Chapter 1

Last revision: August 14, 2023

Graduate Program Directors &

Coordinators Handbook

Dedication

This handbook is dedicated to the past deans of the Graduate School at East Carolina University who

served the graduate education enterprise for many years. They are Dean John O. Reynolds (1968-

1970), Dean John M. Howell (1971-1973), Dean Joseph G. Boyette (1974-1989), Dean Diane M.

Jacobs (1990-1993), Interim Dean Therese G. Lawler (1994-1995), Dean Thomas L. Feldbush (1996-

2001), Interim Dean Paul D. Tschetter (2002-2006), and Dean Patrick Pellicane (2006-2008) and

Dean Paul J. Gemperline (2008 – 2022).

iii

Forward

Dear Graduate Program Directors & Coordinators,

Thank you for your willingness to serve East Carolina University in your role as a Graduate Program

Director. The services you provide are essential to the success of your students and your graduate

program. In partnership with you, the Graduate School strives to enhance the quality of life in the

region, state, and world through a shared commitment to excellence in graduate teaching,

scholarship, and service. The Graduate School works with Graduate Program Directors and graduate

faculty to provide high-quality leadership and best practices by:

• Promoting recruitment and retention of high-quality students

• Distributing resources strategically and equitably

• Assuring graduate program quality

• Facilitating the development of new and existing programs

• Establishing and implementing effective policy

Your knowledge, expertise and input are essential to the effective functioning of graduate education

at East Carolina University. The graduate school maintains an “open door policy” and invites you to

you in a manner that enhances excellence, promotes integrity and respect, creates opportunities for

innovation in graduate education, and is inclusive in how we provide services to graduate programs

and graduate students.

Kathleen T. Cox, PhD

Interim Dean

The Graduate School

iv 
 
Table of Contents 
Dedication ............................................................................................................................................... ii 
Forward .................................................................................................................................................. iii 
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................... iv 
Chapter I:  The Graduate School ............................................................................................................. 1 
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 
2. The Graduate School .................................................................................................................... 1 
3. Graduate Council .......................................................................................................................... 2 
3.1. Graduate Council Executive Committee (GCEC) ................................................................... 3 
4. The Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) ................................................................................ 3 
5. Graduate Program Directors & Coordinators (GPDC) .................................................................. 4 
6. Educational Policies and Planning Committee (EPPC) ................................................................. 4 
7. Graduate School Deans and Staff................................................................................................. 5 
8. Helpful Websites .......................................................................................................................... 5 
9. Graduate School Applications Systems ........................................................................................ 5 
10. Who to call/email list – Common Topics (area code 252) ......................................................... 9 
11. Who to email - Financial Aid Counselors 328-6610 ................................................................. 10 
12. Banner Term Codes .................................................................................................................. 10 
13. Patent and Copyright Policies for Graduate Students ............................................................. 11 
Chapter 2:  Graduate Director Duties and Responsibilities .................................................................. 12 
1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Director – Administration of unit graduate program.......... 12 
2. Recruitment, Admission Decisions, Retention, Graduation....................................................... 13 
3. Award, Scholarship, Assistantship, Remission Decisions ........................................................... 14 
4. Professional Development Workshops for Graduate Students ................................................. 14 
5. Student Conduct and Conflict Issues.......................................................................................... 15 
6. Graduate Course and Curriculum Development ........................................................................ 15 
7. Additional Duties ........................................................................................................................ 16 
7.1. Graduate Faculty Appointments and Rank ......................................................................... 16 
7.2. Academic Program Review and GPDCs ............................................................................... 18 
Chapter 3:  Graduate Student Employment ......................................................................................... 19 
1. Duties and Responsibilities for Graduate Students – Work Assignments ................................. 19 
1.1. Graduate Teaching Assistants – Examples of Appropriate Tasks ....................................... 19 
1.2. Graduate Teaching Assistants – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks .................................... 20 
1.3. Graduate Research Assistants – Examples of Appropriate Tasks ....................................... 20 
1.4. Graduate Research Assistants – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks .................................... 20 
1.5. Graduate Assistants (Not Research nor Teaching) – Examples of Appropriate Tasks11 ... 21 
1.6. Graduate Assistants (Not Research nor Teaching) – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks ..... 21 
2. Scheduling, Timesheets, and Pay ............................................................................................... 21 
2.1. Affordable Care Act ............................................................................................................. 21 
2.2. ECU Student Employee Data Confidentiality Agreement ................................................... 22 
2.3. When Hourly Student Jobs Should End?............................................................................. 22 
2.4. Student Jobs:  Beginning Hourly Job Steps ......................................................................... 22 
2.6. ECU Security Access ............................................................................................................ 23 
2.7. Approving Timesheets for Hourly Students (not Assistantships) ....................................... 23 
2.8. Student Pay ......................................................................................................................... 24 
3. New Hire Documents ................................................................................................................. 24 

v 
 
3.1. Employment Eligibility Verification Form, I-9 ..................................................................... 24 
3.2. Tax Forms, Direct Deposit Forms, & Other ......................................................................... 25 
4. Students with Disabilities ........................................................................................................... 26 
Chapter 4:  Applications and Admissions .............................................................................................. 27 
1. Requirements ............................................................................................................................. 27 
2. Deadlines .................................................................................................................................... 28 
3. Application Process .................................................................................................................... 29 
3.1. Application Submission and Fee Payment .......................................................................... 29 
3.2. Application Materials Received by Graduate School .......................................................... 31 
3.3. Application Complete and Routed to Program ................................................................... 32 
4. Admission Decisions ................................................................................................................... 32 
4.1. Regular Admission ............................................................................................................... 33 
4.2. Admission by Exception ...................................................................................................... 35 
4.3. Provisional Admission ......................................................................................................... 36 
4.4. Professional Admission ....................................................................................................... 36 
4.5. Conditional Admission ........................................................................................................ 36 
4.6. Other Admission Decision Types......................................................................................... 37 
5. Certificate Programs ................................................................................................................... 38 
6. Non-Degree Students ................................................................................................................. 38 
6.1. Policies Regarding Non-Degree Students ........................................................................... 38 
7. Deferred Admission, Continuous Enrollment, and Readmission ............................................... 39 
8. International Student Requirements ......................................................................................... 40 
8.1. Transcript Requirements..................................................................................................... 40 
8.2. English Language Proficiency .............................................................................................. 40 
8.3. Financial Responsibility and the CFR................................................................................... 41 
8.4. Visas .................................................................................................................................... 41 
9. Early Admission Programs .......................................................................................................... 42 
9.1. Early Assurance Programs ................................................................................................... 42 
9.2. Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs ....................................................................... 42 
9.3. Undergraduate /Non-Degree Graduate Dual Enrollment .................................................. 43 
9.4. Six-Hour Rule ....................................................................................................................... 44 
10. Withdrawal ............................................................................................................................... 44 
11. New Student Information ........................................................................................................ 45 
11.1. Student Health .................................................................................................................. 45 
11.2. Health Insurance ............................................................................................................... 45 
11.3. Registration Information ................................................................................................... 46 
11.4. Tuition Information ........................................................................................................... 46 
11.5. University Calendar ........................................................................................................... 46 
Chapter 5:  Academic Regulations ........................................................................................................ 47 
1. Course Credits ............................................................................................................................ 47 
2. Registration Procedures ............................................................................................................. 47 
2.1. Student Load ....................................................................................................................... 47 
2.2. Auditing Courses ................................................................................................................. 48 
2.3. Registration Procedures ...................................................................................................... 48 
3. Grading System .......................................................................................................................... 49 
4. Academic Eligibility Standards ................................................................................................... 49 
5. Continuous Enrollment (or Registration) ................................................................................... 50 

vi 
 
Chapter 6:  Degree Requirements......................................................................................................... 51 
1. Time Limitations ......................................................................................................................... 51 
2. Comprehensive Assessments ..................................................................................................... 51 
3. General Requirements for Degrees and Certificates ................................................................. 52 
4. Dual Degrees .............................................................................................................................. 52 
5. Graduate Certificate Programs .................................................................................................. 52 
5.1. Minimum Requirements for Graduate Certificate Programs (GCP) ................................... 53 
6. Graduation.................................................................................................................................. 53 
6.1. Policy on Completion of Degree Requirements and Graduation ....................................... 54 
Chapter 7:  Financial Aid ....................................................................................................................... 56 
1. Student Eligibility for Financial Aid............................................................................................. 56 
1.1. Changes in a Student’s Degree/Certificate-Seeking Status ................................................ 57 
2. Disbursement Policies ................................................................................................................ 58 
2.1. Financial Aid Disbursements ............................................................................................... 58 
2.2. Credit Balances .................................................................................................................... 58 
2.3. Refunds and Repayments ................................................................................................... 59 
3. Billing Cycle ................................................................................................................................. 59 
4. Course Enrollment ...................................................................................................................... 59 
4.1. Full-Time and Part-Time Enrollment ................................................................................... 60 
4.2. Taking Classes at Other Institutions .................................................................................... 60 
5. Refunds and Adjustments of Title IV Funds ............................................................................... 60 
6. ECU Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Policy .................................................... 61 
Chapter 8:  Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Remissions ............................................................... 62 
1. Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships:  Awards, Assignments, and Terminations .............. 62 
1.1. Admission by Exception and Graduate Assistantships ....................................................... 64 
1.2. Termination, Reassignment, & Reappointment of GA ....................................................... 65 
2. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) .......................................................................................... 65 
2.1. GTA Responsibilities ............................................................................................................ 65 
2.2. Selection and Assignment of GTAs ..................................................................................... 66 
2.3. Training for Graduate Teaching Assistants ......................................................................... 66 
2.4. Liability Protection .............................................................................................................. 67 
2.5. Student Rights to Privacy .................................................................................................... 68 
2.6. Student Safety ..................................................................................................................... 68 
2.7. Accidental Injuries ............................................................................................................... 69 
2.8. GTAs and Undergraduate Student Grievance Procedures ................................................. 69 
3. Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) ........................................................................................... 69 
3.1. The Role of the Graduate Research Assistant..................................................................... 69 
3.2. Tasks and Responsibilities of a Graduate Research Assistant ............................................ 69 
4. Tuition Remissions ..................................................................................................................... 70 
4.1. Nonresident Tuition Remissions ......................................................................................... 71 
4.2. Resident Tuition Remissions ............................................................................................... 71 
4.3. Eligibility for Resident Tuition Remissions .......................................................................... 71 
4.4. Resignation from Appointment .......................................................................................... 72 
4.5. Adding a Course .................................................................................................................. 72 
4.6. Dropping a Course ............................................................................................................... 72 
4.7. Final Drop Date ................................................................................................................... 73 
4.8. Withdrawal .......................................................................................................................... 73 

