Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Graduate Admission and Registration



Admission

Admission to SUNY Oneonta is based on the academic and personal qualifications of the respective applicants without regard to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or status as a veteran. The selection process identifies students whose academic ability, past performance, and motivation indicate a reasonable chance for success at Oneonta.

Departments may require multiple sources of information so that they may thoroughly consider an applicant’s knowledge, abilities and suitability for a program of graduate study. At the discretion of each department, these sources may include any or all of the following: evidence of academic preparation and accomplishment; samples of academic work; letters of recommendation; a statement of professional goals; a personal interview; scores received on the GRE; and evidence of professional experience related to the program of graduate study.

Admission is competitive, and meeting or exceeding the minimum admission requirements identified by programs and departments does not guarantee admission.

Admission into a Master’s Degree Program

The following items are required of students applying for a master’s degree:

  1. Evidence that they hold a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants applying for graduate school before obtaining their undergraduate degrees may be accepted into a program but will need to provide evidence of the bachelor’s degree prior to the first day of classes.
  2. An application for admissions to graduate study, the $50.00 application fee and ALL supporting documents must be submitted by published deadline dates on the graduate admissions webpage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit required documents before deadlines. Completed applications received after the deadline will be considered based on space availability. 
  3. Submissions of specific admissions requirements/documentation for the program of study. Additional requirements are determined by the academic department and are listed under the program descriptions in this catalog, on the graduate admissions web page and communicated at the time of application.

Students are accepted for admission in a specific semester. Some programs allow deferral of admission to a subsequent semester. To obtain a deferral of admission, a student must submit a written request, and that request must be approved by the department offering the program. Students must begin their program in the semester for which they are accepted or in the semester to which their acceptance is deferred. Students who do not register for and attend classes in the semester for which they are accepted or to which they have had their acceptance deferred will need to re-apply.

Application Deadlines

Applications are processed on a continuing basis and are forwarded to the appropriate graduate admissions committee when they are complete. Some programs have specific application deadlines for each semester in which a graduate student can matriculate. These deadlines are included in the application materials for individual programs.

Additional Admissions Requirements

Certificate of Advanced Study Programs (CAS)

  1. Currently this program is associated with the School Counselor master’s degree. All applicants must present evidence that they hold a master’s degree or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution and possess a New York State School Counselor certificate. For students with degrees in progress, admission is contingent on presentation of an official transcript indicating award of degree.

Teacher Education programs

  1. New York state mandates that all SUNY teacher preparation programs adopt college entrance assessments for admissions consideration. Effective Aug. 31, 2015, anyone submitting an application for admission is required to submit scores for either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or an equivalent test.
  2. An undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale is required.

M.S. Nutrition and Dietetics Program

The M.S. - Nutrition and Dietetics Program is an Online Combined Master’s Degree and Dietetic Internship Program. Students applying to the M.S.-Nutrition and Dietetics Program must complete the online graduate application (https://suny.oneonta.edu/admissions/graduate) as well as submit completed supplemental application materials (available on the program website) directly to the Program Director, Human Ecology Department Room 100, SUNY Oneonta, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta, NY 13820.  The program website contains detailed information about the program as well as the email address (DI-MSProgram@oneonta.edu) to contact the Program Director directly.

International Student

International students are by definition, those who currently hold or are seeking F1 or J1 student visas or other non-immigrant categories allowed to engage in full or part-time academic studies. In addition to so the submission of the graduate application, proof of bachelor’s degree and meeting the program specific requirements; prospective international graduate students must submit the following:

  1. Proof of English proficiency if English is not the native language. A minimum iBT TOEFL score of 79 or PBT 550 or IELTS score of 6.5 is recommended for graduate admission.
  2. Official English translation and original college transcript for any transcript not in English
  3. Autobiographical Essay
  4. International Student Financial Statement and the required documents to verify financial support
  5. A photocopy of the biographical page from the applicant’s current passport

Conditional Admission

Some graduate course offerings have prerequisites. Applicants who lack prerequisites and who are otherwise qualified may be conditionally admitted to graduate study with the requirement that they take undergraduate or graduate courses in addition to their regular graduate program as part of their degree requirements. The conditions of admission will be stated in the letter of admission. Students must register for any required undergraduate courses as graduate students through their graduate program. Although such courses will be assigned a grade in accordance with the undergraduate grading system, a minimum of a “B” grade is required. Any graduate student earning a grade of “B-” or below in a required undergraduate course will be subject to dismissal from the graduate degree program. If students do not meet the conditions by the date set forth in the acceptance letter their admission into the graduate program will be rescinded.

Admission to a Second Degree or Second Certificate Program

Graduate students seeking a second Master’s degree should contact the department to which they are applying. Each department sets its own policies for obtaining a second Master’s degree. Programs have tightly configured requirements and may not allow or have room for accommodating transfer credits.

Admission as a Non-Degree Student

Students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution and who do not wish to apply to a degree program may apply for admission as a non-degree student in order to take graduate courses. 

Students must submit an admission application, available on the website or in the Continuing Education Office, 20 Hunt Union. Applicants must include with their applications an official transcript reflecting award of a baccalaureate degree.

Admission as a non-degree graduate student does not guarantee future admission to a degree program, nor does it guarantee availability of courses at the time of registration. Non-degree students register for classes after degree seeking students have registered. Not all courses are open to non-degree students. Check with the offering department before submitting an application for admission as a non-degree student.

