Unless otherwise stated in the Doctor of Education in Rural and Diverse Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) section, School of Graduate Studies policies apply to all graduate students.
Academic Advising
Every student admitted to SAU’s graduate program is assigned a faculty advisor to assist in scheduling classes and planning the program of study.
Each advisor assigned is a member of the graduate faculty and a faculty member in the department in which a major component of the student’s graduate study will be done. The progress of study will be planned in consultation with the advisor within the structure of the program curricula outlined by Southern Arkansas University.
In addition to helping a student select the graduate courses that will make a unified and balanced program of study, each graduate advisor will be responsible for the following duties:
- Assisting the advisee in completion of the degree audit.
- Completing necessary forms as needed on an individual basis (e.g., substitution form, catalog change form).
- Submitting questions for written and/or oral examination (if applicable).
- Grading written and/or oral examination (if applicable).
- Directing the completion and defense of portfolio/project (if applicable).
- Evaluating/approving thesis filed for graduation (if applicable). Auditing Courses
Any student who has been officially admitted to the University may audit a course with the approval of the dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the instructor and upon payment of the fee for the course. Although subject to the same regulations as other students, students auditing a course are not required to take examinations and they do not receive credit for the course. Students may audit a course after completing it for credit, or they may take the course for credit after previously auditing it. Doctoral-level courses may not be audited.
Registration Procedures
After being admitted to the University, each student must register for courses at the time designated by the University. The student is responsible for the accuracy of the registration schedule, which should correspond with planning a program of study and meeting the requirements of graduation.
No credit will be granted for courses for which the student has not been duly registered.
The last day a student will be allowed to register is the sixth class day of a regular semester or the second class day of a summer session. Class days are Monday through Friday. Students registering on or after the first day of classes must pay a $50 late registration fee and may be required to take a reduced class load.
A student’s registration is incomplete until all admissions requirements are met and all fees have been paid.
Credit Hours and Maximum Loads
The unit of credit at the University is the semester credit hour. A credit hour is defined as the credit earned upon completion of one hour per week in class for one semester, or two or three hours of laboratory, shop, or field work per week per semester.
A graduate student must be enrolled in six (6) or more credit hours during a regular semester or three (3) or more credit hours during a five-week summer term to be defined as a full-time student. Any other student is considered a part-time student.
A graduate student may not enroll in more than 12 credit hours in a regular semester or six (6) credit hours in a five-week summer term without approval from the college dean and the vice president for academic affairs.
Change of Registration
A student’s schedule may be changed during the first six days of classes of a regular semester or the first three days of a summer term, subject to the approval of the advisor and the payment of a $10 fee.
Dropping a Course
A student may drop a course without penalty until the end of the calendar day on Wednesday of the 11th week of a regular semester or Wednesday of the third week of a summer term subject to the consultation with the advisor and the payment of a $10 fee. A student will not be allowed to drop a course after these deadlines except for circumstances beyond the student’s control which are approved by the Registrar.
A student who stops attending class, but does not officially withdraw, will receive a grade of WN (withdrawn non-attending), WF (withdrawn failing), or F in the course at the course instructor’s discretion.
A student receiving VA benefits will be governed by Veterans Administration regulations regarding the dropping of courses and should contact the Office of the Registrar for information. Other agencies furnishing financial assistance to a student may have regulations affecting the dropping of courses which differ from those of the University policy.
Withdrawing from the University
Any student who pre-registers and saves their schedule online or by signing a statement with the Business Office MUST follow the below withdrawal process in order to be removed from their courses.
Early to Mid-Semester Withdrawals
Until the deadline stated in the SAU Academic Calendar, a student who chooses to leave the University for any reason must officially withdraw from that semester/term. The student should submit a request to withdraw via their mySAU account or by contacting the Office of Student Life. The process is not complete until the withdrawal has been approved by each of the following administrative areas: 1) Office of Housing, 2) Post Office, 3) Dean of Students, 4) Magale Library, 5) Business Office, 6) Financial Aid, and 7) Registrar’s Office. The official date of withdrawal will be the date on which the withdrawal request was originally submitted.
Late Semester Withdrawals
If a withdrawal from the University is necessary after the deadline stated in the SAU Academic Calendar, the withdrawal must be initiated by the dean of students.The process is not complete until the withdrawal has been approved by each of the following administrative areas: 1) Office of Housing, 2) Post Office, 3) Dean of Students, 4) Magale Library, 5) Business Office, 6) Financial Aid, and 7) Registrar’s Office. The official date of withdrawal will be the date on which the withdrawal request was originally submitted.
Workshop Credit
Workshops typically involve educational experiences in which an attempt is made to develop specialized skills in focused areas, often emphasizing a hands-on approach. Students taking workshops for graduate credit are required to follow all graduate school admission procedures as listed in the graduate catalog. Workshop students have a choice of continuing education credit through the Office of Continuing Education or graduate credit through the School of Graduate Studies. Student file must be complete in graduate office before the workshop begins to receive graduate credit.
A maximum of six credit hours in workshop courses may be counted in a master’s degree program, subject to the approval of the graduate advisor and the college dean. Individual degree programs may be more restrictive in their policies regarding the number of workshop credits that can be counted toward a graduate degree. In addition to these workshop credits, with advisor approval, a student in a teacher education degree program may enroll in an additional three hours of Teacher Education Seminar (EDUC 6801 -EDUC 6803 or EDUC 6813 ) for credit toward a degree program. Workshop credit may not be used to satisfy professional education core requirements.
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