Your progress through the graduate program is evaluated primarily by the quality of your scholarly work (coursework and research activities) and meeting program milestones in a timely way. Students who are making satisfactory progress receive priority for departmental funding.
Satisfactory progress includes:
- Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher (grades below 2.7 may not be counted toward a graduate degree. See Grading System for Graduate Students)
- Registering for a minimum of 10 credits per quarter
- Completing MA course requirements within the first three years of the program
- Completing the remaining Ph.D. requirements within three years of advancement to the PhD program (post-MA)
The Recommended Timeline is a planning tool for completing coursework and milestones for the MA and Ph.D. degrees.
Unsatisfactory progress includes:
- Completing less than 15 “qualifying credits" in the first year of the program.
- Credits in courses at the 500 (or approved 400-level)
- Credits in courses with a numerical grade of at least 3.0 or a "Credit" or "Satisfactory" in a non-graded course
- Not completing the required coursework and the MA degree by the fourth year of the program.
- After advancement to the Ph.D. program: falling more than two quarters behind the expected timeline for satisfactory progress and receiving a passing grade on a subject area examination
Unsatisfactory progress may result in a range of remedial actions which are explained on the Low Scholarship Page.