Graduate Education Policies

The Graduate School's policies are formally approved guiding and governing principles that assist in the conduct of graduate education. Learn more about the Structure and Organization of Graduate Education Policies.

Academic policies

Academic policies are directly concerned with the pedagogical mission of the Graduate School, and are enacted by Graduate Council as the representative body of Graduate Faculty. Recent Actions of Graduate Council.

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GCAC-100 Graduate Faculty Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-101

Graduate Faculty Membership

FAQ:
Graduate Faculty Membership - FAQs

Procedure:
P1 - Nomination to Membership in the Graduate Faculty

Form:
Nomination for Membership in the Graduate Faculty – Category “P” (PDF)

Form:
Nomination for Membership in the Graduate Faculty – Category “Q” (PDF)

Form:
Nomination for Membership in the Graduate Faculty – Category “R” (PDF)

Procedure:
P2 - Approval to Teach 500- and 800-Level Courses

Form:
Recommendation for Approval to Teach 500- or 800-level Courses (PDF)

GCAC-102

Evaluation of Graduate Faculty Teaching

GCAC-200 Programs and Curriculum Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-201	Scholarly and Professional Goals for All Graduate Degree Students
GCAC-202	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-203	Graduate Course Designations
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-204	Graduate Course Definitions - 500- vs. 800-Level Courses
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-205	Concurrent Offering of Graduate and Non-Graduate Courses
	Procedure: P1 - Concurrent Offering of Graduate and Non-Graduate Courses
GCAC-206	Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements Guidance: Overview of the Graduate Council Curricular Review Process Guidance: Developing Graduate Program Proposals Guidance: Graduate Course Proposal Submission Guidance: Guide to Creating Learning Objectives for Graduate Courses and Programs Reference: CourseLeaf Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM)
GCAC-207	Degree Program Options
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-208	Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-209	Concurrent Degrees
	FAQs: Concurrent Degrees - FAQs Form: Concurrent Graduate Degree Programs Plan of Study - Instructions and Fillable Form (PDF)\|(DOC) Procedure: P1 - Approval of a Concurrent Degree Proposal and Integrated Study Plan Procedure: P2 - Adding a Master's-Along-the-Way
GCAC-210	Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs
	FAQ: Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs - FAQs Form: Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Semester Report (PDF) Form: IUG/Joint Degree Career Swap Form (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Request for an Undergraduate Student to Take 500- or 800-Level Courses (PDF)\|(DOC) Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-211	Joint Degree Programs
	Form: IUG/Joint Degree Career Swap Form (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Joint Medical/Graduate Semester Report (PDF)\|(DOC) Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-212	Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs
	Form: Template for Graduate or Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Bulletin Listing (DOC) Procedure: P1 - Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs Reference: CourseLeaf Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM)
GCAC-213	Residency and Related Policies for Off-Campus Degree Programs
	Form: Expedited Review Process for Limited Off-Campus Course Offerings (PDF) Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements Procedure: P2 - Expedited Review Process for Limited Off-Campus Course Offerings Procedure: P3 - Fulfilling the Essential Elements of Residency in Off-Campus Graduate Degree Programs
GCAC-214	Collaborative Graduate Education Programs with Institutions Outside of the United States
	Guidance: Collaborative International-Concurrent Graduate Degree Programs (CI-CGDP) Guidance: Collaborative International-Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Degree Programs (CI-IUGDP) Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-215	Common Course Numbers
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-216	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-217	Degree Titles
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements

	University Faculty Senate Policies Relevant to Graduate Programs and Curricula 42-10 Course Uniformity 42-23 Credit Requirements by Types of Instruction 43-00 Syllabus

GCAC-300 Admissions Policies keyboard_arrow_down

	*General Information* Form: Graduate School Application Fee Form (HTML) Reference: Pennsylvania Department of Education Certificate Candidates
Admissions Policies
GCAC-301	Qualifications for Admission
GCAC-302	Classification of Students
GCAC-303	Provisional Admission
	Form: Program Provisional Form (PDF) - Requires access to the Graduate School Resource Portal
GCAC-304	Nondegree Admission
GCAC-305	Admission Requirements for International Students
	Procedure: P1 - Admission Requirements for International Students Procedure: P2 - Determining Academic Eligibility for Admission of International Students – Academic Credentials Procedure: P3 - Determining English Proficiency for Admission of International Students Procedure: P4 - Petitioning the Graduate School for Provisional Admission and Other English Proficiency Exceptions
GCAC-306	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-307	Concurrent or Second Doctorates
GCAC-308	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-309	Transfer Credit
	Form: Transfer of Credit From an External Institution (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Transfer of Penn State Nondegree Graduate Credits to Penn State Graduate Degree (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Transfer of Graduate Course From Penn State Undergraduate Transcript to Penn State Degree Graduate Program (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Transfer of Penn State College of Medicine Credits to Penn State Graduate Degree Program (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Transfer of Penn State Law Credits to Penn State Graduate Degree Program (PDF)\|(DOC) Form: Transfer of Penn State Law Credits to Penn State School of International Affairs Graduate Program (PDF)\|(DOC)
GCAC-310	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-311	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-312	[Policy Renumbered]

