Graduate Admissions Manual 2013-2014 The Application Process
Transcription
Graduate Admissions Manual 2013-2014 The Application Process
Graduate Admissions Manual 2013-2014 The Application Process The graduate application is available online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/. Returning graduate students complete the same application as new graduate applicants. To complete the application process in the Office of Admissions, applicants must submit the following: Transcripts One official transcript from each college or university attended. FSU transcripts or official transcripts already on file will be obtained by the Office of Admissions. Transfer credit posted on the records of other institutions is not accepted in lieu of transcripts from the original institutions. Transcripts are considered official when they bear an official seal and signature and are sent from the issuing college or university directly to FSU. Transcripts uploaded as supporting documents are NOT official. You may use the transcript(s) in your admission process but the applicant still must submit official transcripts to the Admissions Office. Test Scores All applicants must submit test scores from a nationally standardized graduate admissions test, such as the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or an equivalent that is acceptable for the program to which the applicant is applying. Test scores are considered official when they are sent directly from the testing agency. The use of old test scores is at the discretion of the academic program, as long as official copies can be forwarded from the testing agency or verified by another official source (i.e., a former institution). International applicants whose first language is not English must take an English language proficiency exam, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or the Pearson Test of English (PTE). These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to our office from the testing agency. Residency documentation, applicable for domestic students only A completed residency affidavit is required for all students on each new admission. This would include an undergraduate who graduated in April and was coded as a Florida resident but now is applying as a graduate student for Fall. Residency status automatically defaults to non-Florida until a new affidavit is received and reviewed. The residency form can be completed and submitted online. International applicants follow the same process as above with the addition of the following: All academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation. Submit official English Proficiency test scores if their native language is not English. Submit the Certification of Financial Responsibility Form to the Center for Global Engagement (CGE). Applicants must complete the application online. The submitted application will show on NWRDC the next business day unless the application was submitted on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Those applications will show on NWRDC on the following Tuesday. Upon submission of the application, the applicant receives an acknowledgement confirming that FSU has received the application. The acknowledgement includes information on where and how to pay the application fee and includes a special message if a judicial question was answered with a “yes”. Every two weeks, up to 3 times, the applicant will receive a fee reminder, if applicable. If an error occurs in the application preventing it from posting to NWRDC (multiple applications submitted, odd postal addresses, etc), an error report is worked daily to correct the problem. The application will be loaded into NWRDC during the next nightly process. The application cannot be processed without a fee payment and Admissions does not waive or defer the fee except for participants in designated sponsored programs such as McKnight and McNair. The Online Status Check allows applicants to check for the receipt of test scores and transcripts required by the Admissions Office, as well as checking the current status of the application. To access the Online Status Check, applicants will go to https://admissions.fsu.edu/statuscheck. They login with their FSUID and password. Applicants who wish to submit another application (i.e., for a second degree program or for another term) must create a new application. Beginning July 1 every time an applicant submits an application, an application fee must be paid (graduate and non-degree). A new application fee will not be assessed for readmission application. Admission is term specific and is not deferred to a future term. Academic departments enter close dates, change terms and locations, number and type of supporting documents, recommendations required, and additional descriptive text for each degree offered using the Department Information Editor Tool (DSR). The link to the DSR is found at www.admissions.fsu.edu/gradrep/ University Admission Policies Admission to graduate study involves acceptance to the department or college in which the applicant expects to earn a degree. Final admission to the University is subject to approval by the Office of Admissions. While there are minimum admission requirements established by the Florida Board of Governors, the University can elect to exceed them. In order to meet minimum University admission requirements, the applicant must have: A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all work attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working toward a bachelor’s degree, OR a graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution. o An applicant who has not earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution may be considered for admission as a provisional graduate student. International applicants cannot be admitted as provisional due to immigration restrictions. Test scores from a nationally standardized graduate admissions test which is acceptable for the academic program to which the applicant is applying. o In addition, International applicants whose first language is not English are required to have a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL examination, 6.5 on the IELTS examination, or 77 on the MELAB examination. (The minimum score