Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Probation and Academic Dismissal

Students who maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and provide regular, documented evidence of progress in our mentor driven research program are considered to be making progress toward the Ph.D. degree, and are considered to be in "good academic standing" in the Graduate Program. Failure to progress through the Graduate Program is a basis for being placed on probation or dismissed.

Any student with less than a 3.0 GPA will be placed on probation by the Graduate School.  All courses for which the graduate student is registered, and a grade is given, are used in the calculation of the grade point average. Students will be dismissed from the PSC Graduate Program and the Graduate School if they have less than the required GPA for two consecutive semesters.

The Department expects that all graduate students will act responsibly and ethically in the laboratory and in the classroom.  A failure to uphold general standards of ethical conduct is grounds for probation and/or dismissal.

Students have the right to appeal dismissal to the Department Chair.  The appeal must be in writing within two weeks of receiving notification from the Graduate School or Graduate Program Director.

Guidelines Associated With this Policy

  1. Faculty are responsible for turning in grades in a timely manner at the end of each semester. The Graduate Program Director should be notified if grades will be submitted late.
  2. Students are responsible for providing the Graduate Program Coordinator with progress reports as requested.
  3. Faculty are responsible for preparing and distributing appropriate procedures associated with the use of instrumentation. This is particularly important for potentially dangerous or shared equipment. Students will be informed who is responsible for a particular piece of equipment. Students are responsible for following these procedures, and bringing offenders to the notice of the faculty responsible for the instrument.
  4. While every effort is made to identify a faculty mentor and to select a mutually agreed upon thesis topic for all graduate students, there may be exceptional circumstances that will not allow this.  Poor performance in Research Rotation (PHAR 608), a student's unwillingness to accept TA assignments when this is the only available funding source, or a students unwillingness to accept an available research project are grounds for dismissal.
  5. A student is allowed to withdraw from the program at any time. To do this they must write a letter stating their intentions to the Graduate Program Director, and send a copy to the Graduate School. The letter must state the students full name, current address, graduate program (Pharmaceutical Sciences), degree intent (Ph.D. or MS) and Social Security number. The Graduate Program director will approve the request unless it is a covert attempt to avoid academic dismissal.