TCNJ

18 Registration Procedures and Degree Requirements Independent Study Students who wish to supplement departmental course work by investi- gating a particular topic may do so under the direction and guidance of a faculty member who is considered an expert in the field. A final paper reporting the findings of the study must be submitted to the faculty member. Requests for independent study must be submitted for approval to the faculty member and the department chair or designee. The resulting contract will describe the study, specify the format, length, and scope of the final paper, and determine the number of credits—from one to six— to be awarded. No more than nine credits of independent study may be taken in any one graduate program. Note: Independent study will not be approved as a substitute for an existing graduate course. If under extraordinary circumstances it becomes evident that the conferral of the student's degree will be significantly deferred because a required course is not available, that course should be waived and another course of comparable content be used to fulfill the requirement. The student must seek permission for the substitution from the coordinator of his or her graduate program, who will forward it (if approved) to the department chair and the dean of the school for final approval. Department Project Students enrolled in master's programs may elect to do a department project, with the approval of the student's adviser, and will be awarded three credits upon completion of the project. Advisement is usually three credit hours for one semester. Those whose projects are In Progress (IP) will register for three credits of project advisement each semester until the project is completed. Students should consult this bulletin for descriptions of department projects offered. Thesis or Creative Project In the Master of Arts, Master of Education, or Master of Science in Nursing programs, a thesis or creative project may be required or elected, based on program-specific criteria. A student must be registered to receive thesis advisement. Students planning to write a thesis should visit the Web site of the Office of Graduate Studies for the guidelines concerning submis- sion of the thesis. Program Completion Students have six years from the time of matriculation to complete a graduate program. Petitions for an extension will be considered by the dean of the student's academic school on merit. Retention Standards Any student whose grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. At the end of the probationary semester, the student will be dismissed if an overall GPA of 3.0 is not achieved. Students may appeal dismissal according to the procedures provided with the notifica- tion of dismissal. Comprehensive Examination and Other Culminating Experiences Every graduate degree program concludes with a mandatory culminating experience, which requires candidates to synthesize and apply knowledge acquired throughout the program. Unless a program has been approved to offer another type of culminating experience, the culminating expe- rience takes the form of a comprehensive examination. All Incomplete and In Progress grades should be cleared prior to registration for the comprehensive examination. Each program will provide its students a written description of its culminating experience, including eligibility, grading standards and procedures for evaluating the experience. These must be posted on the Department/Program Web site. Departments will do everything possible to ensure fair review of student work within their program standards. Those standards could include the number of raters, guidelines of expectations, and criteria for passing. Candidates who fail the comprehensive examination on the first attempt may retake the comprehensive examination a second time at the next or a subsequent scheduled offering within the six-year limit from the candidate's matriculation date into a program. A second option is to appeal the outcome of the comprehensive examination as per the Graduate Student Complaint/Appeals Policy (see TCNJ Policy Manual). Candidates who fail the examination on the second attempt may appeal the outcome of the second attempt. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the candidate will be dismissed from the program. Candidates who fail any other type of culminating experience may appeal per the Graduate Student Complaint/Appeals Policy, with the graduate coordinator serving as the faculty member in step A of the process. Candidates who are unable to take the scheduled comprehensive examination must consult with the graduate program coordinator. If the next offering is beyond the student's 6-year limit to program com- pletion, please see policy on Program Completion Limit and Retention Standards. Comprehensive exams are scheduled by individual programs. Students must register for the comprehensive exam during registration. Specific exam dates may be obtained from the appropriate program. Application for Conferral of Degree Candidates for the master's degree must file an Application for Conferral of Degree with the Office of Records and Registration, Green Hall 112. Degrees are conferred in December, January, May, and August. For dead- lines and fees, students may access the Registration Calendar online at tcnj.pages.tcnj.edu/academics/academic-calendars, or contact the Office of Records and Registration. The Application for Conferral of Degree is available online through PAWS. Note: To qualify for January conferral of degree, a student must apply for Winter graduation and must take and complete their final course during that winter session at TCNJ. Graduation Commencement exercises are held in the spring of each year. Students are not required to attend but are encouraged to do so, including those whose degrees were conferred after the date of the previous commence- ment. Obligations Obligations to the College (e.g., tuition, fees, outstanding library books, parking fines) which have not been fulfilled will result in a student being prohibited from registering for courses or in the withholding of a stu- dent's transcript and diploma. Delinquent loans (federal, state, or college) also may result in the withholding of the student's transcript and diploma. Students may view their financial obligations and registration holds on their PAWS "Student Center." 218503_001-086_r5ri.indd 18 9/14/15 10:17 AM

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