Graduate Academic Information

Time Limitation

All requirements for the Master’s degree in the Faculty of Social & Behavioral Sciences are to be completed within five years of the first semester of registration as a graduate student at HU.
All requirements for the Master’s degree in the Faculty of Business Administration are to be completed within seven years of the first semester of registration as a graduate student at HU.
Appeals for extensions of time limitations must be made in writing to the Graduate Program Committee. 

Normal Academic Progress

Graduate students are considered to be making normal academic progress when a cumulative average of 80 or higher is maintained. Full-time students (minimum 6 credits per semester) making normal academic progress must complete their degrees within the above specified time.

Any interruption in a graduate student’s academic performance will require special permission accompanied by a re-admission fee. 

Haigazian University operates on a semester basis. First semester examinations are given in February, and second semester examinationsare given in June. Class attendance is mandatory in order to receive academic credit. Grades are calculated numerically. The minimum grade is 55, and the passing grade is 70. The following letter grades are also given:

I - Incomplete
IF - Incomplete Fail: Student did not complete work within the time limit.
W – Withdrawal: Given to students withdrawing from a course. Students taking 6 credits or less cannot withdraw from a course.
XF - Not complete: Given when a student stops attending a course without properly withdrawing from the course or when he/she withdraws after the deadline. Also given to students whose absences exceed the number specified by the course instructor.

Courses:

A- Graduate level courses. These are courses numbered 300 and above. Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative average of 80. While the passing grade for graduate courses is 70, no more than two below-80 passes or one fail are allowed throughout a graduate student’s academic career (applicable only to the Masters Program & Arts Program). Courses with a passing grade do not have to be repeated if the cumulative average is above 80. A failed course may be repeated only once.

B- Undergraduate prerequisite courses. These are courses numbered 200 to 299, taken to make up for deficiencies in a student’s academic background in the intended field of study. These courses do not carry graduate credit. The minimum passing grade in these courses is 75, unless otherwise specified by the department.

Application for Graduation

Graduate students should file their Application for Graduation when they register for the thesis. This application provides the Registrar with the information needed to prepare the diploma and to include the student’s name on the list of graduates. A diploma fee is required of all students, whether or not they participate in the graduation ceremony.

Note: Graduate students are subject to the same rules and regulations concerning attendance, withdrawal from courses, cross-registration, change of majors, and adherence to HU’s code of ethics as are undergraduates.

Academic Rules & Regulations:

Master of Arts in Education and Psychology

A- Comprehensive Examination. After a student has completed 21 credits of graduate course requirements, he/she must sit for an evaluation of competency in one's field of study, its methodology, and its relation to other areas. The evaluation will also test the student’s skill in organizing and presenting material irrespective of the field of study. The grade for the comprehensive exam is given as Pass (P) or Fail (F). It is not included in the general average.(GPA) If a student should fail the exam, he/she will be given one chance to retake the exam within a period of two to four months of the first examination. If a student fails a second time, he/she will be dropped from the graduate program.

B- Thesis. The thesis must reflect the student’s skills and efficacy in conducting independent research, reporting it, and defending the research and findings to a thesis committee and the public. The thesis must be a contribution to the field. The thesis is to be written in English. It should follow the scientific research report format of the latest edition of the APA.

A Thesis Committee of three members is approved by the department one semester before the defense. The chairperson of this committee serves as the thesis advisor and works with the student in preparing the proposal. Members of the Thesis Committee should receive typewritten copies of the thesis two weeks before the thesis defense. After the defense, the student is to make any required modifications on the thesis and submit three bound copies signed by the Thesis Committee to the Barsumian Library. Acknowledgment by the Barsumian Library is required before a student receives his/her degree. (can students submit names for their thesis committee or they have no say about it)

Grading of the thesis and defense is given as Pass (P), Fail (F), or Excellent (E) for exceptional work. Thesis defense may be repeated once within a period of 3-6 months, depending on limitations regarding residency requirements. For a second failure in the thesis defense, the student is dropped from the graduate program.

