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The M.A. degree assumes a goal of general cultural development in the arts and humanities, while the M.F.A., M.S.M. and M.M. degrees suggest professional graduate training, with activities more concentrated in one area. The Master of Fine Arts and Master of Music degrees are normally predicated upon a bachelor’s degree that has provided up to 65 credit hours in the major field of study.
Consequently, a student who has earned a B.A. degree and enrolls for an M.F.A., M.S.M. or M.M. degree in Meadows School of the Arts may be handicapped by not having had sufficient undergraduate concentration in his or her particular field. It may be necessary for the student to extend graduate study to compensate for limited preparation.
Each student will have a graduate adviser assigned by the appropriate division chair of Meadows School of the Arts.
All credit for work transferred from another institution is subject to the approval of the division. No more than six credit hours may be transferred to apply to the degree without approval of the dean. (No credit is allowed for study by correspondence.)
All candidates for the master’s degree will be expected to complete at least one of the following, unless modified by the appropriate division of the student’s major study: (a) a written thesis, (b) a period of directed internship, (c) a creative project, (d) a recital or (e) a comprehensive exam.
A
thesis that demonstrates original research may be offered in lieu of two to
six term-credit hours. The student may elect to pursue a full- or part-time internship.
Hours so earned are applied toward the total number of hours required for the
degree.
Following initial enrollment for thesis, project or recital credit, graduate
students are required to enroll each term until the thesis, project or recital
has been completed and accepted.
For any term in which satisfactory progress has been made, but in which the thesis or project has not been completed, the student will receive a grade of “I.” Upon completion and acceptance of the thesis or project, the adviser may change up to six credit hours (three for project, two for recital) of “I” to letter grades, according to division policy. A total of six credit hours (three for project, two for recital) with grades of “P” or letter grades not below C must be accrued toward the thesis, project or recital to satisfy degree requirements.
If the student fails to enroll for thesis, project or recital credit in any term for which it is required, he or she must enroll for the equivalent number of credit hours upon filing an application for candidacy to graduate.
Enrollment for nine credit hours of coursework per term is recognized as a full-time load for persons engaged in graduate study. Graduate students not enrolled for the required number of hours may be certified as full-time or part-time students if they are officially enrolled for at least one course and are recognized by their academic dean as meeting one of the following conditions:
Candidates for a master’s degree must have completed a minimum of 30 to 75 credit hours of graduate work, depending upon the degree or department involved. All courses attempted for credit must average B or better, with no grade lower than C (2.00) applying toward the degree. In Studio Art, all courses attempted for credit must average B or better, with no grade lower than a B- (2.70) applying toward the degree. In Art History, a graduate student who receives a grade of B- or less for a course or seminar taken for credit toward the Master of Arts degree will be placed on probation.
A graduate student who receives a grade of B- or less for more than one course or seminar taken for credit toward the Master of Arts degree in Art History will be suspended from the university. In all courses attempted by graduate students, with the exception of a thesis or project, a grade of Incomplete may be changed to F if not removed within one year after the grade is entered on the student’s record.
All graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.00. No more than nine credit hours may be taken during a term in which a student is on probation. A student failing to achieve a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.00 during the probationary term will be removed from the graduate program. After an absence of one term, a student may petition for readmission.
A residence of at least two full terms or the equivalent of this residence period in the summer is required. Most graduate programs will require more than the minimum. Work done in absentia will not be accepted, except in unusual conditions with the prior approval of the division chair.
A reading knowledge of a foreign language or languages will be required by those departments that deem it necessary for the student’s research or creative project.
Credit will not be allowed toward the master’s degree for courses taken more than seven years before the date when the degree is to be conferred. The limit of time for students in the Art History program is five years, with the possibility of extension for Art History students admitted as “part-time.”
An appeal for a waiver of this regulation may be made by faculty members of the department in which the student is doing the major work or by the student’s adviser, following written examination on the subject matter petitioned.
If it becomes necessary to interrupt progress toward the degree, students may apply for a leave of absence. Such leave temporarily suspends all academic regulations and requirements. Upon the student’s return to active status, any suspended regulations and requirements will be in effect. Application for leave of absence should be made to the student’s major division. The granting of such leave is at the discretion of the division chair. Continuation of Meadows-based financial aid that is in effect before a leave of absence is also at the discretion of the division chair.
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