The information in this graduate catalog applies to the academic year 2021-22. The university reserves the right to change programs of study, academic requirements, the announced university calendar, and other matters described herein without prior notice, in accordance with established procedures. Each graduate student should understand that published descriptions of degree requirements establish only minimum requirements. It is the prerogative of the graduate program to make changes in degree requirements at any time. The policies in the document are for all graduate programs. Please see individual program policies for additional information. In lieu of no specific EMU graduate program policy, the individual graduate department policies apply. Please review individual program policies for additional information. This graduate catalog is descriptive and is not to be construed as a legal contract.

 Please see the graduate student handbook for student life-related policies.

Academic Accountability

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When students have been admitted to graduate study and enter into their graduate work, they are not yet candidates for a degree. Admission to candidacy (MA in Counseling calls this "admission to internship") is contingent upon successful completion of such program specific requirements as a comprehensive exam, supervised practicum, successful completion of coursework, etc.

The student will normally meet all requirements for admission to candidacy upon completion of half of the credit hours required. The specific number of hours or required courses is defined within each degree program. Admission to candidacy is required for work in the program beyond this point.

To be admitted to candidacy, the student must have completed the requisite number of semester hours, including any courses prerequisite to admission to candidacy with a 3.00 minimum GPA; met any program specific competency assessment criteria; actively participated in the advising process and met all advising objectives; and obtained the formal approval of the faculty in the degree program.

Students are reviewed for admission to candidacy during the semester in which they are expected to meet the requirements. Specific procedures for admission to candidacy are established within each degree program.

Advising

Each graduate student is appointed a faculty member to serve as an advisor. Until the faculty advisor’s appointment, the program director/coordinator serves as the advisor. The faculty advisor helps the graduate student with career planning and course selection. The advisor also functions as a mentor, monitoring the student’s academic progress and working as an informal advocate for the student to the program faculty. Requests to change academic advisors should be made to the program director/coordinator.

Auditing

Students may enroll to audit classes when there is room in a class and with permission of the instructor or program director/coordinator.  Individual programs may offer one or two options for auditing: the standard audit or the participation audit. Some courses may not be open to either type of audit.  Please contact the teaching program for more information about participation expectations. No academic credit is granted for either type of audit. Students who enroll as auditors (standard or participation) will register and pay the designated audit fee.  (See financial section for audit fees). At the end of the class an audit designation will appear on the student’s transcript.

Class Attendance

Students are expected to be prepared, attend, and participate in all class meetings. If unusual or emergency circumstances prevent class attendance, the student should notify the professor in advance if possible. Multiple absences from class will result in lower grades. The student is responsible for the material presented in classes missed.

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Courses Taken by EMU Students at Other Schools

A student should secure advance approval from the graduate program director/coordinator or advisor before enrolling for work in other universities, where credit is to be transferred back to EMU for graduation. The graduate program reserves the right to limit the amount of transfer credit which may be applied to degree requirements. In all cases the majority of credits must be earned through instruction offered by EMU.

Courses Taken Through Eastern Mennonite Seminary

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Persons are invited to take courses in a graduate program as a non-degree student prior to applying to the graduate program, subject to the approval of the program director/coordinator and the course faculty member. A maximum of 9 semester hours taken as a non-degree student can later be applied to the graduate degree program upon matriculation. (Graduate Teacher Education [GTE] non-degree students are exempt from program director approvals. Additional hours as a non-degree student may be appealed to the GTE program director.)

Course Syllabi

Instructors will prepare a syllabus for each course describing its purpose, requirements, and other appropriate information such as bibliography and schedule. Students may request to see course syllabi when making course selections. Such requests should be made to the program office. Graduate programs will specify course requirements in research, learning projects, and reading.

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The expected number of work hours required per semester hour (credit) of practicum or internship experience is congruent with the expectations for a traditional course. However, accreditation standards and/or standard practice in the discipline take precedence in establishing hours within a particular program.

Classroom and Study Time

Course work for a graduate course involves a significant commitment of time. For courses with face to face class time, the typical formula for determining academic activities related to a course is 2.5 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. Thus, if enrolled in a typical 3 semester hour course that meets for three hours each week, a student should expect to spend between 10 and 12 hours total time per week devoted to that course. Assuming a 15 week semester, the student would devote on average 150 to 180 hours to that course. 

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EMU uses the four-point system. The grade point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of graded semester hours.

Graduation GPA

A GPA of 3.0 is the minimum requirement for graduation for all master’s degree students.

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Updated by Graduate Council, April 1, 2019

Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) students are permitted to use up to 12 semester hours towards earning a graduate certificate from their primary or secondary program. In the case of a 15 semester hour graduate certificate, 3 additional credits would be needed. In the case of an 18 semester graduate certificate, 6 additional credits would be needed. The specific additional courses required to earn the graduate certificate would be determined by the relevant program director/coordinator with the student.

Approved by Graduate Council, April 20, 2015 and March 12, 2018

Advising for students pursuing a graduate certificate (outside of their home program) and a master’s degree:

Each student pursuing a graduate certificate (GC) and master’s degree (MA/MS) will be assigned a faculty advisor from their home MA/MS program. The student or the student’s home advisor will consult with the program offering the certificate in regards to specific curriculum requirements.

Approved and updated by Graduate Council, October 22, 2018

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If within the same field of study, the graduate program will accept 6 credits from the alumnus’s master's degree program, as long as those courses have been taken within the last five years. If an alumnus has taken some of the required courses for the graduate certificate, those credits will be accepted in and the requirements waived. If a student has taken more than 6 credits of required courses for the graduate certificate, the course requirements can be waived, but the alumnus will be asked to pick additional classes that supplement their skill set. If the alumnus has completed a graduate certificate and is coming back to do a full master's program, transfer credits will be considered under the program’s normal transfer credit policy as well as the requirements for the master's degree/certificate outlined above. The same is true when an alumnus is pursuing a new field of study.

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