on the PTE has not been determined.) Some departments require a higher score. International students expecting to receive appointments as teaching assistants are required to pass a test of spoken English as well. An applicant who is not in good standing (on probation or dismissal) at the last institution attended will not be admitted for graduate study. Departments may impose more restrictive admission requirements than those stated above. Our office advises all applicants to contact the academic program directly for information on departmental admission requirements. Making Decisions Accept Decisions There are three ways to admit students to a graduate program: regular, regular by exception, and provisional. Regular Admission – University admissions standards are met. Regular Admission by Exception – University admissions standards have not been met. Provisional Admission – a one term conditional admission for domestic students only. This category may include, but not be limited to: o Students with incomplete files (i.e., missing transcripts, test scores). o Students who require further departmental review of performance before final decision can be made. o Students whose undergraduate degrees are from non-accredited institutions. Notes on Provisional Admission: A provisional graduate student who does not meet minimum University requirements or who graduated from a non-accredited institution must take at least nine (9) semester hours of graduate-level coursework (excluding S/U courses) during the semester in provisional status and earn a 3.0 average on all graduate work. Upon regular admission, the student will be counted as an exception since he/she never met minimum admission requirements at the initial review. Graduate work taken while in provisional status will automatically apply toward the student’s graduate program if the student is admitted directly from a provisional student classification to a regular student classification, unless the academic dean indicates otherwise. Graduate work taken by a provisional graduate student who changes to non-degree student classification shall be considered as acquired while in non-degree student status. Provisional students are not eligible for graduate assistantships and international students cannot be admitted into the provisional category. Denied Decisions Applicants to graduate programs who meet minimum University requirements for admission and who are denied admission/readmission to a graduate program may request reconsideration of their application. The following procedures shall apply for all applicants who seek review of an admission decision: Written requests for reconsideration must be received by the Graduate School within thirty (30) days of the date of the notification of denial. Instructions for the appeals procedure can be found in the Graduate General Bulletin. Notification text for Denied Decisions Dear <<Salutation>> <<Last_name>>: The Admissions Committee for the «DWT» program in «Major» has carefully reviewed your application for admission for the «Term» Term, «Year». We regret to inform you that the Committee did not approve your application for admission. If you have questions regarding this decision, please contact the academic program. We appreciate your interest in Florida State University and wish you success in your educational endeavors. Conditional Offers of Admission for International Students When a program has the desire to admit an international student who meets all the programs requirements, except for the required GRE score and the required level of English language proficiency, that program has the ability to offer the student Conditional Admission. An offer of Conditional Admission is designed for international students who want to pursue graduate degrees at Florida State University, but who lack sufficient English skills to earn the required TOEFL/IELTS/MELAB/PTE or GRE/GMAT scores. Academic programs recommending an applicant for Conditional Admission can add stipulations for the TOEFL/IELTS/MELAB/PTE and/or GRE/GMAT scores that must be met before formal admission is granted. Academic programs should follow their typical admissions review process to decide whether to admit the applicant through Conditional Admission. Since these students will not have the required English proficiency or GRE scores, it is important to review the applicants’ other materials as soon as possible (transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation) to allow time for Conditional Admission and to study at the Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) for a year prior to formal admission to FSU and your program. If admitted conditionally, the student will study at CIES and submit the required scores in sufficient time to begin the graduate program within one year of being conditionally admitted. During that year, the conditionally admitted student may NOT enroll in FSU graduate courses, but will enroll in intensive English study at CIES. Dr. Patrick Kennell ([email protected]) is the primary contact for CIES. Please note: CIES issues its own I-20 and processes all of the immigration documents for this student coming in on an F1 (Student) Visa. Additional note: Tanya Schaad at the Center for Global engagement should be contacted for any students coming in on a J-1 (Visiting Scholar) Visa. Conditional Admission Process 1. The academic program elects to conditionally admit an international applicant upon a holistic review of the application. 2. The department contacts Melanie Booker ([email protected]) in Graduate Admissions and informs her that it wants to offer conditional admission to the student of interest. The department stipulates the “conditions” (test scores, etc.) that must be included in the letter. 3. Graduate Admissions generates a Conditional Admission letter to the applicant that includes the academic program’s stipulations (e.g., required score on the TOEFL and/or GRE/GMAT). 4. CIES will contact the applicant and advise the applicant on how to apply to CIES. CIES will issue the I-20 for the student. 5. The student then begins attending classes at CIES for university preparation. 