Academic Policies
The following section addresses Boise State University policies and procedures governing:
- Academic Integrity
- Acceptable Academic Performance
- Course Repeat Policy
- Transferring Credits
- Challenging Required Courses
- Incomplete Grade
Many other academic policies and procedures are described or defined elsewhere in the Graduate Catalog, most notably in sections on General Policies, Graduate Degree Program General Requirements, Registration, and Grades. Please refer to the current catalog often.
Academic Integrity
Student work must align with university core standards of academic integrity. All submitted materials, whether in individual or group projects, should be the original work of the submitting person(s), excluding information and materials which are sourced and cited appropriately. Failure to uphold this standard, either with intent or by negligence, may be classified as academic misconduct, which is a violation of the student code of conduct and may be subject to discipline that could result in suspension or expulsion from the program and/or university.
Additional information on Academic misconduct can be found on the Dean of Students website.
Acceptable Academic Performance
Boise State University expects all graduate students to strive toward—and attain—academic excellence. If your academic performance is unsatisfactory, you may be withdrawn from the degree program by the Dean of the Graduate College, acting on the recommendation of your department.
Graduate students that are enrolled in a degree or certificate program must meet the following academic performance requirements at the end of the semester that they intend to graduate: I) cumulative GPA requirement, 2) program GPA requirement, and 3) individual course requirements.
Cumulative GPA Requirement
Graduate students with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above are eligible for graduation at the end of the semester that they intend to graduate. Graduate students with cumulative GPAs below 3.00 are ineligible for graduation and are placed (or will remain) on academic probation until their cumulative GPA is 3.00 or above. Students should consult their advisor or the Graduate Program Coordinator for advice and possible options.
Program GPA Requirement
Graduate students are required to list on their Application for Admission to Candidacy form the specific courses to be applied to meet all of the credit requirements defined for the program or certificate. The program grade point average (program GPA) is the grade point average computed for this set of courses. Graduate students with a program GPA less than 3.00 are ineligible for the degree or certificate and should consult their advisor or graduate program coordinator for advice and possible options.
Individual Course Requirements
Graduate students cannot list a course on an Application for Admission to Candidacy form if the course is graded lower than C or P. An undergraduate course, G-designated course, or transfer course cannot be listed if it is graded lower than B. If the grade for a specific course that is required by the graduate program is too low to be listed on the Application for Admission to Candidacy form, and if that grade cannot be improved under the course repetition policy, the graduate student is ineligible for the degree or certificate and will be dismissed from the graduate program and Boise State. In this case, the graduate student should consult their advisor or graduate program coordinator for advice and possible options.
Boise State University Graduate Students may be eligible for grade exclusions and thus may petition to have certain grades excluded from their GPA calculations in certain situations. Please refer to University Policy 3160 for additional information and procedures.
Course Repeat Policy
If you have completed a graduate course for credit, you may attempt to repeat that course to improve the grade, but only once and only with the written approval of the graduate program coordinator using the Request to Repeat a Graduate Course form. If the course is offered by a department or program that is different from the department or program that offers the graduate degree, then the written approval of the Chair, Head, or Director of the Department or Program that offers the course should also be included. The latter approval is the written approval that is required on the Request to Repeat a Graduate Course form, available via the Boise State University Registrar’s Office website. Certain graduate courses cannot be repeated to improve a grade.
Transfer Credits
You can transfer up to nine graduate semester credits taken at other institutions and apply those credits toward a graduate degree. However, the courses must be consistent with the program of study planned by you and your Advisor. In addition and per Graduate College standards, any transfer credit must satisfy the following restrictions:
- Transfer credit must be graduate academic credit representing a grade of B or better, awarded by a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or by a non-U.S. institution of higher education that is approved for transfer purposes by the International Admissions Office. Continuing education units (CEU) and non-academic credits are ineligible as transfer credit.
- Culminating activity courses, courses where the grade is based only on attendance, and courses representing experiential learning, regardless of the level (undergraduate or graduate), are ineligible as transfer credit.
- Application of transfer credit must be approved by the graduate program.
Challenge Courses
If a graduate student requests the opportunity to challenge a course in a graduate degree program, the department offering the course will decide whether to grant that opportunity. For interdisciplinary courses, the decision will be made by the coordinator in charge of the graduate degree program to which the course applies. Refer to the appropriate Graduate Catalog for further information.
Incomplete Grade
Instructors can enter a grade of I—for incomplete—if both of the following conditions are present:
- Your work has been satisfactory for 80% of the semester.
- Extenuating circumstances make it impossible for you to complete the course before the end of the semester.
To receive an incomplete, you and your instructor must agree to a contract stipulating the work you must do and the time in which it must be completed for you to receive a grade in the class. The terms of this contract are viewable on my.BoiseState.edu under your Student Center To Do List. The contract time varies as set by the instructor, but may not exceed one year. If no grade other than incomplete has been assigned one year after the original incomplete, a grade of F will automatically be assigned. The grade of F may not be changed without approval of the University Academic Appeals Committee. As long as you have an incomplete in a class, you may not re-enroll in the class during another semester. A grade of incomplete is excluded from GPA calculations until you receive a final grade in the course. You cannot graduate with a grade of I (incomplete) on your record. You may not remove the incomplete from your transcript by re-enrolling in the class during another semester.
- Courses repeated prior to Fall 1995 use a grade replacement policy. Only the most recent grade was used in calculating the cumulative GPA.
- Courses repeated Fall 1995 through Summer 2001 used a grade averaging policy. Courses repeated during this time period will be averaged, using both grades in the calculation of the GPA.
- Beginning Fall 2001 and on, courses repeated will use a grade replacement policy. Only the most recent grade will be used in calculation of the cumulative GPA.
Additional information available through the Office of the Registrar