A. Course Load and Registration Rules

Students who have been admitted to a Guilford College masters program must comply with the following rules:

1. Students are expected to be continuously enrolled in consecutive semesters until completion of the degree.  Leaves of Absence must be requested if enrollment is interrupted (See Leaves of Absence below).
2. Students with assistantships and other forms of financial aid must comply with course and registration required in those agreements.
   
   NOTE: Criminal Justice masters students are required to earn a regular letter grade in the following courses: JPS 600, JPS 601, JPS 602, JPS 603 and JPS 604

B. Waivers of Required Courses for Criminal Justice Masters Students

Required courses may be waived, however, waiving of a course does not allow for credits of the course to be waived. Waiving a course is permitted when the course instructor certifies that the student has sufficient knowledge of the course material and notifies the Graduate Program Director of such certification. The procedure for waiving of a course is as follows:

1. The student shall meet with the course instructor and present materials describing coursework, to include syllabus, book lists, papers and examinations.  The instructor will evaluate the materials and determine whether the knowledge level is sufficient to grant the waiver.
2. If the request comes from a student who has no specific coursework, and yet requests a waiver, the instructor may administer a test, or series of tests, to determine competency in the course knowledge.  The approval must be granted before the end of the add/drop deadline for the semester during which the request is submitted.
3. Waivers may only be granted for up to two required graduate courses.

C.  Transfer of Credits and Advanced Standing

Transfer credit may be applied to a masters degree upon request from the student and approval by the Graduate Program Director for courses completed at regionally accredited institutions. Students submit the request for transferring credit by including the course syllabus and/or course description from the university or college granting the credit.  Requests for the transfer of credits are governed by the following Guilford College guidelines:

Coursework for which transfer credits are sought (1) must have been at the graduate level, (2) must have been completed with a grade of "B" or better, (3) must be relevant to the student's degree in criminal justice.  No transfer credit is recognized for a Master's Thesis or Master's Essay completed at another university.

Appeal of matters related to transfer credits may be made to the Academic Dean of the College.

D.  Grading Policies: Academic Standards

The graduate school grading scale includes grades of A, B, C, D, F, CR (credit) and NC (no credit). Only grades of A, B, C and CR result in course credits being awarded toward the graduate degree, and a "B" (3.0) average is required for a graduate degree to be awarded.

All students are expected to remain in good academic standing during the course of their study; that is, to maintain an academic record consistent with the standard above. A student whose record falls below those standards or who otherwise indicates a lack of ability or effort needed to succeed in graduate study will be placed on academic probation and may be denied permission for further study at the discretion of the Graduate Program Director.

A student whose GPA falls below 2.5 will be subject to academic probation which includes the following circumstances:

1. The student is required to meet with the Graduate Program Director to address issues relating to the probation.  This meeting must be completed before the student is allowed to register for subsequent courses.
2. While the student remains on probation, the student must consult with the Graduate Program Director about each course the student intends to enroll.  This must continue until the student’s GPA reaches 3.0.
3. A student remaining on probation for more than two semesters will be reviewed by a Student Performance Committee at the end of each semester.  The student will have the right to appear before this Committee.  This committee is composed of the full time faculty in the department.

The Committee shall make a recommendation to the Graduate Program Director that will include the following options. Recommendations must include justifications for their decisions:

a. the student can be removed from probationary status
b. probationary status be continued
c. permission for continued study is denied.

4.  Action of the Graduate Program Director denying permission for further study to a student is reviewable by the Academic Dean of the College.

The Master’s degree program is not obligated to continue funding for graduate students who receive a grade of F or NC in any graduate course. When a graduate student fails or obtains an unsatisfactory grade in a graduate course, the Graduate Program Director shall meet with the student regarding his or her status in the program. If a graduate student fails a required graduate course, the student must retake the course at the next time that course is offered. Graduate students will be dismissed from the School upon receiving any two grades of F or U in graduate courses.

If a student wishes to appeal a grade in a course, they must follow the grade appeal procedure laid out in the Guilford College Catalog.

E.  Provisional Grades

Provisional grades given by the instructor will be in compliance with the Guilford College catalog.  Provisional grades are preceded by an X (i.e., XB, XC, XD, and XF). A provisional grade is a temporary grade which an instructor may choose to give whenever, through unavoidable circumstances, the student is unable to complete the work in a course by the end of the semester. To facilitate this process, the instructor submits an electronic Provisional Grade Request Form. 

Instructors must calculate provisional grades under the assumption that the student will complete no additional work (i.e., by awarding zeros on all outstanding assignments). Provisional grades may only be replaced with an equal or better mark upon the student’s completion of the remaining work. The provisional grade becomes the final grade if the course work has not been finished by the deadline set by the instructor. Instructors may not set a deadline that is later than the interim of the next regular semester without first obtaining approval from the Associate Academic Dean. No student with an outstanding provisional grade can graduate. Graduating master’s degree students who require a provisional grade must therefore notify the registrar’s office of their revised expected graduation date. 

