bulletin.

Students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.  In the English Department, Master's students are required to maintain a 3.25 GPA and Ph.D. students a 3.5 GPA. In the History Department, PhD students are required to maintain a 3.5 GPA. If a course is repeated for credit, all grades received for the course remain on the record and are included in the GPA. With the permission of the department and the instructor, upper-level undergraduate courses may be taken for graduate credit (it is expected that the instructor will provide additional work to make it a graduate level course).

Registration and Work Load

Students are required to register each fall and spring semester. (Registration during the summer is optional except for students in the Center for Professional Psychology, and for those who plan to graduate in August.) Failure to register requires that a student apply for readmission.

Students with medical or family emergencies may request a Leave of Absence (LOA). The student should submit a petition form to their department. If the request is approved, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences will inform the student and submit the required registration paper work to the Office of the Registrar. Students on LOA do not have access to University facilities including the library and the faculty. No more than two semesters LOA is allowed over the total period of enrollment in the program.

Students who have not yet completed all their required course-work (and are not on LOA) must register for at least three credit hours per semester. Note that this applies also to those registering for Thesis/Dissertation Research. Students must register for at least five hours per semester to be considered a half-time student, and at least nine hours to be considered full-time. Failure to register for the minimum number of courses may lead to problems with student loans or (for international students) student visas. Special permission is required for a student to register for more than fifteen hours in the fall or spring semesters or more than six hours in a single summer session. Students who are employed for more than 20 hours per week should register for no more than six credit hours per semester.

Students who have completed all required course work, all special departmental requirements, and all Thesis/Dissertation Research registration requirements and are within their the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences program deadline (4 years for Master's, 5 years for PsyD, and 8 years for PhD) must register for one credit of Continuing Research (CR) each semester until completion of degree. Continuing Research is listed in the Schedule of Classes under Columbian College as CCAS 0940 for doctoral students and CCAS 0920 for Master's. Students who have exceeded their CCAS program deadline must petition to continue a further semester and, if approved by the Associate Dean, may be required to register for up to six credit hours of Reading and Research for audit.

Dropping, Adding, Withdrawing from Courses

Students dropping and adding coursework should do so using the same method (online or on paper) and within the same week. Any changes in course enrollment made after the end of the registration period must have the approval of the instructor involved, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Office, and must be made by the stated deadline (see below). Registration transaction forms (RTF and RTF-EZ) are available on the Office of the Registrar's web page. Tuition will be adjusted according to the schedule of refunds in the GW Graduate Bulletin. Refund request forms are available through the Student Accounts Office.

During the Fall and Spring semesters the deadline for dropping a course without academic penalty is the end of the eighth week of classes. A course dropped during the first four weeks of classes will not appear on a student's transcript. A course dropped after the fourth week but before the end of the eighth week will appear on the transcript with a grade of "W". Students who wish to drop a course after that deadline must work with their Director of Graduate Studies to petition the the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Office. Please note that the dates relevant to academic status have no bearing on refund policies.

Students who find it necessary to withdraw completely from the University must notify the the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Office in writing. If notification is not given, and the student fails to register for the next Fall or Spring semester, action will be taken to terminate the student's degree candidacy. If it is necessary to withdraw from the University during the semester, the student must withdraw from all courses according to the procedures and policies stated in the previous paragraphs. The student's GW photo ID must be turned in to the the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Office at the time of withdrawal.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

The University's Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities is available from the Dean of Students Office. This statement includes the Code of Student Conduct which defines student behavior that is considered to be disruptive to the academic enterprise and life within the campus community. The Code also details the procedures by which the University takes disciplinary action against students who violate the provisions of the Code.

Student Grade Appeals are handled through the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Arbitrary or Capricious Academic Evaluation procedures.

Academic Integrity

The University community, in order to fulfill its purposes, must establish and maintain guidelines of academic behavior. All members of the community are expected to exhibit honesty and competence in their academic work. Incoming students have a special responsibility to acquaint themselves with, and make use of, all proper procedures of doing research, writing papers, and taking examinations.

Members of the community will be presumed to be familiar with the proper academic procedures and held responsible for applying them. Deliberate failure to act in accordance with such procedures will be considered academic dishonesty. Acts of academic dishonesty are a legal, moral, and intellectual offense against the community and will be prosecuted through the proper university channels.

Copies of the University Code of Academic Integrity can be obtained from the following offices: all department chairs, all academic deans, the Registrar, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs or on line.

Program Transfers

Students contemplating a transfer to another school or program must consult with their current Director of Graduate Studies as well as with the Director of Graduate Studies in the program to which they are considering transferring. Transfers to another program within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences require a petition to the Associate Dean and transfers to programs within another school in the University require formal application.

Graduation

Degrees are conferred in January, May, and August, although only the May graduation is marked in a commencement ceremony. It is necessary to be registered during the semester or summer session in which the student intends to graduate.

An Application for Graduation must be filed in the student's final semester by the date noted in the academic calendar and all applicable fees must be paid. The Application for Graduation for degree candidates and Certificate Completion Form for certificate students can be found on the Office of the Registrar's web site.

Students who do not graduate at the end of that semester for which they have submitted the form must reapply for graduation for the next semester or summer session (no additional graduation fee is charged).