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    Oct 09, 2024  
2023-2024 Catalogue 
    
2023-2024 Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Programs (Graduate)


Graduation Requirements for Graduate/Doctorate degrees & certificates

• Successful completion of the core curriculum with a minimum program GPA of 3.00. A student must repeat any course in which he or she earned a grade lower than a C-.
• A student may have no more than two grades of C, C+, or C-.

• Payment of all tuition and fees. Applications for degree completion audits must be made online by the deadlines listed in the academic calendar at least eight months prior to the anticipated degree completion. Failure to do so on  schedule may result in a delay in the ceremony participation or receipt of diploma.

Program Specific Graduation Requirements

Artist Diploma in Performance (String)

  • Complete the prescribed eighteen semester hours of credit with an overall GPA of 3.00 during four semesters of study at Belhaven University. 
  • Completion of the program will not be offered in a “compressed time frame” of less than four semesters. 
  • Credit will not be granted for performing as a member of a regional symphony.
  • Complete the application for graduation
  • Fulfill all financial obligations to Belhaven University.

Business Administration, D.B.A.

In addition to other regulations governing graduation as stated in the Belhaven University catalog, DBA students must meet the following graduation requirements:                               .   .
1. A minimum of 30 semester hours of DBA coursework must be taken in residence at Belhaven University.
2. Completion of the approved plan of study.
3. A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA for all doctoral coursework.
4. The dissertation or work project must be successfully defended and approved with all required signatures. The final manuscript must be submitted to the Library.
s. All contracts and requirements made between the DBA Steering Committee and the student upon acceptance into the degree program must be satisfied before the degree will be awarded.
6. Submission of a Graduation Application to the Registrar’s Office and payment of applicable fees.

Program Grading Policy
1. All DBA coursework is grading using BU’s standard letter grade system.
2. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 {80%) at all times to remain in good academic standing.
3. A grade of D or F is not considered passing for purposes of program progression. A student who receives a grade of D in any course must repeat that course.
4. A student who receives three grades of C or below will be dismissed from the program.
5. A student who earns a final course grade of F at any time will be dismissed from the program.

Course Repeat Policy
The repeat policy is limited to two courses if a grade of C or lower are earned. The only exception to this policy is the dissertation/project research course(s), which are designed to be repeatable.

Transfer Credits
With the dean’s approval, up to thirty (30) semester hours of graduate credits may be transferred into the DBA program. Transfer of coursework may be granted for the DBA Program if the following requirements are met:

(a) courses must be comparable in content to the corresponding BU DBA courses; (b) courses must carry a grade of at least a B {80%); (c) courses transferred in must have been taken at the doctoral level, not the masters level, and (d) coursework must have been completed within the ten years prior to the student’s date of admission. Comprehensive exam credit and dissertation coursework may not be transferred into the BU DBA program.

Only courses from institutions accredited by agencies recognized by CHEA are eligible for transfer credit. Courses from university-approved institutions that meet regional or national accreditation equivalency will be accepted for transfer credit based on this transfer credit policy. Applicants are responsible, via the academic advisor, to request for consideration of transfer credit during the application process. Transfer credit will not be granted once the student has matriculated into the DBA program.
 

Business Administration, M.B.A.

• Student will be required to successfully pass a comprehensive exam.
• All credit applied toward the M.B.A. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must be   from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.B.A. program.)

Business Administration, M.S.I.T.M.

• All credit applied toward the M.S.I.T.M. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must     be from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.S.I.T.M. program.)
 