6. When test score requirements are met, the student submits the official scores to Graduate Admissions who will then process a formal offer of admission. *Note: When advising international applicants interested in Conditional Admission, remind them to allow at least one year between entering the CIES program and their intended entry date for a graduate degree program. For example, if students begin English study with CIES in Fall 2013, they would plan to apply for graduate admission for fall 2014. Conditionally admitted students who meet an academic program’s stipulations in accordance with the terms stipulated in the Conditional Admission letter must be formally admitted by that academic program. If a Conditionally Admitted international student does not attain the minimum score on the TOEFT/IELTS/MELAB/PTE and/or GRE/GMAT by the indicated deadline, the offer will be voided by the Office of Admissions. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s): 1. Is Conditional Admission the same as Formal Admission to Florida State University? No, not at all. This is simply a promise made by the program to the student that when/if the student meets the “conditions” set forth by the department, the student will then be formally admitted into FSU and the program. If the student does not meet the conditions within one year, the offer is void and the department has no further obligation to the student. 2. Can a department offer Conditional Admission to a student who is not on scholarship or fully funded? Yes, a department can offer Conditional Admission to a student who is not fully funded. 3. Can a department offer Conditional Admission to a student who is already at CIES? Yes, as long as the student meets the academic requirements of the department except for the TOEFL (or other accepted English language proficiency tests) and GRE. 4. Can a department allow a conditionally admitted student to start taking classes without an adequate TOEFL or IELTS score? No, the student must have at least an 80 on the TOEFL or a 6.5 on the IELTS to begin taking classes at FSU. 5. How do students interested in Conditional Admission apply to FSU? Applicants should apply through FSU Graduate Admissions at http://admissions.fsu.edu/graduate/. 6. What process should departments use to determine eligibility of students who are requesting conditional admission? Academic programs should follow their typical admissions review process in deciding whether to offer the applicant Conditional Admission. Since many of these applicants need intensive English training, they may not have taken the required English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL) and/or other standardized test (e.g., GRE). In these cases, it is important review the applicants’ other materials as soon as possible (transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation) to allow time for Conditional Admission and study at CIES (a year prior to formal admission to FSU). 7. How fast can a student reach the required English language proficiency if they attend CIES? That depends upon many factors. The two major ones are 1.) What is their level of English when they begin CIES? and 2.) How hard will they work at improving their English proficiency once enrolled at CIES? A good student who begins CIES at the beginning level will usually take one full year (3 semesters) of study before he or she is ready to begin studies at the graduate level. Contacts: Melanie Booker, Graduate Admissions Patrick Kennell, Center for Intensive English Studies Olivia James, Center for Intensive English Studies Peggy Gary, Center for Intensive English Studies Tanya Schaad, Center for Global Engagement Tan Zhe, Center for Global Engagement Judy Devine, Graduate School [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Referral/Decision Screen on NWRDC Referrals The application is referred to the academic program for an admission decision if the application fee is paid and there are no judicial issues to be cleared. The departmental representative can view a list of referred applicants by accessing the Pending and Referral Report in OBI. Referral/Decision Screen On Admissions Screen 1 place the cursor on your active degree program line and press shift F5. Entering Decisions BEFORE you enter a decision, make sure that test scores are on NWRDC. If the file has been referred for a decision, go to the top of the page, type “C” in the trans field, tab to UDGPA and enter the undergraduate upper-division grade point average and the graduate grade point average, if applicable. Tab to the Academic Program Decision and enter your decision. Type a comment, if required, and press enter. N Y E P Deny Admit Admit by Exception. (Student has below a 3.00 upper-division GPA on bachelor’s degree with no earned graduate degree). “Exception by Dean” must be written in comment field. Admit as Provisional. List condition(s) in comment field. DO NOT use the Decision screen for a “Conditional Offer of Admission”. Instead, contact Melanie Booker, Graduate Admissions, with your conditional offer. Note: Readmitted students cannot be admitted as provisional Deadlines for Entering Decisions Fall – University Deadline is July 1 Academic Program Decision to Admissions Deadline is August 1 Pending Applications Cancelled by Admissions on August 10 Spring – University Deadline is November 1 Academic Program Decision to Admissions Deadline is December 1 Pending Applications Cancelled by Admissions on December 10 Summer – University Deadline is April 1 (Sessions A & B) and June 1 (Session C) Academic Program Decision to Admissions Deadline is June 1 Pending Applications Cancelled by Admissions on June 10 Students are notified by email that their applications have been cancelled and are told to contact their academic program if they have questions. Text of cancellation email Dear <salutation> <last name>, Thank you for submitting an application for admission to Florida State University. A review of your file indicated that an admission decision was not forwarded to us by the departmental admissions committee. Since the initial decision must come from the academic department, we were unable to act on your file; therefore, your application has been cancelled for the <<Term/Year>> term. Should you wish to have your application reconsidered for a future term, please complete the online application for the new term at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/. All applications and supporting documents, such as updated transcripts, must be received prior to the deadline of the future term you wish to enter. