Thesis and Project Work - RP Status - Graduate

As of Fall 2012, under Academic Senate Policy F11-2, Required Enrollment for Report-in- Progress (RP) Units, all graduate students who have an outstanding RP grade in a thesis or project course from the Spring 2012 semester onward and who are taking no additional courses in a particular Fall or Spring semester must register for 1 unit of University Studies (UNVS) 290 (Thesis/Project Supervision) through special sessions except in cases in which the department requires repeated enrollment in these classes each semester until completion. Eligibility for the course is limited to those students with RP grades only (not I or NC grades) in a graduate-level project or thesis course taken during or after the Spring 2012 semester. There are no formal class meetings for this course. Failure to register for this unit will result in a hold on graduation until the unit is retroactively added. At that time, late fees will apply. Registration is entirely online after the add deadline and, for domestic students, extending to the end of instruction for each semester. International students have a much narrower window because of the need to maintain their immigration status. The last day of registration for UNVS 290 for international graduate students is one week after the add deadline. Eligible students will be notified of their need for the course by a message from the Registrar's Office. A registration appointment will then be set up to allow the student to register via MySJSU.

The course must be taken only if no other courses are being taken in the same Fall or Spring semester. "Stopping out" or voluntary absence from attending will not be recognized as long as the RP remains on the record. Nonetheless, for students with formal leaves of absence, enrollment in UNVS 290 will not be required. All degree requirements must have been completed to enroll in this course, as once students are converted to "special session eligibility" status, they will not be able to return to regular session status. Should any requirements other than the thesis or project remain, special permission will have to be obtained from the Associate Vice President or Associate Dean of Graduate Studies & Research (GS&R) to return to "non-RP status." The basis for this stipulation is that, whereas it is conceivable that students are working on theses or projects before completing the remainder of their degree requirements, they should continue to take units in those subjects each semester. Once a student enrolls in UNVS 290, he or she will not be able to take any additional courses. Students who have RPs on their records only prior to Spring 2012 are not subject to this policy unless they earn another RP in subsequent semesters. Appeals of the RP fee on the basis that the delay in completing the culminating report was substantially beyond the student's control can be made to the Associate Dean of the Office of GS&R. Appeals must be made at least one week before the first day of instruction of the next semester after earning the RP.

The RP grade in the project or thesis course remains on the official record until a culminating memo has been submitted by the graduate advisor to GAPE and the course instructor of the class in which the RP was received has petitioned for a grade change. Units earned in this course may not be used to satisfy degree requirements in a graduate program and may not appear on the candidacy form. Students should meet with their advisors if in need of clarification.