General Policies
Completion of all course work as defined under the curricular requirements for the program:
- A minimum grade of B in all courses, thereby resulting in a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00.
- Apply for degree/certificate:
- Degree Candidates: All degree students are required to file an Application for Degree form with the Registrar’s Office at the onset of the final term of study. The Application for Degree form is accessible from the Registrar’s web page.
- Certificate Candidates: All certificate students are required to file an Application for Certificate form with the Registrar’s Office at the onset of the final term of study. Forms are available upon request from the Nursing Program Office. NOTE: Participation in the Commencement ceremony is not applicable to certificate candidates.
The Nursing Department's academic bankruptcy policy is intended to allow students who are pursuing a new graduate nursing program to repair their cumulative grade point average (GPA) by "bankrupting" certain course work taken while pursuing their former program. The record of coursework taken and grades earned still appears on the student's official transcript; however, both credits and quality point values are removed from the record of credits earned and the cumulative grade point average, respectively. A notation on the official transcript will indicate which courses have been bankrupted. Academic bankruptcy is available only to graduate students in nursing.
The following criteria apply to the academic bankruptcy program:
- The student must have changed his/her nursing graduate program and maintained a minimum semester GPA of 3.00 for at least one semester following the change of major.
- Application may be made no earlier than upon completion of the first full semester in the student's new program, and no later than the semester before the semester of anticipated graduation.
- Only courses required in the student's former nursing program may be bankrupted. Core courses required in all nursing graduate programs may not be bankrupted.
- No more than 10 credit hours may be considered for bankruptcy.
- A bankrupted course may not be repeated. Therefore, if a specific course is still required in the student's new program, it may not be bankrupted.
- Regardless of the number of semesters or number of credit hours included in a student's petition for academic bankruptcy, a student may declare bankruptcy only once.
- A successful petition for academic bankruptcy has no retroactive effect on any academic determinations made prior to bankruptcy, including but not limited to: academic probation or dismissal; financial aid eligibility; or tuition liability. A student with bankrupted coursework is eligible for any honors which are based on the cumulative GPA.
The student must submit a written petition to the Graduate Committee on Academic Standards, clearly identifying the specific course work for which bankruptcy is desired. A letter of recommendation from the student's current faculty advisor should also be submitted.
The Graduate Committee on Academic Standards will review the petition for compliance with program criteria and may, at its discretion, consider the entirety of the student's academic record in rendering its decision.
Note: Students receiving financial aid for their graduate study should determine whether their petition will affect eligibility for continued aid.
Students must achieve a grade of "B" or above in all curricular course requirements. A GPA of 3.0 overall must be attained to remain in good academic standing. In the event that a grade of "B" is not achieved in a graduate nursing course, the course must be repeated. A student may repeat up to two different courses, one time each, before being dismissed from the graduate program. A repeat of a graduate course due to a prior grade of "W" will also be counted as a course repeat.
When a student enrolls in NUR 561 and NUR 562, a mandatory fee of $50.00 is imposed to cover malpractice insurance during the clinical practicum experiences. This is required by the College regardless of whether the student has additional malpractice insurance of his or her own.
The Nursing Executive Leadership and Nursing Education programs will each award one $2,000 merit-based scholarship every fall. Eligibility criteria for the awards (in order of weight) are:
- New graduate students matriculated on a full time basis in the Nursing Executive Leadership, or Nursing Education program
- Interview with the Nursing Graduate Program Director or Nursing Department Chair
- Admissions application data:
- GPA from all previous colleges and universities attended
- Letters of reference (3)
- Letter of intent
Students are eligible for funding for the first year of study only. Students receiving full tuition reimbursement from other sources (e.g. employer reimbursement, other grants or scholarships) are not eligible for this scholarship program.
In the event that more than one student in a program equally meets the criteria, the scholarship funds will be split evenly among the qualifying students.
A student admitted to any of the graduate degree programs is expected to maintain continuity in his/her academic program and enroll each semester until all requirements are completed. A part time student may complete 1-8 credits per semester. Full time students must complete a minimum of 9 credits per semester.
Excluding an approved Leave of Absence, all requirements for the MS program or advanced certificate must be completed within a period of four calendar years from the student’s initial enrollment for graduate study, regardless of whether the student was initially accepted as a degree or nondegree student. Students following the RN to MS pathway for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program will be granted four calendar years for completion of studies for the MS, the timeframe commencing when the student is moved from the undergraduate to the graduate classification.
Excluding an approved Leave of Absence, all requirements for the DNP program must be completed within a period of 5 calendar years from the student’s initial enrollment for graduate study, regardless of whether the student was initially accepted as a degree or nondegree student.