Curriculum and Instruction, M.E.D.
• No more than two C or C+ grades are permitted in the course of the program.
• Once third grade of C is earned, a candidate must repeat one of those courses and earn a grade of B- or better. A course may not be taken more than two times.
• Candidates are required to complete all course requirements and the comprehensive exit process which includes writing the Comprehensive Capstone Paper for MAT/Alt. Cert, MAT/NL, and M.Ed./C&I. M.Ed./RL candidates must complete the Reading Capstone. M.Ed/SLA licensure candidates must have 320+ internship hours verified
  before entering the course sequence EDU 677, 675, and 678, during which the internship defense is written and defended.
• Candidates in the M.Ed. (licensure) program in School Administration leading to a Mississippi State Administrator’s License must take and pass The School Leaders License Assessment (SLLA) before Belhaven can make
   recommendation for licensure, as it is a requirement by the State of Mississippi, as well as many other states. Taking the SLLA is not a requirement for graduation.
• All credit applied toward the degree must have been completed within five years of matriculation at Belhaven.
• No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must be from a regionally-accredited college or university, must have an earned grade of B or higher, and must have been completed within five years of starting in Belhaven’s program.

Dance, M.F.A.

• Successful completion of the degree curriculum (60 credits) with a minimum program GPA of 3.00.

• Pass all MFA courses with a C or above. If a student earns below a C, s/he will be placed on academic probation. A second grade of C- or below will result in the student’s repetition of the course. A pattern of poor academic performance may result in expulsion from the program.

• Minimum total of 39 credits in studio or related areas, including 12 credit hours in technique, 9 credit hours in choreography, 1 credit hour in performance, and 7-9 credits in Graduate Thesis Project. Additional courses in this area may be selected from the following: DAN 502 Graduate Dance Production, DAN 585 Somatic Practices for Dance I; DAN 671/672 Graduate Improvisation, DAN 685 Somatic Practices for Dance II, or other courses approved by the MFA Program Director.

• Minimum total of 15 credit hours in academic courses, including DAN 501 Graduate Kinesiology, DAN 503 Graduate Kinesiology Lab, DAN 511 Graduate Seminar, DAN 575 Graduate Dance Pedagogy, DAN 576 Graduate Dance Pedagogy Lab, DAN 662 Research and Writing for Dance, and other courses approved by the MFA Program Director.

• Successful completion of 9 credits of Graduate Choreography before advancing to the thesis project phase.

• 6 credit hours of electives in dance or related research area. These credits may come from DAN 550/650 Graduate Apprenticeship, DAN 590/690 Graduate Independent Study, DAN 560 Dance Technology, DAN 591/691 Graduate Special Topics, or other courses from graduate programs in the University (500 level or higher). Credit: one to three hours.

• Per university and NASD guidelines, the Dance Department accepts up to 6 transfer credits from graduate courses at a regionally accredited college or university. To be eligible for transfer, credits must be completed within six years of matriculation into the MFA in Dance at Belhaven University. Students may be asked to provide additional information, such as a course syllabus or assignments, to verify their applicability to the MFA in Dance program of study. The MFA Program Director, Chair of Dance, and Registrar will determine which courses are eligible for transfer credit.

Data Science, M.S.D.S.

  • No transfer credit is allowed for the MSDS program. 

Educational Leadership, Ed.D.

• If a candidate begins the Ed.S./Ed.D. program at Belhaven starting with PHASE I, all credits applied toward the Ed.D. must have been completed within seven years (7). If a candidate begins the Ed.D. program at PHASE II due
   to already holding an Ed.S. degree, the candidate will have five years (5) to complete the program.
• Successful completion of the degree curriculum, PHASEs I-IV, with a minimum program GPA of 3.00.
• No more than one C grade is permitted during matriculation through the degree program.
• Candidates who receive a grade of C in EDU 702 or EDU 704 785 will be required to take EDU 788: Academic Writing Intensive during Phase III: Research and Methods Courses. EDU 788: Academic Writing Intensive is a
   pass/fail course. Candidates who pass (Grade of B) will continue to matriculate through the Ed.D. program. Candidates who fail (Grade of C) will be dismissed from the Ed.D. program.
• Doctoral candidates must have successfully defended (orally) their dissertation and have received “Full Dissertation Committee Approval” for their dissertation.

• The dissertation manuscript must have passed all APA formatting and publishing guidelines and have met approval without corrections or revisions.
• Before graduation candidates will be required to submit a published hard copy of their dissertation to: 1) the Graduate School of Education and 2) the Belhaven University Hood Library. Candidates will want to have
   additional copies hard bound, one for the committee chair as well as a personal copy.
• Before graduation doctoral candidates will be required to follow the School of Education’s policies regarding submitting their dissertation for electronic publication and providing official evidence of having done so.

