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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

POLICIES FOR GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT OF MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HOURS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Background: Senate Bill 961 directs the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Coordinating Board; THECB) to disallow formula funding for doctoral students who have a total of more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree effective with the 1999-2000 fiscal year. Currently, public universities, including UNT, receive no formula funding for doctoral students exceeding 129 hours. Hours counted in accordance with this law include all graduate hours attempted (i.e. graduate courses that were not dropped on or before the audit class day) by a student admitted to a doctoral program. For students admitted to a doctoral program postbaccalaureate (without a master's degree), the count of graduate hours attempted begins after 30 hours of graduate coursework. Such students are included in all provisions of this policy specified as applying to doctoral students who have a total of more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree

The following policies governing doctoral student hours and exemptions are as follows.

I. POLICIES GOVERNING MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE DOCTORAL HOURS

Effective Fall Semester, 1999:

1. Students with more than 99 doctoral hours beyond the master's degree will pay nonresidenttuition, regardless of their residency status, unless exempted by the Coordinating Board or other designated authority. *
2. Unless a students have had appeals approved by the Coordinating Board or other designated authority under either the program or individual exemption provisions of this policy (see "Exemptions" below), teaching or research assistantships, teaching or research fellowships, and other internal or external scholarships, fellowships, or financial aid will not exempt them from the payment of nonresidenttuition when they have accumulated more than 99 doctoral hours beyond the master's degree, regardless of their residency.*
3. Students with more than 99 doctoral hours will pay nonresidenttuition until their program or individual exemptions are officially approved by the Coordinating Board or other designated authority. However, in any given semester students who pay nonresidenttuition and receive their exemption approvals prior to the audit class day of a semester will be refunded the difference between the nonresidentand in-state tuition. Refunds will not be considered for exemptions that are approved after the audit class day or for prior semesters. *

II. EXEMPTIONS

Exemptions to the provisions of Senate Bill 961 disallowing formula funding for doctoral students who have a total of more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree may be granted by the Texas Higher Education Board or other designated authority. The granting of an exemption reinstates formula funding for exempted students who have a total of more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree and will entitle exempted students to pay in-state or nonresidenttuition on the same basis as students who have not accumulated more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree.

The following categories of exemptions may be submitted for Coordinating Board approval. Approval of these exemptions is at the discretion of the THECB.

A. Program Exemptions. Departments may request an exemption to allow any of their doctoral students to accumulate more than 99 (but less than 130) semester credit hours beyond the master's degree on the basis of compelling program needs. Program exemption requests will be forwarded to the Coordinating Board in the form of a UNT institutional request. Doctoral programs that typically require more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree due to accreditation criteria or other compelling academic reasons may request program exemptions. Requests for program exemptions should specify a specific maximum number of semester credit hours (more than 99 and less than 130) that will be required for the completion of the exempted doctoral degree. The graduate dean will inform department chairs as to the availability of and procedures for applying for program exemptions prior to August 15, 1998. All initial proposals from departments for program exemptions must be submitted to the graduate dean by September 15, 1998. In no cases will the university request that the Coordinating Board consider exempting programs that require more than 129 hours beyond the master's degree.

B. Individual: In departments and degree programs without program exemption status, individual students may request an exemption. In addition, when individual circumstances warrant such requests, students in exempted programs may request individual exemptions from the maximum number of credit hours normally allowed under the program exemption. In no case will an individual exemption be considered for students with more than 129 semester credit hours or more beyond the master's degree.

The following may apply for a consideration for individual exemptions.

1. Students working on a second master's degree at UNT while completing their doctoral degree at the University of North Texas or another Texas public university.
2. Students admitted to a doctoral degree who are required to complete a substantial number of hours (i.e. 30 or more) in tool subjects, leveling, and/or other background courses at the graduate level.
3. Students who began one doctoral program but have changed to another, provided they are progressing satisfactorily in the second program.
4. Students who are enrolled in dual master's-doctoral or dual doctoral-doctoral degree programs.
5. Student encountering circumstances beyond their control (illness, accident) that have precluded completion of courses following the student's enrollment in the courses.
6. Students with other potentially justifiable reasons for exemptions. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The student should initiate individual exemption requests. They must be reviewed and endorsed in writing by the academic dean, department chair, and/or program coordinator. Individual exemption requests should be forwarded to the graduate dean for review and submission to the Coordinating Board. A decision by the graduate dean to refuse to forward an exemption request to the Coordinating Board may be appealed by the requesting student, program coordinator, or academic dean to the Graduate Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council. Whenever possible, Individual exemption requests are to be initiated at least one semester prior to the studentÕs accumulation of more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree.

Exemptions will not become effective for any purpose until the semester following the university's receipt of an official exemption approval by the Coordinating Board, except as noted in provision I.3 above.

Procedures for monitoring doctoral students

1. The Graduate Council. The Graduate Council will review all current policies regarding doctoral enrollment requirements to determine their effect and advisability, given the provisions of this policy. Matters to be reviewed include but are not limited to policies on residency, continuous enrollment, time-limitations, and removal of incomplete grades.
2. The Graduate School. The graduate school will notify each doctoral student, by letter, of SB 961 and the adopted UNT policies regarding the payment of nonresidenttuition by students with more than 99 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree. The graduate school will generate and provide to each department/program chair of doctoral degree program a list of doctoral students indicating department/program of and the number of hours accumulated by each student. Doctoral students who have attempted 75 hours or more hours beyond the master's degree will be notified of their status by letter with a copy to the department/program coordinator
3. The Department. Academic units will be responsible for monitoring and encouraging their doctoral students to complete their degrees within the maximum number of fundable hours. By the end of Spring semester, 1999, each academic unit with a doctoral program should have completed a written plan for encouraging their students to complete the doctoral degree in less that 100 semester credit hours beyond the master's degree. The written plan may address other issues such as criteria for "satisfactory progress"; "lack of progress", and "termination". This written plan needs to be distributed to the students in the department/program before and will be effective on the beginning of fall semester, 1999.
4. The Student: The doctoral student has the primary responsibility for the timely completion of the doctoral degree program, for following published graduate school and departmental requirements, and initiating a timely request for an exemption as specified in this policy.