GRADUATE CURRICULUM

It is the responsibility of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina to "determine the functions, educational activities, and academic programs of the constituent institutions" (North Carolina General Statute 116-11[3]). The Board of Governors also approves the number and nature of departments, divisions, schools, and colleges through which graduate curricula are administered. Finally, the Board of Governors establishes all policies and procedures for planning and establishing new graduate degree programs and for planning and conducting degree-related extension (off-campus) degree programs [4.2.4.10].

Curricular offerings are clearly and accurately described in the NCSU Graduate Catalog. In the new NCSU Graduate Programs Bulletin they are listed in spreadsheet format, which shows degrees offered in each program, entrance requirements, and the term(s) when new students are admitted. More detailed information about each curriculum can be obtained from department or program publications [4.2.4.6].

Graduate Courses

All graduate courses at NCSU must be taught by members of the graduate faculty. There is a substantial difference between graduate and undergraduate courses in terms of the level of instruction and/or the expected level of student performance [4.2.4.1]. It is the responsibility of the graduate faculty to ensure that graduate courses are taught at a level that builds on the students' undergraduate education and that requires students to perform at a level of complexity and generalization that extends their intellectual knowledge and maturity [4.2.4.2]. By teaching graduate courses and mentoring students in research, independent study, internships, and practicums, graduate faculty ensure that students can analyze, explore, question, reconsider, and synthesize relevant information before they are awarded graduate degrees [4.2.4.3].

Measures of the effectiveness of the graduate faculty in raising students' intellectual knowledge and maturity to the desired levels include students' performances on courses examinations, written preliminary examinations, and oral preliminary and final examinations. Further substantiation of the quality and appropriateness of graduate instruction is the evidence of graduate program reviews, peer recognition of graduate programs, the accreditation of national boards (for professional programs), the contributions of graduates to their professions, and the scholarship of graduates in their fields [4.2.4.2; 4.2.4.3; 4.2.4.4].

Graduate courses at NCSU are numbered at the 500 and 600 levels. They ordinarily have as prerequisites advanced undergraduate courses or equivalent knowledge and/or maturity in the subject matter. The 500-level courses are open to advanced undergraduate students as electives, but they are not required in undergraduate curricula. They are always taught at the graduate level, as described above, and undergraduates who choose to take 500-level courses are expected to perform at the advanced level required of the graduate student in the course. Courses at the 600 level are advanced graduate courses that either build on 500-level courses or address problems and topics at a greater level of complexity than do 500-level courses. The 600-level courses are not available to undergraduate students [4.2.4.5].

The Subcommittee on Graduate Administrative Policy Issues of the Investment in Graduate Education Committee has reviewed policies concerning the distinction between 500- and 600-level courses and has recommended the development of a clear set of guidelines for the use of numbers at each level.

Courses at the 400-level are upper-division undergraduate courses, but some may be taken for graduate credit, provided they are not in the student's major and they have been approved by the students' advisory committee. In the minimum thirty credit hours required in all master's programs, at least twenty must be from 500- and 600-level courses. In a few cases, in a practice referred to as "piggybacking," the same course is offered at the 400-level and the 500-level in the same classroom to a mix of undergraduate and graduate students. In piggybacked courses, graduate students are expected to perform at a higher level than undergraduates, are given a greater number of and more advanced assignments than the undergraduates, and are evaluated on a different scale. Piggybacked courses are offered when the numbers of students are not sufficient to offer the course exclusively at either the graduate or undergraduate levels. Although the Graduate School recognizes that piggybacking is the only practical way to offer some graduate courses, it does not encourage the practice. Therefore, proposals to piggyback courses are given special attention by department or program and college or school committees and the Administrative Board of the Graduate School before being recommended for approval. Piggybacked courses also receive special scrutiny by the Graduate School and in graduate program reviews [4.2.4.5].

