Rackham School of Graduate Studies Programs

The University of Michigan-Flint offers three graduate degree programs through the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies: the Master of Arts (MA) in Arts Administration , Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MA) with a concentration in American Culture, and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) with concentrations in Criminal Justice Administration, Educational Administration, Health Care Administration, and Administration of Nonprofit Agencies.

The official policies for Rackham Graduate School programs can be accessed from the Rackham Graduate School website. Certain policies pertaining to master’s programs are repeated in this Catalog for emphasis; modifications as they pertain to Flint Rackham programs are noted.

Admission to Rackham School Programs

The Office of Graduate Programs administers applications for graduate degrees offered at the University of Michigan-Flint through the Rackham Graduate School. The application, information about procedures, requirements, fees, and deadlines, and links to descriptions and requirements of individual programs are available online at www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms. The procedure for applying for admission includes filing a completed application, one official transcript from each college and university attended, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and an application fee. Applicants to the Educational Administration concentration of the MPA program must also submit a copy of their teaching certificate. A cumulative undergraduate 3.0 grade point average is expected of each applicant, although this should not prevent a highly motivated applicant with a somewhat lower average from applying. Each program has additional requirements, which are described under the program listing.

There are three types of admission:

Regular: Regular admission is granted to applicants who satisfy all admission requirements of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and who have been recommended for admission by the program to which they have applied. The Office of Graduate Programs must receive an official transcript (i.e., one bearing the official seal of the school and the Registrar’s signature) indicating award of the bachelor’s degree or equivalent for a student to have regular admission status.

Conditional: Conditional admission may be granted to applicants who do not satisfy all admission requirements of the Graduate School. An applicant granted conditional admission must fulfill the following requirements before any degree milestone will be recorded in the official academic record or any transfer credit will be accepted: No later than the end of the first term of enrollment, a student who has been admitted before completing the requirements for a bachelor’s degree must submit to the Office of Graduate Programs a final and official transcript or other official certificate indicating satisfactory completion of all coursework and the title of the degree and date of its conferral. An applicant with a University of Michigan-Flint undergraduate degree does not need to provide a transcript.

Probationary: In some circumstances, applicants who do not meet the required minimum grade point average for the number of credits specified may, with the approval of program faculty, be granted probationary admission.

Readmission

Students who have not been enrolled in the Graduate School for more than one year (12 months) must apply to the Office of Graduate Programs for readmission. Readmission is dependent upon approval by the graduate program and upon availability of space and facilities for the term in which readmission is requested. International students seeking readmission will need to certify proof of adequate funding in order for the International Center to issue the appropriate documents to obtain a visa. A student who seeks readmission after withdrawing for health reasons may be asked by the department or program to provide a physician’s certification of readiness to return to active status. If a student seeking readmission was on probationary admission, academic probation, or extended probation, that standing will continue in effect if readmission is granted, unless the program and the Dean of Graduate Programs remove or modify the status. If a student is dismissed or required to withdraw, readmission may be granted only by obtaining approval of the program and the Dean of Graduate Programs. Applications for Graduate Readmission are available online or from the Office of Graduate Programs, 251 Thompson Library.

Retroactive Withdrawal

A retroactive withdrawal is defined as a request made to withdraw from a course or term after the last day of classes. Any changes to the student’s enrollment record after the last day of classes are retroactive and should be considered an exception to University and Rackham policy. The University has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain and report an actual accounting of class and student enrollment totals to state, federal and other agencies. As such, at no point after the term has ended will a class be removed from the student record. It will remain on the record with a grade of “W,” if the exception is approved. Any request to retroactively withdraw from the term must be reviewed by the Dean of Graduate Programs and must meet the following conditions to be considered:

Changes will be considered only within twelve months from the end of the term.
There must be a compelling case with sufficient documentation to support the appropriateness of the exception, which includes a justification for why the student did not seek an incomplete or withdrawal during the term.
The retroactive withdrawal must apply to all classes in the term unless a physical or mental health problem prevented the student from finishing a particular class.

Change of Graduate Program

Students may apply to change from one graduate program to another within the Rackham Graduate School. This change requires full consideration by the new program’s admissions committee. The student should contact the Office of Graduate Programs for information about the required application and supporting materials, and must submit an Application for Dual Degree or Change of Program, available online or from the Office of Graduate Programs, 251 Thompson Library.

Transfer of Credit

Graduate credits may be transferred to master’s degree programs only. All requests for transfer of credit must be approved by the student’s program and by the Office of Graduate Programs. Students eligible to transfer credit must:

Be enrolled in good standing in a Rackham master’s degree program;
Have completed 8 or more credit hours of graduate-level, letter-graded courses in residence in the Rackham Graduate School and earned a cumulative grade point average of B (i.e., 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher; and
Have removed all conditions for admission, including submission to the Office of Graduate Programs of an official undergraduate transcript and record of bachelor’s degree.

Criteria for transferring credit:

Students may transfer credits for graduate-level courses taken while pursuing an undergraduate degree only if these were not used to fulfill requirements for a degree or certificate and only if Rackham receives confirmation that these courses were at the graduate level and required graduate-level work.
Graduate credit may be transferred from other accredited degree-granting universities with graduate degree programs for up to a maximum of 6 credit hours from universities that use the semester system, or up to 9 credit hours from universities that use the quarter system (the equivalent of 6 semester credit hours).
Graduate credit may be transferred from non-Rackham University of Michigan graduate programs, including those on the Flint or Dearborn campuses, for up to half the credits required for the Rackham degree.

Credits may not be transferred:

if they are used or will be used, in whole or in part, to fulfill requirements for a bachelor’s or other degree or certificate;
for courses taken at an exclusively undergraduate institution or community college;
for courses taken more than five years before admission to the student’s current Rackham master’s program; or
for courses for which a letter grade of less than “B” has been awarded.

Students may transfer credits for courses taken at their undergraduate institution only if Rackham receives confirmation that these courses were at the graduate level and required graduate-level work.

Transfer course numbers and credits appear on the University transcript, but grades will not be listed and will not be computed in calculating the cumulative grade point average.

Instructions and a transfer of credit request form are available from the Office of Graduate Programs.

Grades and Transcripts

See the Graduate Study section of this Catalog. All graduate programs at the University of Michigan-Flint adhere to Rackham grading policies and procedures.

Good Academic Standing and Academic Discipline

A student in good academic standing is making satisfactory progress toward the completion of degree requirements and is within the time limits of the degree program, including approved extensions; is demonstrating an ability to succeed in the degree program; and has a cumulative graduate grade point average of “B” (3.0) or better.

Graduate students should periodically discuss their academic progress with their advisors to learn whether they are performing satisfactorily and making sufficient progress toward the degree. Graduate programs should immediately notify students in writing when their performance falls below an acceptable level.

In response to a student’s academic deficiencies, the University may take any of the following actions: 1) admit a student on probationary status; 2) place a continuing student on probation; 3) require a student to withdraw from the University; or 4) not confer a degree or certificate.

A student whose cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) falls below a B (3.0 on a 4.0 point scale) in a given term or half term will be placed on academic probation for the following term or half term of enrollment. During that term, such a student will not be awarded a graduate degree or certificate and cannot transfer credit to a Rackham master’s program or be allowed to change his or her program (i.e., dual degree). Upon the recommendation of the graduate chair, and with the consent of the Dean of Graduate Programs, a student may be granted an opportunity to correct the scholastic and/or academic deficiency. In addition to these requirements, degree programs may require students to achieve minimum grades in the overall program of study and/or in particular courses.

A student on probation when last enrolled in the Graduate School who wishes to be readmitted or change fields or degree level, must petition the department or program and the Dean of Graduate Programs to modify the conditions of academic standing or discipline. The petition should: provide reasons for the poor academic record; explain how conditions that produced this poor performance have changed; and present specific plans for improvement. The graduate program must approve the petition before a student can be reinstated.

A student may be required to withdraw or be dismissed. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a B (3.0 on a 4.0 point scale), who is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree, or who is failing to demonstrate an ability to succeed in his or her plan of studies, may be denied permission to register, required to withdraw, or dismissed from the program. Students may also be dismissed for failing to meet the standards of academic and professional integrity.

A program must provide the student written notification of the grounds for dismissal.

Academic Dispute Resolution Process

Flint Rackham students who have a dispute or disagreement with faculty or staff about the equity and fairness of decisions or procedures that affect their academic standing should use the following procedures to appeal.

The instructor(s) shall be consulted directly in an effort to resolve the dispute.
A student may then consult with the graduate program director. If informal discussion does not resolve the disagreement, the student may seek a formal resolution by submitting a Petition for Modification or Waiver of Regulations with the program’s Administrative Specialist. The Administrative Specialist will circulate the petition through the program as determined by the program director or faculty committee. The Administrative Specialist or Program Director will communicate the decision to the student.
If the student does not agree with the program’s decision, the student may submit a formal request to have the decision reviewed to the CAS Dean’s office. The CAS Dean will take the request to the CAS Executive Committee for a decision and communicate with both the student and the program director. The review at this stage will be one that is procedural in nature; no substantive review will take place.
If the student does not agree with the CAS Executive Committee’s decision, the student may submit a formal request to have the decision reviewed by the Dean of Graduate Programs as the representative of the Rackham Graduate School on the Flint campus. This review will be procedural, but may include a substantive review if warranted. The Dean of Graduate Programs will review the request, consult with the Rackham Dean’s office if necessary, and render a final decision. The Dean of Graduate Programs will communicate the decision with the student and program director of the outcome. This ends the reconsideration process.

Time Limit to Complete Degree

A student in a free-standing master’s program is expected to complete all work within five years from the date of first enrollment in the program. Students exceeding this time limit must file a petition for modification or waiver of regulation with the Administrative Specialist. Petitions must describe explicitly the amount of work remaining and a timeline for completion. A student who fails to complete degree requirements within five years may be withdrawn and required to apply for readmission.

Residency Requirement

Master’s students must complete at least one-half of the minimum required credit hours on the home campus, i.e., the campus on which the degree program is administered. Rackham does not require that these credits be concentrated in a certain number of terms, but individual programs may have such a requirement. Courses taken on a visited (audited) basis do not fulfill the residency requirement.

Application for Degree

A student who has completed all work must apply for graduation online through the Student Information System at http://sis.umflint.edu. Students must apply for graduation by the published deadline to have their names published in the commencement program. A student who fails to complete all requirements during the term in which the degree application is submitted must reapply to be considered again for the degree. Master’s diplomas are not distributed at commencement, but are mailed.

Other Academic Policies and Procedures

All Flint Rackham students are held accountable for all policies and procedures of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies and the University of Michigan-Flint. Visit www.rackham.umich.edu/policies/academic_policies for further information on Rackham policies and www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms or the Graduate Study section of this catalog for more information about the University of Michigan-Flint policies.