Policies

Registration

Graduate students are encouraged to register as soon as possible once registration materials are received. The university reserves the right to close registration when student enrollment reaches the maximum authorized by the Board of Trustees.

Upon receipt of an official letter of acceptance from the Office of Graduate Studies, new graduate students are eligible to register. New students lose their eligibility if they do not register for a minimum of 2 credit hours in the first semester for which they have been admitted.

Graduate students are considered full-time when registered for a minimum of 8.5 credit hours in a semester or 4.5 credit hours in a term. Registration for fewer hours constitutes part-time enrollment.

Registration Process

The current class schedule contains a complete description of the registration process. Below is a brief summary:

You may access the BYU Web registration system from your own home if you have access to the internet and have either Netscape 4.0+ or Explorer 4.0+. If not available from home, you can use computers on the BYU Campus, available at access point labs (including the History Department lab in 335 KMB) and kiosks in most buildings.

Open the BYU homepage at www.byu.edu.
Log in to Route Y using your Net ID and password. (If you do not know your Net ID, click on Find Net ID and follow the instructions. The password for first-time users is your birth month, day and year (6 digits).
Choose Registration.

Restricted Enrollment

A few designated graduate courses restrict enrollment and must be added using an add/drop card, rather than the on-line system. To add one of these courses, contact the History Department Administrative Assistant. Additionally, students are not eligible to register for thesis credit (699R) until the thesis prospectus has been approved (see Research Prospectus, p. 9).

Changes in Registration

Students may add or drop classes twenty-four hours a day using the Web registration system until classes begin. After the semester has begun, graduate courses must be added with an add/drop card requiring the instructor's signature.

Final dates, fees, and instructions for adding and dropping classes are printed in the current class schedule. Late registration procedures and fees are also delineated in the current class schedule.

Registration Requirements

University policy states that new students lose their eligibility if they do not register for a minimum of 2 credit hours in the first semester for which they have been admitted. However, because admission is granted for a specific semester, students are required by the History Department to register for Hist 587 and the appropriate core course or acceptance is forfeited. New students who do not register for the semester for which they are accepted must inform the Office of Graduate Studies and the History department immediately. Students may request an admission deferral from the History department, but acceptance for a particular semester does not guarantee acceptance in subsequent semesters.

Minimum Registration Requirements

US graduate students are required to register for at least 2.0 credit hours during any semester or term in which they use university facilities, consult with faculty, or defend their thesis.

To retain active graduate status, students must register for at least 6.0 credit hours in an academic year and receive acceptable grades (no D, E, UW, NS or I grades; audits or independent study courses do not count toward minimum registration). Students who do not fill this yearly requirement are dropped from the program, lose their graduate status and must apply for readmission if they wish to continue.

International graduate students must register for at least 9.0 credit hours each fall and winter semester. Questions regarding international student status should be directed to the International Services Office (1351 WSC).

Exceptions

Students who interrupt graduate studies to serve an LDS mission or to attend a professional school (law, medicine, etc.), and who have completed at least one semester of graduate work at BYU, are eligible for a waiver from the minimum registration requirement. A waiver will allow a student to resume graduate studies at BYU without reapplying.

Time Limit

University policy states that all students, even those eligible for a waiver of the minimum registration requirement, must complete the degree within five years of the first semester of enrollment.

The History department, however, will enforce a more stringent standard. Students will be dropped from the program if progress toward the degree is unsatisfactory. The department firmly expects students to complete the program in three years or less. Extended time in the program will only be allowed if a student can justify part-time enrollment and demonstrates consistent progress throughout their program.

Readmission

Former graduate students who were dropped for failure to meet the minimum registration requirement and who wish to resume their graduate studies must submit an Application to Resume Graduate Study (Form 1a) and Reapplication Honor Code Commitment Form, and pay a $30.00 nonrefundable processing fee. Forms are available from the History Department or the Office of Graduate Studies.

Loss of Eligibility to Register

Once enrolled, a student becomes ineligible to register for subsequent semesters if:

The student has not fulfilled the minimum registration requirements, has withdrawn from the graduate program, or has their program terminated by the department.

The student has not submitted a study list by the end of their first semester.

The office of graduate studies has not received official transcripts showing that the required prerequisites or undergraduate degree have been completed.

The student has violated the BYU Code of Honor and is not cleared by the University Standards office.

The student has failed to submit an annual continuing Ecclesiastical Endorsement.

Petition for Full-time Status

For on-campus purposes, arrangements have been made to afford part-time graduate students (those registered for at least 2.0 hours per semester or 1.0 hour per term), campus privileges normally limited to full-time students - for example, eligibility for on-campus employment, student housing, insurance, intramurals, use of physical education facilities, graduate parking permits and discount admission to sporting and cultural events.

For external purposes, part-time graduate students who are enrolled for at least 2 hours per semester and who can be certified by their department as being engaged full-time in pursuit of their degrees, can petition for graduate full-time status. Forms are available from the History Department or the Office of Graduate Studies (see app. 10). Petitions are approved for the current semester or term only.

"Full-time" pursuit of a degree means the student is devoting 40 or more hours per week to fulfilling graduate degree requirements during the semester in question. A student's full-time load may include any combination of courses, assistantships, research or special studies.