Every subsequent semester, in which thesis writing is in progress, the graduate student should register for Thesis 399 and pay for university miscellaneous expenses. The indicative letters A,B,C, should be added to Thesis 399 to reflect the state of thesis writing. After three semesters of thesis writing, if the thesis defense does not take place, a student should pay an additional fee equivalent to 1 credit for every additional semester within the given year limit.

Academic Probation

Academic probation carries a serious warning to the graduate student that his/her scholastic record is unsatisfactory, and continued failure to improve this record will result in academic disqualification. The Dean may also impose restrictions on a student’s program of study:

A student is placed on academic probation for one or a combination of the following:

1. The student was admitted to the graduate program on probation.
2. The student fails a graduate course.
3. The student fails to maintain a cumulative average of a minimum of 80 after completing 6 credits.

Removal of Probation

Removal of probation for a student accepted on Academic Probation is determined by the Graduate Program Committee once the student has completed 9 credits of graduate work within two semesters and obtained a cumulative average of 80 or more. After reaching the cumulative average of 80, the graduate student must maintain that average as a minimum until he/she completes the degree program.

Academic Disqualification

Academic disqualification is determined by the Graduate Program Committee. A student may be dropped from graduate work for any one of the following:

1. The student fails to remove probation as specified above.
2. The student receives a grade in the 70’s in more than one course, fails more than one course, or has a combination of pass and fail extending to more than two courses.
3. The student fails the comprehensive exam twice.
4. The student fails the thesis defense twice.
5. The department considers the student’s work inadequate, irrespective of grades obtained.

Academic Rules & Regulations - Master of Business Administration:
Degree Requirements:

The curriculum consists of two parts, prerequisite/core courses and professional/core courses. The prerequisite/core courses are defined by the course requirements listed below, and their completion is a prerequisite to enter the professional/core courses. Note that all or part of the prerequisite/core courses may be satisfied by a student’s prior work at the undergraduate level. The professional/core courses consist of 39 credit hours of advanced course work that substantially extends and applies knowledge developed in the prerequisite/core courses.

Prerequisite /Core Courses (25 cr.)

Finance 3 cr.
Financial Accounting 4 cr.
Management 3 cr.
Managerial Accounting 3 cr.
Marketing 3 cr.
Quantitative Methods 3 cr.
Microeconomic Theory 3 cr.
Operations Research 3 cr.

General Requirements
A- Research Project. The research project must reflect the student’s skills and efficacy in conducting independent research, reporting it, and defending the research and findings to a thesis committee and the public. The research project must be a contribution to the field. The research project is to be written in English. It should follow the scientific research report format of the latest edition of the APA.

A Committee of three members is approved by the department one semester before the defense. The chairperson of this committee serves as the thesis advisor and works with the student in preparing the proposal. Members of the Committee should receive typewritten copies of the research project two weeks before the defense. After the defense, the student is to make any required modifications on the research project and submit three bound copies signed by the Committee to the Barsumian Library. Acknowledgment by the Barsumian Library is required before a student receives his/her degree.

Grading of the research project work and defense is given as Pass (P), Fail (F), or Excellent (E) for exceptional work. The defense may be repeated once within a period of 3-6 months, depending on limitations regarding residency requirements. For a second failure in the defense, the student is dropped from the graduate program.

The research project is expected to take two semesters. If an extension is needed, permission must be taken, and the student pays for 3 credits for every additional 2 semesters.

Academic Probation

A student is placed on probation for one or a combination of the following:

1. The student was admitted to the graduate program on probation.
2. The student fails to maintain a cumulative average of 80.
3. The student fails a course with a grade below 70.

Removal of Probation

1. Students admitted on probation will have their probation removed if they score a cumulative average of 80 or above in their first two masters courses.
2. Students placed on probation will have their probation removed if they score a cumulative average of 80 or above in the following semester (excluding the Summer Session).

Academic Disqualification

A student may be dropped from the MBA program for any one of the following: