Oct 05, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Catalog Addendum


The provisions of this catalog do not constitute an offer for a contract which may be accepted by students through registration and enrollment in the University. The University reserves the right to change any provision or requirement, including fees, at any time with or without notice. The University further reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from the University for cause at any time.

Failure to read this catalog does not excuse students from the requirements and regulations described herein.

The University of Louisiana at Monroe adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity without regard to race, color, creed or religion, national origin, sex, marital or parental status, age, disability, veteran status, or political belief. This policy extends to all programs and activities supported by the University.

The University of Louisiana at Monroe, an institution of higher learning, maintains compliance with the requirements and regulations set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended June 17, 1976. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Compliance Guidelines are available to parents and students in the Office of Student Affairs, Dean of Students, Registrar, and Student Government Association.


Catalog Changes Following Initial Publication 
(Most recent changes are shown first)

 

Graduate Assistant Remuneration From External Funds

1. Principal Investigators (PI) shall negotiate salary levels for graduate assistants with funding agencies. The PI should work with and have pre-approval from the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) and the Graduate School to ensure appropriate funding is designated in the proposal budget. Stipends must be based on special needs clearly documented in the grant and approved in advance of submission of the grant proposal by the academic dean.

2. Stipends must meet federal government minimum wage requirements. Students may not work more than 20 hours /week. (See GA workload policy)

3. All graduate assistantship positions funded from external sources must be carefully and regularly documented as to the hours and dates worked, duties performed, and any other requirements established by the funding agencies. Assistants are required to keep a daily log of time worked and submit reports to their supervisors monthly. All time sheets must be maintained on record for one academic year. For extramurally funded grants, timesheets must be maintained for five years or longer if specified by the granting agency. All timesheets must be maintained in a central location as determined by each graduate program

Approved 3/21/2019 by the Graduate Council

 

Policy on Graduate Assistant Work Absence

* Graduate assistants do not accrue vacation, sick leave or other paid time-off.

* In the event of illness, a graduate student needs to notify his/her supervisor as soon as possible for any days of absences, and make appropriate arrangements to recover the lost time, in agreement with the supervisor.

* For extended leave (>1 wk), due to illness, the student will need to provide medical proof or justification, and contact the major professor and graduate program coordinator. A stipend adjustment may take place accordingly. The Business Manager of the Graduate School must be notified of all stipend adjustments.

* For any leave time, the RAs and TAs students must report the start and end dates to the supervisor and major professor. Appropriate arrangements to make up missed work will take place in agreement with the major professor/supervisor.

Approved 3/21/2019 by the Graduate Council


 


MS Biology Admission Criteria (effective 2/6/2019)

Regular Admission

Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); 

or
Minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of coursework;

or
minimum formula score of GPA (either cumulative or last 60 hours)  x GRE (Q + V) = 825

The program will consider using other standardized examinations (MCAT, DAT, etc) to calculate a formula score on a case-by-case basis. 
International student applicants must meet Graduate School requirements for English proficiency.

Conditional Admission

Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale); 

or
Minimum GPA of 2.75 in the last 60 hours of coursework;

or
minimum formula score of GPA (either cumulative or last 60 hours)  x GRE (Q+V) = 750


Provisional Admission:  Provisional admission will be granted to qualified applicants awaiting graduation, official transcripts, or GRE scores, according to the Graduate School policy for provisional status.

Non-Thesis Option:  Applicants meeting the minimum admissions requirements will be automatically accepted into the non-thesis option.

Thesis Option:  Student must have a faculty sponsor to be admitted into the thesis option.  The faculty member must notify the graduate coordinator in writing that he/she will sponsor the thesis option student.

Graduate Assistantships:  To be considered for a graduate assistantship, a student must be admitted to the Biology Graduate Program in regular or conditional status, provide three (3) letters of recommendation forms, and have a minimum GRE score of 300 (V+Q).
 

Approved by Biology Graduate Faculty 1/11/2019; UCC Memo approval 2/6/2019




Course Load

Graduate students who enroll in a minimium of 9 semester hours for credit are considered full-time students.  The maximum course load for a non-thesis graduate student is 15 semester hours and 9 hours for thesis students during a regular semester.
The maximum course load for a graduate student registered during any single summer session is 7 semester hours, and the minimum during any single summer session is 3 semester hours.  In fully online degrees, students must be enrolled in 6 semester hours in an 8-week session to be considered full-time. 

All overloads must be recommended in writing by the major professor and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.  A part-time student may schedule limited course work depending upon the time which can be devoted to graduate study. 

Approved 11/15/2018 by the Graduate Council

Graduate Assistants

A graduate student who is awarded a graduate assistantship or a graduate work-study position must be a full-time student.  Graduate Assistants may not be registered for more than 12 semester hours during the regular semester.  The Major Professor and the Dean of the Graduate School must approve a student’s request to enroll in a course load exceeding 9 semester hours during a regular semester or 7 semester hours during the summer. 

Approved 11/15/2018 by the Graduate Council



Continuous Enrollment

A graduate student must continuously enroll in at least one credit hour each fall and spring semester until his/her degree has been awarded.  Students graduating in the summer must also enroll in at least one hour of credit in the summer they plan to graduate unless graduating in absentia.  Please check program-specific guidelines for details.  In the absence of program guidelines, the rules of continuous enrollment (above) apply. 

International students must be enrolled full-time each semester until graduation.

After two continuous semester (fall, spring) of non-enrollment, students must re-apply for admission.

Approved 11/15/2018 by the Graduate Council

 

Enrollment Requirements for Assistantships, Dissertations, Theses, and Practicums

Upon completion of all coursework, and while working on research, practicums, theses, or dissertations, graduate students are expected to be continuously enrolled (fall, spring) for at least one thesis hour, or three dissertation hours or practicum hours (designated by program) each semester.  Students are required to enroll in any term which will require the professional time of faculty and staff.

Graduate Assistantships require full-time enrollment during the appointed semester.

Approved 11/15/2018 by the Graduate Council