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8.4.9. Payment Schedule ............................................................................................................... 73 
Chapter 9:  Residency ............................................................................................................................ 74 
9.1. NC General Statute 116-143.1, the Basis for Residency Decisions ............................................ 74 
9.2. Military Personnel ...................................................................................................................... 75 
9.3. International Students ............................................................................................................... 76 
9.4. Application for Residency Reclassification ................................................................................. 76 
9.5. Appeal of Residency Classification ............................................................................................. 76 
9.5.1. RDS Appeal .......................................................................................................................... 76 
9.5.2  SEAA Appeal ........................................................................................................................ 77 
Chapter 10:  Theses & Dissertation Committees, ETD Submission, & Intellectual Property Rights ..... 78 
10.1. Top Ten Thesis & Dissertation Submission Items To Check ..................................................... 78 
10.2. Switching from a Thesis Track to Non-Thesis Track ................................................................. 79 
10.3. Prior to Beginning Research ..................................................................................................... 79 
10.3.1. Master’s Pre-Thesis Research Approval and Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy Forms
 ....................................................................................................................................................... 80 
10.3.2. Thesis or Dissertation Committee Requirements ............................................................. 80 
10.4. Use of Copyrighted Materials in a Thesis/Dissertation ............................................................ 81 
10.5. Defense of Thesis/Dissertation ................................................................................................ 81 
10.6. Electronic Submission Process ................................................................................................. 82 
10.6.1. Selection of Electronic Publishing Options during the Submission Process ..................... 82 
10.6.2. Electronic Publishing Options ........................................................................................... 82 
10.6.3. ECU Open Access ScholarShip Publishing Options ........................................................... 83 
10.6.4. Precautions Regarding Intellectual Property Rights and Electronic Publication .............. 83 
10.6.5. Copyright Filing and Information ...................................................................................... 84 
10.6.6. Revising the Submission .................................................................................................... 85 
10.7. Final Approval of Manuscript ................................................................................................... 85 
10.8. Archives .................................................................................................................................... 85 
10.9. Ordering Bound Copies ............................................................................................................ 86 
Appendix A:  Best Practices for Graduate Theses or Dissertation Advising ......................................... 87 
A.1. Initial Advisor or Committee ...................................................................................................... 87 
A.2  Thesis or Dissertation Advisor and Committee ......................................................................... 88 
A.2.a. Composition of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee ...................................................... 88 
A.2.b. Timing of forming the Thesis or Dissertation Committee .................................................. 88 
A.2.c. Qualifications of Members .................................................................................................. 89 
A.2.d. Frequency of student meetings with Thesis or Dissertation Committee ........................... 89 
A.3  Advancement to Candidacy Status ............................................................................................ 89 
A.3.a. Programs should clearly define in writing the steps required for Advancement to 
Candidacy or the program equivalent and the expected timeline to achieve it. ......................... 90 
A.3.b. Advancement should precede a Student’s entry into the research or project or scholarly 
activity implementation process. .................................................................................................. 90 
A.3.c. Form of Assessment (aka Thesis or Dissertation Proposal or Competency Exam or 
Qualifying Exam or Candidacy Exam or Thesis Prospectus. .......................................................... 90 
A.3.d. Timing of the Assessment ................................................................................................... 90 
A.3.e. Failure and Remediation ..................................................................................................... 90 
A.4  Responsibilities of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee ......................................................... 91 
A.4.a. Role in Committee Meetings. ............................................................................................. 91 
A.4.b. Role in Thesis or Dissertation preparation and defense. ................................................... 91 

viii

Chapter I: The Graduate School

1.1. Introduction

Congratulations on your appointment as a Graduate Program Director or Coordinator at East

Carolina University. The Graduate School works with Graduate Program Directors & Coordinators

(GPDC) to administer the University’s graduate programs, as well as to support the graduate

students, graduate faculty, and other academic, research and service entities of ECU. The primary

purpose of this handbook is to provide a concise guideline document while also providing

immediate access through links to current Graduate School policies and procedures, with an

inherent emphasis on the process of administering graduate programs. The handbook is designed to

be used as a supplementary source to accompany the official policies in the ECU Graduate Catalog

and the unit program handbook that most campus units now have in their respective graduate

programs. This GPDC handbook, as found posted on The Graduate School Graduate Program

Directors Tools website, will be updated continuously.

The following guidelines provided in this handbook are to assist GPDCs in the administration of their

programs. The primary source for policies and procedures are the (a) the Graduate Catalog, (b) the

Faculty Manual, Part II, section IV, and (c) the Graduate School’s website. The information included

here can also be found distributed among various websites including other university unit websites,

the Graduate Curriculum Committee website, the Council of Graduate Schools website, and other

ECU and external agency websites. Therefore, the secondary purpose of this handbook is to serve as

a means of bringing the information together in one central location that is readily available and

easily accessible for the GPDC. The guidelines included herein have been approved by the Graduate

Council and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.

1.2. The Graduate School

The Graduate School, in conjunction with the Graduate Council, administers graduate education at

East Carolina University. The Graduate School provides support to GPDCs in their daily activities. This

support is utilized in the areas of policies and procedures, business transactions, statistical data

reporting, staff/customer training, and dissemination of student and faculty information. Types of

information include (but are not necessarily limited to) the following: admissions, prospecting for

data, graduate student personnel issues, financial support, appointment of Graduate Faculty, and

program reviews.

GPDCs and graduate program staff have easy access to this information through the website

(gradschool.ecu.edu). This handbook also serves to facilitate access to these types of information, in

a concise and convenient format.

The GPDCs are also actively involved in evaluating and improving the instruction given to and

provided by graduate students at ECU, as well as participating in national efforts in graduate

education. The university conducts reviews of each graduate program every seven years, which can

be superseded by the university accreditation cycle. The Graduate School is committed to high

quality instruction and mentorship.

The Graduate School conducts workshops for GPDCs and other unit program administrative staff to

update them on current developments in policy and procedural changes related to the graduate

programs at East Carolina University.

1.3. Graduate Council

The Graduate Council is responsible for consideration, debate, and voting on all graduate academic

policies. Upon recommendation of the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC), the Graduate Council

also approves graduate curriculum and degree programs. The Graduate Council consists of elected

graduate faculty (20 elected coordinators of graduate programs plus 4 members elected by the

Faculty Senate), 3 at-large appointments by the Dean of the Graduate School, and 4 ex-officio

members, all with vote, and the Dean of the Graduate School (without vote) (See ECU Faculty

Manual, Part II, Section IV). The Graduate Council elects a chair and vice-chair from the elected

members. The results of Graduate Council decisions will be made in the form of recommendations

to the Dean of the Graduate School, who may concur or not. All decisions made by the Graduate

Council and the Dean are forwarded to the Academic Council and Chancellor for final consideration.

The Graduate Council will:

• approve the membership of the GCC.

• approve the GCC recommendations.

• participate in the review of all existing graduate programs.

• review all unit appeals of negative decisions made by the Dean of the Graduate School

regarding graduate faculty appointments.

• review and develop Graduate School policy including requirements for admission, retention

of students, permissible course loads, transfer credit, grading, thesis and dissertation

requirements and examinations, and standards for graduate faculty appointment.

• make recommendations relating to graduate education to the Dean, Academic Council, and

the Chancellor.

• report its actions to the coordinators of graduate programs, graduate faculty, and the

Faculty Senate.

The Graduate School Administrative Board was the previous administrative body of the Graduate

School and is now called the Graduate Council.

1.3.1. Graduate Council Executive Committee (GCEC)

The GCEC is comprised of the Graduate School Dean, the GC Chair, Vice-Chair, the GCC Chair (see

below), and four elected-GC members from the Graduate Council. All members, other than the

Dean, are elected annually. The GCEC will review and approve admissions by exception that are

under appeal, requests for exceptions to transfer credit policy, requests for exceptions to the time-

to-degree requirements; set the Graduate Council agenda; prepare draft policies for consideration

by the Graduate Council; and review the GC meeting minutes for presentation to the Graduate

Council.

