Academic Standing
Admission to the SMS graduate program implies a significant commitment on the part of the student, the student’s advisor and their department, as well as VIMS/SMS. To remain in good academic standing a student must:
- maintain a cumulative GPA of B or better (≥ 3.0) with no core course grade lower than B-, and
- make satisfactory progress as defined by College degree requirements and regulations of the School of Marine Science.
The Academic Status and Degrees Committee, SMS Registrar, and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies regularly review student transcripts and progress to ensure the timely completion of degree requirements at the individual and School of Marine Science levels. A student who fails to remain in good academic standing may lose funding or be terminated from the degree program.
Academic Probation
- Students will be placed on academic probation if their cumulative average is less than B. In the case of a grade deficiency in a SMS core course, the student must make up the deficiency by retaking the course and passing with a grade of B- or better, by taking another course from the core group of Fundamentals courses (outside of specialty) or by taking an Advanced Principles core course (outside of specialty) which must also be passed with a grade of B- or better. Probation will last until a student’s cumulative average is raised to at least a B (3.0) and/or the core course requirement is satisfied, but will not exceed one calendar year. Failure to raise the cumulative grade average to B or address a core course grade deficiency within one calendar year will result in dismissal from the School of Marine Science. Reinstatement is possible only with the approval of the Academic Status and Degrees Committee and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
- Students will be placed on academic probation if they fail to complete the qualifying exam milestone within 6 months of the program due date for M.S. students, or 12 months of the program due date for Ph.D. students. Students on academic probation will have one year to satisfy any outstanding milestone deficiencies in order to prevent automatic termination of the degree program.
Registration
All continuing students who have not been granted leave must register for a minimum of nine hours each semester, and one hour for each 5-week term of the summer sessions. Students must be registered in the semester during which they graduate. Once they have achieved Candidacy, students may be eligible for one semester of Research Graduate Status (M.S. students) or two semesters (Ph.D. students), depending on availability of funds. Full-time enrollment during the summer is defined as 3 credit hours in any combination of summer terms, and enrollment at the level of two credits is considered half-time.
Off-site students: Off-site students are defined as those who do not receive any funding (assistantship, fellowship, workship) or make use of on-site resources of VIMS/SMS. Once a student has achieved Candidacy and completed course and research requirements they are allowed to finish their degree programs in a special part-time registration status. Off-site students pay for one credit at the out-of-state rate or three credits at the in-state rate during fall and spring semesters, based on his/her domicile status. Students enrolled for the summer are required to register for one credit hour for each 5-week term.
Changes in Registration
All changes in student schedules must be done in accordance with relevant deadlines as indicated in the Academic Calendar . Any changes requested after the close of registration require approval of the instructor(s) involved and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies. Students may not add courses after the last day for changes in registration. If a student drops a course or courses before mid-semester, the course or courses dropped will be removed from the student’s record. If the student drops a course or courses after mid-semester through the last day of classes, the grade of “W” or “F” will be awarded by the instructor in the course depending upon whether or not the student was passing at the time the course was dropped. A student may not drop a course after the last day of classes. If a student does not complete a course, the grade of “W” or “F” will be awarded by the instructor in the course, and with the approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies and the appropriate authorities at the College, depending upon whether or not the student was passing at the time the course ended.
A student wishing to withdraw from a course (or courses) because of medical reasons after mid-semester may apply to the Associate Dean of Academic Studies for approval. If approved, a grade of “W” will appear on the transcript for each course.
Withdrawal from the Program
Withdrawal from the program constitutes termination of the student’s program of study in the School of Marine Science. Withdrawal may be voluntary on the part of the student or be imposed by the School of Marine Science for reasons of academic deficiency or other reasons pursuant to the W&M Student Handbook and the W&M Honor Code (see section General Statements of Policy ). The Associate Dean of Academic Studies will place a student on a leave of absence for one semester if they fail to register for a regular semester (Fall or Spring) and have not requested a leave of absence or permission to withdraw. If the student has not applied for a leave of absence prior to the end of registration for the next regular semester, or if the Associate Dean of Academic Studies is not able to justify continuing the leave of absence, the student’s record will be marked “withdrawn unofficially.”
If the student withdraws from the College before mid-semester, a grade of “W” will appear on the record for each course in progress at the time of withdrawal. After mid-semester through the last day of classes, students who withdraw from the College will be awarded a “W” or “F” by the faculty member teaching each course in progress at the time of withdrawal.
Students withdrawing from the program after the beginning of the school year should obtain appropriate faculty signatures on a Change in Graduate Student’s Registration form, a Withdrawal form and a Student Check-out Sheet. All forms should be returned to the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
Reinstatement after Withdrawal
A student wishing to be considered for reinstatement after withdrawal must reapply to the School of Marine Science under the procedures in effect at the time of reapplication. |