Provisional grades may only consist of one of the following: XB, XC, XD and XF. Plus (+) and minus (-) suffixes may not be used. Instructors should assign an “I” (Incomplete) grade when a credit/no-credit graded course is incomplete. Provisional grades affect a student’s grade point average as if the “X” was not there. 

F.  Independent Study and Research 

Students who wish to register for Independent Study courses must obtain written approval from the professor under whom credits will be assigned and the Graduate Program Director. 

G.  Auditing Graduate Courses

Students are allowed to audit graduate courses. Because students do not receive credit for audited courses, these courses are not counted as hours attempted or completed. (Financial aid is not awarded for classes taken on an audit basis). The grade for auditing is AU (Audit)

H.  Leaves of Absence

Students normally are expected to maintain continuous registration and enrollment status and make continuing progress toward completion of their degrees. However, leaves of absence may be granted under extenuating circumstances that entail significant personal hardship and prevent progress toward completion of degree requirements. Students who are on leave of absence are not entitled to use faculty resources or College resources and facilities. Students who plan to consult with faculty about academic work, including development of a prospectus or thesis, must be in enrolled status.

Leave of absence requests must be made separately for each semester for which a leave is requested.

1. Such requests normally must be filed by petition to the Graduate Program Director at least one month before the end of the session, which precedes the session during which the leave will be in effect. Emergency requests may be accepted and considered at any time.
2. In the event of additional leave requests (beyond two semesters), the Graduate Program Director shall determine whether the leave should be granted.
3. If a student must withdraw during an academic session, normal withdrawal procedures should be followed. A leave of absence for the following session may be filed contemporaneously, if necessary.
4. All leave requests must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Students who do not register and who are not granted a leave of absence will be terminated from further studies, barring exceptional circumstances. Students who are terminated must apply for readmission and pay an application fee.

NOTE: In accordance with Guilford College policy, Criminal Justice masters students who are eligible to register for JPS 651 or JPS 652 Thesis are not authorized to take leaves of absence.

I.  Readmission

All applicants for readmission to graduate study must apply through the Graduate Admissions Office and are not required to pay an application fee. The Admissions Committee will evaluate such applications on a rolling basis throughout the year, for spring or fall admission, as appropriate. Applicants seeking readmission should also submit a formal written request for readmission to the Program and provide appropriate supporting credentials which may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. ​Official transcripts of all previous college work (applicants may rely on transcripts already on file if available and complete). 
2. Three letters of reference from persons who can speak to the applicant’s academic potential and ability. Such letters may include letters from professors and/or employers. Letters from current and former faculty of this Program are considered especially helpful.
3. A statement of the applicant’s objectives with graduate study and an explanation of the steps they’ve taken during their withdrawal that would lead the Admissions Committee to conclude that the student should be readmitted.
4. A current resume.

Students readmitted to graduate study may choose to be governed by degree requirements in effect at the time of their original admission or at the time of their readmission. They must specifically request that credit be given for any academic work completed previously at this institution or elsewhere. The Graduate Program Director will review such requests expeditiously.

J.  Non-Degree Admission

Individuals who have specific interests or professional needs, but who do not intend to pursue a master’s degree, may apply for admission as non-degree students. The Admissions Committee will review and make recommendations to the Program Director on all such applications. No registration will be allowed while such review is pending. Non-degree students may take no more than 12 credits over a period no longer than two academic years. 

K.  Applicable Academic Policies

Changes may be made to the graduate curriculum while a student is enrolled. This Program has adopted a "grandfather clause" policy such that students have a right to complete their academic programs under the degree requirements that existed at the time of their initial enrollment, to the extent that curriculum offerings make that possible. Alternatively, students may elect to complete degree requirements under the changes made in academic policies during their period of enrollment. Students electing to proceed under revised academic policies must comply with all requirements under the changed program.

L.  Research Standards

Students who work on research projects sponsored or directed by faculty members must obtain the prior consent of the faculty member(s) if they intend to publish information generated in the course of the project. Any research which requires data collection must apply for approval from the College’s Institutional Review Board.

M.  School Letterhead

Students shall not use the letterhead of the College or the Graduate Program, or have cards printed bearing the name of the School without clearly indicating on the involved writing their status as student.

N.  Complaint Procedures

Students who wish to make a formal complaint unrelated to grades may do so utilizing the procedures found in the grade appeal section of the Guilford College Catalog with one difference: For the complaint resolution process, the student must first speak to the Graduate Program Director, prior to speaking to the Chair of the Department.