1.4. The Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC)

The GCC consists of ten Graduate Faculty or Associate Graduate Faculty members (tenure preferred)

nominated by college deans (along with two ex-officio members with vote including the president of

the Graduate & Professional Student Senate or designee and the Director of Academic Planning and

Accreditation) through a process established by each college. The Graduate Council will review the

credentials of the nominees and approve members to serve on the GCC. Members will serve

staggered three-year terms. The chair and vice chair of the GCC will be elected to serve a one-year

term by and from the membership of the GCC. GCC members will be limited to serving three

consecutive terms.

The GCC will:

• Review and consider proposals for new graduate programs, certificates, concentrations,

degree title changes, and moving or discontinuing graduate programs, certifications, and

concentrations.

• Review and consider proposals for new and revised graduate courses.

• Review and consider degree-related graduate catalog changes.

• Review and consider requests to delete, bank, and unbank graduate courses.

• Make recommendations on other graduate curriculum related matters.

• Other duties as assigned by the Graduate Council.

• Recommend changes to its charge.

All recommendations of the GCC will be reported to the Graduate Council. Recommendations on

new programs, new certificates, new concentrations, degree title changes, and moving or

discontinuing programs are reviewed by Graduate Council, EPPC, or other bodies as appropriate in

the curriculum planning and approval process.

1.5. Graduate Program Directors & Coordinators (GPDC)

Graduate Program Directors & Coordinators (GPDC) implement Graduate School policies on

recruitment, application, enrollment, and graduation of students, and make recommendations to

the Dean of the Graduate School on policy issues. This group meets monthly.

1.6. Educational Policies and Planning Committee (EPPC)

The role of the Educational Policies and Planning Committee (EPPC) in graduate education includes

the review of new degree programs (notification of intent to plan proposals and request for

authorization to establish proposals). The EPPC reviews new program proposals after the Graduate

Council has voted on these new programs, reporting to the Faculty Senate the action it has taken on

requests for permission to plan and establish new degree programs. The Faculty Senate votes on the

EPPC reports, before forwarding the items being considered to the Chancellor.

The EPPC reviews all new graduate curricula that constitute concentrations, certificates, and new

graduate minors, and academic policies, or revisions to all existing policies, prior to the

implementation of such proposals. The EPPC is also empowered to directly advise the Chancellor on

the “adequacy, balance, and excellence of the University’s graduate (and undergraduate) programs

relative to accepted academic standards.”

5 
 
1.7. Graduate School Deans and Staff 
Dean:  Dr. Kathleen T Cox, interim (July 2022 – ongoing) 328-6073 
Faculty Fellow: Dr. Ron Preston (July 2022 – June 2024) 328-2956 
Faculty Fellow: Dr. Michelle Eble (June 2022 – June 2024) 328-6499 
Assistant Dean of Admissions & Enrollment Management:  Dr. James Coker 328- 
Admissions Receptionist (Admin Support Specialist): Ms. Lisa Hagans 328-6012 
Business Services Coordinator:  Ms. Alexis Morris 328-1465 
Administrative Support for Business Services (EPAFs, Contracts): Mr. Ken Dobbs 328-6507  
Executive Assistant to the Dean:  Ms. Tania Alvarez 328-6113 
Student Services and International Students Specialist: Ms. Colleen Roland 328-1464 
Technology Support Analyst:  Mr. Plummer Nye  – 737-2784 
Thesis/Dissertation Editor (Admin Support Specialist): Ms. Marquerite Bond 328-5792 
Director of Admissions Operations (reports to the Provost or designee):  Mr. Paul Russell  328-6970 
Admissions Team (Admin Support/Student Services) and listing of assigned application group for 
which each team member is responsible (groupings based on first initial of last name): 
Ms. Anyah Born – 328-2769 Letters A-D 
Mr. Quinten Robinson  – 328-5426 Letters E-K 
Ms. Ashlee Lancaster – Letters L-R 
Ms. Theresa Cartwright – 328-1461 Letters S-Z, plus all Physical Therapy & Physician 
Assistant applications 
 
1.8. Helpful Websites 
Council of Graduate Schools http://www.cgsnet.org/ 
ECU Faculty Manual https://info.ecu.edu/faculty-and-staff/ 
Graduate School, ECU http://gradschool.ecu.edu 
Graduate Curriculum Committee https://gradschool.ecu.edu/council-committees/ 
University of North Carolina General Administration www.northcarolina.edu 
 
1.9. Graduate School Applications Systems 
The Graduate School utilizes TargetX for the admission portal for both the student applying and the 
faculty members evaluating and decisioning applications. The Graduate School provides training 
prior to the creation of accounts for faculty members or administrative assistants.  

Requesting a TargetX Account

1. Complete TargetX Training—Training for TargetX must be completed for all New TargetX

access requests. The training consists of a video tutorial, followed by a ten-question quiz.

You must watch the video to advance to the quiz. Only a score of 100% will allow you to

successfully complete the training. Graduate Operations will only be notified of those who

complete the training. If you score the required 100%, please monitor your email for an

important next steps email. The email will guide you through the remaining access steps.

2. Complete the FERPA training within PiratePort.

a. Navigate to https://pirateport.ecu.edu/connect/#/login.

b. In the search bar at the top, type FERPA

c. Click on FERPA Quiz when it appears from the search

d. Read STEP 2 first – if it says you already completed the quiz, you do not have to do it

again. If Step 2 says you must complete the quiz, then go to Step 1 and click the link

to view the presentation.

e. When finished, click the link to take the quiz.

f. Once completed, you may go to Step 3 in this process.

3. Request Banner Security for Target X.

All personnel must complete the Banner Security Request for access to TargetX prior to

having an account made in the system. To request access, you must complete the following

steps:

a. Log in to PiratePort and access the Banner Security Request widget.

b. On the left in the Options block, click on Request Security.

c. OPTIONAL: Confirm your Supervisor Information is correct by reviewing the Pirate ID

listed. If it is not correct, click the UPDATE link.

d. Click directly on the word Student in the Banner Security Request block. Do not click

anything else. A new window will pop up.

e. Select TargetX for Graduate Admissions in the TargetX Graduate Admissions

dropdown list, then click Submit.

f. Click the Submit button in the Banner Security Request block to send the request to your

Supervisor for approval.

Submitting Change of Term Requests

Students may contact you to request a deferral of their admission to a later semester. For example,

a student you admitted for fall 2023 notifies you that something’s come up and they want to start in

spring 2024 instead. It is the program director’s prerogative whether they wish to approve such a

request. However, the Graduate School must receive a Change of Term request form from the

Program Director before the last day of the schedule change period for the applicant’s original term

of admission. Change of Term forms involve the submission of a TeamDynamix ticket available at:

https://ecu.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=20890

1.10. Who to call/email list – Common Topics (area code 252)

Application questions - General

Admissions Team Member based on

applicant’s last name

Anyah Born A – F

Quinten Robinson E – K

Ashlee Lancaster L – R

Theresa Cartwright S – Z, Physician

Assistant, Physical Therapy, and Athletic

Training

328-6013

Application questions -

International

Colleen Roland [email protected]

328-1464

Applications – Change of Term

questions

Theresa Cartwright cartwrightt@ecu.edu

328-1461

Applications – Special

Exception or Waiver Requests

Theresa Cartwright cartwrightt@ecu.edu

328-1461

TargetX Application Review

Tool

Plummer Nye [email protected]

737-2784

Academic

Probation/Termination

Colleen Roland [email protected]

328-1464

Banner system

Colleen Roland [email protected];

Registrar’s Office [email protected]

328-1464

328-6747

Dean’s correspondence

Tania Alvarez [email protected]

328-6073

ECU BIC reports

Plummer Nye [email protected]

737-2784

Financial assistance

Financial Aid Office Counselors by student

last name)

https://financialaid.ecu.edu/contact-us/

328-6610

Graduate Assistantship

contracts & EPAFs

Alexis Morris [email protected] or Ken

Dobbs dobb[email protected]

328-1465 or

328-6507

Graduate Faculty

expirations/level/status

Marquerite Bond [email protected]

328-5792

Graduation – graduate

students

Registration (regis@ecu.edu)

Colleen Roland (rola[email protected])

328-1464

Nonresident Tuition Remissions

Alexis Morris [email protected]

328-1465

TargetX General Questions

Paul Russell rus[email protected] or

James Coker [email protected]

328-5400

328-6970

Reenrollment

Admissions Team member based on

applicant’s last name (see first entry in this

table)

328-6013

Registration – graduate

students

Colleen Roland [email protected]

328-1464

Residency for Tuition Purposes

Colleen Roland [email protected]

328-1464

SharePoint – Graduate School

Plummer Nye [email protected]

737-2784

Thesis/Dissertation Formatting

& Submission

Marquerite Bond [email protected]

328-5792

Transfer, Non-degree Credit;

Time Extension Requests

Colleen Roland [email protected]

328-1464

Xtender

Theresa Cartwright cartwrightt@@ecu.edu

328-1461

Vireo

Marquerite Bond [email protected]

328-5792

Website – Graduate School

Plummer Nye [email protected]

737-2784

1.11. Who to email - Financial Aid Counselors 328-6610

Financial Aid Administrators are assigned student files for review and processing based on the

student’s last name. The first letter of the students’ last name and the corresponding Financial Aid

Administrator are listed on the Financial Aid Contact Us page of their website.

The link directly to the Contact Us page of the ECU Financial Aid website:

https://financialaid.ecu.edu/contact-us/

1.12. Banner Term Codes

In Banner, each term is represented by a unique six-digit code comprised of the year and a semester

code. Semester codes are as follows:

30 – Spring

40 – 1

Summer

50 – 11 – Week Summer

60 – 2

Summer

80 – Fall

Therefore, Fall is 80, e.g., Fall 2023 is represented as 202380; Spring is 30; e.g., Spring 2024 is

202430. Summer 1 is 40, e.g., 202440, Summer 2 is 60, e.g., 202460 and Summer 11-week is 50, e.g.,

202450.

