For more information, consult the department. Completed applications will be reviewed by the department and the associate dean. The Academic Affairs Office officially notifies applicants of approval or disapproval and of any conditions for admission. If a student's application for admission is approved, the student is then responsible for consulting an advisor and developing a degree plan. Courses taken as a postbaccalaureate student do not apply toward a graduate degree except by special petition to the department chair and the associate dean for graduate studies, and with the approval of the student's advisor.
Petitions are available from departmental offices.
Students may apply six hours taken while holding nondegree objective status toward a degree if the courses are applicable to that degree and if the credits are no more than five years old at the time of graduation. Retention in Degree Program To maintain their status in a degree program, students must be enrolled in one or more courses each calendar year, starting with the date of admission. Students who do not register at least once each year will be dropped from the degree program. Students who wish to continue in the program, but who have been dropped from the rolls, must both petition and be approved for reinstatement. Though professional assignments are the primary obliga-tions of employed teachers, the continuation of teachers' professional development is just as important.