Graduate Program Procedures

As a student formally enrolled in a graduate degree program at NC State, you need to be aware of several rules and procedures that will affect your graduate study. The NC State Graduate School is responsible for establishing and maintaining the Graduate Catalog and Graduate Handbook that contain most of these rules and regulations. Many of the forms that you may need to execute the following procedures are available from the Graduate School.

The following information is meant to provide a brief summary of the most important aspects that you need to be aware of as an online graduate student. For more information about these topics, you can either contact the graduate school directly or the Director of Graduate Programs for your particular degree program.

Academic Advising

Once you are accepted into a graduate degree program, your main point of contact for any academic advising questions will be the graduate office within the department that offers your degree. This will either be the Director of Graduate Programs or the Graduate Services Assistant within the department graduate office. Some departments may assign a department faculty member to act as your advisor. If you are ever unsure of who you should contact, the department graduate office can assist you.

At the beginning of the enrollment period for each semester, an advising hold will be placed on your university account. This hold must be lifted each semester in order for you to be enrolled in any courses. Some departments routinely lift these holds at the beginning of each enrollment period while others require you to review your enrollment plans with your advisor. Find out what the policy is for your department and take the appropriate action, as necessary, to have your hold lifted prior to attempting to enroll for that semester.

Academic Standing

Graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.0GPA throughout their graduate study and must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to graduate with the degree.

Graduate students are given a notice of academic warning if they have accumulated 18 or fewer hours and have less than a 3.0 GPA. Graduate students are placed on academic probation if they have accumulated more than 18 hours and have a GPA in the range of 2.6 to 2.9. A student’s graduate study is terminated if they have accumulated more than 18 hours and have a GPA below 2.6 or if they have accumulated 30 or more hours and have less than a 3.0 GPA. “Accumulated” in all cases is defined as the total number of hours for which a grade has been issued.

In the case of program termination, no further registration in a graduate classification will be permitted. To receive graduate credit for a course, a grade of “C-“ or higher is required for all courses taken after admission.

Transfer Credits

Courses that are completed at another university or while enrolled as a non-degree studies student at NC State may be considered for transfer into a master’s degree program. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be transferred into a graduate degree program whether they were earned at NC State or at another university.

A course that was completed at another university may be considered for transfer provided that (1) the course is classified as a graduate course; (2) it was completed while the student was in a graduate or post-baccalaureate classification; (3) it was not taken as part of a previous master’s degree program at another institution; (4) the grade in the course is B or better (courses with grades of B- or lower will not be allowed to transfer); and (5) the university is accredited by one of the six U.S. regional accrediting agencies. A graduate course that was completed while the student was in non-degree status at NC State may be considered for transfer provided that (1) it is at the 500 level or higher and (2) the grade is B or better.

If you wish to transfer credits into your graduate degree program, contact your Director of Graduate programs. The program director must evaluate and approve the courses for transfer into the degree program and submit the appropriate request to the graduate school to have them transferred. Once approved, those courses will appear as transferred on your NC State degree transcript. All transfer credits should be approved prior to the completion of the student’s first semester of study.

Plan of Graduate Work

Master’s students are required to complete a conditional Plan of Graduate Work in consultation with their advisor by the time they have completed half of the credits required for the degree.

The plan includes a list of coursework to be undertaken as well as any prior coursework or approved transfer credits. The Plan of Graduate Work is submitted online through MyPack Portal.

A final Plan of Graduate Work must be approved by the Director of Graduate Programs and submitted to the Graduate School prior to the student being approved for graduation.

Patent Agreement

All students are required to sign a patent agreement via Student Self-Service in the MyPack Portal by the end of their first semester of enrollment in a graduate degree program. If you have any issues or concerns with signing and submitting this document, contact your Director of Graduate Programs.

Time of Graduation

All degree requirements must be completed within six calendar years, beginning with the date the student takes courses carrying graduate credit applicable to the degree program, unless a more restrictive time limit has been established by the program or academic college or school.

Leave of Absence

A student in good academic standing who must interrupt their graduate program for good reasons may request a leave of absence from graduate study for a definite period of time, not to exceed one year within a given graduate degree program.

The student should initiate the request with his advisor and have it approved by the Director of Graduate Programs (DGP) before the DGP submits it to the Graduate School. The Graduate School should receive the request at least one month prior to the first day of the term involved. The time that the student spends on an approved leave of absence will be included in the time allowed to complete the degree, which is six years for a master’s program.

Application to Graduate

A student must apply to graduate in order to participate in the graduation exercises, have their transcript posted and receive a diploma. Students must apply to graduate in MyPack Portal prior to the Apply to Graduate deadline for the semester in which they intend to graduate.