ACADEMIC POLICIES
Registration
Students register on the web through Wolverine
Access . A copy of the complete instructions
for web registration is in Appendix P. CRISP (Computer Registration Involving Student Participation)
appointment times are assigned to students according to class standing.
Students receive their registration appointment by e-mail. They may also
find their registration appointments through Wolverine Access.
Registration for continuing students occurs according
to the following schedule:
For winter
term—late November to early December
For spring,
summer and fall terms—early April
In order to register for studio courses, graduate students
must receive overrides. Please
contact the Student Services Office with the course number and the instructor.
You will be notified when the override is issued.
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Change of Elections (Drops/Adds)
A graduate student may change elections by obtaining
the necessary approvals from the department and then transacting the appropriate
procedures. A change of elections
includes: dropping or adding a course, change between credit and visit
status; changing the hours for a course within the range listed in the
Time Schedule, withdrawal or disenrollment for the term. During the first three weeks (two weeks in the half term) of
the term, students may change elections at will. Following this time, signatures of all faculty involved and
the Associate Dean for Graduate Education are required on the Rackham
Petition Form. Rackham makes the final decision.
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A student may withdraw from all courses for a given
term by completing a “withdrawal notice” and submitting it
to the School of Art & Design Registrar.
Withdrawal must take place before the end of the third
week of classes (second week of a half term) to receive a tuition refund.
A registration fee of $80 ($40 for each half term) and $50 disenrollment
fee will be charged.
Note: Withdrawal
may affect eligibility for financial aid. The student should first check with the
University Office of Financial Aid.
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If you register for classes and then decide not to attend,
you should notify the University before classes begin in order
to avoid any fees. You may
disenroll through Wolverine Access.
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All official University of Michigan transcripts must
be ordered through the University Registrar's Office (Room 1212 Pierpont
Commons or G255 Angell Hall) or requested electronically through Wolverine
Access. Students may
also generate an unofficial record for themselves using Wolverine Access.
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Up to six credit hours may be transferred from another accredited institution
after the first semester has been completed in the program.
The following conditions must be met.
- Courses to be
transferred must be graduate level.
- Grades must be
“B” or higher.
- The course was
taken within five years of entering the Rackham graduate program.
- Courses to be
transferred into the program must be approved by the Associate Dean
for Graduate Education and the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee.
- Credit cannot
have been applied toward another degree.
To
transfer credit, the student should:
- Obtain a “Request
for Transfer of Credit” form from the Office of Academic Records
and Dissertations, 110 Rackham or the graduate office.
- Obtain the written
approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and the approval
of the Graduate Advisory Committee chair.
- Arrange to have
an official transcript sent to the Office of Academic Records and Dissertations.
- Return forms to
the Office of Academic Records and Dissertations.
(See Rackham Handbook, chapter 4)
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Students must submit a formal application to the School
of Art & Design Registrar. Degree/Diploma
Applications are available in the Student Services Office. The deadline
to submit the Degree/Diploma Application is four weeks after the first
day of classes in a full term (one week after the first day of classes
in the summer half term). Students
filing by this deadline will be named in the Commencement Program and
will be able to receive their diploma following the approval of the final
degree list approximately six weeks after commencement exercises.
If work is not completed during the term of application
and graduation is delayed, the student must reapply for
the degree during the term of completion.
Forms are available from and may be submitted to the School of
Art & Design’s Registrar.
(see the Rackham Bulletin )
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Graduate student tuition is based on the number of credits
elected during a specific term, as well as on residency status. For current tuition rates, please see
the University
Time Schedule.
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Students who are residents of the state of Michigan
pay lower rates for tuition than non-resident students. A copy of the Residence Regulations of
the University of Michigan may be obtained by writing to the Residence
Status Office, Office
of the Registrar, 1514 LSA Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
MI 48109-1382.
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Graduate credit is generally given only for courses
listed at the 400 level and above. Within the School of Art & Design
course numbers indicate your level and program:
- 400 (or above) Cognate
courses for graduate students in other areas of the University, upper
level art undergraduates, and special courses for graduates and undergraduate
students. Please check
with the department offering the course to verify graduate level. There is a process for having a course
approved as graduate level (see the School Registrar for details).
