Academic Progression Policies and Procedures

To remain in good academic standing, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.8 (3.0 for PhD students) in both the cumulative GPA and in courses used to fulfill degree requirements.  Students must also maintain 6 credits or less of incomplete grades at any given time.  In consulatation with faculty advisor and DGS, Career and Student Success program coordinators will review progress of each student annually.  Students deemed not to be in good standing will be informed of the results of the review in writing, with a copy to the student's faculty advisor.

University of Minnesota policy states that the “assignment of an I requires a written agreement between the instructor and student specifying the time and manner in which the student will complete the course requirements.” (Grading and Transcripts Policy)

Incompletes should only be negotiated for extenuating circumstances that are:

• Beyond the student’s control and/or

• Could not have been anticipated early enough in the semester to warrant a withdrawal.

Examples of acceptable reasons to request/grant an Incomplete:

• Significant and unexpected illness of self or close family member

• Death in the family.

Incompletes should not be requested or granted for:

• Personal convenience

• Student attended only a few or no class sessions

• Student is busy with requirements for other courses

• Student believes they can get a better grade with additional time

Please note, to remain in good academic standing, maximum number of credits of incompletes allowed is six (6) at any one time.

Establishing Deadlines for Completion

• It is the course instructor's right and responsibility, in collaboration with the student, to determine deadlines for completion of all work listed on the contract.

• The University allows up to one year for completion of the incomplete. The instructor may grant an extension of one day to one year. Exception: students called to active military duty are allowed up to one calendar year following their discharge from active duty to complete their incomplete grade.

• If the student does not meet the instructor's requirements for completing the course by the established time limit and fails to renegotiate the agreement, the instructor will either issue a grade based on the coursework already completed or leave the "I" grade on the transcript. Instructors are under no obligation to grant additional time, or to serve as instructor beyond the specified date. If the student does not complete the course by the deadline, the student will be required to pay tuition if the course is retaken.

• Important note: In order to complete the "I" grade, students are not allowed to "sit in" on future offerings of the same course number without registering again. If the student cannot complete the contract work without attending further classes, the student may re-take the course by registering a second time for the class and permanently carry the grade of "I" (from the first registration) on the transcript. 

Procedure

• The student must contact the instructor before the last day of class.

• If the instructor deems that circumstances warrant an "I", the instructor and student will discuss specific guidelines, conditions, and/or time limits for course completion, and the consequences of failure to complete outstanding coursework.

• This understanding will be documented through the use of the HHH Incomplete Contract.

• After or during speaking with the instructor, the student fills out the incomplete contract with the remaining graded components and deadlines and then submits the form.

• Once submitted, the form is automatically routed to the instructor who will review the form and either approve, deny, or send back to the student for revisions.

• Once approved by the instructor, it is routed to the Career and Student Services Team who will do a final check and send a pdf approval to both the student and instructor.

• Student can start the process by using the link found here for the incomplete contract: https://z.umn.edu/HHHIncompleteContract

University of Minnesota policy states that “graduate students are expected to maintain active status through continuous registration.” If that is not possible, one option for students is to request a Leave of Absence (and a Reinstatement from Leave of Absence), per the University’s policy, Leave of Absence and Reinstatement from a Leave: Graduate Students.

The Humphrey School allows a Leave of Absence for circumstances that may include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Significant or unexpected illness of self or close family member

• Death in the family

• Financial challenges

• Work or personal demands

Procedure

Leave of Absence

• The student must contact Humphrey School Career and Student Success.

• If the Career and Student Success adviser determines that circumstances warrant a Leave of Absence, the student completes and submits the “Leave of Absence Request” form. 

• Approval is required from faculty advisor and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).  Once completed and signed, students should return the completed form to Humphrey School Career and Student Success.

• Students are responsible for understanding the possible consequences of the decision to take a Leave of Absence as documented on page 2 of the Leave of Absence Request form.

• If approved, the student will be notified and a copy of the form will be kept in the student’s file. A hold will be placed on the student’s record and will be lifted upon reinstatement from Leave of Absence.

• To appeal a decision about Leave of Absence, students should contact the Humphrey School Associate Dean. Final appeal decisions will be made by the Humphrey School Dean.

Reinstatement from Leave of Absence

• The student must contact Humphrey School Career and Student Success.

• If the Career and Student Success adviser determines that circumstances warrant a return from Leave of Absence, the student completes the “Leave of Absence Reinstatement Request” form.

• Approval is required from faculty adviser and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).  Once completed and signed, students should return the completed form to Humphrey School Career and Student Success.

• If approved, the student will be notified and a copy of the form will be kept in the student’s file.

• To appeal a decision about reinstatement from Leave of Absence, students should contact the Humphrey School Associate Dean. Final appeal decisions will be made by the Humphrey School Dean.

