The Daily Bulletin Archive

At its March 12, 2010, meeting, the College Senate voted to approve a Graduate Thesis/Project Continuation Credit Policy. Subsequently, a process was implemented that did not meet the spirit of the policy set forth by the Senate. Thus, a new process has been developed, as follows:

WHEREAS, numerous departments and the Graduate School have experienced problems with students not completing their capstone assignments (theses and projects) in a timely manner; and

WHEREAS, implementing a continuation credit policy may improve time-to-graduation rates for graduate students as evidenced by at least one other SUNY institution (i.e., Brockport); and

WHEREAS, students who are using campus resources (e.g., library resources, technology, faculty guidance) to complete their academic work should be paying the tuition and/or fees associated with the provision of such resources; and

WHEREAS, current registration policies do not reflect faculty time and effort in monitoring ongoing graduate work,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State adopt the following Graduate Thesis/Project Policy to take effect in fall 2012:

• Graduate students who have 24 or more earned hours and who do not complete their capstone requirement by the end of the term in which they have registered will receive an IP grade on their transcript.
• Once a student has (a) earned 24 or more graduate hours, (b) registered for at least 1 graduate capstone requirement credit and received an IP grade, and (c) not completed the capstone requirement within two years, the student must register for 722 Thesis/Project Extended—non-credit-bearing but billable for 1 credit at existing graduate tuition rates, until the thesis or project has been completed. If the student does not register for the 722 course, he or she will become a nonmatriculated student and will have to reapply for admission to the Graduate School and pay all other appropriate fees.
• 722 courses will receive a grade of NR.
• Once a student has completed the thesis or project, the IP grade will be changed to the appropriate grade.

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that Buffalo State examine and implement measures to compensate the expertise and effort that faculty members bring to the supervision of graduate capstone requirements (where such compensation is not currently allocated), as this represents the highest level of instruction offered at Buffalo State College.

The Graduate School, along with the registrar, is charged with implementing these changes. A new grade will be established, all thesis courses will be identified, and the new grade will be an option for these courses. An N grade will no longer be an option for these courses.