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please reply to this email message, leaving the subject line and original message intact. Calculating Grade Point Averages U.S. GPA Calculations Note: For your convenience, a GPA computation worksheet is available for your use and/or for your applicants to use if you choose. The worksheet is available as a pdf document at www.admissions.fsu.edu/images/pdf/gpacompworksheet.pdf. The following is a list of general rules to be followed when computing a grade point average. The GPA is computed on all work attempted while registered as an upper-division student working towards a bachelor’s degree. Non-degree student (special student) work and graduate work are not included in the GPA calculation. Community college work, regardless of when it is taken, is never used in computing the GPA. o The only way an applicant can raise a bachelor’s GPA is to enroll as a second bachelor’s degree–seeking student. All work taken toward the second bachelor’s degree is considered upper-division. Computation of the GPA includes the entire term in which the student attempted his/her 60th semester hour, for all coursework (excluding community college work) from that term until completion of the bachelor’s degree. o Once upper-division status is determined, the GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of hours attempted. (Round the number up to the 100th, i.e. 3.57). o Remember to scan the transcript to look for AP and CLEP credit. This may be posted at the beginning or at the end of the transcript and it should be included as part of the first 60 semester earned credit hours. Round up a GPA of 2.95 through 2.99 to a 3.00. If the GPA calculation involves two institutions on different calendars (one on the quarter system and the other on the semester system), divide the total number of quarter hours and the total number of quarter quality points by 1.5. This will yield a semester hour equivalent. (Alternatively, you may multiply semester hours and semester quality points by 1.5 to get a quarter hour equivalent). If a student has earned a bachelor’s degree from a college or university that does not assign traditional grades, a GPA for this student cannot be calculated and is assigned a GPA of 9.80. If the transcript does not come with a grading scale, use the FSU scale. When calculating a graduate GPA for a student who has two master’s degrees, do not combine them. Use the higher GPA of the two. International GPA Calculations Credits awarded by foreign institutions are not necessarily equivalent to semester credits issued by U.S. schools. Unless a foreign transcript specifically lists the number of credits required for the degree you cannot use a credit count to determine where the upper-division work begins. Begin calculations using the 5th semester or 3rd year. If this is indeterminable, the entire transcript must be used to calculate the GPA. Transcripts from many countries (Japan, Taiwan, and Korea) are similar to U.S. transcripts. Make sure to use the grading scale on the individual transcript and to use the plus and minus grades listed but do not calculate A+ as = 4.5. An A+ is still = to 4.0. World Education Services (WES) provides a grade conversion scale for institutions to use. Go to http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp to access this guide. China Most Chinese transcripts list a grading scale which can range from an “A” grade of 80100, 85-100, or 90-100. Convert the upper-division numeric grades using the institution’s grading scale and multiply by credits or hours. If no credits or hours are listed, weigh each class equally. If there is no grading scale listed, default to the following scale: 85-100 (A); 75-84 (B); 60-74 (C); 0-59 (F) India Indian transcripts vary widely in their appearance and in the grading scales used. We are beginning to see many transcripts with grades assigned but the most common grades or marks are expressed as percentages. Marks are generally awarded each semester but often the very first grading period is at the end of the first year. o Always start working the GPA at the beginning of the third year or at the 5th semester. For those institutions not listing credits for each course, weigh each class equally (1 credit for theory courses and ½ credit for lab courses). Use the following grading scale: 60-100 = A; 55-59 = B+; 50-54 = B; 43-49 = C+; 35-42 = C; 0-34 = F Study the marks sheets or transcripts to determine if a grade is based on a maximum possible score of 100 or something different. Be sure to calculate the percentage score based on the maximum possible, i.e., a grade of 131 out of 225 would be equal to 58% (B+), a grade of 50 out of 100 would be equal to 50% (B) and a grade of 50 out of 75 would be equal to 66% (A). INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS English Language Proficiency Requirement Tests The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all International students whose first language is not English. Other English Language Proficiency Exams acceptable to FSU are the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), and the Pearson Test of English (PTE). Minimum required scores o 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (IBT) o 550 on the paper-based TOEFL (PBT) o 6.5 on the IELTS o 77 on the MELAB o A score on the PTE is yet to be determined o Students completing through level 8 at CIES (Center for Intensive English Studies) will meet the proficiency requirement Waiver Requests A request to waive the minimum required test score must be sent to the Assistant Director for Graduate Admissions who will submit the request to the Waiver Committee. All appeals must be in writing with justification for the request. o A score of 75-79 on the IBT is required to be eligible for an appeal o A score of 537 -549 on the PBT is required to be eligible for an appeal o A score of 6.0 on the IELTS is required to be eligible for an appeal o A score on the PTE is yet to be determined Countries Exempt