Academic Requirements
Academic Load
A graduate student in a master’s degree program is classified as full-time if they are enrolled in a total of nine (9) semester hours in a regular semester or six (6) semester hours in a condensed format term. A student enrolled in three to five semester hours of coursework in a condensed format will be considered a half-time student.
Normally, a graduate student may not enroll in more than fourteen (14) semester hours during any regular semester or nine (9) semester hours in any condensed term. An overload in consecutive accelerated terms is against advisement and typically not granted.
Doctoral candidates are considered full-time when enrolled in a total of six (6) semester hours in a regular semester or three (3) semester hours per accelerated term.
Students wishing to request an overload must submit a request through the online Overload Request under the Academics tab in Colleague Self-Service. The program coordinator and Dean of Graduate Studies must approve all overloads. Note: An overload request in the first semester or first accelerated term is against advisement and typically not granted to students with no established academic record at Southeastern.
Graduate assistants are allowed to teach a maximum of six semester hours each term or perform equivalent services up to 20 hours per week. A full course load for a Graduate Assistant is six hours, and a maximum load is nine hours. Graduate assistants must enroll in a minimum of three hours per semester (RUSO Policy).
Residence Requirement and Academic Time Limitations
A minimum of twenty-one (21) semester hours, including the last four hours of the program, must be completed in residence at Southeastern. The graduate student has a six-year window of opportunity to complete their degree program. The Program Coordinator and Department Chair must approve coursework beyond the six-year window. If the Coordinator is the Department Chair, the Dean of Graduate Studies must also approve.
Semester Hours (Including Pass/Fail Hours)
Master’s degree programs require the completion of at least 30 semester hours of approved graduate credit, while doctoral programs require a minimum of 54 semester hours, along with fulfillment of all other degree requirements. Duplication of courses will not be permitted for students pursuing multiple concentrations within a degree program. The maximum number of semester hours of “P” grades acceptable in a master’s degree program is nine. No more than three workshop/seminar hours are allowed.
Assessment
To ensure that graduate study at Southeastern is of the highest quality, each graduate degree program uses appropriate assessment procedures to monitor both the progress of each student and the overall effectiveness of the program. Graduate students are required to participate in a variety of assessment activities to improve their learning experiences.
Correspondence and Advance Standing Credit
No graduate credit earned by correspondence or advanced standing may be applied toward any master’s degree.
Course Level
Graduate coursework is designated by course numbers at the 5000 level and above. Master’s degree candidates are required to enroll in 5000-level courses, while doctoral candidates must enroll in courses numbered 6000 through 8000. Courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels are no longer approved for graduate credit.
Changes and Withdrawals
Students finding it necessary to terminate their work in any class before the last day to drop should contact their academic advisor for appropriate withdrawal procedures. Students terminating their entire enrollment should initiate the complete withdrawal with the Office of the Registrar.
Class withdrawals, including complete withdrawals, transacted during the first five days of a regular semester or during the first three days of a condensed term will not be recorded on the academic transcript.
Any student reported by their instructors as “never attended” in 100% of their enrolled courses may have their enrollment cancelled as a “No Show” student for the semester, with no grade record or charges for those courses.
Any student who withdraws from a course during the sixth day through the twelfth week in a regular semester, or the fourth day through the sixth week in a condensed term, will receive a grade of “W.” No course withdrawals are permitted during the last two weeks of the term. All dates are reflected on the Academic Calendar.