General Requirements for Master's and Doctoral Students

Admission to ECS does not guarantee successful degree completion. Evaluation of the quality of each candidate's graduate performance is an ongoing process. You should be especially aware of the following requirements:

1. Satisfactory Performance in Courses: Each instructor will expect satisfactory performance in your course work. The Department will keep general track of the progress students are making in their program. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in "good standing." Teaching Assistants and scholarship students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to receive a tuition waiver. No course grade below a C- can be counted towards your graduate degree.
2. Examinations: M.Ed. students must complete a comprehensive exam; Ph.D. students a preliminary examination, a qualifying examination, a defense of your dissertation proposal, and an oral defense of your dissertation. Any of these examinations can be failed; in the case of the preliminary exam and the qualifying exam, failing the exam twice may mean discontinuance from the program. In the case of the final oral exam, the Supervisory Committee will approve the dissertation when it is entirely satisfied with its form and content.
3. Foreign Language: There is no foreign language requirement for the M.Ed. or Ph.D. in ECS.
4. Residency Requirement: M.Ed. students are exempt from meeting a residency requirement. Ph.D. students must meet a residency requirement of two consecutive semesters of full-time study. A student in residence must enroll each semester in no less than nine semester hours of study on the campus of the University of Utah (2X9=18 credit hours total). This full-time study requirement is intended to encourage students to take full advantage of the varied intellectual and cultural resources of the university.
5. M.A./M.S.: The Department does not admit master's students directly for M.A./M.S. degrees. Students who wish to pursue an M.A. or M.S. must apply to the ECS graduate committee after completing 9 hours of graduate work. The M.A. degree has a language requirement. Both degrees require completion of a thesis in place of a comprehensive exam. See the Graduate Secretary for more information on a M.A./M.S. degree.
6. Ph.D. Dissertation: At the conclusion of your Doctoral program, you will be expected to complete a research-based dissertation, subject to the review and approval of your Supervisory Committee. This project is both symbolically and substantively the culmination of your advanced graduate work.

Other Important Regulations

In planning your course work, be aware of the following:

1. Time Limit: There is a time limit of four-years to complete a M.Ed. and seven-years to complete a Ph.D. In unusual cases, you may request an extension of this time limit. Extensions must be recommended by the Department Chair and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
2. Transfer Hours: A limit of 6 credits is allowed from other universities, subject to the approval of your Supervisory Committee. Courses must be graduate level, must have direct relevance to your program, and must have a grade of "B" or better. Grades of "C" or "NC"(credit/no credit) are not acceptable. For any credits you wish to transfer, please provide a copy of the course description and syllabus from the official catalog of the institution from which the course was taken.
3. Non-matriculated Course Work: Nine credits of non-matriculated coursework can be counted towards a graduate degree. These must be appropriate to your program and will need approval from your Supervisory Committee.
4. Total Credit Hour Registration Limitations: Graduate degree candidates are limited to a maximum of 16 credit hours per semester. Full-time status is 9 credit hours. Teaching assistants, research assistants, and others employed approximately half-time are limited to a maximum registration of 12 credit hours.
5. Graduate Level Course Work: 5000 level classes in other departments outside the College of Education may be included in your program of study, if they are appropriate and approved by your Supervisory Committee. Classes in the Department of Education, Culture & Society at the 5000 level are not appropriate. You must also have the prior approval of the Chair of your Supervisory Committee to count course work toward your graduate program that is not taught by regular faculty or is not part of the regular curriculum.
6. Minimum Continuous Registration: Once admitted and enrolled, all graduate students must maintain a minimum continuous registration of at least three credits each Spring and Fall semester, unless granted an official leave of absence, until all degree requirements have been met. Students failing to maintain continuous registration and who have not been granted an official leave of absence must reapply for admission to graduate studies through the University Admissions Office by submitting another admission application. Applications for a Leave of Absence (LOA) may be obtained from the Graduate Secretary, and must be approved by the Graduate School no later than the last day of the semester in which the leave is requested.
7. Independent Reading and Research Courses (ECS 6960/7960): Individual reading and research courses are offered for the purpose of allowing students to pursue interests and specializations that may be more appropriately served by independent reading that in conventional courses taught on a group basis. Administrative procedural forms are available from the Academic Specialist (MBH307). If you take independent study or course work, you must attach a description of the project when you register.