from English Language Proficiency Requirement Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Australia Barbados Bahamas Belize Bermuda Botswana British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cameroon Canada (except Quebec) Cayman Islands Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling Island) Cook Islands Dominica Falkland Islands Fiji Gambia Ghana Gibraltar Grenada Guam Guernsey Guyana Ireland Isle of Man Jamaica Jersey Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Liberia Malawi Malta Marshall Islands Micronesia Montserrat New Zealand Nigeria Norfolk Island North Marianas Philippines St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent & the Grenadines Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore South Africa Swaziland Tanzania Tobago & Trinidad Turks & Caicos Islands Uganda United Kingdom Zambia Zimbabwe Processing Decisions Through University Admissions Admissions runs a decision report daily. The report lists the names of all applicants with decisions entered by the academic program since the report was run the previous day. The files are pulled and given to the Graduate Officer to review and process. The Officer: Checks the referral screen for the academic program decision and notes any changes entered on the comment line. Updates NWRDC with any changes to degree level, location, and major. Looks for all final transcripts and test scores. o Note: The decision cannot be processed without test scores unless it is a provisional admission. All names listed on that day’s decision report are worked by 5:00 p.m. and passed to Word Processing. Word Processing enters the decision on NWRDC, checks to see if the GPA is entered on NWRDC, and proofs the file. Files are processed and proofed within 24 hours from the time the Graduate Officer passes the folder to Word Processing. After the file is proofed, the applicant’s name is added to our communications tool (Talisma) which activates an email to the student. The Decision Email sent from the Office of Admissions says: The Admissions Committee for your degree program has notified the Office of Admissions of their decision on your application. You can learn of the decision by accessing the Online Status Check at https://admissions.fsu.edu/StatusCheck/. If you have questions about this decision, please contact your academic program. Academic programs should inform all accepted applicants that formal admission is subject to approval by the Office of Admissions. We ask that each academic program include the following in your notification of acceptance. We also ask that you enter your decision into NWRDC BEFORE (or at least at the same time) you send out your notification emails/letters. We suggest you add the following paragraph to your notification email/letter: To view the official notification of your acceptance to the University, which includes any conditions of admission and important enrollment information, go to the Online Status Check at https://admissions.fsu.edu/statuscheck/. Forms/Requests Dual Enrollment Request Form Initial admission to a graduate program at FSU must be to one program only. However, it is possible for a student to work on two degrees in two different departments at the same time. After the first semester the student may apply and be accepted to the second degree program. The Dual Enrollment Request Form is found on Blackboard. The form should be signed by both department heads and Deans and sent to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. Once approved, the Office of the Registrar will be notified of the dual registration and a dual enrollment statement is posted to the permanent record. Transfer Credit Form The Evaluation and Posting Section in the Admissions Office handles posting of graduate transfer credit. All transfer credit must be evaluated and recommended as graduate work by the department chair and completed with grades of “B” or better. The completed form, along with the official transcript, must be submitted to the Evaluation and Posting Section. This form is available from our office. Major Change Form An enrolled student must have approval of the chair of the department in which he/she proposes to transfer and of the academic dean of that College. The Major Change form can be found at http://registrar.fsu.edu/services/formlist.htm/. Changing Degree Level If a department wishes to change the degree level (i.e., master’s to doctoral or doctoral to master’s), they should contact their Dean’s Office who will make the change in Student Central. Suspension of Majors and/or Degree Levels Majors and degree programs currently available on the online application may be temporarily suspended or deleted. Departments should contact Dr. Jennifer Buchanan, Office of the Dean of Faculties, for the Major Request Change form. Security and Access Forms New hires must request and be approved for access to Admissions and Student Academic Data on NWRDC. For the appropriate forms, go to www.its.fsu.edu/Departments-Vendors. Under ACCESS FORMS press link to CSAAF. For access to Admissions Secure Apps, GAAP Query Tool, the DSR Editor Tool, go to http://esinfo.fsu.edu/security.cfm. Email/Website Contact Information For access to Admissions' Security and Secure Apps Tools and to Access Forms NWRDC For questions regarding the creation, modification, or refreshing of reports involving ES-Info Admissions or Enrolled Student data For FSU staff with questions, comments, or suggestions ARGAAPSupport regarding the GAAP Administrative Tools For students and recommenders with questions regarding the Admissions GAAP student- and Webhelp recommender-facing tools To set application close dates, enter number and type of supporting documents, Dept Info recommendations required, and Editor (DSR) additional descriptive text for each program at the degree level offered To access Graduate Admissions OBI Access reports via OMNI http://esinfo.fsu.edu/security.cfm www.its.fsu.edu [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradrep/ OMNI Portal Graduate Admissions Melanie Booker Sarah Huffman Assistant Director Admissions Officer 850.644.7145 [email protected] 850.644.1333 [email protected] Admissions Email [email protected] (for students with general admission questions)