1.13. Patent and Copyright Policies for Graduate Students

The Patent and Copyright Policies of the University of North Carolina and East Carolina University

apply to all employees and students at East Carolina University, including but not limited to faculty,

staff, professional employees, undergraduate and graduate students. These policies relate to

ownership, disposition, and management of intellectual property rights (such as patents and

copyrights). For questions about the copyright and patent policies, please see the Office of Licensing

and Commercialization list of policies and resources:

Student Resources from the Office of Innovation and New Ventures

ECU Intellectual Property and Related Policies

Graduate students must complete the Patent Agreement and Assignment Form.

Chapter 2: Graduate Director Duties and Responsibilities

2.1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Director – Administration of unit graduate

program

Note: Graduate Program Directors are generally appointed by department chairs, school directors,

or deans. If the GPD for a program changes, the chair of the department offering the program must

complete the Curriculog online form to register the change.

Each Graduate Program and Graduate Certificate will have a designated Graduate Program Director

or Coordinator, who must be a Graduate or Associate Graduate Faculty member, approved by the

unit chair and college dean and qualified to lead development and review of the program’s

curriculum. In some professionally oriented disciplines, Graduate Program Directors and

Coordinators, whose job is to manage a graduate program, may be approved by the Graduate

School without Graduate or Associate Graduate Faculty status. In such cases, a Graduate or

Associate Graduate Faculty member must also be designated to provide academic oversight and

lead curriculum development of the graduate program.

The Graduate Program Director or Coordinator (GPDC), with assistance of the graduate faculty

members of the unit, is responsible for the administration of the unit graduate program(s). Many of

these responsibilities are governed by the Faculty Manual, Part II, Section IV, and subsection part

IIA.

The general duties of the GPDC include, but are not limited to:

• Oversight and review of the unit program’s graduate curriculum.

• Overseeing recruitment and unit admission decisions in consultation with unit graduate

faculty or graduate faculty committees, as may be specified by the unit code.

• Administering the admission of applicants to the program and responding to routine

requests for program information and applications.

• Serving as liaison between the department, college, graduate school, and any other such

agencies with which the graduate program comes into contact.

• Scheduling and overseeing advising, qualifying examinations (written and oral, as

appropriate), and conflict resolutions involving graduate students.

• Scheduling and conducting graduate faculty and/or graduate committee meetings.

• Responding to routine requests for program information and applications.

• Maintaining files for each graduate student.

• Assisting the unit chair and working with (graduate) faculty/ graduate committee in

program review, program assessment, allocation of resources, curriculum development,

student assessment, and graduate faculty rank/status.

• Coordinating publication on the availability of graduate scholarships and the selection of

awardees.

• Reviewing and signing official forms required by the Graduate School.

• Ensuring Degree Works audits are done periodically on each student.

• Attending the Graduate School’s meetings of the Graduate Program Directors and

Coordinators.

Graduate Program Director duties are often further delineated in unit codes. Therefore, all GPDCs

should consult the appropriate unit code in this regard.

2.2. Recruitment, Admission Decisions, Retention, Graduation

Recruitment of students and admission-related decisions, in a timely and fair manner, are led by the

GPDC. The specifics of these processes are often dependent upon the unit, but these are the earliest

critical actions of the GPDC and the unit graduate faculty/committee with each incoming graduate

student class. Early communication by the GPDC with the Graduate School is essential for

recruitment and admissions (see chapter 1, section on liaison processors, and chapter 4,

Applications and Admissions). As recruited students move from admitted applicants to enrolled

graduate students, the GPDC advises newly enrolled students, in consultation with the student’s

mentor when one has been identified, on a plan of study and course selection.

The GPDC may review and update unit-specific templates available for students interested in

specific concentrations of study and is, in fact, a lead advisor to unit graduate students in matters of

curriculum, degree requirements, and graduate policy. The GPDC should also, in conjunction with

the graduate student’s mentor, if applicable, closely monitor the student’s progress towards degree

completion, to implement corrective action should a significant academic or other impediment to

expected progress arise. The unit should consider yearly progress forms for graduate students for

the above stated purpose. Students should apply for graduation at least one semester prior to

completion of the requirements of the degree or certificate. During the semester of graduation,

the GPDC is responsible for reviewing each applicant’s Degree Work’s audit to verify all degree

requirements have been met. If substitutions or exceptions are needed, the GPDC should submit

those electronically to the Registrar’s Office. If the student is not eligible for graduation in the term

in which he/she has applied, the student or GPDC should contact the Registrar’s office

(regis@ecu.edu) to have the application amended to a future term.

2.3. Award, Scholarship, Assistantship, Remission Decisions

Oversight of allocation of awards of graduate student support (scholarships, graduate assistantships,

nonresident tuition remissions) is another major responsibility of the GPDC, one that begins with

recruitment. The overall planning to achieve effective utilization of resources for graduate education

in the unit necessitates careful planning and balancing of financial support packages, including

assistantships and remissions. The GPDC, in consultation with the unit chair and the unit graduate

faculty/graduate committee (dependent upon unit code) will decide on allocation of assistantships

and tuition remissions. The GPDC’s office will maintain the records and balances of these financial

support packages. Allocations for assistantships and tuition remissions are distributed from the

Graduate School at the direction of the dean of the Graduate School. The Business Services

Coordinator of the Graduate School maintains records and initiates distributions of these resources

to the colleges, which then allocate these resources to the individual units. The Graduate School is

involved in all steps of this process.

2.4. Professional Development Workshops for Graduate Students

Workshops for departmental training are the responsibility of the GPDC. For those units where

graduate students will be involved in teaching or assisting with teaching undergraduate courses, the

workshops must include a section on the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also

known as the Buckley Amendment. Graduate students involved in teaching, just as for faculty

members, have a legal responsibility under FERPA to protect confidentiality of student records in

their possession. The GPDC and their respective office must also maintain complete and confidential

academic records of the students in the program. Additional topics for introductory workshops

include education on academic honesty/plagiarism in teaching situations and for the graduate

students’ own research/creative activity endeavors.

2.5. Student Conduct and Conflict Issues

While graduate student code-of-conduct topics are introduced at unit workshops, the GPDC may

need to deal with these matters throughout the academic year. The GPDC is among the first line of

advocacy in support of graduate students, while balancing the implementation of quality standards

and enforcement of academic policies and procedures of ECU and the Graduate School. Conflicts

that arise between undergraduate students and graduate students, and conflicts that arise between

graduate students and faculty members, come before the GPDC as a first step when a conflict is not

immediately resolved.

The unit chair should be notified of all such conflicts that reach the GPDC, and the unit graduate

committee may be consulted for final decisions, dependent upon the unit code. The GPDC should

serve as an advocate for the rights of graduate students in general and attempt to mediate a

resolution among the affected parties. Dependent upon the type of conflict, resolution may depend

upon an interpretation or implementation of the student code of conduct

(http://www.ecu.edu/PRR/11/30/01), Graduate Student Grade Appeals procedure

(https://catalog.ecu.edu/content.php?catoid=29&navoid=2593) or the Graduate School Appeals

Procedure for grievances (http://catalog.ecu.edu/index.php?catoid=24 ). The college in which the

unit resides may have a faculty member/administrator (often an associate dean) that needs to

become involved if the conflict is not resolved at the unit level.

2.6. Graduate Course and Curriculum Development

Graduate program curricula frequently undergo changes. The GPDC is responsible for oversight of

course and curriculum development. Typically, a graduate committee is also involved in this process,

in consultation with the unit chair. Any faculty member proposing a new course or any changes to

established curriculum should first consult with the GPDC. Course and curriculum proposals will be

voted on by the unit graduate faculty, and all graduate courses must be taught by individuals with

16 
 
ECU graduate faculty credentials (minimum of graduate teaching faculty as well as being ECU faculty 
members). The Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) (https://gradschool.ecu.edu/council-
committees/) has curriculum liaisons appointed from each college to assist with the preparation of 
course and/or curriculum proposals. Graduate academic program development also involves and is 
guided by the GPDC. The curriculum liaisons should be consulted before submission of any graduate 
material to the GCC to ensure proper university permissions, justifications, and formatting are in 
place for consideration of the proposal by GCC. The Office of Academic Program Planning and 
Development is the resource for initiating and refining new and revised academic programs. 
2.7. Additional Duties 
2.7.1. Graduate Faculty Appointments and Rank 
Additional duties of the GPDC include overseeing processes of unit graduate faculty requests and 
unit graduate program evaluation and assessment. ECU faculty directly involved in graduate 
education must be members of the ECU graduate faculty. Appointment requires meeting unit 
qualifications that are set forth in accord with processes dictated by the Faculty Manual (ECU 
Faculty Manual, Part II, Section IV, formerly Appendix F). This section of the Faculty Manual also 
defines the graduate faculty ranks and delineates the terms and schedule for reappointment to the 
graduate faculty, as well as for determination of unit criteria for membership in the graduate faculty 
when new or revised criteria are needed. Both processes are overseen by the GPDC. Faculty chairing 
or serving on thesis or dissertation committees must have appropriate graduate faculty rank (see 
ECU Faculty Manual, Part II, Section IV). At least three members of a thesis or dissertation 
committee must have either associate graduate faculty status or full graduate faculty status except 
for the additional conditions described in detail in the Faculty Manual (ECU Faculty Manual, Part II, 
Section IV) and outlined below. 
Briefly, the process for appointing an ECU faculty member to graduate faculty rank is initiated at the 
unit level. For individuals with permanent tenure, the appointment to the graduate faculty is for five 
years. Upon recommendation of the graduate faculty of the code unit, typically accomplished by 
vote, the nomination is forwarded to the dean of the Graduate School, along with documentation 
such as a curriculum vita and a checklist or other unit-approved method of determining appropriate 
graduate faculty rank. Often the associate dean for research and/or graduate studies of your 
respective college must also be notified. Please check with your respective department/college 

concerning possible college/school notification requirements (see last paragraph in this section).

The letter of nomination or email from the appropriate unit administrator states the requested

graduate faculty rank and that this request has been approved by the graduate faculty of the unit.

The dean of the Graduate School or designee will review the recommendation and documentation

sent by the academic unit to determine if it is consistent with the unit’s criteria and appointment

procedures.

All tenure-track faculty holding the appropriate terminal degree for the discipline in which they hold

their appointments are deemed to be members of the graduate teaching faculty upon their initial

appointments. The Graduate School needs to be notified of these individuals as they begin their

contracts at ECU, along with documentation such as a curriculum vita, to initiate the graduate

(teaching) faculty appointment. These faculty members may be nominated for higher graduate

faculty rank if meeting unit code and faculty manual guidelines, following the described procedures.

Tenure track faculty should be re-nominated for the graduate faculty as part of the contract renewal

process immediately prior to the expiration of their term on the graduate faculty. For faculty on

probationary appointments, the term on the graduate faculty is coterminous with the length of that

appointment or four years, whichever is longer.

Individuals external to ECU with demonstrated expertise in the area of study in a thesis or

dissertation may serve on, but not chair, a thesis or dissertation committee. The external

member should have a terminal degree in an appropriate discipline or extensive professional

experience. This appointment must be approved by the faculty Graduate Program Director or

Coordinator and the unit graduate faculty members serving on the thesis or dissertation

committee. The Graduate Program Director will maintain a record of external members’

credentials (academic CV or resume) in case they are needed for external review.

Individuals appointed to major administrative assignments (department chairs and above) who are

members or associate members of the graduate faculty at the time of their appointment are exempt

from the re-nomination process until five years after the expiration of the administrative

appointment. Individuals with other administrative appointments may be considered for a waiver by

the Graduate Council upon nomination by their code units, see ECU Faculty Manual, Part II, Section

IV for details.

Individual colleges may require notification of an associate dean of research and/or graduate studies

of the respective college when requesting graduate faculty appointments of any rank, as well as

external thesis/dissertation committee members, as part of the process. Note that external

thesis/dissertation committee members are not in the BIC database due to technical limitations.

Please check with your appropriate college associate dean about the respective college processes

for all graduate faculty appointments for your college.

2.7.2. Academic Program Review and GPDCs

Graduate programs, as with undergraduate programs, undergo periodic review. At ECU, these

reviews are coordinated by the Office of Assessment in IPAR (https://ipar.ecu.edu/assessment/ )

and tied to credentialing of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). East Carolina

University is accredited by SACS. Some units, including most professional programs, have their own

specialized accrediting bodies. Where applicable, accreditation of a graduate program by an external

accrediting body may be substituted for ECU’s periodic internal program review. ECU conducts

graduate program review, at both internal and external levels, approximately every seven years. The

GPDC participates in the planning and conducting of the graduate portions of these reviews, as well

as the supervision and authoring of the graduate portion of these reviews.

Chapter 3: Graduate Student Employment

3.1. Duties and Responsibilities for Graduate Students – Work Assignments

When a graduate student is hired to work as a research, teaching, or administrative assistant on a

graduate assistantship contract, the job duties must be specified in the contract. These duties must

directly relate to the teaching, research, or service-learning mission of the supervising faculty

member and should be reviewed by the Graduate Program Director. Duties or tasks that fall outside

of the faculty member’s employment at ECU are not appropriate.

Graduate Assistants (GAs) are considered salaried employees and as such should not be completing

time sheets. Similarly, stockpiling of hours not worked is not appropriate. GAs should work “on

average” the number of hours each week they are contracted. If the student is not provided enough

work for the number of hours contracted, the student should not be asked to add them to the next

week’s total hours. If a graduate assistant IS provided enough work, but is not working the hours,

then that is a personnel employment concern and should be dealt with by the GPD/hiring official. If

a graduate assistant is going to be needed for hours above what is contracted in a week on an

infrequent basis, this should be discussed prior to the overage and hours in subsequent weeks

should be adjusted to accommodate. The student’s academic workload should be considered when

assigning duties to ensure the student is successful in their academic program. No graduate

assistant (teacher, research, or administrative) should be asked to complete personal tasks (e.g.,

caring for children, running errands, mailing personal items such as holiday cards, etc.) for faculty or

staff as a part of their assistantship hours.

3.1.1. Graduate Teaching Assistants – Examples of Appropriate Tasks

• Grading of assignments, tests, projects, and recording grades in gradebook (of an

undergraduate class; it is never appropriate for a graduate student to view or have access

to another graduate student’s (one at the same “level-degree program”) grades or grading

process.

• Creating slides or course materials from content provided by the course instructor.

• Developing content as per the syllabus, course objectives, and program requirements.

• Teaching laboratory sections, course lectures (under supervision or as instructor-of-record),

online or face-to-face.

• Holding office hours to assist students with assignments, review, or assisting students to

obtain clarification on assigned content.

3.1.2. Graduate Teaching Assistants – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks

• Grading in courses at the same level as themselves (e.g., a master’s student should never

grade the work of another master’s, or doctoral student, only undergraduate students;

master’s students should never see the gradebook for master’s or doctoral students, only

undergraduate students.

• Developing course content of any kind for courses in the same level as the student should

never occur, whether the student has already taken the course or not. Master’s students

should not develop course content for master’s or doctoral courses. No student should ever

create course content. No student should ever create course content for a course that they

will be taking during their program of study.

3.1.3. Graduate Research Assistants – Examples of Appropriate Tasks

• Implementing research procedures after appropriate ethics & research compliance training

(i.e., CITI modules, research ethics course, or other programmatic requirements).

• Implementing research procedures after appropriate testing.

• Writing, reviewing, editing UMCIRB or IACUC proposals after appropriate training.

• Writing, reviewing, editing research proposals, manuscript drafts, or grant applications after

appropriate training.

• Cleaning, maintaining, and using research equipment after appropriate training.

3.1.4. Graduate Research Assistants – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks

• Use of any research procedure or equipment prior to the completion of the required CITI

modules or any other training required by the laboratory, unit/department, or program.

3.1.5. Graduate Assistants (Not Research nor Teaching) – Examples of Appropriate Tasks11

• Official tasks including typing, filing, answering phones, greeting customers, etc., after

appropriate education on the business purposes and training.

• Implementing office procedures such as equipment inventory, preparing supply lists,

photocopying or preparation of course materials for department faculty (except for creating

course content when not a graduate teaching assistant).

3.1.6. Graduate Assistants (Not Research nor Teaching) – Examples of Inappropriate Tasks

• Access to financial information without proper training and without proper approvals

through appropriate ECU systems.

• Access to employee records or personnel information without proper training and without

proper approvals through ECU systems.

• Access to FERPA or HIPAA protected information without proper training and without

proper approvals through ECU systems.

3.2. Scheduling, Timesheets, and Pay

Most university units train their own staff, but if you would benefit from additional training in your

role as a student-hiring manager, please contact Alexis Morris [email protected]. Graduate

assistants must not work prior to the start date of their contract or after the end date of their

contract. International students must be in Greenville and have employment paperwork

completed prior to their start date.

I-9 forms must be completed within 3 days of the contract start date or the student CANNOT be

paid.

3.2.1. Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) became effective January 1, 2014, and mandates that employees that

average 30 hours or more per week will be eligible for employer-paid healthcare coverage. While

students under federal/state work-study programs may be exempted, all other students, e.g.,

students under assistantships or grants, are covered under the ACA. Most ECU students average

well under 30+ hours per week to focus on their academic programs, and faculty should ensure that

students do not exceed 25 hours per week in total of all campus jobs, as established by ECU, as

penalties for exceeding allowable work hours under the ACA are significant. Individual departments

that have received any exemption approval and employ students for more than 25 hours will be

financially responsible for funding health insurance if the student is eligible under the ACA.

If you have any questions, please contact Lee Ann Goff, Director of University Benefits at

goffle@ecu.edu or 252-328-9825.

3.2.2. ECU Student Employee Data Confidentiality Agreement

ECU students in any position - job, internship, or volunteer – must complete a data confidentiality

agreement, found online in Cornerstone. The student will be prompted to login and complete all

these courses once their hiring documentation has been approved:

• IT Security Training

• Unlawful Harassment Prevention for Staff

• EEO Laws & Discrimination Prevention

• Preventing Discrimination & Sexual Violence

• Confidentiality Agreement

Please confirm completion by your student. For any problems with student access, contact

hireapir[email protected]. Supervisors can find a list of students who have completed this form on the

SEO Desktop resources database. It is the supervisor’s responsibility, with guidance from the

Graduate Program Director/Coordinator, to assure the students have complied with this and all

other requirements.