The professional veterinary medicine courses are at the 800-level and are available only to students in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. They are taught by faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Master's Programs

Master's-degree programs normally require a minimum of one and one-half years of full-time study for completion; typically, they require two years. All master's degrees require a minimum of thirty hours of credit. In most programs the student is given a great amount of latitude in the selection of courses. Some programs require a minor, and most programs allow one. When there is a minor, approximately one third of the courses are from the minor. Even when there is not a designated minor, students often choose to take up to one third of their courses in supporting areas. All master's students are required to develop a Plan of Work, which is agreed to by the advisor and other members of the advisory committee, recommended by the director of graduate programs, and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Most master's programs require a three-member advisory committee and a final oral examination.

There are a few master's programs in an option referred to as Option B, which requires only one member on the advisory committee. Option B programs do not require a thesis or final oral examination. They do not allow a minor. Proposals to change existing master's programs to Option B programs must be recommended by the department or program and the college or school and must be approved by the Administrative Board of the Graduate School prior to approval by the dean of the Graduate School [4.2.4.11; 4.2.4.12; 4.2.4.13].

All master of science and master of arts programs are designed to achieve a comprehensive mastery of subject matter in a chosen field, and to provide training in research or professional practice in that field. Most master of science and master of arts programs provide training and experience in research and require a thesis, which represents an original investigation into a subject. A few do not require a thesis [4.2.4.12].

Professional master's (Master of [[??]]) programs provide an important complement to the research-oriented doctoral and master's programs. These programs typically are informed by state and/or national standards and are regularly evaluated by these external assessors as well as the graduate program review; these evaluations may be done simultaneously [4.2.4.12; 4.2.4.13].

The Doctoral Programs

Students in the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degree programs are expected to undertake original research and scholarly work at the highest levels with minimal supervision. The Graduate School does not specify a minimum number of hours of course work for these degrees. Instead, the requirements are that students develop a comprehensive knowledge and high level of attainment in scholarship in a specialized field and that they demonstrate this by passing a series of comprehensive examinations in a specialized field, and sometimes related supporting fields, and writing a dissertation reporting results from an original investigation.

Doctoral-degree students are expected to be registered for graduate work at an accredited graduate school for at least six semesters beyond the baccalaureate degree. NCSU requires that all doctoral students earn at least two residence credits for completion of the doctoral degree. These can be earned by one year of full-time study (i.e., nine credits or more in a fall or spring semester) or by up to three consecutive years of part-time study (i.e., at least one credit hour during a fall or spring semester) at NCSU 4.2.4.15].

Doctoral students who go directly from a master's program at NCSU to a doctoral program may count the time they were in the master's program toward satisfying residency requirements. Students who earn a master's degree at NCSU and take a break before pursuing the doctorate must earn the required residence credits while registered as doctoral students.

Doctoral students are required by Graduate School policy to have a Plan of Work that is signed by the student, the advisor, other members of the advisory committee, and the director of graduate programs in the department or program and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Some doctoral programs have a special language requirement, and the process of satisfying this requirement is publicized by the department or program.

Graduate School policy also requires that all doctoral students take written and oral preliminary examinations. They are admitted to candidacy upon passing the preliminary examinations without conditions or after fulfilling any conditions specified by the advisory committee. Upon admission to candidacy, doctoral students concentrate on research and preparation of the dissertation. After the dissertation is completed and given tentative approval by the student's research advisor, it must be defended in the presence of all members of the advisory committee in a final oral examination. After the oral examination is passed, the student makes recommended changes in the dissertation and submits it to the Graduate School. Upon acceptance of the dissertation by the Graduate School, all degree requirements have been fulfilled and the doctoral degree is granted [4.2.4.11; 4.2.4.14; 4.2.4.15].

Curriculum Evaluation

All curricula are reviewed periodically by the home department and program, and an in-depth curricular review is required as part of the ten-year graduate program review. The curriculum is evaluated in terms of national standards and trends (the special responsibility of the carefully selected external reviewer) and in light of department or program and University missions. The Administrative Board of the Graduate School established the broad policies within which this review takes place [4.2.4.8].