GCAC-400 Assessment Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-401	Grading System
GCAC-402	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-403	Corrected Grades
GCAC-404	Satisfactory Scholarship
	Procedure: P1 - Satisfactory Scholarship
GCAC-405	Credit by Examination

	University Faculty Senate Policies Relevant to Assessment 44-10 General Examination Policy 44-20 Final Examination Policy 44-25 Conflict Final Examinations 44-30 Non-Final Examinations 44-35 Conflict of Non-Final Examinations 44-40 Proctoring of Examinations 47-20 Basis for Grades 47-60 Definition of Grades 48-20 Failure to Complete a Course 51-30 Method of Calculation of Grade Points

GCAC-500 Registration and Graduation Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-501	Credit Load
GCAC-502	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-503	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-504	Visiting or Auditing a Course
GCAC-505	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-506	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-507	Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses
	Form: Request for an Undergraduate Student to Take 500-or 800-Level Courses (PDF)\|(DOC)
GCAC-508	Change of Degree or Program
GCAC-509	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-510	University Employee Credit Status
GCAC-511	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-512	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-513	Registration
GCAC-514	Continuity of Registration and Resume Study
GCAC-515	Registration Requirements When Course Work Has Been Completed
GCAC-516	Registration for Work Done Away from Campus

	University Faculty Senate Policies Relevant to Registration and Graduation 34-30 Academic Registration Hold 34-81 Enrollment 34-83 Change in Class Meeting Time 86-00 Candidate Responsibilities and Options

GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies keyboard_arrow_down

Research Degree Policies - Doctoral (Ph.D.)
GCAC-601	Residency Requirement - Research Doctorate
	FAQS: Residency Requirement - Research Doctorate - FAQs
GCAC-602	Ph.D. Committee Formation, Composition, and Review - Research Doctorate
	Form: Research Doctoral Committee Appointment Form Procedure: P1 - Ph.D. Committee Formation, Composition, and Review - Research Doctorate
GCAC-603	Ph.D. Committee Responsibilities - Research Doctorate
	FAQs: Ph.D. Committee Responsibilities - Research Doctorate - FAQs Form: Annual Assessment of Ph.D. Student Progress - SAMPLE (PDF) Procedure: P1 - Distance Participation Request
GCAC-604	Qualifying Examination - Research Doctorate
	FAQs: Qualifying Examination - Research Doctorate - FAQs Form: Report on Doctoral Qualifying Examination (PDF)\|(DOC) Additional Information: Extensions to Qualifying Examination Time Limits due to COVID-19
GCAC-605	English Competence - Research Doctorate
	FAQs: English Competence - Research Doctorate - FAQs
GCAC-606	Comprehensive Examination - Research Doctorate
	Additional Information: Extensions to Comprehensive Examination Time Limits due to COVID-19
GCAC-607	Dissertation - Research Doctorate
	Procedure: P1 - Dissertation - Research Doctorate
GCAC-608	Final Oral Examination - Research Doctorate
GCAC-609	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-610	Time Limitation - Research Doctorate
	Additional Information: Extensions to Time Limits for Doctoral Students due to COVID-19
GCAC-611	Minor - Research Doctorate
	Form: Request to Add Graduate Minor (PDF) Reference: List of Graduate Council-Approved Stand-Alone Graduate Minors
Research Degree Policies - Master’s (M.A., M.S.)
GCAC-630	Admission - Research Master's
GCAC-631	Degree Requirements - Research Master's
GCAC-632	Time Limitation - Research Master's
	Additional Information: Extensions to Time Limits for Master's Students due to COVID-19
GCAC-641	Minor - Research Master's
	Form: Request to Add Graduate Minor (PDF)\|(DOC) Reference: List of Graduate Council-Approved Stand-Alone Graduate Minors
GCAC-642	Culminating Experience - Research Master's

GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies keyboard_arrow_down

Professional Degree Policies - Doctoral
GCAC-700	Degree Requirements - Professional Doctorate
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-701	Residency Requirement - Professional Doctorate
GCAC-702	Professional Doctoral Committee Composition - Professional Doctorate
	Form: D.Ed. Professional Doctoral Committee Appointment Signature Form Professional Doctoral Committee Appointment Signature Form
GCAC-703	Professional Doctoral Committee Responsibilities - Professional Doctorate
GCAC-704	Qualifying Examination - Professional Doctorate
	Form: Report on Doctoral Qualifying Examination (PDF) Additional Information: Extensions to Qualifying Examination Time Limits due to COVID-19
GCAC-705	English Competence - Professional Doctorate
GCAC-706	Comprehensive Examination - Professional Doctorate
	Form: Examination Request Form (PDF)\|(DOC) Additional Information: Extensions to Comprehensive Examination Time Limits due to COVID-19
GCAC-707	Professional Doctoral Culminating Experience – Professional Doctorate
	Form: Examination Request Form (PDF)\|(DOC)
GCAC-708	Time Limitation - Professional Doctorate
	Additional Information: Extensions to Time Limits for Doctoral Students due to COVID-19
GCAC-709	Professional Doctoral Minor – Professional Doctorate
	Form: Request to Add Graduate Minor (PDF)\|(DOC) Reference: List of Graduate Council-Approved Stand-Alone Graduate Minors
Professional Degree Policies - Master's
GCAC-730	Admission - Professional Master's
GCAC-731	Degree Requirements - Professional Master's
	Procedure: P1 - Graduate Curricular Proposal Requirements
GCAC-732	Time Limitation - Professional Master's
	Additional Information: Extensions to Time Limits for Master's Students due to COVID-19
GCAC-741	Master's Minor - Professional Master's
	Form: Request to Add Graduate Minor (PDF)\|(DOC) Reference: List of Graduate Council-Approved Stand-Alone Graduate Minors
GCAC-742	Culminating Experience - Professional Master's

