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Application Guidelines
Applications and Admissions
To be admitted to West Virginia University for the purpose of seeking an advanced degree or to enroll in a formal non-degree graduate program, a student must be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or university and must be accepted by the professional school or major department in which he or she proposes to study. Graduate students seeking advanced degrees are admitted as either regular, provisional, or non-degree students (see Admission Classification Categories below).
The criteria used for admissions decisions vary with each degree program and will reflect an evaluation of the applicant's potential to engage in graduate work as well as an assessment of the program's current capacity to accept additional students. Many programs consider applications as they arrive, while others accumulate applications and make their recommendations on admission at particular times during the year. Most commonly, requests for admission are considered by departmental admissions committees, which forward their recommendations to the Office of Admissions and Records. The minimal academic criteria for the classification of graduate student status is stated by the university (see Admission Classification Categories below). Some programs may use more stringent criteria to determine the appropriate status of the student before forwarding their recommendations to Admissions and Records.
Basic Application Requirements
A student wishing to receive graduate credit for a course numbered 400 or higher must have been admitted to graduate study before enrollment in the course or courses concerned. Students wishing to accumulate credits toward the earning of a graduate degree must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. For admission to a degree program, information should be requested from the department, division, school, or college offering the program desired. The unit's reply to such an inquiry should include instructions for applying to the particular program.
Application for admission to graduate study must be made on standard forms provided by the Office of Admissions and Records and be accompanied by a non-refundable fee.
No faculty member holding a tenured or tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor or above in a program unit may be admitted to a graduate degree program offered through that unit. Only those individuals in other ranks or in non tenure track positions can simultaneously pursue a degree in their own unit. Faculty holding professorial rank may be admitted to a graduate degree program in another program unit.
Admission Classification Categories
The standards discussed below are the minimum established by the University. Individual academic units or graduate programs may establish higher standards.
Regular - A regular graduate student is a degree-seeking student who meets all the criteria for regular admission to a program. The student must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, must have at least a grade-point average of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale), must have met all the criteria established by the particular degree program, and must be under no requirements to make up deficiencies. A regular graduate student must attain a grade-point average of 2.75 to remain in good standing.
Provisional - A student may be admitted as a provisional graduate student by any unit when the student possesses an accredited baccalaureate degree, but does not meet the criteria for regular admission, such as having course work or prerequisite deficiencies or a grade-point average of less than 2.75. The provisions are to be specified by the graduate department or program. Course work, without graduate credit, may be required to make up deficiencies before admission to full (regular) status can be granted. A provisional student must attain a grade-point average of 2.75 by the completion of the 18th credit hour of course work to remain in good standing. A graduate student is not eligible for appointment to an assistantship or fellowship while on provisional status.
To be reclassified as a regular student, a student must meet the provisions stated by the department and achieve a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 on all course work taken during the provisional period. A unit must review the student's record no later than the completion of the 18th credit hour, and make a final decision on the student's admission. A student who fails to meet the provisions of admission including the appropriate GPA should be suspended and the Office of Admissions and Records should be informed by the graduate department.
Non-Degree - A non-degree student is one who is not admitted to a degree program. Admission as a non-degree student does not guarantee admission to any course or program. Even though a non-degree student student has not been admitted to a graduate program, a unit may allow a non-degree student to enroll in its courses once the student presents evidence of possessing an accredited baccalaureate degree and a 2.50 grade-point average. The student must obtain a 2.50 grade-point average on the first 12 credit hours of course work and maintain this average as long as enrolled. A student failing to achieve this standard will be placed on probation and must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.50 by the end of the next enrollment (or nine credit hours total for part-time students)period. Students who do not attain the required GPA will be suspended.
Transfer Procedure
Transfer From Another Institution - A student wishing to apply credit earned at another accredited institution of higher education to a master's degree at WVU must obtain a Transfer of Graduate Credit Form from the Office of Admissions and Records. This form requires the signature of the student's unit chairperson or designee. The student must also have an official transcript from the other institution sent to the Office of Admissions and Records. Only credit earned at accredited institutions at the graduate level may be transferred. Non-degree graduate students are not permitted to transfer credit to WVU from another institution.
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