Failing a Master's Comprehensive Exam or Capstone Course

Master's End of Program Requirements

For all capstone courses that begin after January 1, 2017, master's students must earn a B- (80%) or better on their capstone thesis/project/paper and a B- (80%) or better in their capstone course to pass the course. This policy aligns with the comprehensive exam, which also requires a B- (80%) or better to pass. Master's students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to graduate. Please see the End of Program Assessment Manual for more information.

Consequences of Failing the First Attempt at the Comprehensive Exam

If a student receives a FAIL grade for their first attempt at the master's comprehensive exam*, they will be automatically blocked from registration until the reason for the failure is documented by the Office of the Registrar.

• Since a student has failed the examination the first time, they will not be eligible to earn a grade of “Pass with Distinction” on the second examination. The highest grade possible for the second attempt of the comprehensive exam is a “Pass.”

Each of the student's comprehensive exam attempts will be a separate registration with a separate grade posted on their student transcript.

Potential Options

Students have the option of forgoing the conferral of their degree. Upon request, an official letter will be provided confirming the student's GPA and semester hours completed toward the degree. Otherwise, they will have the options as outlined below depending upon the reason for their failing grade:

• If a student fails because they didn’t take the exam on time, they will be allowed to manually register through the Office of the Registrar for another attempt with a different faculty member or may be offered a 30-day extension to complete the course.
• If a student fails due to substandard work, they will be allowed to manually register through the Office of the Registrar for another attempt with a different faculty member or may be given the option of taking the discipline’s capstone course instead.
• If a student fails because they did not adhere to the conventions of standard English grammar and/or formal academic writing expected at the graduate level, they may be required to complete the Graduate Writing modules before being allowed to register again for either another comprehensive exam attempt with a different faculty member or for the discipline’s capstone course.
• If a student fails due to any findings of plagiarism, they will need to appeal for another chance to take the comprehensive exam. Students may do so by submitting the official Academic Appeal Request form within their ecampus, located in the Academic Plan & Forms menu, under University Forms. 

Consequences of Failing a Second Attempt at the Comprehensive Exam

If a student has failed the comprehensive exam twice*, they are no longer eligible for degree conferral. Upon request, an official letter will be provided confirming the student's GPA and semester hours completed toward the degree.

Students do have the right to appeal for another attempt through the Academic Appeals department. All appeals must be in writing, must include a summary of the factors involved in the student's previous failed attempts, and must be submitted using the official Academic Appeal Request form within their ecampus. The Academic Appeals department will research and escalate the student's appeal and provide a decision within 15 days.

A student's appeal for a third attempt may be denied, or they may be given one of the options listed above (including a proctored on-site retake, registration in the discipline’s capstone course, or a requirement for the successful completion of Graduate Writing modules before they are allowed to register again for the comprehensive exam course with a different faculty member.

If a student's appeal is denied, they may resubmit an official appeal form requesting review by the Provost. All decisions of the Provost will be considered final.

*Excluding the Master of Public Health comprehensive exam

Consequences of Failing the First Attempt at a Capstone Course

If a student receives a failing grade for their first attempt at a master's capstone course, they will be automatically blocked from registration until the reason for the failure is documented by the Office of the Registrar. A second attempt at a capstone course is not automatically approved.

Potential Options

Students have the option of forgoing the conferral of their degree. Upon request, an official letter will be provided confirming a student's GPA and semester hours completed toward the degree. Otherwise, they will have the options as outlined below depending upon the reason for the failing grade:

• If a student fails due to substandard work, they will be allowed to manually register through the Office of the Registrar for another attempt with a different faculty member or may be given the option of taking the discipline’s capstone course instead.
• If a student fails because they did not adhere to the conventions of standard English grammar and/or formal academic writing expected at the graduate level, they may be required to complete the Graduate Writing modules before being allowed to register again for either another comprehensive exam attempt with a different faculty member or for the discipline’s capstone course.
• If a student fails due to any findings of plagiarism, they will need to submit an official appeal request within their ecampus for another chance to take the capstone course. Students may do so by submitting the Academic Appeal Request form in the University Forms section of their ecampus. 
• Students who had at least a 3.0000 GPA before failing their Capstone course may be approved for a manual registration to retake the Capstone without the need to take another course to increase the GPA.  As the retaken Capstone will replace the failing grade, students do not need to take an additional course to raise the GPA if failing the Capstone was the cause for the GPA falling below 3.0000.

Consequences of Failing the Second Attempt of a Capstone Course:

If a student has failed their capstone course twice, or a combination of a comprehensive exam and a capstone course attempt, they are no longer eligible for degree conferral. Upon request, an official letter will be provided confirming a student's GPA and semester hours completed toward the degree.

Students do have the right to appeal for another attempt through the Academic Appeals department. All appeals must be in writing, must include a summary of the factors involved in the previous failed attempts, and the official Academic Appeal Request form must be submitted to do so. The Academic Appeals department will research and escalate the appeal and will provide a decision within 15 days.

A student's appeal for a third attempt may be denied, or they may be given the option of another registration in the capstone course, or a requirement for the successful completion of the Graduate Writing modules before they are allowed to register again for the capstone course with a different faculty member.

If a student's appeal is denied, they may resubmit an official appeal form requesting review by the Provost. All decisions of the Provost will be considered final.