Miscellaneous Topics

Student Advisory Committee (SAC)

The Student Advisory Committees were created by the University Senate to give voice to the student body in matters of faculty retention, promotion, and tenure (RPT) decisions and any other departmental policies that affect students (see Faculty Regulations, chapter V, section 2). This mandate is somewhat open-ended: SAC's are allowed the opportunity to play a significant role in various departmental matters beyond RPT, if the students are willing to do so. SAC's therefore have served as student advocates, liaisons between faculty and students, members of search committees, organizers of academic and social events, etc. You are encouraged to contact the SAC Chairperson for information about current SAC activities.

Right and Responsibilities of Students

http://www.regulations.utah.edu/academics/guides/students/index.html

Student behavior is governed by provisions of the Student Code which defines rights and responsibilities and encourages students to conduct themselves with integrity and to respect the rights of others. You should familiarize yourself with the code of student rights and responsibilities by following the link above.

Appeals

http://www.regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.html

All graduate students have the right to have disputes regarding academic matters resolved in a fair, uniform, and expeditious manner. It is the policy of the University to solve such problems internally and at the level most closely related to the origin of the dispute. A graduate student who believes he or she has been mistreated in any way by a member of the faculty or the administration should discuss his or her problem directly with the person involved. If the student is not satisfied at this level, or if discussion of the problem seems inappropriate because of the nature of the student's complaint, the student should seek advice from his or her advisor, Supervisory Committee, and/or the Chairperson of the department. Procedures for filing appeals can be accessed by following the link above.

Professional Organizations and Conferences

Graduate students should consider joining and becoming active in national and regional scholarly associations. This is important for several reasons. First, these organizations and their conferences represent the primary forums for current educational research. Second, attending and presenting papers at these conferences can be very important for stimulating the intellectual development of graduate students. Third, conferences are an essential part of the national job market in education; attending and presenting papers at conferences can be essential to securing a professional position.
Your advisor can recommend which of these societies and conferences would significantly impact your intellectual and professional development in graduate school.

Financial Aid

There are some sources of financial aid available to students in the department.

1. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS: Graduate assistantships are available in the department each year. Applications for these should be submitted by February 1st. Generally, a graduate assistantship will include teaching or assisting a faculty member in teaching, and/or assisting a faculty member with a research project.
   Students can apply for a graduate assistantship by obtaining application materials from the Graduate Secretary. This application should stress their instructional, research, and other professional skills. The application should include grade point average and recommendations, preferably from faculty who have worked with the student. The application should also include a personal statement that addresses the specific faculty member and project the student proposes to work with, the student's academic and professional goals and how this project relates to those goals, and a discussion of financial needs, including expected income and expenses, in-state or out-of-state tuition needs, family responsibilities, etc.
   The University limits doctoral students to a total of four years of tuition support. Students who begin as Master's students in the Department and continue on as Doctoral students can get five years of tuition support. The Department provides assistantships to Master's students for two years and doctoral students for three. However, the Department is not able to provide an assistantship to all those who apply. Students are encouraged to seek out additional sources of support beyond what the Department is able to provide.
   Selection is always in comparison with other student applicants and their abilities and needs. Renewal of assistantships is dependent on satisfactory progress in the program. Reapplicants should include an evaluation of their prior performance in the graduate assistantship by the faculty member responsible for their supervision. Because continued support is not guaranteed, students who have been receiving a graduate assistantship should always be exploring other avenues of support.
2. OTHER FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: The University, and various national organizations, make fellowships available annually. Students interested in pursuing these opportunities should consult the Director of Graduate Programs, the College of Education, and the Graduate School for their fellowship applications and procedures.