The course substitution process is currently under revision.  For the most up to date process, please contact your program coordinator for information.

Masters and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate students have five years to complete the degree or certificate requirements.  PhD students have up to eight years.  Students who are unable to complete within the time limit may file a Time Extension Request (Masters/Post-Bacc) (Doctorate) for an extension of up to 12 months.  Student should initiate the request through Humphrey Career and Student Success.

U-Wide Policies related to Graduate Education

Application of Graduate Credits to Degree Requirements

Post-baccalaureate Certificate Plans Approved by the Board of Regents

I. Applying credits from a baccalaureate degree

Graduate credits taken before the award of a baccalaureate degree may not be counted toward a graduate degree or certificate.

II. Approval

All credits used to fulfill degree or certificate requirements are subject to the approval of the faculty advisor and Director of Graduate Studies.

III. Credits in common between master’s and doctorate

Approved graduate course credits may be counted in common between a doctoral and master’s degree.

IV. Non-degree status

A maximum of 12 graduate course credits taken in non-degree seeking or non-admitted status may be considered for use in a degree or certificate program, whether they are transferred from outside or taken within the University subject to the limitations in VIIA.

V. Graduate level coursework

All University coursework for use in Humphrey School programs must be taken for graduate credit, listed on a graduate transcript, and at the level of 5000 or above (with the exception of language courses in MHR and MDP). Coursework being transferred from outside the University must be taken for graduate credit as documented by the transferring institution.

VI. Dual degree/early admission programs

Approved dual degree and early admission programs will formulate more specific requirements to regulate the situations covered by this policy.

VII. Applying credits from other programs to a masters, certificate, or doctorate

A. Masters and Certificates

A minimum of 60% of total course credits (excluding thesis credits) required for a specific master’s degree must be taken while at the University.

1. Applying credits from other programs within the University

• A maximum of three graduate course credits may be counted in common between two University post-baccalaureate certificate plans.

• A maximum of eight graduate course credits may be counted in common between two completed University master’s degrees.

• A maximum of nine graduate course credits may be counted in common between a master’s degree and a JD, MD, PharmD, DVM, DDS, or LLM.

• Approved graduate course credits may be counted in common between a University doctoral and master’s degree in the same program, subject to the limits described below.

  • Plan A thesis (PA 8777) and doctoral degree thesis (PA 8888) credits can be counted toward either the Plan A master’s or the doctoral degree thesis credit requirement, but not both.

  • A maximum of three Plan A thesis (PA 8777) credits may be used to meet the Plan B master’s project credit requirement.

  • Plan B project credits may count only toward the Plan B master's degree requirements.

• Earned master’s thesis credits (PA 8777) and doctorate thesis credits (PA 8888) in one University graduate program cannot be applied toward the thesis credit requirement for another University graduate program.

2. Applying credits from outside the University

• A maximum of three graduate course credits that have been used to fulfill requirements for another certificate or degree may be used to fulfill post-baccalaureate certificate requirements.

• A maximum of nine graduate course credits that have been used to fulfill requirements for another completed graduate degree or post-baccalaureate certificate may be used to fulfill master’s degree requirements.

• Transfer of thesis credits is not allowed.

• In the case of a transfer from a non-U.S. institution, graduate course credits to be transferred must have been earned in a program judged by the University graduate program to be comparable to a graduate degree program of a regionally accredited institution in the United States.

• For MPA students only: A maximum of eight graduate course credits may be considered for transfer from outside of the University and applied to the Master of Public Affairs (MPA), if these credits have been taken within the past 10 years and are aligned with the student’s self-designed concentration. The MPA Director of Graduate Studies may approve the transfer in of more than 8 graduate credits, if they were taken from the University of Minnesota.

B. Doctoral

Faculty advisor, with approval of the DGS, will determine, on a case-by-case basis, how many course credits doctoral students may apply toward degree requirements from programs other than the PhD in Public Affairs, subject to the limits described below. Doctoral students must take a minimum of 12 course credits at the University and 24 thesis credits (PA 8888) while registered in the PhD in Public Affairs.

1. Applying thesis credits from other degrees within the University

• Plan A thesis (PA 8777) and doctoral degree thesis (PA 8888) credits in the same program can be counted toward either the Plan A master’s or the doctoral degree thesis credit requirement, but not both.

• Earned master’s thesis credits (PA 8777) and doctorate thesis credits (PA 8888) in one University graduate program cannot be applied toward the thesis credit requirement for another University graduate program.

2. Applying credits from outside the University

• Transfer of thesis credits is not allowed.

In the case of a transfer from a non-U.S. institution, graduate course credits to be transferred must have been earned in a program judged by the University graduate program to be comparable to a graduate degree program of a regionally accredited institution in the United States.