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  5. GCAC-202 Graduate Program Student Handbooks (NEW POLICY - Effective Fall 2025)

GCAC-202 - Graduate Program Student Handbooks (NEW POLICY - Effective Fall 2025)

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Academic Goal

To ensure that all students have a clear understanding of the detailed requirements of their graduate degree program, as well as convenient access to the many support resources available to them in their program, their college and across the University.

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Purpose

To describe how handbooks should be maintained, updated, and distributed.

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Scope

This policy applies to all graduate major degree programs and dual-title degree programs.

Policy Statement

  1. All graduate major and dual-title programs must have a graduate program handbook.
  2. All handbooks must be available publicly on the graduate program’s website.
  3. All handbooks must include:
    1. All elements required by other Graduate Council policies relevant to the degrees offered by the program; see here for the current list of required elements
    2. Any program-specific details for each degree offered by the graduate program
    3. The effective date for that edition of the handbook.

Process

  1. Handbooks should be regularly reviewed by the program and published as successive editions, preferably annually.
  2. Handbook editions, and the requirements outlined therein, apply to students based on the student’s matriculation date. However, a student may choose to have a newer edition apply at their sole discretion.
  3. Previous editions of the handbook must be maintained until all students that matriculated in that year have graduated or otherwise left the program.

Forms

Graduate Program Student Handbook Template

Revision History

  • Approved by Graduate Council, December 18, 2024. Effective Fall 2025 (8/18/2025).
    • New policy.