Evaluations

All students are evaluated by the department each year. To be considered in good standing and for continuation of financial aid, first and second year students must have earned at minimum five quality grades (B or better) over Autumn and Winter Quarters by the time of the spring review, with satisfactory spring grades expected to follow. The evaluation at the end of the second year is particularly important, as it determines whether a student will be permitted to conduct dissertation research.

Passing each of the programs milestones (courses, proposal hearing, dissertation) is a pre-requisite for continuing in the program. The milestones are listed in the above section on program requirements. Every student is evaluated every academic year and is sent a departmental evaluation letter at the end of Spring quarter.

A student who is not making adequate progress toward meeting program requirements will be placed on academic probation. Such a student will receive a letter from the department that details the reason for the probation, the conditions necessary to lift the probation, and the expected deadline for meeting those conditions. The faculty advisor will be alerted. A student on probation must meet with the advisor and inform the Director of Graduate Studies and the Administrator for Student Affairs about the plan to meet these conditions.

Once a student has been placed on academic probation, there is generally a one-quarter grace period for resolving the condition. Failure to resolve the problem before the start of the next quarter leads to a student’s removal from the program.

Reasons for academic probation for a pre-candidacy student could include:

• failing to meet a formal deadline for a program requirement which includes passing the TR paper requirement, completing a 3rd year writing task, forming a dissertation committee, or having a successful dissertation proposal hearing and progressing to candidacy by the end of 4th year;
• failing to complete core requirements in the coursework (HD Concepts, Applied Statistics for Human Development Research, TR1, and TR2) for a quality grade or a grade below a B;
• taking two or more incompletes or blank grades in the same quarter (or in accumulation at the end of any quarter during the first two years); or
• having an overall GPA below 3.30.

Reasons for academic probation for a post-candidacy student could include:

• failing to hold the required annual post candidacy committee meeting;
• failing to complete the annual progress report for the department;
• no evidence of adequate progress in dissertation research and writing
  (evidence may include a chapter or article draft; students are to keep in contact with their committee members about their progress)