Satisfactory Progress – Academic Expectations#
PhD students will be reviewed annually to ensure they are making adequate academic progress. Annual reviews will be conducted by the student’s advisor (and co-advisors if the student is being advised by multiple faculty members). Annual reviews will be conducted at the end of the Spring semester and will constitute approximately a one page summary of the student’s progress during the preceding academic year. Annual reviews should focus on a student’s research accomplishments, and they may also include a short summary of the student’s coursework and other relevant information. Annual reviews should be sent to the PhD Program Director in May or June and will be kept on record.
Grades of C or Lower#
Per the Graduate School’s Academic Standards and Regulations, no more than two courses with a final grade of C+ (2.33) or C (2.00) may be applied toward degree requirements, and any grade below a C (2.00) cannot be applied toward degree requirements at all, though it is still calculated into a student’s cumulative GPA. This policy applies to all graduate programs at Loyola, not just the CS Department.
Academic Probation#
This policy outlines the conditions under which a student may be placed on probation or dismissed from their graduate program for academic performance reasons. Students should review the Academic Policy on Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements and be aware of departmental timelines. Please note that individual programs may have more stringent rules regarding probation and students should be aware of those policies as listed in their program handbook. Students may be placed on probation or dismissed from their graduate program in one of two cases:
Minimum GPA: Students who fail to maintain a grade-point average of at least a 3.00 will be placed on academic probation. In such cases, if the student does not raise the grade-point average to at least 3.00 during the next two consecutive terms in which the student registers, the student will be dismissed for poor scholarship.
Students who are near the end of their programs must raise their cumulative GPA to 3.00 in order to receive a degree. Students will require permission from their program and the Graduate School to continue taking courses after they have completed their program hours in order to raise their cumulative GPA above 3.00 and graduate.
Satisfactory degree progress post coursework: After completion of their coursework, students who are writing a thesis or dissertation must continue to make satisfactory, timely progress towards the degree. The determination of a student’s failure to make satisfactory academic progress must be based on:
Failure to meet one of the milestones according to the timeline for satisfactory academic progress set by the student’s program
Number of NPs: Master’s and Doctoral Study and Supervision courses are graded on a P/NP (Pass/No Pass) basis. Students who are not making satisfactory progress should receive an NP, which will prompt the student to be on academic probation. Students who receive two NP grades may face dismissal.
The outcome of the graduate program’s annual graduate student review based on the quality or pace of the student’s progress.
In each of these cases, the student must be provided with sufficient feedback and an opportunity to address the problem. The department or program should notify the student and the Graduate School, and the student will be placed on probation. Failure to complete the requirement or make the required progress during the probationary period will result in the case being forwarded to the appropriate faculty committee or unit for a vote on terminating the student from the degree program. While on probation, the student is expected to meet other program deadlines on schedule.
If the committee votes to terminate the student in the program, a program should submit a request for the student’s dismissal to the Graduate School. Following the program’s communication to the student of the dismissal and its rationale, the Dean will then send a letter of dismissal to the student. A student who is dismissed for failure to maintain satisfactory progress may appeal the decision to the Dean of the Graduate School following the procedure outlined in the Graduate School’s Academic Grievance Policy.
Timeline#
The graduate school imposes a hard maximum timeframe on how long a student may take to complete their PhD: 6 year max for students who enter the PhD program with a previous MS, 8 year max for students who enter the PhD program without a previous MS. Extensions are not permitted for part-time PhD students. However students may apply for an extension due to special circumstances (see quoted text below). Extensions will only be granted to students who have passed their preliminary exam. Extensions require a detailed plan of how they intend to complete their thesis and the plan must be resubmitted each year. The following is the Graduate School’s policy on PhD timelines:
Students must complete all PhD degree requirements, including the dissertation, within eight years of beginning the first course at Loyola University Chicago applicable toward the doctoral degree. However, students who completed a relevant master’s degree (or a significant amount of relevant graduate coursework) at another institution prior to entering the doctoral program must complete all Ph.D. requirements, including the dissertation, within six years of beginning the first course at Loyola University Chicago applicable toward the doctoral degree.
In addition to these limits, Ph.D. students must also make good progress at the dissertation stage. If a doctoral candidate does not successfully defend and submit the dissertation within five years after becoming a doctoral candidate (by approval of the dissertation proposal), the student will be dropped from candidacy. The student must then pass a second comprehensive examination or program-specific equivalent to be reinstated as a doctoral candidate, and the time limit for submitting the dissertation will be determined by the Dean of the Graduate School and the candidate’s committee. Exceptions to the five-year time limit require a petition to the dissertation chair, who forwards the petition to the Graduate Program Director and then the Graduate School.
A student may request an extension of the time limit for completion of degree requirements due to special circumstances (e.g., medical, personal, professional, or research related reasons). A student requesting an extension shall complete an Extension of Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements form, which can be accessed by logging into GSPS, attach required information, and contact the dissertation/thesis director (if applicable) and the graduate program director. These faculty members are to then make a recommendation on the student’s behalf to the Graduate School. Decisions regarding the approval of extensions rest with the Graduate School; when reviewing requests for an extension, the Graduate School may require additional information or documentation from the student or the graduate program. In cases where the graduate program recommends that the extension not be granted, the student may petition the Graduate School to consider her/his request.
Extensions are ordinarily limited in duration to one full academic year. If a student has not completed all degree requirements by the extended deadline, the student may request an additional extension for a period of up to one year; in such cases, the graduate program and the Graduate School will review the student’s record and future plans to determine whether an additional extension is in the best interests of the student, the program and the Graduate School. Students who do not complete all degree requirements within the required time limit are subject to dismissal from the program.