Tuition for non-degree graduate students is based on the level of the course(s) in which the students enroll. Graduate courses are assessed at the graduate rate; undergraduate courses are assessed at the undergraduate rate.

Non-degree graduate students who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA in graduate level course work, or a 2.0 GPA in undergraduate level course work may be precluded from future enrollment.

Graduate and Teaching Assistantships

The College offers assistantships to some full-time graduate students who are enrolled in degree programs. Assistantships may involve tuition waivers and/or stipends. Interested applicants should contact specific departments for additional information.

Notification Dates and Deposit Requirements

A graduate committee within the department reviews the academic background and other qualifications of each candidate and makes appropriate recommendations to the Executive Director of Admissions. All candidates receive official notification in writing. 

If there are conditions to be met prior to the admission date, the candidate must provide proof of having met the conditions to Graduate Admissions prior to registration in the program. Students who are admitted to a graduate degree program but do not plan to attend are asked to notify Graduate Admissions as soon as possible so that other students may have an opportunity for admission.

An admission deposit of $100 is required to confirm enrollment. The deposit is applied to the first semester tuition and fees. It is not refundable to students who fail to enroll.

Transfer Credits

No more than one-half of the number of hours required to complete the graduate degree program may be transferred from another institution. However, limits on the number of credits that may be accepted vary by program and are often more restrictive. See individual program descriptions for further information. Acceptance of transfer credit upon admission is at the discretion of the academic department. All requests for this transfer credit must be in writing and included with the application.

Matriculated students who subsequently wish to take credit at another institution toward their degree program must obtain prior written approval from their academic department via a Prior Approval for Transfer Credit. Note that courses with earned grades of “B-” and below will not be accepted in transfer.

Academic credit will not be awarded for Continuing Education Units (c.e.u.s).

Readmission

Policy

Matriculated graduate students who did not earn a SUNY Oneonta graduate degree or certificate and who withdrew, were administratively withdrawn, or were academically dismissed must apply for readmission.

Applications for readmission will be considered by the graduate admissions committee of the program to which the student is applying. Readmission is not guaranteed. Past history at the college, space availability, and academic history are all considered in addition to the new application materials.

Students will be subject to the policies and requirements in effect at the time of readmission; courses older than 6 years will not apply to degree requirements. 

Students whose dismissal resulted from a violation of the Student Code of Conduct are not eligible for readmission. Students who are academically dismissed after readmission will not be eligible for readmission another time.

Readmission Procedures

Students applying for readmission must submit:

  1. Graduate application for the appropriate program.
  2. Application fee.
  3. Official transcripts of any institution attended since last enrollment.
  4. Statement explaining what changes the applicant has made to foster success.
  5. Letter of support from a faculty member in the program to which the student is applying.

Deadlines for Readmission

Applications for readmission are processed on a continuing basis and are forwarded to the appropriate graduate admissions committee when they are complete. Some programs have specific application deadlines for each semester in which a graduate student can matriculate. These deadlines are included in the application materials for individual programs.

Student Registration Status

Full-time Hours/Part-time Hours

Full-time. A student registered for at least 12 s.h. of coursework in a Fall or Spring semester is classified as a full-time student in that semester (or 9 s.h. in the case of graduate assistants). Students enrolled in 6 s.h. or more in the Summer term(s) are classified as full-time students. Graduate students should be aware that most types of financial aid require that the student is classified as a full-time student.

Part-time. A student registered for fewer than the minimum number of hours noted above is considered to be a part-time student.

Continuous Enrollment Policy

All matriculated graduate students are required to enroll in at least one semester hour of coursework each fall and spring semester following admission to the degree program. Degree students failing to enroll for at least one semester hour in the fall or spring semester will be removed from their degree program unless they have applied and been approved for a leave of absence.

The College has developed a one-credit, continuous enrollment course, GRD 700.  This course will allow for graduate students who are seeking a degree to maintain their enrollment status when not pursuing coursework applicable towards their degree. GRD 700 will allow for students to maintain their enrollment status, which permits for access to email, electronic resources, library resources, and faculty advisors. 

Registration

Registration includes paying all obligations to the College and making any necessary changes before the end of the Add-Drop period (See Key Dates and Deadlines, a list of important dates published each semester in the Schedule of Classes and on the Registrar’s web page).

Degree graduate students are provided access to online registration. For information on how to register online, contact the Registrar’s Office.

Non-degree students may register for graduate level courses on a “seats available” basis provided that permission of the department is granted and that prerequisites and co-requisites are met. Departments limit the number of non-degree graduate credits that can be accepted (See individual program requirements).

The maximum number of credits for which a matriculated graduate student may register varies by semester or term.

During a spring or fall semester, the maximum is 15 credits.

During winter and summer terms that are more than three weeks long, the maximum number of credits is equal to the number of weeks in the term.

During winter and summer terms that are up to three weeks long, the maximum is four credits.

A student may request to take more than the maximum as stated herein by submitting an appeal to the committee on Student Progress and Status. 

Late Registration

Fees are assessed for late registration, late payment, and late course changes (See Schedule of Classes for deadlines).

Adding and Dropping Courses

Detailed instructions and key dates for making schedule adjustments and tuition and fee liability are printed each semester on the Registrar’s Office website. Students who do not plan to attend a class that they have registered for must notify the Registrar’s Office in writing before the first class session or they may drop courses via web registration. Students will not be charged tuition or fees for courses dropped prior to the start of the semester, and any monies paid will be refunded (See “Schedule Adjustments”). Liability for tuition and fees as well as academic liability depends upon the day of withdrawal. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of all deadlines.