ISU Graduate College - Graduate College Handbook

Graduate College Handbook

Chapter 6. The Graduate Program of Study

The Graduate College Handbook outlines the general requirements for completion of a graduate degree at ISU. Faculty in a major field have the responsibility for establishing educational objectives for their graduate program, including specific course requirements and research requirements appropriate to the master’s or Ph.D. programs in the major. These requirements may place additional responsibilities on the student, the major professor, or the student’s program of study (POS) committee beyond those listed in the Graduate College Handbook as deemed appropriate to the goals of the major program.

Faculty and graduate students are active participants in the academic programs of Iowa State University. As active participants, they have a collective impact on the success of those programs and of the university in fulfilling its mission. Each graduate program is encouraged to implement a mechanism for responding to feedback from graduate students as a valuable resource for continuing improvement.

POS Committee

New graduate students at ISU may be assigned a temporary academic adviser by the major program in the first semester of the student’s residence. This faculty member guides the student in selection of a field of study and in development of a graduate program of study until the major professor and POS committee are selected. After the POS committee has been selected, it guides and evaluates the student during the remainder of graduate study. Among the committee’s duties are:

reviewing periodically the progress of the student;
advising a student during the development of the creative component, the thesis, or the dissertation;
considering and approving the student’s program of study as well as changes in the program of study.
reading the creative component, thesis, or dissertation; and
conducting the preliminary oral examination (for Ph.D. candidates) and the final oral examination (for master’s and Ph.D. candidates).

Individual graduate programs may add other responsibilities for the POS committee.

Early selection of a major professor, appointment of a POS committee, and development of a program of study are very important. It is recommended that the committee be formed as early as the second semester of graduate study. In no case can the committee be formed later than the term before the final oral examination or preliminary oral examination. To select a committee, the student must:

obtain the “Recommendation for Committee Appointment” form from his/her program or from the Graduate College web site at http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/ forms/forms.html,
gain the appropriate committee and program approvals, including the program’s Director of Graduate Education (DOGE) (see Appendix A), and
submit the form for Graduate College approval.

POS Committee Makeup

The Major Professor

The major professor, who must be a member of the graduate faculty in the student’s declared major, serves as chair of the POS committee. (For information about graduate faculty, see Appendix G; for responsibilities of the major professor, see Chapter 6.)

Co-major Professors

A master’s or doctoral degree student may have two or more major professors who serve as co-chairs of the POS committee. Co-chairs are required in the following instances:

When a student has a co-major or joint major, each of the major fields must be represented by a different major professor, which will require the designation of co-major professors. However, the same person, if a faculty member in both majors, will be allowed to serve as major professor for both majors.
When masters or Ph.D. work is administered through a program in which the largest share of course credits is taken, but the research is conducted or shared with another program or major and also supervised by a graduate faculty member in that program, both the masters or dissertation supervisor and a member of the graduate faculty from the program in which the degree will be granted can be designated as co-major professors.
An approved committee for a double degree must include co-major professors from each of the programs. Only certain programs have been approved for double degrees (see Chapter 4). Students seeking double degrees must clearly note that in the "Comments" section of the "Recommendation for Committee Appointment" form.
If a term member of the graduate faculty is chosen as major professor for a POS committee, a co-major professor who is a member of the graduate faculty must also be identified.
If a major professor resigns or retires from the university, he/she may continue to serve, but a co-major professor who is a member of the graduate faculty must also be identified.

In all cases where there are co-major professors, both must sign on all required forms to be submitted to the Graduate College.

Members of the Committee

Members and Term Graduate Faculty Members. Any graduate faculty member or term graduate faculty member (see Appendix G) may serve as a member of a master’s or doctoral POS committee.

Member(s) from Outside the Student’s Field of Emphasis. The outside graduate faculty member(s) of the POS committee provide relevant specialized knowledge or a different perspective helpful to the planning, execution, and reporting of research, or some aspect of intellectual diversity deemed important by the committee and/or major.

Member(s) from a Minor. If a graduate minor has been declared, a graduate faculty member from the minor program or interdepartmental minor must serve on the POS committee. The major professor and the representative from the minor field may not be the same person.

Retired Faculty. Retired ISU graduate faculty members may serve as members only on newly formed master’s or doctoral committees as long as they are willing to participate actively.

Resigned Faculty. Graduate faculty members who have resigned but are currently serving on an approved committee may continue to serve in that capacity. They may not be appointed to any new committee.

Additional Non-voting Members. When a non-member of the Graduate Faculty possesses expertise particularly relevant to the student’s field of study, he or she may be appointed to either the master’s or the doctoral POS Committee as an additional non-voting member. If a non-member of the Graduate Faculty is appointed to the POS Committee, an explanatory memo should be attached to the "Recommendation for Committee Appointment" form. Non-voting members are invited but not required to attend all committee functions and to sign report forms.

Doctoral POS Committee Makeup

The POS committee for a doctoral program consists of at least five members of the graduate faculty. It must include at least three members, including the major professor, from within the student’s major or program. The committee must include member(s) from different fields of emphasis so as to ensure diversity of perspectives. A term member of the graduate faculty may participate in the direction of a student’s dissertation research as a co-major professor if a member of the graduate faculty serves as a co-major professor and jointly accepts responsibility for direction of the dissertation.

