The academic and administrative policies governing Graduate School are approved by the Graduate Council of Graduate School and appear in the Graduate School Bulletin. Administrative officers of Graduate School aid the departments and the Graduate Council in implementing and overseeing the enactment of these policies.

Petitions to waive or modify a particular policy should be prepared according to the following guidelines:

GENERAL PROCEDURES

1. If a student feels strongly that a particular policy should be waived or modified, the student should specify, in writing, all pertinent information concerning the request for waiver/modification.

2. All requests must be reviewed and endorsed by the department head/graduate adviser in the student’s graduate program. If approved, the request should be directed by the academic department to Graduate School, Starkweather Hall.

PROCEDURES FOR SPECIFIC REQUESTS

1. Request for extension of deadline for completion of course work in incomplete courses:

The student should provide an explanation of why the course work could not be completed as scheduled, what work remains, and by what date it can be completed. Both the instructor of the course and the student’s graduate adviser must endorse the request before forwarding it to Graduate School.

2. Request for extension of time to complete the degree:

A new deadline (month/year) should be specified along with an explanation of why the extension is needed. The department head and graduate adviser must endorse the request. This request for an extension to complete the degree requirements often signals that courses will become out-of-date (beyond the six-year time limitation period) and provides an extension for such out-of-date courses to be used toward the degree program. Some course work may require validation. See that policy and form.

3. Request to elect an undergraduate course for graduate credit:

Students wishing to elect undergraduate 400-level courses for graduate credit that have not been previously approved by Graduate School must provide Graduate School with the rationale for this request and delineate the reasons why an appropriate graduate-level course cannot be elected. It is understood that the student must perform academic work of graduate nature and quality in order to receive graduate credit. The program adviser and the department head must endorse this request.

4. Request for a grade change from an unearned “E” to a “W.”

Occasionally, some students neglect to withdraw officially from courses and are issued an unearned “E” grade. Petitions for grade changes from “E” to “W” must include the signatures of the instructor who offered the course and the student’s graduate adviser. In considering this grade-change request, the instructor must be able to verify that the student did not attend the course beyond the first two weeks into a semester. The student must have been performing at a grade level of “B” or better. Faculty members should attempt to recall the information on the “E” slip that they submitted on behalf of the student in order to verify that their recommendation for a grade change conforms to their initial grade explanation on the “E” slip. It should be noted that Graduate School maintains a strict policy on grade changes. Grade changes must be explicitly documented and justified before a change of grade will be approved.

5. Other:

This form may be used to request waiver of other policies such as, course enrollment credit limit. Once a request is received in Graduate School, an appropriate administrative officer will review the request and notify both the student and the department/program of the final action. A request does not constitute automatic approval. The Graduate School may be reached at 734.487.0042. The Records Office may be reached at 734.487.0093.

Click here for the Petition for Modification/Waiver of Policy Form.