Classification of Graduate Students
Depending on the degree to which the applicant satisfies the MS and PhD requirements, the applicant may be admitted as either as a regular degree student or as a provisional degree student.
Regular Degree Student
A student can be admitted as a regular degree student if, in addition to fulfilling the above mentioned requirements, the student has an overall undergraduate grade-point average of at least a 3.0 for the M.S. program and a 3.5 for the Ph.D. program. If the student has completed at least 24 semester hours of graduate work with a 3.25 average or above at a graduate school of recognized standing, even if the undergraduate grade-point average is below 3.0, the student may be admitted as a regular degree student upon recommendation of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Privileges. Regular degree students may take courses for which they have the appropriate specific prerequisites, on any of the four campuses of the University of Colorado. However, only a limited number of courses can be transferred to the Boulder campus. The typical limit is 9 credit hours.
Restrictions. Regular degree students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average for all work taken, whether it is to be applied toward the advanced degree or not. Failure to maintain this standard of performance may cause the student to be dropped from the academic program after receiving warning from the Graduate School.
Provisional Degree Student
If the student does not satisfy the requirements for a regular degree student, but, in the opinion of the department, merits a trial in graduate work despite either a low undergraduate grade-point average or deficiencies in preparation, the student may be admitted as a provisional degree student. Usually, the undergraduate grade-point average falls between 2.85 and 3.0. All students admitted in this category must submit credentials showing academic potential.In many cases a student will be advised to take graduate Electrical and Computer Engineering courses as a special student before being considered for admission.
Ordinarily, students admitted as provisional will not be eligible for a change of status to a "regular degree student" until they have completed their first 12 semester hours of graduate work with a grade-point average of 3.25 or above. At the time of admission to provisional degree status, students will be informed by the department, in writing, of the performance expected of them before the department will recommend their admission as regular degree students. Normally a student may not retain provisional degree status for more than 18 semester hours. By that time, the department must decide whether to recommend admission to regular degree status or to drop the student from the department's program.
Privileges. Provisional degree students have all the privileges of regular degree students in terms of taking courses and working toward an advanced degree.
Restrictions. Provisional degree students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average on all work taken, whether or not it is to be applied toward the advanced degree sought. If students fail to maintain such a standard of performance, they may be dropped from the academic program without warning from the Graduate School or the department. Provisional degree students are not eligible for fellowship or scholarship support from the Graduate School and usually are not considered for teaching or research assistantships by the department.
