Program of Study

The program of study is a defined program, which is negotiated between a student and an academic department offering the program. The institution specifically indicates that it will award the degree sought by the student if the work stipulated in the program of study is satisfactorily completed. Similarly, a student specifically agrees to the responsibility for completing the program as stipulated in his or her program of study. Programs of study should be consistent with published curricula and degree requirements.

• Program of Study forms are available from the graduate program advisor in departmental offices.
• The form is completed with careful planning between the student and the major advisor.
• The completed form is signed by the student and advisor and approved by the graduate program officer or department chair.
• A copy of the completed form, with signatures, should be sent to the College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies where the form will be filed in the student's academic folder. The program of study will be used to certify the student for graduation, guide decisions on graduate student academic petitions, process requests for transfer credit, and issue tuition remissions for graduate assistants. Consequently, these actions will not be processed without a current and/or amended program of study on file in the student folder.
• The Program of Study form should be prepared by the student's academic advisor as early as possible in the student's program, preferably no later than the end of the first semester.

Once the program of study has been approved, students may make changes to it only if the changes still meet program requirements and are approved by their advisors and graduate program officers. Students should consult the program for the procedure for initiating such changes. A copy of the revised program of study should be sent to the College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies.

Graduate programs are cautioned that when changes to the program of study are necessitated as the result of deletions from the course inventory or changes in program requirements, students should be given sufficient notification of the change so as to allow them to finish their program requirements as planned. When this is not possible, appropriate substitutions must be provided.