3.2.3. When Hourly Student Jobs Should End?

The enrollment status of students working in your area need to be monitored. Once it is known that

a student will not be returning and the final timesheet has been submitted, the unit must end the

job.

3.2.4. Student Jobs: Beginning Hourly Job Steps

Once a student has accepted a position, an I-9 form must be completed at the Student Employment

Office. An Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF) must next be completed for all new employees

including graduate students on payroll. Full instructions for the EPAF and other Banner processes

are available on the university’s HR Information system at https://humanresources.ecu.edu/

Students should also complete these forms:

• Signed Graduate Contract

• Terms and Conditions

• Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS) form – for teaching assistants only

These forms should be submitted to the payroll office:

• Income Tax forms

• Direct Deposit forms32.2.5. Student Jobs: Ending Hourly Job Steps

• Start with a new EPAF.

• Select Student Banner ID.

• Select the correct suffix. Students may have more than one job, therefore, be cautious of

ending a job in another unit.

• Use a query date of the 15

or last day of the month when ending jobs.

• Approval category is A – End Additional Job (employee is not separating) EJ0001.

3.2.6. ECU Security Access

If a student has received security access for a job in your area/unit, it must end when the student

leaves the position. This process is not automatic and is regularly audited. Supervisors submit this

request BEFORE an employee's separation date to remove access to IT systems.

The current Account Termination Request is here:

https://ecu.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1409/Portal/Requests/ServiceCatalog?CategoryID=11637

3.2.7. Approving Timesheets for Hourly Students (not Assistantships)

Supervisors are responsible for reviewing and approving the students’ worktime and must confirm

the hours worked by students before submitting the totals to the Payroll office. Do not project

future hours when submitting or approving time for the student.

3.2.8. Student Pay

Departments determine the pay level for student employees, although it must be at least minimum

wage. Departments should review budgets and determine pay based upon job requirements,

available funds, and the student’s qualifications. You should monitor student hours worked and

submit time accordingly. All students completing the same/similar tasks must be paid equally. If

there are differing rates of pay, the department must have a published policy demonstrating the

rates and the rationales for different wages.

3.3. New Hire Documents

3.3.1. Employment Eligibility Verification Form, I-9

All new student employees must complete the Electronic I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

Form, through HireRight. An EPAF will be returned if the employee does not have an I-9 on file.

Students must have a signed I9 within 3 days of a contract start date or they cannot be paid.

Student employment maintains a current I-9 list on Pirate Drive Desktop Resources. Check the I-9 list

before asking your new hire/graduate student to complete the form. If the employee/graduate

student does not have an I-9 on file, the student must complete one.

All the information below is needed before an electronic invitation for an I-9 form can be sent to the

prospective student employee. The student will receive an invitation from HireRight and an email

from Student Employment and is time sensitive.

Send an email with the following information to hireapri[email protected], information required:

1. Full name

2. Banner ID

3. Pirate ID (email address)

4. Department name

5. Department contact email address

6. Direct supervisor

7. Start date

8. State or Non-State (The fund the student will be paid)

Student Employment will send the HireRight I-9 invitation, along with an email confirmation with:

1. Acceptable documents (attachment)

2. Walk-in times available to scan their original documents to complete the I-9

3. Instructions to complete the ECU Confidentiality Agreement

4. Health Insurance Notice (ACA requirement)

5. Deadline for completion

3.3.2. Tax Forms, Direct Deposit Forms, & Other

Tax forms should be completed online. Once a job is active, direct your student employee to

complete tax forms through PiratePort > Banner Self Service. Do not have the student complete

paper tax forms.

Direct deposit forms are completed by the employee (graduate student) at the discretion of ECU

departments. Authorization for Direct Deposit is a paper document and should always be reviewed

for completion and hand delivered to the payroll office, not sent through campus mail.

Authorization for Direct Deposit can be found at: https://financialservices.ecu.edu/payroll/

Timesheets must be used by Self-Help and Federal Work Study (not Graduate Assistants, see below)

graduate students. Supervisors must review and approve hours submitted by the student and

submit the record to the Payroll Office. Employees (graduate students) submit hours by one of two

methods: 1) web time entry though Banner Self-Service (MOST COMMON), and 2) mass time entry,

completed by the supervisor, through Banner Human Resources. Banner training website:

https://www.ecu.edu/banner Note: The departments that are using Kronos should continue to

follow the Kronos process.

Graduate Assistants do not keep timesheets, as they are considered salaried and are required to

have a signed contract. GA information can be obtained from the Graduate School website in the

Assistantship Administration SharePoint site: https://gradschool.ecu.edu/assistantship-

administration/.

Undergraduate Assistants do not keep timesheets, as they are considered salaried and are required

to have a signed contract. Information can be obtained from the Student Employment Office.

Nepotism rules dictate that no one shall be employed at ECU if their employment causes them to

supervise an immediate family member, or have influence over an immediate family member’s

employment, promotion, salary administration or other related management or personnel

considerations.

Export Controls are federal laws that regulate the exporting of materials, information, or services

related to sensitive or controlled technologies, equipment, software, and biological, chemical, and

select agents. Graduate students should be made aware of these restrictions.

3.4. Students with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) outlines the

federal laws protecting otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination. The ADA

requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants for

employment unless it would be an undue hardship.

A supervisor may become aware of a student applicant’s disability when scheduling an accessible

interview location, or to request reasonable accommodations necessary for the student to perform

the employment responsibilities. The supervisor must avoid asking about a disability unless a

reasonable accommodation is requested. Any questions must be limited to whether the applicant is

able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without a reasonable

accommodation. A supervisor need not alter essential functions of a position to accommodate a

disabled applicant; in the event an applicant would be unable to perform essential functions of a

position, the applicant would not be otherwise qualified for the position.

A student who claims to have a qualified disability must report it to the ECU Office of Disability

Support Services. This office will work with the student to gather documentation, verify the qualified

disability, and identify reasonable accommodations. The student may also sign a consent form for

the Office of Disability Support Services to release information and to discuss the disability condition

and reasonable accommodations with the student’s supervisor. Any questions about student

applicants or Student employees with disabilities should be addressed to the Office of Disability

Support Services at https://accessibility.ecu.edu/.

Chapter 4: Applications and Admissions

4.1. Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must have earned a bachelor's

degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university, or from an international

institution with equivalent accreditation as determined by one of our pre-approved foreign

transcript evaluation services. ECU preferred foreign transcript evaluation servicer’s include World

Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), International Education

Evaluations, Inc. (IEE), and SpanTran. We will accept evaluations from other NACES affiliated

servicers in instances when an applicant has secured a transcript evaluation prior to the date they

made application to ECU. If a student does not have a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree, but

has a regionally accredited master’s degree, then this is sufficient to be considered for admission. A

list of regional accrediting bodies is available at https://www.chea.org/directories.

Applications are not complete until the Graduate School receives, at a minimum, the following

documents:

• Completed online application: https://gradschool.ecu.edu/apply/

• Non-refundable application fee: $75 payable by credit card at the time of application

submission

• Official transcripts: required for any earned post-secondary degree (bachelor’s and higher)

and all post-secondary coursework completed within the last 5 years. Additional transcripts

are required for transfer credits in excess of 50% of the credits required for the post-

secondary degree. If the applicant is currently enrolled in a college or university, they must

submit an official transcript showing the current enrollment, as well as a final official

transcript with grades and/or the awarded degree. Applicants who attended ECU do not

need to request an ECU transcript. Unless they were in attendance prior to 1991 or have a

hold on their account, the Graduate School will receive the ECU transcript automatically.

• Official standardized test scores: GRE/MAT/GMAT/CASPer scores must be sent directly to

the Graduate School from the testing service. If the program has pre-approved entrance

waiver scenarios, the program director still needs to send the Graduate School an email

communication indicating their desire to waive the GRE/MAT/GMAT/CASPer requirement

on behalf of a regular applicant, and under which scenario. If you’re advocating for a waiver

based on professional experience, please make sure you’ve validated the applicant’s

employment history and include a resume with your request to the Graduate School.

In instances when a program identifies additional requirements beyond the Graduate School

minimum, the Graduate School will collect those documents as well, as part of the admission

process. All required documents must be received before an application is considered complete.

Examples of program-specific requirements include, but aren’t limited to:

• Recommendations letters are submitted electronically from people who know the

prospective student’s academic record and potential for graduate study.

• Statement of purpose – essay describing the applicants’ academic interests and how they

would intend to pursue them in the graduate program at ECU. The applicants state their

academic interests as clearly as possible and include reasons why ECU is the best

opportunity for them to pursue these interests.

• Resume/CV.

• Supplemental Application, where applicable.

• North Carolina Licensure, where applicable.

• TOEFL or IELTS, where applicable.

4.2. Deadlines

The application deadline is the date by which the Graduate School should receive the online

application, application fee, supporting documents, and official test scores (if required). Programs

can have earlier deadline dates and only admit students to specific academic terms. The Graduate

School's cut-off deadlines, international deadlines, and the early deadlines for specific programs are

published on Find Your Program.

Operationally, the Graduate School will continue to process applications for programs for about one

week after the advertised deadline to provide sufficient time for supporting documents that may

have been sent by traditional mail to be received, or until such time that individual programs notify

us that they have reached their enrollment capacity for a given term. Regardless of your program’s

published deadline, please contact the Graduate School to notify us when you no longer wish to

have students apply for the term. The International Priority deadline is to encourage international

applicants to complete the application process early, particularly since they have additional

paperwork required involving government agencies. The Cut-Off Deadline is the last day an

application and fee can be submitted for new Degree, Certificate, and Non-Degree applications. For

international applications, programs are encouraged to submit their admission decision to the

Graduate School by June 15

for fall semesters and by November 15

for spring semesters, to

ensure paperwork can be processed in time for a student to arrive in the US.

