Admission Classifications

Students admitted to a master's program will be placed in one of the following categories:

Full Standing

This category indicates that in the opinion of the appropriate department and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies the student has an adequate background for pursuing graduate work, and that all minimum requirements for admission to graduate standing have been met. The minimum requirements for Full Standing are:

• an overall undergraduate quality point average of 2.5 upon completion of a baccalaureate degree program. The degree grade point average used for admission purposes, for those students who have transferred schools, will be the one presented on the transcript by the degree-granting institution.
• three letters of recommendation for graduate study, if required by major department, from faculty members or other persons who have adequate knowledge of the applicant's professional qualities or potential for success as a graduate student (recommendation forms are furnished with other application materials).
• scores on an admission test, as described under the college and/or department. Specific tests are:
  • the Graduate Record Examination General Test for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering;
  • the Graduate Management Admission Test for the College of Business Administration;
  • the Miller Analogies Test and/or the National Teachers Exam for the College of Education.

Provisional Standing

This category indicates that in the opinion of the appropriate department and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies the student does not qualify for full standing and that before Full Standing can be granted certain deficiencies must be removed prior to the completion of 15 graduate hours. Deficiencies may be either (1) insufficient undergraduate grade average or (2) insufficient background preparation for the specific field, indicating the necessity for certain prerequisite courses as preparation for pursuing the proposed graduate program. If admitted in provisional standing due to lack of acceptable test scores, the student will not be permitted to register for more than nine credit hours or beyond the first term of enrollment. The student must apply for reclassification after having satisfactorily removed all deficiencies and met any special conditions or requirements. The minimum requirements for Provisional Standing are:

• an overall quality point average of 2.25 upon completion of a baccalaureate degree program. The degree grade point average used for admission purposes, for those students who have transferred schools, will be the one presented on the transcript by the degree-granting institution.
• three letters of recommendation for graduate study, if required by major department, from faculty members or other persons who have adequate knowledge of the applicant’s professional qualities or potential for success as a graduate student (recommendation forms are furnished with other application materials).
• scores on an admission test as described under the college and/or department.

Special Standing

Students who declare a nondegree graduate objective or transient students who have been admitted to graduate schools of other institutions are assigned to Special Standing. This classification enables a student to enroll for graduate credit in certain academic areas but it does not guarantee that such credit will be counted toward a degree objective. When a student in Special Standing has been reclassified to Provisional or Full Standing (at Tennessee Tech), a maximum of 9 semester credits earned in Special Standing may be counted toward a degree objective provided approval is given by the department in which the student wishes to major and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies. Special Standing is reserved for graduate students and should not be confused with Special Student or Unclassified status which are explained in the undergraduate catalog. (Students registered in "Special Student" or "Unclassified" categories are enrolled at the undergraduate level; credit earned in either of these categories cannot be counted for graduate credit.) Since students who are admitted into Special Standing are not at that time potential degree candidates, they may be denied permission to enroll in certain courses.

Admission to the Graduate School in any of the categories described above does not imply acceptance to candidacy for a graduate degree. The requirements for candidacy are explained elsewhere in this publication.

Individuals who wish to enroll in graduate level courses and who do not wish to seek graduate degrees (nondegree graduate students under the category of Special Standing), must submit an application, application fee, and proof of having earned the baccalaureate degree. Students admitted under this category of Special Standing must submit official transcripts of degree conferrals no later than the end of the first semester of enrollment, or will be denied registration in subsequent semesters.

CHANGE OF CLASSIFICATION

Students who have been admitted to graduate study with Provisional Standing may, upon the approval of the departmental chairperson (or Program Director for students in the Ph.D. programs) and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, request and be granted Full Standing after removing any entrance deficiencies noted at the time their applications for admission were approved. Deficiencies may be removed by:

• establishing credit in the courses recommended by the departmental chairperson as necessary to remove a deficiency, or any group of courses which the departmental chairperson may approve as a suitable substitute for the listed courses; the courses used for removal of deficiencies must be passed with a grade of "C" or better and these courses will not be counted in the graduate program nor in the computation of the graduate quality point average;
• the completion of at least 9 semester credits of graduate work, including 6 semester credits in the major field, with a minimum quality point average of 3.0 for students who entered with a questionable undergraduate background; and ‘ obtaining satisfactory scores on admission tests.

Students who have been admitted to graduate study with Special Standing are not eligible for reclassification until their graduate and undergraduate records have been evaluated by the department in which they wish to major. Credit earned while in Special Standing may not be counted toward a degree until approved by the major departments but in no case will more than 9 semester credits be counted.

Page last updated: 10/7/07

Graduate Studies
Tennessee Tech Univesity
P.O. Box 5036
Phone: (931) 372-3233 Fax: (931) 372-3497
E-Mail: Gradstudies@tntech.edu