Master’s POS Committee Makeup

The master’s POS committee consists of at least three members of the graduate faculty. It must include two members, including the major professor, from the major or program. The committee must include member(s) from different fields of emphasis so as to ensure diversity of perspectives. A term member of the graduate faculty may participate in the direction of a student’s master’s research as a co-major professor if a member of the graduate faculty serves as a co-major professor and jointly accepts responsibility for the direction of a program of study.

POS Committee Changes

Recommendations for changes in the POS committee for a master’s or Ph.D. degree must have the approval of the student, major professor, DOGE, and all committee members involved in the change (committee members who are on Faculty Professional Development Assignments, retired, or resigned do not have to sign) before seeking approval of the Graduate College. A form to seek approval is available in program offices or on the web at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html. These changes must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College before the preliminary or final oral examination is held.

All members of the POS committee are required to attend the oral examinations unless prior approval has been granted by the Graduate College for a substitute or replacement. In some cases, it may only be possible to convene the committee in a timely manner if one of the committee members participates at a distance. This is permitted if the distance participation is agreeable to all committee members, if the mode of communication permits the full participation of the committee member at a distance, and if the Graduate College is notified in advance of the examination in writing by the major professor and advised who will sign for the distant committee member at the conclusion of the examination. The preferred method of distance participation is video conferencing, but speaker phone is acceptable in cases where visual presentation is not critical. The distant committee member must participate for the entire examination.

POS Committee Member Replacement in an Emergency

In the case of any emergency occasioned by sudden illness, accident or other serious and unforeseen ability of a faculty member to attend a meeting of the POS Committee, the Dean of the Graduate College will approve via telephone an emergency replacement. This emergency procedure can be activated by calling the Dean’s office directly at 515-294-4531.

Developing the Program of Study

The student and the major professor develop the program of study with the consultation and approval of the POS committee. This agreement between the student and the Graduate College should be submitted as early as possible for approval. It is recommended that the committee be formed as early as the second semester of graduate study. In no case can the committee and the program of study be formed later than the term before the final oral examination or preliminary oral examination. POS forms are available in each program office or on the web at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html. Each student’s program of study should be designed to correct deficiencies in academic preparation, allow study of subject matter that most interests the student, and avoid repetition in areas where the student is well prepared. The POS committee assures that program requirements are met before signing the POS form.

The POS form is signed by the student, committee members, and the DOGE of the major, minor or interdepartmental major/minor, if appropriate, before submitting it to the Graduate College. There the program of study is reviewed for adherence to the standards of the Graduate College and is submitted to the Dean of the Graduate College for approval. When the Graduate College has approved the POS, copies are sent to the program to distribute to the student, the major professor, and the program.

Changes on the Program of Study

Recommendations for modifications to the program of study for a master’s or Ph.D. degree must have the approval of the student, major professor, all committee members, and the program’s DOGE before approval by the Graduate College is sought. (The form, "Modifications to the Program of Study," is available in program offices or at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html.) A change of degree requires a new committee and Program of Study.

Graduate Courses Taken as an ISU Undergraduate

Certain graduate-level courses listed in the ISU Catalog may be used in the program of study even though they were taken for graduate credit by the student as an undergraduate at ISU. The following conditions must be met:

The POS committee can request approval from the Dean of the Graduate College for up to nine hours of such credit to be applied toward meeting advanced degree requirements. These courses must be clearly marked on the POS.
Credits earned in these courses must be in addition to those used to meet requirements for the bachelor’s degree and must have grades of B or better.
The student must be classified as an undergraduate and not a nondegree undergraduate (special) student. Credits taken as a nondegree undergraduate (special) student are not allowed.
Contact the Registrar's Office staff (210 Alumni Hall) to certify and note on the permanent record the courses that were not used for the undergraduate degree.

Declared Minors

Requirements for declared minors are determined by the minor program and the faculty member representing the minor field on the student’s POS committee. The minor subject area must be tested at the preliminary oral and final oral examinations for Ph.D. candidates and at the final oral examination for all other advanced degrees. A minor cannot be added to a program of study after the preliminary oral examination has been taken, nor can a minor be placed on the transcript after graduation, unless it was approved on the POS, listed on all examination reports, and recorded on the "Application for Graduation" form (diploma slip).

"Over-Age" Courses

A course is considered over-age if it was taken beyond the time limit for the master's or doctoral program (see Chapter 4 for time limit requirements).

A written request for acceptance of over-age courses should be submitted as an attachment to the POS form. It should include the following:

a justification for why the courses are still relevant,
an assurance that the student has kept current with the information covered in the over-age courses, and
an explanation of how the student will be evaluated on over-age material. Evaluation could include a written examination (a preliminary, qualifying, or comprehensive examination), evidence of satisfactory performance in course(s) for which the over-age courses are prerequisites, or the completion of an audit in one or more current courses in the areas encompassed by the over-age course. The object should be to determine whether the material learned in those courses is still timely and adequate. The evaluation method should be specified by the committee at the time the POS form is submitted.