4.2.1. Graduate School Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Summer I/11-week

Summer II

International

Priority

February 1

September 1

December 15

Cut-off

August 1

December 15

May 1

June 15

Note: The Graduate School advertises the latest date we can accept applications for each term (cut-

off date) based on the academic calendar and needed processing time to reasonably ensure an

accepted applicant can register for courses before the schedule change period concludes, and this

includes time needed for data transference and sharing between disparate software systems that

require overnight processing and validation. These deadlines are not arbitrary and there is little

opportunity to grant exceptions. Late adds have been allowed up through the third day of the

academic term for extenuating circumstances, and in instances when the applicant is able to

guarantee that all application elements can be provided immediately. More often than not,

approved late applications are former students seeking readmission and non-degree applicants.

4.3. Application Process

4.3.1. Application Submission and Fee Payment

Applicants must create an application account at https://gradschool.ecu.edu/apply/. They should

retain their account and password information in order to access the system and check the status of

their application.

Upon accessing the application website, applicants must select the following:

Application Type

The applicant must choose “New Graduate Applicant,” “Previous Graduate Applicant,” and

“Returning Graduate Applicant”

An applicant may select “Returning Graduate Applicant” if they are applying to the same program

and meet any of the following criteria:

• Took a leave of absence within the last 3 years

• Admitted to a program within the last year but did not enroll

• Submitted an application but did not complete it

• Completed an application but did not receive an admission decision

If an applicant selects “Returning Graduate Applicant”, they will be provided information on the

possibility of qualifying to re-use the application fee submitted with the previous application.

Additionally, applicable materials previously submitted will be applied to the new application.

An applicant may select “Previous Graduate Applicant” if they previously made application to the

Graduate School at any point. This will alert the processor to check the applicants Banner and

Xtender record for previously submitted transcripts and/or test scores.

Degree Type

After selecting their application type, an applicant will be asked to identify what program they are

intending to pursue.

Master's: for application to traditional Master's degree program

Doctoral: for application to doctoral program (PhD, EdD, DPT, AuD, DNP, and includes nondoctoral

advanced EdS)

Certificate: for application to post-baccalaureate and post-master's certificate program

Non-Degree: for students interested in taking graduate courses, but not interested in obtaining a

graduate degree or certificate. Typical applicants may include visiting students, individuals taking

courses for personal/professional enrichment, or individuals taking prerequisite courses.

Note: Individuals with earned UG degrees seeking additional coursework for teaching licensure only,

should complete the UG Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure application which is managed by UG

Admissions. The College of Education provides additional guidance about the Licensure-Only

pathway at

https://www2.ecu.edu/coe/web/OEP/OCE/Licensure%20Only%20Step%20by%20step%20guide.pdf.

Program and Concentration

After selecting an application type and degree type, applicants are then directed to select an

academic program and concentration, if applicable, then an anticipated entry term.

Note: When a program does not admit for a specific term, that entry term will not populate for

selection. If a program’s deadline has passed and do not have an open application cycle, the

program will not populate for any applicant. (Example: If an applicant attempts to apply for a

Summer start date after December 15

but the program only accepts for the Spring term, neither the

program nor term will populate. Prior to December 15

, the program will populate but only with the

Spring term availability)

Applicants will complete the rest of the required information, including demographic details,

academic background, residency information, and campus safety/conduct information. Program-

specific requirements may only be submitted after the initial online application is submitted.

Following submission of the online application document, applicants will receive information on

logging into their Applicant Portal to upload required material. To upload their documents, an

applicant must log into their portal and use the GR Supplemental Docs widget found on the Apply

tab. Documents will only show as received on their checklist once all items have been fulfilled and the

supplemental document containing these items has been submitted.

An applicant can apply for admission to only one program per application. To be considered for an

additional program, the applicant must submit an additional application (and fee) for that program,

however the same transcripts can be utilized for both applications.

4.3.2. Application Materials Received by Graduate School

Applicants upload applicable required supplemental items to their application account.

Supplemental application materials must be received electronically through the application account.

Applicants will also add the name and email addresses of recommenders, who will receive an email

notification to submit an electronic recommendation letter for the applicant. An applicant will have

the ability to update their recommenders, if necessary, through their Applicant Portal, as well as

send reminders to recommenders.

GPDCs have access to all materials submitted by the applicants and the recommenders in TargetX

through the App Review Tool (ART) when the application is complete. GPDCs may monitor the

checklist item completion for each applicant in TargetX throughout the admissions process.

GPA is calculated for applicants using the following guidelines:

Undergraduate GPA

• GPA at the time of graduation with first undergraduate degree using the final GPA from the

transcript of degree-granting institution.

Post-Baccalaureate GPA

• Courses completed for an earned graduate degree.

• 18 hours or more of post-baccalaureate courses, graduate or undergraduate

• Second undergraduate degree

Straight-through programs (RN-MSN, Doctorate with no bachelor’s degree)

• Courses separated into undergraduate, and graduate based on level

• If the course is level 100(0), 200(0), 300(0), or 400(0), it is undergraduate. If the course is

500(0) or higher, then it is considered a graduate course

4.3.3. Application Complete and Routed to Program

Once the application is complete (submitted, fee paid, all application materials received, residency

confirmed through RDS, etc.), the application materials are routed to the program admissions

committee for review via ART. Reviewers traditionally receive email notifications when there are

new applications ready for review, however, program admissions committee members are

encouraged to proactively check their ART accounts with regularity – preferably every couple of

days.

4.4. Admission Decisions

Admissions to a graduate program at East Carolina University is based on an evaluation of an

applicant’s overall record, experience, personal qualifications, and proposed area of study.

Applications and supporting credentials are reviewed by the Office of Graduate Admissions and by

the graduate program to which the applicant is seeking admission. The criteria used for admission

decisions vary according to programs and schools/colleges and reflect an evaluation of the

applicant’s potential for graduate work.

The program reviews the application materials for the admission or rejection decisions; each

graduate program decides on the admissibility of its students, although Graduate School regulations

govern the criteria for the classification of graduate student status. The program’s decision is

submitted via App Review Tool. The Graduate School enters the decision into TargetX, and any

related holds are placed on the applicant’s record. An electronic admission letter is generated that

notifies the applicant of the Admission or Rejection decision recommended by the program.

Subsequent emails are sent with the student’s Pirate ID, Banner ID, email address, and additional

information about setting up their student account.

Prospective students may apply simultaneously for more than one graduate program, but a separate

application is required for each program. Any transcripts and test scores submitted will be used

toward both applications; duplicates are not required.

National data indicates that a large percentage of advanced degree applicants accept the first offer

of admission extended. It is imperative to our enrollment management initiatives that program

directors and admission committee members make decisions on completed applications with

expediency. While email notifications of completed applications are launched by our systems

automatically, technological glitches can and have occurred in the past, therefore it’s important to

get into the habit of proactively checking our App Review Tool every couple of days to see if you

have applications awaiting your review and decision.

4.4.1. Regular Admission

The Graduate Council has established guidelines for regular admission and allows for admission by

exception for students not meeting those guidelines. When considering students for admission, a

holistic approach must be taken with no cutoff thresholds for test scores or GPA stated on websites

or materials distributed to students, as applicants may be considered for both regular and by admit-

by-exception admission. This approach follows national best practices for graduate schools. The

Educational Testing Service (ETS) recommends, if reporting or advertising scores, using a range of

scores (highest and lowest score) rather than means or medians. They state in their GRE Guide to

the Use of Scores that “A cut-off score (i.e., a minimum score) should never be used as the only

criterion for denial of admission or awarding of a fellowship. No single GRE score or GPA should be

used to judge the ability of a student to succeed in graduate education. Multiple factors must be

considered for applicant admissibility including but not limited to senior level GPA, work and/or

research experience, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and other program criterion

that may be indicators of an applicant’s ability to be successful in your curriculum.

To qualify for regular admission to a degree program, an applicant must have either an overall GPA

of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work or a graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants

may also be considered for Admit-by-Exception (section 3.4.2).

Certificate programs require a 2.5 undergraduate GPA or a 3.0 graduate GPA for regular admission

and may not require a standardized test.

Regarding entrance exam requirements for degree programs, individual programs that desire

GRE/MAT/GMAT waiver opportunities based on specific scenarios are encouraged to submit

permanent entrance exam waiver proposals for review to the Dean of the Graduate School and the

Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Management. The proposal must include the

justification for the request, and the specifics of what conditions/scenario the applicants must

achieve in order to qualify for the waiver.

For example:

• Applicants who earned an ECU undergraduate degree with a specific GPA in an identified

major that is relevant to the graduate program

• Applicants who are members of a national honor society related to the program of study

• Applicants who complete the related certificate with a specific GPA

• Applicants in good standing in the ECU Honors College

Once the program has received approval for an exam waiver, they are welcome to promote it within

the current ECU undergraduate population, on the website, in recruitment materials, etc.

To facilitate the use of the test waiver for an applicant, the program director must send an email to

the Graduate Admissions office at [email protected] to request that the waiver be added to the

applicant’s record. The Graduate School does not make this determination, nor do we notify the

program if we believe someone may qualify. The Graduate School provides the appropriate

information for programs to make admission decisions; we do not waive required documents

independently and we do not make admission decisions for degree or certificate programs.