- 500 MA candidate
- 600 First year MFA candidates
- 700 Continuing MFA candidates
All School of Art & Design courses available in
a specific term are listed in the University Time Schedule and on
Wolverine Access
Each 600 and 700 course listed for the MA and MFA programs
can be elected for 2-6 credits.
To register to study with a specific instructor, use the professor’s
INDI number on the registration form under “section.”
(See Student Services Office for INDI numbers.) During a term
you may choose to elect up to six credits working with only one professor,
or to elect up to nine credit hours split between two or more faculty. If you choose the latter course, you must go to the Registrar’s
Office and request a “split” registration so that the
two sections (INDI) are recorded for the course. This procedure must be done in person.
Be sure to register for the correct course number and
to apply no more than six credits to each number throughout the graduate
program. Keeping copies of
your transcript and CRISP receipts, and using your plan of study, as a
guide will enable you to register properly and avoid duplication of courses.
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School of Art & Design courses cross-listed with
the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the department of History
of Art, or with other units of the University may be used as cognate credit
if the classes are offered for graduate credit.
Students must register using the non-art course numbers.
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A cumulative graduate grade point average of “B”
(5.00) is required for all graduate courses taken for credit and applied
toward the Master’s degree.
A student whose cumulative grade point average falls
below a “B” (5.00) in a given term or half term will be
placed on probation for the following term or half term, or may be
denied permission to pre-register.
A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below
a “B” average for two successive terms or half terms may,
upon the recommendation of his or her graduate chair and the consent
of Rackham, be granted a final opportunity to correct the scholastic
and/or academic deficiency. A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below
a “B” average for three successive terms or half terms
may not be permitted to enroll again and may be required to withdraw
from the University.
In addition to the minimum cumulative standards, degree
programs may require that students achieve certain minimum grades
in the overall program of study and/or in particular courses. A student who is not making satisfactory
progress in his or her program, or who has failed to demonstrate an
ability to succeed in his or her plan of studies, may be required
to withdraw from the University.
A student whose cumulative grade point average is below
a “B” (5.00) cannot be recommended for a degree or certificate,
and may be limited in the transfer of credit hours. (see Rackham Handbook,
chapter 7)
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The method of grading graduate students is the letter
grade system (A, B, C, D, E), except for special courses as noted below.
Courses in which grades of D, E, or U are earned cannot be used in fulfillment
of degree requirements. See "Academic Standing and Academic Discipline,"
later in this chapter, for regulations concerning academic standing
and academic discipline (probation and withdrawal).
Letter Grades and Honor Points. Grades of + and - may
be given to graduate students whenever such fineness of discrimination
is possible. These letter grades are translated into honor points for
each hour of credit in a course as follows:
A+ =
9 B+ = 6 C+ = 3 D and E = 0
A = 8
B = 5
C = 2
(failure)
A- =
7 B- = 4 C- = 1
The honor points earned for a course are calculated by multiplying the
number of credit hours for which the course was elected by the number
of honor points earned on the above grading scale (e.g., if a grade of
B+ is earned for a 3 credit hour course, the total number of honor points
for the course is 3 credit hours x 6, or 18 honor points). The method
of calculating the grade point average (GPA) is given in the "Transcript
Summary Totals" section later in this chapter.
Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U) Grades. Graduate
students may receive "S" and "U" grades. "S"
means that a graduate student has achieved a level of performance that
the instructor regards as satisfactory at the graduate level. Conventionally,
this means that the student would have earned a "B" or better
if such fineness of distinction were possible or appropriate to the
course. "U" grades are assigned when the graduate student
does not meet this criterion. No honor points are generated by the earning
of either an "S" or a "U" grade, and such grades
are not calculated in a graduate student's grade point average. "S"
grades count toward the minimum credit hour requirements of a graduate
student's degree program and "U" grades do not. In most instances
S/U grades are given in courses that are designated appropriate for
such grading by the departments offering them. However, with permission
of the advisor and the course instructor, a student may elect S/U grading
in an otherwise graded course. This should be arranged during the first
three weeks of the term (first two weeks of a half term). Instructors
may not assign letter grades (A-E) to students electing designated S/U
courses. Graduate students may not register for or receive Pass/Fail
grading.
