Graduate Foreign Language Examination
Determination of Academic Requirements
A student graduates under the degree requirements and policies in effect at the semester and year of admission to a graduate degree program.
The Plan of Study (POS)
The Plan of Study specifies the requirements that students must complete for their degree and is submitted and revised electronically via the interactive POS system (iPOS). In order to facilitate degree completion and shorten time to degree, graduate students with regular status must submit their POS by the time they have enrolled for 50 percent of the minimum credit hours required towards their degree program.The POS must be approved by a student's committee, the head of the academic unit, and the Graduate College dean. The POS becomes a contract between the University and the student that guides the student in completing degree requirements.
Courses numbered 500 or higher are graduate level courses. Core courses required by a graduate degree program must be 500-level or above. A maximum of six credit hours of 400 level coursework may be used on an approved POS (400 level courses taken for a grade of Pass/Fail cannot be included on a POS). Courses with grades of "D" (1.00) and "E" (0.00) cannot be included on a POS.
Students may not include on their Plan of Study any credit hours that have been applied towards a previously awarded degree.
Special Graduate Grade Considerations
Graduate coursework (i.e. 500, 600, and 700 level) reported as incomplete ("I") must be completed within one calendar year of the end of the scheduled course. If the course has not been completed and a regular grade assigned, it will become a permanent incomplete. The student will need to re-register for the course to receive credit.
Thesis and dissertation credit may only be assigned a grade of "Y" or "Z."
A grade of "W" is given whenever a student officially withdraws from a course after the drop/add period.
Audit Enrollment
Graduate students may register to audit one or more courses with the approval of the supervisory committee chair and the consent of the instructor involved. An audited course does not count towards the minimum number of credits required for international students with visa restrictions, students employed as TA/RAs, or students receiving financial assistance.
Pre-Admission Credits
Credit hours completed before the semester and year of admission to an ASU graduate degree program are considered pre-admission credits. With approval of the degree program and the Graduate College, a maximum of nine credit hours of pre-admission credits may be included on the POS for a master's degree and a maximum of 12 credit hours for a doctoral degree provided the credits have not been used in a previously awarded degree program. Only pre-admission credits earned in graduate level courses with a grade of "B" (3.00) or higher may be used towards a graduate degree.
Using Graduate Credits earned by Undergraduate Students towards a Graduate Degree
Credit hours earned in graduate level courses (per Graduate College policy) by undergraduate students can count towards their graduate degree at ASU as long as these credit hours have not been used towards a previously awarded degree. These credit hours are classified as "pre-admission credits" (see above). At ASU, prior to awarding of their bachelors degree, undergraduate students must contact their undergraduate advisor to set aside any graduate courses for use towards a future graduate degree so that these courses do not count towards their undergraduate degree.
Transfer Credit
Transfer credits are those accepted from another institution for inclusion on an ASU Plan of Study. Official transcripts of any potential transfer credit for a POS must be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office from the Office of the Registrar at the institution where the credit was earned.Transfer hours may not exceed 20 percent of the total credit hours for a master's degree, and 12 credit hours for doctoral degrees. Only graduate level courses with grades of "A" (4.00) or "B" (3.00) may be transferred. Transfer credits may not be applied toward the minimum degree requirements for an ASU degree if they have been counted toward the minimum requirements for a previously-awarded degree.
Certain types of graduate credits cannot be transferred to ASU, including credits awarded (as follows):
Academic credits earned at other institutions that base their credit calculation on a different scale from ASU's are subject to conversion before inclusion on a Plan of Study. In all cases, the inclusion of transfer courses on a Plan of Study is subject to approval by the degree program and the Graduate College dean.
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Credit
The Graduate College accepts a numerical grade of 70 or above for courses taken in the ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law as part of an approved Plan of Study. These grades are not used in the two GPAs calculated for graduation unless needed, as determined by the Graduate College.Repeating ASU Courses
Graduate students (degree or non-degree) may retake any course at ASU, but all grades remain on the student transcript as well as in all GPA calculations.
Graduate Foreign Language Examination
A graduate degree program may require at least a reading level proficiency of a foreign language relevant to the student's area of study. Students who are required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language must pass the Graduate Foreign Language Examination specific to their particular graduate program. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of one credit hour during the term in which they take the examination.
Students must successfully complete the foreign language examination before taking any required comprehensive examinations or scheduling the final oral defense of the thesis or dissertation. A student may petition the Graduate College for a re-examination but must pass the examination in no more than three attempts.