Graduate Council Jim Coakley, Chair

Two Action Items Change Admission Requirements – GPA Change English Language Requirement – Exceptions – GTA Appointments Informational item – need for faculty participation in Graduate Program Reviews

Admission Requirements - GPA Current: – a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and – a combined GPA of 3.00 on the last 90 quarter (60 semester) credit hours of graded undergraduate work toward the first baccalaureate degree plus all work completed thereafter, OR – a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and – a 45 quarter credit-hour graduate degree from a regionally accredited university.

Admission Requirements - GPA Tedious to calculate last 90 when overall UG GPA is at or above a 3.0. – Provide departments the option to use last 90 when appropriate Focus on first degree, and all coursework thereafter – Should be most recent degree

Admission Requirements - GPA Proposed – part 1: – a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 on the most recent baccalaureate degree. The major department may choose to calculate the GPA on the last 90 quarter credits (60 semester credits) of graded undergraduate work on the most recent baccalaureate degree, plus all work completed thereafter, and submit that GPA to the Graduate School as the basis for admission

Admission Requirements - GPA Current: – a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and – a combined GPA of 3.00 on the last 90 quarter (60 semester) credit hours of graded undergraduate work toward the first baccalaureate degree plus all work completed thereafter, OR – a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and – a 45 quarter credit-hour graduate degree from a regionally accredited university. No GPA Requirement

Admission Requirements - GPA Proposed – part 2: OR – a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and – a 45 quarter credit-hour graduate degree from a regionally accredited university, and – a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 on the most recent graduate degree.

Discussion

English Language Requirements Graduate Applicants TOEFLRegular AdmissionConditional Admission Paper550 (600*) Computer213 (250*) Internet (iBT)80 (100*) Minimum score of 18 on each section IELTS No change to these requirements Computer-based exam no longer available

English Language Requirements Current Exception Exempt from English Language Testing: – Individuals who have completed a bachelors or master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. or other English speaking country (See list below). – Individuals who are in the process of earning an advanced degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or another English speaking country may be conditionally admitted. – Citizens of the following countries: Australia, Belize, Canada, Ghana**, New Zealand, Scotland, West Indies, and United Kingdom. ** Exemptions for citizens of other countries are considered on a case-by-case basis if the medium of instruction is English.

English Language Requirements Current Exception No credit for partial time pursuing UG degree in English-speaking institution No consideration of performance in earning degree List of English-speaking countries needs updating

English Language Requirements Proposed Exception Exempt from English Language Testing: – Applicants who have demonstrated success by achieving an overall GPA greater than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for 2 or more semesters/quarters in a rigorous undergraduate or postgraduate program in the U.S. or from one of the following English speaking countries**: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United Kingdom. ** Exemptions for citizens of other countries are considered on a case-by-case basis if the medium of instruction is English.

English Language Requirements Current International GTA Must score 26 on speaking section of iBT If in range of 18-25, department must: a)Affirm that the graduate student will be enrolled in IEPA 098NC COMMUNICATION FOR IGTAs (with the unit paying the cost of this training). b)If at all possible, assign the graduate student chores (such as paper grading, reagent preparation, etc.) that do not require personal contact with undergraduate students. c)If (b) above is not possible, and if possible, pair the IGTA in the laboratory or classroom with another TA who is a native speaker of English. d)Monitor the quality of IGTA performance using student evaluations and the evaluations of the supervising professors. The unit will document for each student the results of their evaluation of the student's performance as a GTA. If the unit agrees to meet these conditions, the IGTA appointment can be made.

English Language Requirements Current International GTA Sub-score of 26 is very high expectation for all GTA positions – Lower University requirement to 22 – allow departments to set higher level as required Provide flexibility to departments for exceptions

English Language Requirements Proposed International GTA Lower minimum speaking sub-score to 22. Exceptions to the minimum TOEFL score/sub- score requirements will be considered by the Graduate School Dean on request if: – Applicants GRE Verbal score is greater than 500 (153 – revised GRE) OR – The Chair of the Graduate Program (or designated faculty) has personally interviewed the student and establishes a plan for language support for the student, if needed, which may include additional English Language Training, OR arranges for the student to complete language training at INTO-OSU equivalent to the admission status as designated by the Conditional Admission Program -CAP

Discussion

Graduate Program Reviews (GPR) OSU policy to conduct regular reviews of all graduate programs (10 year cycle) OUS requires reviews of new programs Reviews are joint efforts between Graduate Council and Graduate School

GPR Committee One external academic disciplinary peer – Chair of the committee One prospective employer of degree recipients One member from Graduate Council One member from Graduate Faculty at large Dean/Associate Dean of Graduate School

GPR Activities Review self-study report Site visit – Dinner with committee – One day visit with Dean, faculty, staff, students Contribute to report (completed within three weeks of site visit)

GPR We need Graduate Faculty to participate in these reviews – Please contact Vickie Nunnemaker if you are willing to assist the Graduate Council in maintaining high quality graduate programs at OSU.