Valid reasons for a student registering for fewer than 8.5 hours per semester or 4.5 hours per term and petitioning for full-time status include either:

The student has completed all of the required coursework for the degree and is now working on their thesis; or

The department limits the student's enrollment to less than full-time because of a required TA/RA assignment.

Students are not eligible if they are employed full-time, are newly admitted, or are an international student on an F-1 or J-1 visa and do not have the approval of the International Services Office.

Credit Policies

Because graduate study is more rigorous than undergraduate study, a student should not register for more than 9 hours in a semester or 6 hours in a term. Registration for thesis credit should be concurrent with thesis research and writing and should be reasonable.

Credits that May Apply Toward a Graduate Degree

Non-degree, senior and transfer credit, singly or combined, cannot exceed 9 semester hours of a History MA program and in all cases requires department approval.

Non-degree credit. Credit taken after the BA degree has been received, but before the semester of formal admission to a graduate program, is defined as non-degree credit.

Senior credit. In some restricted instances a student may apply credit taken during the senior year at BYU toward his/her MA degree, but in no instances can this credit apply to both a BA and a graduate degree.

Transfer credit. Credit taken at other accredited universities in the United States or Canada may count toward a graduate degree at BYU if a) the course was graduate level; b) the grade received was a B or better (no pass/fail); c) home study, correspondence or extension courses are not transferable.

BYU Credit Not Applicable to Graduate Degree

Lower division courses (100 and 200 level), Independent Study, undergraduate religion courses, and Ed 514R cannot apply toward a graduate degree. D credit will not apply to a graduate degree.

Outdated Credit and Time Limits

Only credit taken within the five-year time limit may count toward the History MA degree. Petitions to extend time limits and include outdated credit are governed by the following:

Departments and colleges may petition for up to a one-year extension by providing reasonable evidence that extenuating circumstances caused an unavoidable delay in the student's progress toward a degree.

Departments and colleges may petition to allow credit outdated by more than one year but no more than five years to apply toward a degree, but the petition must be accompanied by impressive documentation that the credit in question has been updated by courses retaken, by special readings courses in the subjects, or by examinations in each of the courses.

No credit outdated by more than five years may apply to a current degree, regardless of circumstances.

Academic Standards

The History Department strives to maintain a rigorous and challenging graduate program and expects a high level of performance from students admitted to the program. Students are expected to maintain good grades in coursework, meet department and university program deadlines, and make consistent progress toward completion of their degree.

On occasion, extenuating circumstances may interfere with a student's performance or progress in their program. We strongly urge students to maintain frequent contact with their advisor and to notify them or the graduate coordinator should problems or difficulties arise. Every effort will be made to assist students to overcome difficulties and work through problems if they are brought to the attention of those concerned in a timely fashion. Students should not wait until problems are insurmountable before asking for advice.

Grade Point Average

Graduate students whose graduate program GPA falls below a 3.0 will not be allowed to graduate and may be dismissed from the program. Students whose grades frequently fall in the C range or below should consult with their advisory chair and committee members about the advisability of continuing graduate study. No D credit will apply toward a graduate degree.

Evaluation of Progress

Graduate students will be evaluated by their advisory chair and committee members twice a year; at the end of each Fall and Winter semester after grades are posted. Students will be evaluated on total academic performance, fulfillment of program requirements (program of study submitted, courses completed on schedule, timely defense and submission of prospectus, etc.) and their professional performance (including work as TA's and RA's).

The department then rates each student's performance as satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory. Should a student receive a marginal or unsatisfactory rating, the department will notify them in writing, indicating the reasons for the low rating and the steps that must be taken to raise the evaluation.

Two "unsatisfactory" ratings in a row will result in termination of a student's graduate program.

Termination of Graduate Status

The department and/or university may terminate a student's graduate program if a student:

Fails to satisfactorily complete the conditions of acceptance;

Fails to fulfill the university's minimum registration requirements;

Makes a request to withdraw;

Receives a marginal or unsatisfactory rating in a review and is unwilling to comply with the conditions outlined by the department;

Receives two "unsatisfactory" ratings in a row.

Fails to make what the department or university deems to be satisfactory progress toward their degree;

Fails the oral defense of their thesis;

Violates the university's standards of conduct or the Honor Code.

Exceeds the time limit.

Appeal of Termination

A student who is dismissed for reasons other than failure of a final oral exam may respond to or appeal that termination. Such response or appeal should be directed, in writing, to the Graduate Coordinator. A student who wishes to appeal further may seek an audience with the Department Chair. Ultimately, a final appeal may be made to the University graduate dean who, if circumstances warrant, may appoint a committee of uninvolved faculty members to adjudicate the matter.

Academic Grievances

The university and department have established procedures for handling student academic grievances. If consulting with the teacher does not resolve a grievance, a student should present the problem to the Graduate Coordinator. If difficulties persist, the department will convene the Department Grievance committee to address the concern. The department will stand by the decision of the Grievance committee. Ultimately, a final appeal may be brought to the Dean of the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences, or the Graduate Dean.

Policies

Links

Graduate Handbook