Incomplete (I) Grades. A grade of Incomplete may be
assigned to a student only if the
unfinished part of the student's work is small, the work is
unfinished for reasons acceptable to the instructor, and the student's
standing in the course is "B" grade or higher.
The student and the instructor should discuss a schedule
for completing the remaining work prior to conferral of an "I."
Grades of Incomplete can be changed to letter grades only if the incomplete
work is made up by the end of the fourth full term beyond the termfor
which the grade of "I" is given (regardless of enrollment
status in subsequent terms and including the spring-summer term). The
grade point average will continue to be based on hours of completed
work.
IMPORTANT: The grade of "I" is permanently
retained on a student's record. An Incomplete which has been made up
according to the above procedures will appear on a student's transcript,
e.g., "I - B+."
Specific deadlines dates for the completion of the course
work in Incomplete courses are available in departments and in the Graduate
School.
Drop (W) and Unofficial Drop (ED). If a student receives
permission to drop a course officially after the first three weeks of
a full term (first two weeks of a half term), the course is recorded
on the transcript with a "W" notation; neither credit hours
toward a degree program nor honor points are earned. A grade of "ED"
(Unofficial Drop) is recorded if the instructor submits a drop or a
blank on the grade sheet for a student who has not filed the Change
of Election Worksheet for that course.
IMPORTANT: An "ED" has the same effect as
an "E" (failure) in the GPA computation unless the student
receives approval on a petition for another notation to be recorded
for the course. After a grade has been assigned a course may not be
dropped.
Grading for a Two-Term Course (Y). A few graduate courses
are approved by departments as "two-term" sequences. In these
specially approved cases an instructor can report a "Y" grade
at the end of the first term of the course to indicate that the work
is still in progress. When a final grade is reported at the end of the
second term, that final grade is posted for both terms' elections and
the "Y" notation is removed.
Official Visit (VI). With the permission of the advisor
and the course instructor, a student may enroll in a course as a visitor.
In such cases the student is expected to confer with the instructor
before registering for the course to reach an agreement on what will
constitute satisfactory completion of the course. In general, the student
must attend class sessions regularly and may also be expected to take
examinations and submit assignments. Full fees for the visited course
will be assessed at the student's current rate. Following satisfactory
completion, the course will be entered on the student's permanent record
with the notation "VI" in the place of a grade. If the student
does not complete the course to the satisfaction of the instructor,
the course will be entered on the student's permanent record with the
notation "E" or "ED" (unofficial drop) unless an
official drop or withdrawal has been appropriately transacted.
After a grade has been assigned a course may not be
modified to a visit.
Procedures for changing a course election from credit
to visit (or vice versa) are the same as for dropping (or adding) courses
(see Chapter 3). To be official, elections or changes of elections involving
visited courses must appear on the class schedule printout provided
to students at registration.
Graduate students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy
and completeness of their class schedule printouts. Repeated Courses.
Courses may be repeated with the approval of the student's advisor and
the course instructor. Credits may not be earned beyond the stated limit
for the course IMPORTANT: Regardless of the reason for repeating a course,
any previous elections and grades for the same course remain on the transcript,
and all elections of the course are counted into the grade point average
as separate elections.
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ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION RESOURCES
Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies Student Handbook
Policies on rules and procedures, admission and readmission, registration,
fees and expenses, standards of academic performance, student services
and privileges, and programs and requirements.
Rackham web sites are: www.rackham.umich.edu,
www.rackham.umich.edu/StudentInfo/Publications/GSH,
and www.rackham.umich.edu/OARD/forms.html
Time Schedule of the University
of Michigan
Course listings, fee regulations, examination schedules, dates for adding
and dropping, university calendar.
Getting started at the university, university business and survival: registration, fees and payments, educational services, supportive
student services, counseling services, computing services, housing, safety,
health care, shopping, community services, student organizations, recreation,
maps.
Excellent articles on preparing to teach and improving your teaching,
resources for GSIs, and university policies. Published by CRLT.
Agreement between the University and the GEO on teaching conditions for
GSIs.
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