The Graduate School Manual

• Foreword
• Overview
• Admissions
• Enrollment & Registration
• Academic Policies: Master's Degree
• Academic Policies: Doctoral Degree
• Guidelines for Preparing or Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation
• Funding Policies & Guidelines

• Resources for Graduate Students
• Guidelines on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Monitoring/Modification of Guidelines on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities
• SUNY Guidelines for Awarding Graduate Teaching Assistantships
• Grievance Procedures

This manual has been designed to provide information and guidance to graduate faculty as they advise graduate students and interact with the Graduate School. This document also represents current Graduate School policies and procedures.

The Graduate School

Under the direction of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, the Binghamton University Graduate School provides administrative coordination for graduate education and programs and is responsible for academic, financial and institutional matters of concern to graduate students. The Graduate School Office (134 Couper Administration Building, 777-2151) answers general questions concerning the University and interprets Graduate School policies and procedures. Information regarding funding, fees, incomplete grades, add/drop procedures, degree completion, and academic deadlines can be obtained from the Graduate School Office or from the graduate director or faculty advisor of the student's program.

Graduate Council

The governing body of the Graduate School is the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council, chaired by the Dean of the Graduate School, consists of 20 faculty members (elected from among designated graduate faculty) and four graduate students (designated annually by the Graduate Student Organization). The Graduate Council's functions include establishing regulations for the Graduate School, reviewing and approving proposed graduate courses and programs, developing standards for the admission and matriculation of graduate students, and recommending priorities for the allocation of graduate support resources.

Directors of Graduate Studies

Directors of Graduate Studies (DGS) are responsible to the graduate faculty of their program and to the Dean of the Graduate School for the recruitment, admission, advising, and monitoring of progress of students in their programs. Consequently, they have an important effect on the quality of graduate programs at Binghamton University.

Directors of Graduate Studies are appointed by the graduate faculty within a program. The DGS is normally a tenured faculty member, holding the rank of associate professor or above, and must be a full member of the graduate faculty as defined in Article II of the By Laws of the Graduate School.

The DGS of a graduate program reports directly to the Dean of the Graduate School or to the Dean's designee on all matters relating to graduate education in the program. The DGS is responsible to the Dean of the Graduate School for the administration of the specific graduate program, including record keeping, administration of graduate program funds, admission decisions, appointment of TA/GA/RPA/fellowship recipients, program requirement changes and new programs, advising and registration, appointment of advisory and examination committees, and other degree requirements related to the graduate program. Additionally, the DGS serves as the focal point for dissemination of information from the Graduate School and for the gathering of information.

Directors of Graduate Studies serve as program advisors to each student until the student has a thesis or dissertation director. The DGS then recommends that the thesis or dissertation director be appointed the student's advisor or committee chair. In areas where theses are not required, the DGS is the advisor of all students not writing theses unless the graduate program stipulates otherwise. All student schedules must be endorsed by the student's advisor. If it is desirable, a DGS may recommend that additional advisors in the program be appointed. A DGS who will be absent from the University for a significant portion of a semester must inform the faculty within the unit and the Dean of the Graduate School so that a substitute may be appointed.

ADMISSIONS

ENROLLMENT AND REGISTRATION

ACADEMIC POLICIES: MASTER'S DEGREES

Checklist For Completion of Degree Requirements

Double-Degree Accounting

ACADEMIC POLICIES: DOCTORAL DEGREES

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING OR SUBMITTING A THESIS OR DISSERTATION

FUNDING POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

GUIDELINES ON GRADUATE STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

MONITORING/MODIFICATION OF GUIDELINES ON GRADUATE STUDENT RIGHTS AND REPONSIBILITIES

SUNY GUIDELINES FOR AWARDING GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES