Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Who is the student services associate for my department/program?
Cathy Marks works with College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Engineering and Architecture. Melissa Selders-Ortez supports the Colleges of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources; Business; Human Development and Education; and Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Sciences. Madonna Fitzgerald works with the interdisciplinary programs.
Where is the Graduate School office?
The Graduate School Office is located in Old Main Room 201.
What are the requirements for a student to have an assistantship?
Students must be admitted to the Graduate School as a degree-seeking student. Teaching assistants whose native language is not English need to demonstrate English proficiency (refer to section titled "English Language Proficiency for Teaching Assistants") . Other assistantship policies/information may be found in the Graduate Assistantship Policy
What is academic warning? What is academic probation?
Any student in good standing whose cumulative grade point average drops to less than 3.0 at any time of attendance is automatically placed on academic warning. Any student admitted in conditional status because of grade deficiency is automatically placed on academic warning. If a student on academic warning fails to achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the subsequent semester of attendance, then the student will be placed on academic probation.
A student on academic probation may not continue the pursuit of the graduate degree program without a waiver from the Dean of the Graduate School acting on a recommendation from the appropriate program administrator. This recommendation must include a review of the student's status and a proposed plan of remediation which will allow the student an opportunity to return to a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 within one additional semester. If the cumulative grade point average is not at least 3.0 after this one additional semester, the student will be dismissed from his or her graduate program.
A student on academic probation is not eligible for a graduate assistantship or tuition waiver.
Registration
What is the Graduate School's continuous enrollment policy?
Graduate students are required to register for at least one credit each fall and spring semester until all degree requirements are completed. Failure to maintain registration will result in your status becoming inactive and require a Request for Reactivation form and $10 processing fee.
What is considered full-time registration?
Nine credits are considered a full-time graduate load. Graduate assistants in half-time status (0.5 FTE) are considered full-time if registered for five or more graduate credits. Federal law requires all international students with a 20-hr/week assistantship to carry at least six graduate credits for full-time status.
Plan of Study/Supervisory Committee
When should a student's Plan of Study be submitted?
The plan of study should be submitted to the Graduate School for approval no later than the term immediately after the supervisory committee is formed and must be filed in the Graduate School prior to scheduling the final examination.
When should a student establish a supervisory committee?
The supervisory committee should be formed not later than the term immediately after the major adviser is identified for the student, and members should be identified before the plan of study is formulated so all committee members have a chance to contribute to the plan of study.
Who may serve on a committee?
Committee members must be full or associate graduate faculty, or approved qualified outside experts in the field.
What is the role of the supervisory committee?
The committee is to assist the student in the preparatin of a plan of study and to advise him or her during the period of graduate work. The supervisory committee is encouraged to convene at least once per semester and and meet at least one per year to review th eprogress of the student. The committee also ensures that thte student's paper, thesis or dissertation adheres to the Graduate School guidelines and follows the grammatical, citiation and style requirements of the discipline. The committee must approved the content of the document as well.
What is the graduate appointee?
The role of the Graduate School appointee is to ensure that the student's Plan of Study follows Graduate School guidelines and that other Graduate School policies are observed. The Graduate School appointee also ensures that the expectations for the student's performance are reasonable and that interactions with the supervisory committee are conducted on a professional basis.
May I choose the appointee?
A committee chair may work in conjunction with the student to select a graduate appointee as long as that appointee is a full member of the graduate faculty from outside of the student's program.
Theses, Dissertations and Papers
What are the format requirements for papers, theses and dissertations?
Guidelines for document formating are available on the Graduate School website at: http://www.ndsu.edu/gradschool/current_students/dtp/format/.
What is next after a student defends?
Information regarding the thesis, dissertation and paper submission process may be found at: http://www.ndsu.edu/gradschool/current_students/dtp/timeline/ .
Graduate Council
What is the Graduate Council?
The Graduate Council advises and counsels the graduate dean in formulating administrative policies for graduate study and serves as an executive body for the graduate faculty.