GCAC-800 Student Conduct and Performance Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-801	Conduct
GCAC-802	Procedures for Resolution of Problems
GCAC-803	Procedures for Termination of the Degree Program of a Graduate Student for Unsatisfactory Scholarship
GCAC-804	Procedures for Termination of Assistantships due to Inadequate Performance

	University Faculty Senate Policies Relevant to Student Conduct and Performance 42-27 Class Attendance 49-20 Academic Integrity

GCAC-900 Other Graduate Education Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GCAC-901	[Policy Renumbered]
GCAC-902	Student Instructional Assistants in Graduate Courses
	Form: Graduate Student Instructional Assistant (GSIA) Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form (PDF)

	Other University Faculty Senate Policies Relevant to Graduate Education 45-00 Faculty and Student Responsibilities Regarding Cancelled Classes When a Campus Is Closed 67-10 Division I – Athletic Competition (University Park) 67-30 Division III and PSUAC – Athletic Competition (non-University Park)

Recommended Practices in Graduate Education

Administrative Policies

Administrative policies are enacted by the Graduate School. They set operational standards and behavior expectations, and communicate policy roles and responsibilities to ensure that all policies are operationalized, enacted, and enforced. Recent Actions of The Graduate School.

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GSAD-200 Programs and Curriculum Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GSAD-202	Joint Degree Programs Administrative Policy
GSAD-204	Schreyer Honors College Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Degree Programs
GSAD-205	Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs
GSAD-206	Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)
	Procedure: P1 - Procedure for CIP Code Requests

GSAD-300 Admissions Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GSAD-301

Course Abbreviations Used for Transfer Credit

GSAD-500 Registration and Graduation Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GSAD-501	Credit Loads and Academic Status for Graduate Assistants
GSAD-502	Credit Loads for International Students
GSAD-503	World Campus Course Registration for Graduate Assistants, Graduate Fellows, and Graduate Trainees and STAP Recipients
GSAD-504	Withdrawal
GSAD-506	Credit Loads for Graduate Students Utilizing Department of Veterans Affairs Education Benefits
GSAD-510	Thesis Submission
GSAD-511	Graduation
	Procedure: P1 - Posthumous Degree Conferral (Graduate)
GSAD-520	Postdoctoral Fellows, Scholars, and Guests of the University Attending Graduate Classes
GSAD-530	Letters of Certification (In Progress)
	Form: Letter of Certification Student Desktop Guide Procedure: P1 - Letters of Certification - Procedure Reference: Information Sheet for Requesting a Letter of Certification

GSAD-900 Other Graduate Education Policies keyboard_arrow_down

GSAD-901	Graduate Assistants (formerly PR06)
	Guidelines: Resources about Graduate Assistant, Fellow, and Trainee Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), Dental, and Vision Insurance Plans Procedure: P1 - Graduate Assistants - Procedure
GSAD-903	Assistantships and Employment for International Students
GSAD-904	Graduate Assistantships for Students in Joint Degree Programs
GSAD-905	Summer Graduate Lecturer/Researcher (formerly PR17)
GSAD-906	Graduate Student Leave of Absence
	Form: Extended Absence with Course Drops Form (PDF) FAQs: Leave of Absence Guidelines: Management of Graduate Assistantships, Fellowships, and Traineeships for Graduate Students with an Approved Leave of Absence Procedure: P1 - Leave of Absence (Full Semester or Longer) Procedure: P2 - Extended Absence with Course Drops
GSAD-907	Graduate Fellows and Graduate Trainees (formerly PR03)
GSAD-920	Graduate Student Policy for International Travel
GSAD-930	Exceptions to Graduate Council Academic Requirements
	Procedure: P1 - Requesting Exceptions to Graduate Council Academic Requirements

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Important Deadlines

Graduate Education Policies

Academic policies

General Information

Admissions Policies

Research Degree Policies - Doctoral (Ph.D.)

Research Degree Policies - Master’s (M.A., M.S.)

Professional Degree Policies - Doctoral

Professional Degree Policies - Master's

Administrative Policies