The University of St. Thomas

Graduate Policies

Graduate Student Policies

Academic Advising

Academic advising is available from the program director, instructors, or any other appropriate faculty member. 

Attendance

Graduate students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning and to make appropriate arrangements for assignments and class materials discussed in their absence.  Registered students who do not attend the first session of any course without notifying either the department coordinator or the course instructor can be dropped from the course.  Each instructor maintains individual attendance requirements. 

Class Schedules and Cancellations

The University of St. Thomas reserves the right to make changes in published class schedules as necessary and to cancel any class that has insufficient enrollment. 

Communication

All official communication about events, registration, and other important pieces of information will be sent to a student's University of St. Thomas email address.  Student's are responsible for checking their UST email accounts regularly.  Please note that it is possible to have your UST email account forwarded to a non-UST email account.  For directions on how to do this, please consult the IRT web site:  http://www.stthomas.edu/irt/support/email/forwarding.html .

Coursework Outside the MA in English Program
With approval of the program director, a total of two courses taken outside the program may be counted toward the Master of Arts degree.  Prior approval of the program director is required for courses taken after admission to the program.  Only courses in which the student recieves a grade of "B" or better may be counted.  These courses include the following:

  • A course transferred from another graduate program with approval from the program director.  The process requires an official transcript and may require syllabi, course descriptions or descriptions of work completed for the course(s).
  • A university of St. Thomas undergraduate English course taken for graduate credit with approval of the program director, permission from the instructor, and a successfully completed application form.
  • A University of St. Thomas course in Art History or Catholic Studies at the graduate level with prior approval of the program director.

Diplomas

Diplomas are sent six to eight weeks after graduation if all degree requirements (including all paperwork) are completed. 

Grade Reports

Grade reports are issued by the registrar's office and may be accessed on the MURPHY Online web site.  Contact the instructor with questions about grades. 

Grade Requirements
A GPA of at least 3.0 is required to receive the Master of Arts in English degree. Any course earning a grade lower than a "B-" does not count towards the degree and must be taken over (if a required course) or replaced by another course (if an elective). The master's essay is graded on a pass/incomplete basis.

Graduate Committee

The Graduate Committee consists of  five English professors, the program coordinator, and the student representative.  Convened by the program director, the committee meets to decide admissions, curriculum, program policies, and student issues. 

Graduation

Students are eligible to participate in commencement exercises at the end of the semester in which the degree requirements are satisfied.  Graduation exercises occur in December and May.  Students should contact the department coordinator for an application for graduation at the beginning of the final semester. 

Incomplete Grades

Because "incompletes" are reserved for extraordinary circumstances, they require a special application process.  No grade of "incomplete" will be granted if one is already pending.  No more than two are allowed.

Independent Study

Students may take up to two independent study courses within the MA in English Program.  Both the instructor and the program director must approve the proposal for independent study before the student can be registered for the course by the program coordinator.  Requirements for a proposal for an independent study course include a signed Proposal For Independent Study Form with an attached 500-word statement describing the nature of the research, the goals of the study, and a bibliography of the texts to be read.  Proposals are due by the end of the semester prior to the semester of study.  Note:  The Independent Study GENG 698 does not fulfill a 600-level course requirement.   

Mailboxes

Mailboxes are provided for registered graduate English students in the Graduate Student Common Room, JRC 356.  The English department's newsletter and other important pieces of information are typically distributed via these mailboxes.  Students are responsible for checking their mailboxes regularly. 

Probation

All grades will appear on transcripts and be factored into the GPA.  This regulation applies whether or not a course is re-taken for credit.  Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 are on academic probation.  They have one semester to bring their GPA back to the minimal level of 3.0.  Students who fail to achieve this level, or who are put on probation a second time, will be dropped from the program. 

Program Director

The program director directs all aspects of the MA in English program and heads the Graduate Committee.  Dr. Catherine Craft-Fairchild is the current program director of the graduate program in English.  She can be contacted at 651-962-5613 or c9craftfairc@stthomas.edu .

Refunds

Should you drop a course or withdraw from the university, the UST Business Office web site has information on how your refund will be calculated.  Please visit their web site at http://www.stthomas.edu/businessoffice/fees/refund_sch.htm for information.

Registration

Students register and drop or add courses via the MURPHY on-line system on the UST web.  Registration dates are announced on the Graduate English web site at the Future Course Schedules section of the site.  Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If a course is closed and you want to get into it, continue to watch its enrollment status through the MURPHY system to see if another student drops it.  Remember, if space is available (and you have met the prerequisite requirements), MURPHY should let you register for the course.  If a class is full and you wish to get into it, you may want to contact the instructor to find out if other options are available. 

Student Representative

The student representative serves as a liaison between the Graduate Committee, the program director, the department coordinator, and the graduate students of the program.  The student representative attends all Graduate Committee meetings with the exception of admission meetings.  The student representative is encouraged to communicate news and ideas between faculty and students.  In the past, representatives have organized social gatherings, forums, the MA essay presentations, and a national conference.  The graduate student representative position is for one year and should average 25 hours per semester.  The assistantship is paid $600 for the year.  Applicants must be degree-seeking students and submit a statement of interest to the program director.  Current graduate students elect the representative. 

Time Limit
Students have seven years to complete the degree after the date of their first admission to the program.

Tuition

Tuition rates are announced during the spring semester for the following academic year.  The UST Business Office generates and confirms the tuition statements.  Registration holds and other delays will occur if a student's account is not in good standing.  To obtain additional information regarding tuition, please visit the Business Office web site at http://www.stthomas.edu/businessoffice/ .

Transcripts

Official transcripts are available through the registrar's office.  Information regarding transcripts may be found at the following web site:  http://www.stthomas.edu/registrar/transcript/default.html.

Additional University of St. Thomas policy links:


http://www.stthomas.edu/policies/graduate_student_book/default.asp

http://www.stthomas.edu/registrar/registrarpoliciescf/bodylist.cfm