Graduate curriculum offerings and program requirements are monitored on a continuing basis by the faculty of the departments and programs. Proposed changes are processed through college and school graduate studies committees and the Administrative Board of the Graduate School and are approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Proposals for new courses to be offered within existing programs are also initiated by the faculty, approved by department or program and processed through college or school graduate studies committees and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Each new course request must be accompanied by a statement of justification, course objectives, syllabus, text(s) required, and a statement of new resources required to offer the course. Proposals to make major changes in existing courses must follow the same path outlined above, with similar supporting documentation. Minor course changes are forwarded directly from the department or program to the dean of the Graduate School for approval [4.2.4.9; 4.2.4.16].

In addition to these regular channels of evaluation, in fall 1992 the self-study conducted a survey of graduate students to determine their perception of the quality of their curriculum, courses, and teaching, and the adequacy of resources. Results of the survey indicate a high level of satisfaction (i.e., response was "agree" or "strongly agree") with the graduate programs and graduate curriculum at NCSU. Among the 497 graduate-respondents,

85 percent indicated that their graduate degree requirements were clear

82 percent indicated that their degree requirements were implemented fairly

93 percent indicated that their graduate studies were intellectually challenging

80 percent indicated that their departmental climate promoted scholarly achievement

87 percent indicated that their curricula and courses were clearly described in available published materials

90 percent were satisfied or very satisfied with their program's emphasis on scholarly and intellectual skills

89 percent were satisfied or very satisfied with their program's emphasis on critical, evaluative, and analytical skills.

Finally, the office of the dean of the Graduate School conducts exit surveys with students to identify areas of the graduate program that students believe can be improved.

Integrating Research and Instruction

At NCSU, research is integrated into instruction in many ways. The most pervasive of these is the mentoring relationship between the faculty and student. This mentoring relationship is an ongoing process throughout the graduate program. In addition, all departments offering degrees that require a thesis or dissertation have a course numbered 699, which is the formal course through which students gain academic credit for the research requirement. Many departments also have research-methods courses for students in thesis or dissertation programs. Students at the thesis or dissertation stage are required to enroll in these courses for a minimum number of credits. Examples of such courses are BCH 692, Laboratory Rotations; BUS 562, Research Methods in Marketing; ECI 652, Research Applications in Curriculum and Instruction; FS 691, Special Research Problems in Food Science; FOR 689, Seminar in Forest Research; HS 599, Research Principles; PS 590, Readings and Research; and WPS 599, Methods of Research in Wood and Paper Science. In addition, many departments and programs use special project, special topic, or independent-study courses as research methods courses. Discipline-specific research methods are also often included as units of study in other graduate courses [4.2.4.16].

Professional Development

NCSU provides extensive, high-quality opportunities for professional development and research for graduate students. The close proximity of the Research Triangle Park to the NCSU campus affords graduate students opportunities for part-time employment while pursuing graduate studies and post-graduation employment.

In addition, the University participates in the operation of a wide spectrum of laboratories and centers with specialized research environments, including the following: Academic Computing Facilities, Biology Field Laboratory, Center for Aseptic Processing and Packaging Studies, Center for Communications and Signal Processing, Center for Sound and Vibration, Counseling Laboratory, Diagnostic Teaching Clinic, Electric Power Research Center, Electron Microscope Facilities, Highlands Biological Station, Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute, Mars Mission Research Center, Materials Research Center, Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, Nuclear Reactor Program, Organization for Tropical Studies, Pesticide Residue Research Laboratory, Precision Engineering Center, Psychoeducational Clinic and

Laboratories, Reproductive Physiology Research Laboratory, Sea Grant College Program, Southeastern Plant Environmental Laboratories Phytotron, and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. NCSU is a member of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a consortium of seventy-six colleges and universities.

Self-Study Table of Contents