Academic Services, Progress and Graduation
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Academic Services
Academic Services, Progress and Graduation (ASPG) supports graduate students pursuing doctoral, specialist, and master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificate programs. Students are managing many life responsibilities while pursuing their graduate degree/certificate. Should their responsibilities interfere with their ability to focus on school, we assist them with filing special leave of absence, late drop, late add, late withdrawal, or medical withdrawal requests. Monitoring students’ academic progress and performance, coordinating the doctoral hooding ceremony, and certifying degrees are other key responsibilities of this office.
In addition to students, this office is a resource for graduate faculty and program staff. We review graduate faculty nominations, and credential faculty to teach graduate-level courses and serve on thesis /dissertation committees. We communicate regularly with graduate programs when policies and business processes change to ensure we support the needs of our students, while also aligning with state mandates.
During this reporting period, the Faculty Senate Graduate Council, and Graduate Policy Committee, implemented three significant policy changes that impact our work with programs and students. These changes, outlined below, are intended to increase access and program quality.
- The transfer policy was updated to allow for up to 50% of program requirements to be transferred into a degree program, with course-by-course equivalency assessments for all required core and restricted electives. In addition, courses older than 7 years at the time of admission require extra scrutiny to ensure currency.
- The Graduate Program GPA replaces the Graduate Status GPA. This was done to better align the GPA with graduate program requirements. Coursework required for a degree program, and all repeated attempts, are averaged when the Graduate Program GPA is calculated. Unlike Graduate Status GPA, passing grades from courses taken at UCF before admission that are part of the degree program (and aligning with the transfer policy) will be included. It also means that grades from courses taken outside of the degree program will not impact the GPA. Unofficial transcripts now include the Term GPA, Graduate Program GPA, and UCF Cumulative GPA.
- The graduate certificate policy was updated to make graduate certificates more accessible. Students who do not meet the minimum undergraduate GPA requirements for admission to a graduate program can be admitted with regular status if they first complete a graduate certificate. Students completing a degree have greater flexibility in also completing a certificate. Additionally, the Graduate Certificate GPA is now used to monitor the performance of students pursuing graduate certificate programs.
Graduate Appeals and Petitions
During the 2022-2023 academic school year there were a total of 13 graduate appeal meetings held with a total of 99 graduate students petitioning for that year. (See charts below)
2022 – 2023 Graduate Appeal Petitions Submitted
| Academic Term | Summer 2022 | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSP30D | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| GSP7YR | 10 | 10 | 22 | 42 |
| GSP9MA | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| GSPCAT | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GSPCER | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| GSPIND | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GSPTR6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| GSPW50 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| GSPOTH | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| Total # of Petitions | 28 | 29 | 42 | 99 |
2022-2023 Graduate Appeals Committee Meetings Held
| Academic Term | Summer 2022 | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
Commencement
Across thirteen in-person commencement ceremonies, Academic Services, Progress and Graduation planned hooding ceremonies for 170 doctoral candidates Summer 2022, 113 in Fall 2022, and 166 in Spring 2023. The number of degrees and graduate certificates awarded Summer 2022 – Spring 2023 was a total of 3,673.
In addition to diplomas, Parchment has begun issuing digital certificates to UCF graduate students. Students can view, download, or share their degrees and certificates on various social media platforms immediately upon receiving the certificate.
| Academic Term | Summer 2022 | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral-Professional | 51 | 20 | 55 | 126 |
| Doctoral-Research | 113 | 86 | 106 | 305 |
| Master’s | 674 | 949 | 1,248 | 2,871 |
| Certificate | 108 | 89 | 157 | 354 |
| Specialist | 2 | 3 | 12 | 17 |
| Total | 948 | 1,147 | 1,578 | 3,673 |
Graduate Faculty
To actively participate in graduate education, including teaching graduate courses, overseeing thesis and dissertation committees, and mentoring graduate students, faculty must hold appointments as either Graduate Faculty or Graduate Faculty Scholars. These accomplished educators bring unique expertise and skills that significantly enhance the graduate educational academic journey. In 2022-2023, a total of 273 dedicated faculty members were appointed to these prestigious roles, underscoring our commitment to excellence in graduate education.