Summary of Changes Made in the Revised Policies and
Procedures Manual for Administering Graduate Student Programs

(Changes noted in “red” indicate procedural or policy changes or items of particular significance. Changes noted in “blue” are the changes made following the review of the “draft” manual.)

All Sections
• Updated titles of the dean of the Graduate School, vice provost for research, and provost
• Added or changed wording applicable to electronic procedures
• Added appropriate links

Section I
• Clarified vita requirements for graduate faculty certification requests and added a statement that faculty members cannot be certified at a level higher than the highest graduate degree program offered through the faculty member’s home department. Exceptions may be made in certain situations. (The Graduate Council ad hoc committee that is currently reviewing graduate faculty certification policies and procedures may have additional changes to this section.)
• Added Appendix F for guidelines to establish new interdisciplinary programs
• Added description of combined-degree and dual-degree graduate programs
• Added description of dual-level and graduate courses from the Academic Procedures Manual
• Added the Graduate Council policy regarding graduate and undergraduate courses meeting together
• Changed the cumulative index requirement from 3.2 to 3.4 for an undergraduate student who wishes to take a 600-level course (to reflect the change from a 6.0 system to 4.0)
• Added clarification that new 500- and 600-level courses are proposed by faculty
• Under Graduate Student Counseling, added reference to the booklet, Graduate Education at Purdue University and Guiding Standards for Advising and Mentoring Graduate Students at Purdue University (Appendix G)

Section II
• Revised the description of International Special Classification to include students who are financially sponsored by their employer or higher education institution through a study abroad program

Section III
• Added a statement that assistance with the recruitment of graduate students is available in the Graduate School
• Added a statement about the prospective student inquiry database, ApplyYourself.
• Updated application fee information
• Modified the statement about returning original transcripts to students
• Added a reference to the TOEFL Concordance Table and updated the list of official English-speaking countries
• Removed the statement regarding the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) as an accepted alternative satisfactory TOEFL score if the TOEFL examination is not accessible to the applicant
• Added a third way in which the Graduate School routinely will waive the TOEFL requirement, which includes an applicant who has received a baccalaureate degree or graduate or professional degree, within the last 24 months, from a school where English is the primary language of instruction in a country where English is the native language.
• Added a link to the institutions in the vicinity that provide Intensive English Language Programs
• Updated information under Supplementary Information for International Students and International Student Transfer
• Updated the wording for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) tests and rearranged the order of the four categories
• Added a section on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
• Added a statement to clarify that an application must be processed indicating the enrollment objective of “certificate program” for students applying to a graduate certificate program
• Updated the section on Admissions Policies and Procedures for international students, according to changes brought about by SEVIS and updated deadline information
• Modified the language for nondegree-seeking students
• Added a statement of transcript requirements for students applying to certificate programs
• Modified the section regarding admission procedures for students working simultaneously toward baccalaureate and advanced degrees, including information regarding “individual” students as well as students in “formally approved baccalaureate and master’s degree programs.”
• Added a statement of the responsibility of the department to update the Graduate School database when an applicant declines the offer of admission
• Clarified the number of consecutive sessions not enrolled that would require a new application for readmission
• Added a statement that only one “change of date” request for admission can be honored for both domestic and international students and the request must be submitted before the end of the session in which the student was originally admitted
• Added a statement about students returning to continue their graduate studies after being called to active military service
• Added a statement regarding the importance for the Graduate School to be kept informed of the current degree status of all students to keep students in the correct classification. Included statement that students can now use the electronic plan of study to keep the Graduate School informed of their degree objective to ensure that they are appropriately classified. Language was added to include the importance for international students to report changes in degree objective for visa purposes, as well as if the student has a graduate appointment.
• Updated statements for forms required to request a change of department and for dual degree status
• Updated the list of special programs in which application and admission procedures may vary

Section IV
• Moved the CGS resolution to a separate heading since it applies both to students on assistantships and those holding fellowships
• Specified the minimum number of credit hours, in general, that fellowship recipients must be registered for each session they receive a stipend
• Moved the detailed procedure for requesting a change of duty station to Section V

Section V
• Under Full-time Study, added the specific number of summer session certification enrollment hours
• Under Eligibility to Register, added clarification about the removal of ETR
• Under Appropriate Levels of Registration, item 1, added clarification for summer registration for graduate staff during the summer session
• Under Change of Duty Station, added a new introductory paragraph and a new requirement on the request to include the number of graduate-level course and/or research credits to be taken during the proposed absence from campus.
• Under Continuous Absentia Registration, added statements to clarify that once a student stops registering in absentia, that student cannot register in absentia for a later session, and clarified the registration hours for candidates who have a privileged registration and who do not meet the mid-session deadline. Added a statement that students registered in absentia should register in absentia for summer sessions in which they are engaged in degree work or plan to graduate.
• Under Summer Graduation of Absentia Students, included that an absentia student who “expects to hold a final examination,” as well as those who expect to graduate in the summer must initiate registration through the department in the usual manner, etc.
• Added a section on course information, which includes a reference for information on auditing a course and added a link to the current listing of courses approved to be offered at all Purdue campuses

Section VI
• Under Grades and Index Requirements, added that departments must inform students, in writing, with regard to discontinuation or conditions for continuation of the student’s graduate study following two consecutive sessions of U grades for research registration. Clarified the statement that only the most recent grade received on a course repeated for a grade will be included in the graduation index, if the course was taken originally and repeated while the student was in graduate status.
• The section on Resident Study Requirements is being reviewed by a Graduate Council task force; therefore, no changes have been made to this section at this time.
• Added Latin as an additional graduate coursework option for meeting a departmental foreign language requirement. (LATN 601 and 605 were approved last academic year.)
• Added a statement that the Graduate School no longer monitors foreign language requirements, and that it is the responsibility of the departments to monitor the satisfactory completion of any foreign language requirement

Section VII
• Under Advisory Committee, clarified that at least 51% of the committee members must have regular graduate faculty certification
• Added information for “electronic” plans of study and stated more specifically the deadlines for submitting plans of study
• Included credit hours taken in “Postdegree” classification with other nondegree classifications in that no more than 12 hours of study taken in this classification may be used on the plan of study
• Added clarification for the minimum number of coursework and research credits required on both the nonthesis and thesis plan of study
• Updated language in the thesis section.
• Under Establishing Examining Committees, clarified that preliminary and final examining committees may or may not be identical to the advisory committee and added a statement that the examining committee sets the procedures for the final examination
• Revised the statements that a student must wait at least until the following session to repeat a preliminary or final examination rather than requiring at least one session between examinations

Section IX
• Under Integrity in Research, added paragraph giving examples of dishonesty

Section X
• Updated the wording to reflect current procedures for reviewing the preliminary candidate list, which includes the deadline to submit changes to the candidate list; the availability of the candidate list in the database for departments to access; careful monitoring of students registered in absentia to ensure appropriate registration for them to be added to the candidate list when appropriate; keeping the Graduate School informed of changes to the list
• Stated a new procedure of sending only the original audit/certification form to the department rather than the original and one carbon copy for the department to file. Described, in more detail, the information provided to the department on the audit/certification form.
• Added a statement to emphasize the need for departments to check the degree title and area of specialization carefully on the audit/certification to ensure accuracy of the degree posting.
• Added a statement that if academic qualifications are met, the degree cannot be deferred to a future session
• Added statements of clarification about commencement participation and the mailing of diplomas.

Section XI
No changes have been made to this section, as it is currently being reviewed by the Graduate Council Task Force on Intercampus Graduate Program Administration.

10/1/04