Doctor of Education: Educational Leadership

Helpful Info for Current Students

Grading

Grades are based on the daily work of classroom projects and examinations. Scholarship is ranked as follows:

A, exceptional; B, good; C, passing; D, unsatisfactory, no credit awarded; F, failure; I, incomplete; and W, withdrawal. Please refer to individual sections within the catalog for specific program information. Some departments and/or schools require a higher minimum grade standard in order for course work to meet program requirements. For each credit, points are awarded according to the grade earned as follows:

*Does not affect grade-point average.

The grade I (incomplete) is to be given only if special circumstances exist. An incomplete grade may be given upon recommendation of the professor, with the permission of the dean and/or chair of the respective school and/or department. To obtain an incomplete, the student must fill out the Incomplete form available from the Office of the Graduate Registrar in the Graduate Center and obtain all necessary signatures. An extension may be granted for up to 12 weeks from the last day of the term.

Petitions for extension beyond the 12 weeks are subject to review by the faculty member and the dean of the school. An incomplete not made up within the 12-week period will be automatically changed to the grade agreed upon in the "Instructor and Student Agreement" section of the Incomplete form. An incomplete submitted without the proper form will automatically become an F.

Grading and Grade-point Average

Throughout higher education, and particularly at the doctoral level, commitment to learning should outweigh the pursuit of grades. Nonetheless, grading and the grade-point average continue to play a crucial role in students’ careers. For doctoral students, the grade of B is considered minimally acceptable. Courses graded B- and below are not applied toward doctoral degree requirements and must be repeated.

A doctoral student whose cumulative grade-point average falls below 3.0 may be disqualified from further graduate work, or placed on academic probation and given one enrollment period to raise the cumulative grade-point average to the satisfactory level. A doctoral student who receives a grade below B- is placed on academic probation. Students on probation for more than a total of two terms throughout their doctoral study may be dismissed from the Ed.D. program.

A doctoral student whose grade-point average falls between 3.0 and 3.2 is required to meet with his/her advisor to identify academic skills that may need strengthening and to take appropriate action.

Academic Probation and Disqualification

Satisfactory progress toward the graduate certificate, credential, or degree program is required. A student may be disqualified from further graduate work if a 3.0 grade-point average is not maintained. In the event that the grade-point average drops below the minimum level, the student may be given one enrollment period to raise it to the satisfactory level. Exceptions to this policy may be noted in department brochures.

Residence Requirement and Study Load

Doctoral students are expected to complete a minimum of nine units per year.

Students must meet a residence requirement by completing a minimum of 36 units in the program.

Full-time students may not enroll in more than 12 units per term, nor may students who are employed full-time carry more than 7 units per term.

Change of Program

Admission to graduate programs at Azusa Pacific University is program-specific. If a graduate student changes plans and wishes to enroll in a program other than that to which he or she was accepted, then the student must submit a Change of Program* form to the Office of Graduate Admissions in the Graduate Center and international students must contact the Office of International Student Services. An enrollment counselor will contact the student if further documentation or materials are required. No credit toward the new program will be granted before written program acceptance has been secured.

*The downloadable version of this document is provided in Portable Document Format (PDF). To learn more about PDFs or to install Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow this link.

Petition Process

A petition process exists for students who seek an exception to stated academic policies, procedures, and regulations. Academic General Petition forms are available from the Graduate Center and the Regional Centers, and must be returned to the Office of the Graduate Registrar in the Graduate Center. All petitions and exceptions granted are considered on a case-by-case basis. Any exception granted by petition does not establish guaranteed subsequent exceptions or appeals.

Course Replacement and Substitution

Changes to degree requirements for a particular student must be approved through the academic petition process by the department chair and dean or program director and dean, and may not exceed 20 percent of the total units required for the degree. Such changes must be substantiated with academic reasons that become part of the student's academic records file.

Leaves of Absence

Students in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward their degrees who must interrupt their studies for a compelling reason (e.g., illness, study abroad, family conditions, or crises) may petition for a leave of absence for a stated period of time not to exceed two years. Requests for a leave must be in writing and state both the reasons for the leave and the semester in which the student will re-enroll. Leaves of absence must be approved by the chair of the Department of Doctoral Studies in Education and the dean of the School of Education in advance of the semester for which the leave is requested.

Students who fail to return to enrolled status at the end of an approved period of leave, or after two consecutive semesters of non-enrollment, will be considered no longer in pursuit of an advanced degree and must petition for re-admission if they choose to continue their program at a later time. If re-admitted at a later date, student must meet any new program requirements.

Time to Degree Completion

Doctoral students are permitted eight years from the date of initial enrollment to complete all requirements for the Ed.D. degree. Extensions beyond the eight-year limit may be granted at the discretion of the department chair and the dean of the School of Education. Students needing an extension due to unusual circumstances must make their request in writing, stating the reasons for the extension, a timetable for completion of requirements, and the expected date of degree completion.