Health Administration, M.H.A.

• All credits applied toward the M.H.A. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must
  be from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.H.A. program.)

Organizational Leadership, M.O.L.
• All credits applied toward the M.S.L. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must
  be from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.S.L. program.)

Non-Licensure, Ed.S.
• No more than two C or C+ grade is permitted in the course of the program.
• Once a grade of C is earned, a candidate must repeat one of those courses and earn a grade of B- or better. A course may not be taken more than two times.
• Graduate education candidates are required to successfully complete all course Artifacts in order to confirm the knowledge base gained during the course of their plan of study. This requires articulating and demonstrating the
   ability to critically reflect, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize the content as applied in education and schooling today. See the Graduate School of Education Handbook   for specific requirements.
• All credits applied toward the degree must have been completed within five years of starting at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must be from a     regionallyaccredited college or university and must have been completed within five (5) years of starting in Belhaven’s program.)

Public Administration, M.P.A.
• All credits applied toward the M.P.A. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must
  be from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.P.A. program.)

School Leadership & Administration, M.Ed/Ed.S.
• No more than two C or C+ grades is permitted in the course of the program.
• Once a third grade of C is earned, a candidate must repeat one of those courses and earn a grade of B- or better. A course may not be taken more than two times.
• Graduate education candidates are required to successfully complete all course Artifacts in order to confirm the knowledge base gained during the course of their plan of study. This requires articulating and demonstrating the
   ability to critically reflect, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize the content as applied in education and schooling today. See the Graduate School of Education Handbook for specific requirements.
• Candidates in the M.Ed & Ed.S. (licensure) program in School Administration leading to a Mississippi State Administrator’s License will be required to present a written and oral defense of their internship experience.
• Candidates in the M.Ed & Ed.S. (licensure) program in School Administration leading to a Mississippi State Administrator’s License must take and pass The School Leaders License Assessment (SLLA) before Belhaven can make recommendation for licensure, as it is a requirement by the State of Mississippi, as well as many other states. Taking the SLLA is not a requirement for graduation.
• All credits applied toward the degree must have been completed within five years of starting at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work with a grade of B or better will be accepted. Transfer work must be from a     regionally accredited college or university and must have been completed within five (5) years of starting in Belhaven’s program.)
 

Sports Administration, M.S.A.
• All credits applied toward the M.S.A. degree must have been completed within six years of matriculation at Belhaven. (No more than six semester hours of transfer graduate course work will be accepted. Transfer work must
  be from a regionally-accredited college or university and must have been completed within six years of matriculation in Belhaven’s M.S.A. program.)
 

Time Frame for Earning Advanced Degrees

Students who have not completed a degree within six years of attendance at Belhaven University will continue their seventh year of study under a new catalogue.

The time a candidate begins the first Graduate course to the time the candidate completes the plan of study and graduates cannot exceed five (5) years*. This includes the following degrees: MAT-Alt/Cert, M.Ed. - Curriculum and Instruction, M.Ed. - Reading Literacy, or M.Ed./ADM - School Leadership and Supervision, Ed.S.- Administration and Ed.D.- Leadership degrees.

*Candidates admitted to the Ed.S. program will have up to five (5) years in the plan of study for the Ed.S. degree. If a candidate begins the Ed.S./Ed.D. program at Belhaven starting with PHASE I, all credits applied toward the Ed.D. must have been completed within seven (7) years. If a candidate begins the Ed.D. program at PHASE II due to already holding an Ed.S. degree, the candidate will have five (5) years to complete the Ed.D. degree program.

A candidate whose study at Belhaven University has been interrupted for three or more consecutive semesters must apply for readmission. The requirements for degrees in effect at the time of readmission must be completed. Any candidate suspended for academic reasons may be readmitted only upon the recommendation of the Graduate Teacher Education Council.