Retention of Students
The program’s faculty reviews the academic progress of all students each year. According to University policy, those students who fail to maintain a 3.00 GPA are subject to dismissal. The faculty desires to help students have a satisfactory academic and professional experience. We may request that students whose GPA falls below a 3.00 consult with their advisor about how to address problem areas. However, at times, it is necessary for the faculty to discontinue students in the program for academic reasons. A student receiving 7 or more credit hours of C grades is subject to dismissal from the program.
Once grades are submitted they are final and will not be changed except in cases of administrative error. Grades will not be changed by allowing students to do additional work (e.g., retaking exams; redoing papers; submitting extra credit papers, reports, etc.) or by using criteria other that those applied to all students in the class. In the event of a possible administrative error, the student must contact the instructor as soon as possible following the posting of the grade. If there is a dispute over student’s grade, the student may file an appeal to the Associate Dean who will then active the University Academic appeals process outlined in the University Policy Register.
Because counseling is a profession, the faculty believes it is important to acculturate students to high standards of professional behavior. As a part of this effort we review students yearly to evaluate their academic performance, professional development, and personal development.
We believe success as a counselor depends upon factors in addition to those measured by typical evaluations in coursework. Thus, we reserve the right as a faculty to separate from the program a student, who, in the opinion of the faculty, is not likely to succeed professionally despite earning acceptable grades.
Students are evaluated along the following dimensions:
- Potential success in forming effective and culturally relevant interpersonal relationships in individual and group contexts;
- Aptitude for graduate-level study;
- Career goals in relationship to the program;
- Openness to self-examination; and
- Openness to personal and professional development.
- Doctoral Student Review Form (pdf)
- Master's Student Review Form (pdf)
If the faculty believes a student is experiencing difficulty on any of these dimensions, a meeting will be scheduled with the student and advisor to discuss ways of responding to the concern(s) or to consider the appropriateness of the counseling profession for the student.