Graduate Council Minutes
For meeting held Monday, September 11, 2023



PRESENT: David E. Allen, David G. Allen, Tim Barth, Gina Bombola, Danielle Brimo-Picanes, Lori Diel, Nicole Fisher, Lynn Flahive, Matt Hale, Todd Kerstetter,  Suzy Lockwood, Bonnie Lucero, Johnny Nhan, Julie O’Neil, Elizabeth Plummer, Ashley Tull, Kara Vuic, David Weltman, Floyd Wormley, Peter Worthing, Jackie Zhuang

ABSENT: Gary Boehm, Annie Cowden, Amber Esping, Sunny Farhadi, Dan Jian, Carmen Kynard, Jan Lacina, Esther Paik

GUESTS: Cathan Coghlan, Lynn Jackson, Joshua Kai, Justin Quinn

The meeting was called to order at 3:00 pm with Dr. Floyd Wormley and Dr. Johnny Nhan presiding.

CONSENT AGENDA

REGULAR AGENDA

I. Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences – All items were approved

Proposal for Change in Program(s): Social Work

Field Education 1 – Change in program requirements
Field Education 2 – Change in program requirements
Field Education 3 – Change in program requirements
Field Education 4 – Change in program requirements

II. Graduate Studies

Honorary Posthumous Degree – When this topic was discussed with the Associate Deans it was decided the details and decision of awarding a posthumous graduate degree should be at the discretion of the program, college and Provost Office.

The suggestions by the council were to have faculty make nominations, award if the student was in their last semester, base the decision on number of hours completed or percentage of hours completed. The council agreed that students who have successfully completed their coursework and defended their thesis or dissertation, if required, would be awarded the earned degree (language pending).  Also, the criteria would be different for a Master’s degree that does not require a thesis vs a Master’s or Ph.D. degree that requires a thesis and dissertation, respectively.  One suggested verbiage was, “when at least 75% of formal coursework has been completed and there is a substantially completed thesis/dissertation, where required, the decision would be made in consultation of the college dean, Dean of Graduate Studies and the Provost.”

A group comprised of Dr. Floyd Wormley, Dr. Peter Worthing, Dr. Nichole Fisher-Mancone and Janet Bryant will work on the language for awarding a graduate honorary posthumous degree. This will then be brought back to the council for the October Graduate Council meeting.

Incompletes, Research Progress – Thesis & Dissertation – The Registrar spoke about how having “I” grades on a student’s record can cause issues with VA, Athletics etc. When these grades are listed for 2-3 years it looks like no progress is being made. This is especially concerning for international students as status is being determined.

The suggestion for a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” grade to be recorded each semester was well received. A policy would need to be in place for the maximum number of “unsatisfactory” grades a graduate student can receive. The final class for a dissertation would have the grade issued by the faculty member. Only the final grade would affect the GPA. The Graduate Studies Office will work on the language to be presented to the faculty. The hope is for the change to begin in the next academic year.

Interim Master’s process & procedures

  1. Master’s & PhD hours required – Dr. Wormley explained the different ways to receive a Master’s degree prior to receipt of a Ph.D. degree. International students who are officially enrolled as Master’s degree student, receives a Master’s degree, and is then accepted into a Ph.D. degree program must be sure to complete the proper visa paperwork to be allowed to stay in country to pursue a Ph.D. degree.  In essence, the student is going from one program level to another and, therefore, immigration documentation will need to be amended to indicate so (please allow ample time for the paperwork to be processed on the federal side).  If an international student is officially enrolled in a Ph.D. program and gets an interim Masters degree along the way only the internal TCU documents are needed to be completed (visa status does not change).  Consultation with Office of International Services is advised to remain up to date on latest immigration information.
  2. Bestowment of degree – If a student is admitted as a PhD student and wants to receive an interim Master’s degree the Registrar’s Office will add the second career in the PeopleSoft system.
  3. Catalogue language – TCU has one Graduate minor. Hours can only count for the Master’s degree or the PhD, they cannot count towards both (triple-dipping). Language for a graduate minor need to be added to the graduate catalogue.
  4. Intent to graduate – If a student wants to receive an interim Master’s degree, they must complete the “Intent to Graduate” form by the due date. The student must indicate if they want the degree added to their transcript and/or if they want to walk during commencement.

Meeting was adjourned at 4:10 pm.