Pass/Not Pass (P/NP) Courses

Students may not list courses taken on a P/NP basis on their POS. For more information, see Chapter 5.

Repeated Courses

Repetition of a course is permitted with the approval of the POS committee or temporary academic adviser. For more information on repeating courses, see Chapter 5.

Testing Out Credit

The POS committee determines if testing out credit may be included on the POS. See Chapter 5 for more information on testing out credits.

Transfer Credits

At the discretion of the POS committee, and with the approval of the program and the Graduate College, graduate credits earned as a graduate student at another institution or through a distance education program offered by another institution may be transferred if the grade was B or better. Such courses must have been acceptable toward an advanced degree at that institution and must have been taught by individuals having graduate faculty status at that institution. If a student wishes to transfer credits from graduate courses taken at or through another university as an undergraduate student, it is that student’s responsibility to provide verification by letter from that institution that those graduate courses were not used to satisfy undergraduate requirements for a degree.

A transcript must accompany the POS in order to transfer credits. The POS committee may ask for other materials, such as a course outline or accreditation of the institution, to evaluate the course. Transfer courses not completed when the POS is submitted must be completed before the term in which the student graduates. A transcript must then be submitted for review and final approval.

Research credits earned at another institution are generally not transferred. In rare circumstances, the transfer of S or P marks may be accepted for research credits only. It is the responsibility of the POS committee to obtain a letter from the responsible faculty member at the other institution stating that research credits recommended for transfer with S or P marks are considered to be worthy of a B grade or better.

Audits may be listed on the program of study, but do not carry credit. (See Chapter 2 for more information on audits.)

Undergraduate Courses to Make Up Academic Deficiencies

Undergraduate-level courses are sometimes required of graduate students to make up deficiencies in undergraduate background. They appear on the POS form as Z courses. Such courses appear on transcripts and are included in the determination of the grade point average. These courses may not be taken on a P/NP basis.

POS Committee Responsibilities: A Summary

Major Professor (Chair) Responsibilities

Procedural:

Review and sign forms requiring the major professor’s approval.
Preside at meetings of the POS committee.
Recommend to the Dean of the Graduate College in writing that:
- Restricted admission be changed to full admission on the basis of academic performance after the student has performed successfully in a significant segment of his or her graduate program by completing at least nine credits of graduate-level courses as a graduate student with a G.P.A. of 3.00 or more and fulfilling the graduate English requirement.
- Provisional admission be changed to full admission after background deficiencies have been corrected with a B grade average or better. If the student is a nonnative English speaker, the graduate English requirement must also be met.
- Student be removed from probation or request to be allowed to register for satisfactory academic performance.
- Significant changes in the program of study are necessary (must be approved by the student, committee members, and the program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- Waiver of six-month requirement between the preliminary oral and final oral examinations requested (must be approved by student, major professor, and program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- All conditions placed on a preliminary oral or final oral examination may be removed. If the report form is checked that all committee members must sign to remove a condition, then all signatures will be required to remove the condition.
- Time extension to complete the degree requested be granted (must also be signed and approved by the program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- Graduation with less than the 3.00 G.P.A. for extenuating circumstances (must also be approved by the program’s DOGE before submitting to the Graduate College).
- Changes in committee are made and approved by the Graduate College prior to a preliminary or final oral examination (also signed by all members involved in the change and the program’s DOGE).
Present doctoral candidates at graduation ceremonies.
Write letters of recommendation for students.

Research and thesis/dissertation responsibilities:

Guide the graduate student doing research by conferring regularly to review and evaluate progress.
Guide the student in development of communication skills through assistance in preparing manuscripts for presentation or publication.
Criticize constructively the written draft(s) of a thesis or dissertation before it is circulated to other members of the POS committee.
Work with the student in editing the written draft(s) of the thesis or dissertation.
Approve and sign final submission copies of the thesis or dissertation before it is submitted to the Graduate College Thesis Office.

The major professor’s relationship with the student:

Provide needed guidance without hampering creativity.
Be accessible within a reasonable schedule for discussions with the student.
Accept a student only if he or she has sufficient time to direct the student’s program and can reasonably expect to have available facilities and sufficient funding to support the student to the completion of the degree.
Write letters of recommendation for the student and aid with job or position placement.
Inform the student of any special leave that may cause inconvenience or delay in the student’s research progress or in the arrangement of the preliminary oral or final oral examinations.

Resolution of major professor-student relationship problems:

When irreconcilable problems occur between the major professor and student, it may be advisable to dissolve the relationship. The DOGE is responsible for recommending to the Graduate College that the original POS committee be dissolved and that a new POS committee be formed.

POS Committee Member Responsibilities

Procedural Matters:

Review periodically the progress of the student.
Verify that the program of study meets the major’s requirements (and minor’s requirements when applicable) and recommends approval to the Graduate College.
Discuss and recommend changes in the student’s program to the Graduate College.

Committee/Student Relationships:

Inform the student of any circumstances that might cause inconvenience in arranging periodic meetings or the preliminary oral or final oral examinations.
Write letters of recommendations for students.