Policies & Procedures

Graduate students will receive a letter grade for their course work with the following exceptions: Students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 may elect S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grading in one graduate or upper division course outside the major field each quarter, in addition to those courses offered for mandatory S/U grading. 596 courses may be given a letter grade, but the 597 and 599 courses must be graded on a S/U basis. The grade S is given for work, which is of B or better quality. Instructors may also assign the grade I (Incomplete) for students whose work is of passing quality but incomplete for a good cause. Incompletes must be removed by the end of the next full quarter of residence at which time they lapse to F or U. To remove an I grade, or an F from a lapsed I, the student must finish the work assigned by the instructor, and submit a “Petition for the Removal of an Incomplete Grade”.

Graduate students are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.0. Those failing to do so will be placed on scholarship probation. Students enter probationary status when their cumulative grade-point average falls below 3.0 or if their grade point average in two successive quarters is below 3.0. The status of the student is determined by the Dean of the Graduate Division. Should the student be permitted to continue his/her graduate studies, prompt improvement must be demonstrated to avert dismissal. Students whose grade-point average falls below 3.0 due to I grades which have lapsed to F after the following quarter will be allowed the opportunity to remove the F within a specific period before action for dismissal is taken.

Three graduate courses per quarter (12 units) are considered the normal course load for graduate students. Financial aid, assistantships, university housing and the like have specific requirements concerning the number of courses that a student must be enrolled in, and the student should consult the financial aid publications for this information. The Department expects that students maintain full-time status. Part-time students are accepted only in rare instances.

Unless a formal leave of absence has been granted, or if a student is eligible for the Filing Fee, he or she is expected to register in all three-quarters of the academic year, including the quarter in which the degree is to be conferred.

If, as a registered student, all requirements for a degree are completed with the exception of the filing of the dissertation and/or the final examination, M.A. or Ph.D., students may be eligible to pay a filing fee instead of the normal registration fees during the quarter in which the degree is to be awarded. Four conditions must be satisfied to be eligible: (1) All formal requirements with the exception of the aforementioned filings must be completed before the first day of classes; (2) Since last being registered and up to the first day of classes, the student’s combined use of University facilities and faculty time must not exceed 12 hours; (3) During the quarter in question, the dissertation committee suggested only stylistic and/or typographical changes in the dissertation or, in the case of M.A. examinations, the faculty only administered the examination; and (4) if subject to the doctoral In-candidacy Fee Offset Program, the student must have been registered in the previous quarter.

After a student receives his/her study list, changes in the list require the submission of an Enrollment Petition. The Departmental Graduate Advisor must approve all petitions. Deadlines for each quarter are published in the catalog as well as in the class schedule for each quarter.

Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degree objective. Those students who fail to progress steadily either in respect to level of performance or in time to degree may be subject to probationary status or disqualification.

Students who intend to withdraw from the University must file a “Notice of Withdrawal” along with their registration and student I.D. cards. Failure to submit all of these items will result in the assessment of a fee against any refund. Graduate students who fail to finish a quarter or fail to finish a quarter without requesting leave or withdrawal are considered to have withdrawn from the University and must apply for readmission should they wish to return.

Students in good standing (3.0 GPA) intending to leave the University but planning to return at a later date should petition for a leave of absence. A leave is normally granted for periods of one to three quarters, but may be extended for up to a maximum total of six quarters. Students must submit a “Request for a Leave of Absence” petition, and secure the appropriate approvals. A student who simply fails to register or who withdraws from the University must reapply for admission (see instructions below). Further eligibility requirements can be found in the Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Students living in University Family Student Housing should note that they may take only one quarter of leave from the University during their entire residence.

Continuing graduate students who fail to register are considered to have withdrawn and must reapply for admission. Such students must submit an “Application for Readmission” and must reapply to department by submitting a complete application which would include (1) statement of purpose, (2) writing sample, (3) three letters of recommendation, (4) GRE and TOELF, and (5) transcripts. Note: You will have to pay for the application fee. The department will not pay the fee for the student.

If a change in degree requirements is instituted after a student has been accepted either to the M.A. or Ph.D. program, the student will be allowed to satisfy either the regulations in effect at the time of his/her admission or the newly introduced regulation. If after receiving the M.A. degree, the student continues with the Ph.D. program, he or she will then be subject to whatever regulations are in effect when he or she begins the new program. For example, if a change is made in the modern language requirement while the student is working on the M.A. and he or she is subsequently accepted into the Department’s Ph.D. program, the student will be required to satisfy the second modern language requirement under the new regulations.