Graduate Program Policies

Academic Standing

The academic standing and research progress of each graduate student is reviewed at the end of each semester by the student's committee chair and the Associate Director for Academi Programs. In the case of difficulties or deficiencies, the necessary action is taken by the Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the student's committee and the Associate Director for Academic Programs.

Graduate students are given a notice of academic warning if they have accumulated less than nine hours at the 400-level or above and have less than a 3.0 ("B" average). Graduate students are placed on academic probation if they accumulated nine or more but less than 18 credit hours at the 400-level or above and have a grade point average of less than 3.0 ("B" average). In the case of program termination, no further registration in a graduate classification will be permitted. Under extenuating circumstances, the student will be reinstated upon the written recommendation of the department and approval by the Graduate Dean. Departments have the prerogative of recommending the termination of a student's graduate admission at any time.

Continuous Registration

After a student is admitted to the Graduate School and enrolls for the first time, she/he is required to maintain continuous registration, i.e., be enrolled each semester, excluding summer sessions, until the student has either graduated or their graduate program at NCSU has been terminated.

• All students who graduate during the second summer session must be registered for the first or second summer session. A student in good academic standing who must interrupt their graduate program for good reasons may request a leave of absence from graduate study for a definite period of time, normally not to exceed one year. The request should be made at least one month prior to the term involved.

• Upon endorsement of the request by student's graduate advisory committee and Associate Director for Academic Programs, and approval of the Graduate School, the student would not be required to be registered during the leave of absence. The time that the student spends on an approved leave of absence will be included in the time allowed to complete the degree, i.e., 6 years for Master of IMSE.

• Graduate students whose programs have been terminated because of failure to maintain continuous registration and who have not been granted a leave of absence during a fall or spring semester will be required to reapply for admission if they wish to resume their graduate studies at NCSU.

Graduate Responsibility

Graduate students are responsible for complying with all policies and procedures of the University, Graduate School, and the Institute that will lead to the successful completion of the graduate program of study and the award of an IMSE degree. Questions relating to any of these matters should be directed to your Committee Chair, the Associate Director for Academic Programs, or the Dean of the Graduate School, in that order.

Graduation

After a student has completed all their course requirements, and have written up their IMSE research project, he/she will make a presentation to their Graduate Committee. This is their “final oral exam” and should be done 6 weeks prior to the date of graduation.

There are three official graduations for graduate students per year, end of the spring and fall semesters, and at the end of the second summer session in August, but there are no ceremonies. Formal commencement exercises are held at the end of spring (May) and fall (December) semesters, but any student who graduated the preceding second summer session is eligible to participate in the December commencement. All students scheduled to graduate in the fall or spring semesters are strongly encouraged to attend the respective commencement.

Students graduating in the spring are awarded their diplomas during the Institute’s commencement exercises. The diplomas for those students graduating at the end of second summer session and the fall, and those students receiving permission to receive the degree in absentia are mailed by the Department of Registration and Records.

IMSE Institute diplomas reflect the type of degree: Master of Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Students with co-majors will have those identified on their transcripts, but not on their diplomas.

To order a diploma, a student must file a Diploma Order Request form, available from the IMSEI Office. The cards are due at the Graduate School Office by the end of the sixth week of classes during the fall and spring semesters and by the graduation deadline noted in the Graduate School Calendar for the second summer session graduation. Until a Diploma Order Request form is filed, a diploma cannot be ordered.

Incomplete Grades

Incomplete grades ("IN") are required to be made up during the next academic term. If completion is delayed beyond that period, the Incomplete grade will be changed to a Failed grade (F) if the Office of Registration and Records is not provided with a request of extension of time from the Instructor and Department involved.

Mail, FAX, and Notices

Our office address is: IMSE Institute, Campus Box 7915, NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695-7915. Correspondence should be of a professional nature. Any personal mail will be forwarded to the student’s home address.

The office fax machine is available for work-related faxing and for receiving faxes of any kind. That number is: 919-515-1675. Students will be notified by email of faxes received.

A bulletin board is also maintained and should be checked periodically. The Institute also has a list of emails for all IMSE grad students and faculty and is used to announce meetings, seminars, job opportunities, special events, and other Institute related activities.

Minimum Hours of Registration

All graduates appointed to a graduate assistantship, whether continuing or new, are expected to register for the maximum allowable credit hours consistent with their level of appointment in order to complete their degree requirements in the most expeditious manner possible. These credits may consist of any combination of course credits including project work (IMS 675). In special circumstances, a student may be permitted to enroll for 12 credit hours per semester on a half-time assistantship. Any deviations from standard requirements must, however, be approved by the student's Committee Chair and the Associate Director for Academic Programs.

Minoring in IMSE

Graduate students pursuing masters or doctorate degrees in other disciplines may select IMS as minor. Student wishing to minor in IMSE must be working on an engineering or closely related degree. A minimum of 9 hours at the 500 or 600 levels is required for a Master's degree with a minor in IMSE. These must include at least two of the IMSE common core courses. A minimum of 12 credit hours at the 500 or 600 level is required for a doctoral degree with a minor in IMSE. These must include at least three of the common core courses. Graduate students minoring in IMSE may be permitted to include 6 hours of project work (IMS 675) toward satisfying the minor requirements.

Patent Agreement

It is the policy of NC State University that all graduate students read the NCSU Patent Policy and sign a declaration wherein the student agrees to abide by certain rules regarding patent rights. Acceptance of this agreement is executed by the student with the submission of their Plan of Work. Copies of this form and other information concerning the Patent Agreement are available in the IMSE Office.

Provisional Admission

Applicants not meeting the requirements for Full admission are sometimes granted Provisional admission. Provisional status may be granted when the major GPA is less than 3.0 and other supporting evidence is deemed sufficient to indicate that the student possesses the potential to complete the program of study.

Provisional status is normally granted for one semester. Full status may be obtained when satisfactory grades are earned and/or undergraduate prerequisites or other requirements are completed satisfactorily. It is expected that any deficiency should be removed in one semester or as specified in the conditions of admission. University regulations prohibit students on Provisional status from holding graduate assistantships.

Residence for Tuition Purposes

The basis for determining the appropriate tuition charge rests upon whether a student is a resident or non-resident of North Carolina for tuition purposes. Details of the criteria and conditions used to determine residency status are described in the Graduate School Catalog. Any questions concerning eligibility for residence should be directed to the Graduate School. Out-of-state students should establish residency in North Carolina as soon as possible.