International applicants are required to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or PTE with a qualifying

score. Applicants must earn a total score of:

• 78, with at least 18 on each part, on the TOEFL

• 6.5 on the IELTS

• 105 on the Duolingo

• 65, with 60 on each section for the PTE

Individual programs may establish standards that are more stringent. If English is the primary

language in the country the applicant is a citizen of, or if the applicant has earned a US degree, the

English Proficiency Exam will be waived or not required.

Admission decisions are based on a multitude of factors beyond GPA and test scores and may vary

by program. The Graduate School requests that programs communicate their admission criteria

and individual requirements (excluding test scores and GPA unless it is shown as a range for

students accepted into your specific program over the past two to three years) directly to

applicants, not referring them to the Graduate School for this purpose.

4.4.2. Admission by Exception

Some programs may recommend admission by exception (AE) for a limited number of applicants

who do not qualify academically for regular admission but have other offsetting strengths. The

program must provide a brief justification for the admission recommendation on the ART review. If

the Graduate School is not in agreement with the program’s recommendation, the student will be

rejected. The program may appeal the Graduate School’s decision to the Graduate Council.

Admission by exception requires the student to earn a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the first 9 or more

completed hours to remain in the program. Typically, a hold is placed on the student’s registration

for the subsequent term until grades are posted and can be evaluated by the Graduate School.

Students who are admitted under Admit by Exception status will still have the AE designation on

their record and will have to meet the academic requirements as such, but the AE hold will NOT

prevent registration in the subsequent terms. AE students will still be reviewed each term to

document whether they are making progress towards a 3.0 or not. Program directors are asked to

follow these students carefully to ensure course registration is appropriate.

Students who are admitted by exception (AE) will be eligible for assistantship support at a reduced

number of hours equivalent to ½ the full-time workload (up to 10 hours per week). Program

directors may request an exception, for a full-time workload (up to 20 hours per week) on a case-by-

case basis for individual students close to the cut-off with a suitable justification. Students admitted

by exception can attain full graduate standing after completion of 9 or more graduate credit hours

with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Programs may establish higher or additional academic standards for

continuation for students that are admitted by exception.

4.4.3. Provisional Admission

Applicants also may be admitted under provisional admission status, indicating that one or more

required final documents have not been received by the Graduate School at the time of admission.

These documents may include official final transcripts with degree and conferral date posted, or a

final official transcript evaluation for an international transcript. The student is allowed to register

for the first term of admission and can apply for financial aid, but the aid will not be applied until the

required document(s) are received by the Graduate School. Registration for future terms is

restricted pending receipt of the final document(s). The credentials that have been received must be

strong enough to warrant a decision pending receipt of the final document. Provisional admission is

used either to recruit highly qualified students or to admit students who have not yet completed

their undergraduate degree. Provisional admission is not automatic and therefore must be

requested for a student if the program decided it would like the student to be admitted. In instances

of provisional admission, it is up to the programs to qualify whether an applicant has met

prerequisites and other academic qualifiers upon receipt of final documentation.

4.4.4. Professional Admission

GPDCs may review applicants for Professional Track admission consideration. Applicants whose

undergraduate degree is approximately 5-7 years old and/or have extensive professional experience

related to the intended program of study may be eligible to seek admission through the professional

admissions policy upon recommendation of the GPDC. These requirements can be somewhat

flexible with appropriate justification.

4.4.5. Conditional Admission

Programs may elect to participate in conditional admission, which is reserved for international

applicants only. Programs basically agree to review an international applicant’s credentials without

the submission of a TOEFL or IELTS score for the specific purpose of determining whether the

applicant would be admissible for a future semester pending successful completion of ECU’s

Language Academy or degree program in the US prior to full admission to ECU. Conditional

admission requires successful completion of a language academy or program in the US prior to full

admission to ECU. Applicants pursuing conditional admission must submit all other required items.

Upon completion of the Language Academy and any other condition of admission, the applicant will

be eligible for full admission and may begin taking graduate courses at ECU. Information about

ECU’s Language Academy (ECULA) may be found at the following link: https://global-

affairs.ecu.edu/intensive-english-program/ .

4.4.6. Other Admission Decision Types

Reject – An applicant is not selected for admission.

Waitlist – A limited number of programs with competitive, cohort-driven programs utilize this

decision code in instances when they have more highly qualified applicants than program capacity

and they wish to reserve some spots to backfill enrollment should space become available. The use

of this decision code requires special approval by the Graduate School along with the development

of communication and monitoring processes.

Withdraw Before Decision– Select this decision in ART when a student contacts you and advises

that they are no longer considering your program. If a student contacts you after they have already

been admitted telling you that they are declining your offer, please send this information to the

Graduate School via email.

Change Term – If you or the student request a deferral or change of term, submit this information

to the Graduate School via the Change Term form located at the following site:

https://ecu.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Requests/ServiceCatalog?CategoryID=7722 .

Deadlines for change of terms are:

To change a term forward (ex. Spring 2024 to Summer 2024) – 3 days before census day.

To change a term backwards (Fall 2022 to Summer 2022) – add/drop day.

4.5. Certificate Programs

The admissions requirements for graduate certificate programs vary depending upon the program.

Some certificate programs require that the applicant be enrolled in a graduate degree program

while other certificate programs are designed for any person holding a baccalaureate degree. Credit

earned while enrolled in a graduate certificate program may be transferred into a degree program

with the approval of the department offering the degree program.

If a student is currently enrolled in a graduate program and would like to add a certificate, they must

fill out the “Request to Add Certificate” form at https://gradschool.ecu.edu/forms/ . This form must

be approved by both the degree and certificate program directors and reviewed by the Graduate

School. To graduate with the certificate, the student must complete a Graduate Certificate

Graduation Application. If the degree and certificate programs are not completed concurrently, the

student must submit a Request to Add a Certificate form to have the certificate added to their

record.

A maximum of one third of the required semester credit hours from another institution may be

counted toward the completion of a certificate program at ECU. Exceptions may be made with the

permission of the program director and the Dean of the Graduate School.

4.6. Non-Degree Students

The non-degree student classification is a graduate classification for students interested in taking

graduate or undergraduate courses but not interested in obtaining a graduate degree or certificate

at the time. Typical applicants may include visiting students, individuals taking courses for

personal/professional enrichment, or individuals taking prerequisite course work for later

application to a degree program. To be allowed to enroll in the non-degree classification, a student

must submit, at a minimum, a non-degree application, application fee, and a transcript showing a

bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.

4.6.1. Policies Regarding Non-Degree Students

Non-degree students are not eligible to take graduate courses in all programs. Non-degree students

should seek the permission of the GPDC in the department offering the course(s) prior to applying. A

maximum of 9 semester hours of course work taken as a non-degree student may apply toward the

credit requirement of the degree program.

Credit earned while enrolled in a graduate certificate program may be transferred into a degree

program with the approval of the unit offering the degree program.

Requests for degree credit for courses completed as a non-degree student are considered after

admission to a graduate degree program. All non-degree course work accepted for degree credit

must be approved by the program director of the student’s department. All requests for degree

credit must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.

If credit for course work taken as a non-degree student is to be applied to a degree program, it must

be satisfactorily incorporated within the applicable time frame for completion of all degree

requirements. Furthermore, it should be identified in the student’s proposed program of study

during his/her first term of matriculation.

Course work taken as a non-degree student carries with it no implication that the student will be

admitted to a degree program in the Graduate School.

4.7. Deferred Admission, Continuous Enrollment, and Readmission

A student's record becomes inactive when they do not enroll for the semester for which they

received admission. Additionally, if the student does not enroll for a Fall or Spring semester, the

record becomes inactive. In each instance, the student must submit a readmission application to

resume courses. In certain instances, there is no fee for filing this readmission application. These

applications should be presented to the Graduate School by the priority deadline for the semester

or summer term in which the student wishes to resume graduate work. Readmission for degree and

certificate programs requires approval from the academic program. If the student has attended at

least one term since being admitted to a certificate or degree program then sits out for three or

more years, the student will be required to submit a new application for admission, with application

fee and any documents not on file with the Graduate School. Official policy on Leave of Absence and

Readmission can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

An applicant may request to defer their admission up to one year (also referred to as a change of

term). This is a decision made by the program, not the Graduate School. If you approve a request for

deferral, please submit the Change of Term form online before the change of term deadline:

https://gradschool.ecu.edu/graduate-program-director-tools/

If an applicant is denied admission into a graduate program, the applicant may be reconsidered for

admission to that same program later by reapplying and paying the application fee.

4.8. International Student Requirements

International applicants must submit the online application. International applicants must submit a

third-party course-by-course credential evaluation at the time of application as described below.

4.8.1. Transcript Requirements

The Graduate School requires a third-party course-by-course credential evaluation from the

international student’s degree-granting institution at the time of application. We accept evaluations

by World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), and International

Education Evaluations, Inc. (IEE) and other firms accredited by NACES. The evaluation must be a

course-by-course evaluation and must indicate that, at a minimum, the US equivalent of a

bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university. The grade point

equivalent for each course on the transcript must be included in the evaluation. The international

student’s application will not be complete or reviewed for an admission decision until the evaluation

is received in the Graduate School. The student must request this evaluation be delivered directly to

ECU.

4.8.2. English Language Proficiency

Standard American English is the language of instruction at East Carolina University, except in

certain foreign language programs. Adequate knowledge of that language is expected of all

students. The various departments generally evaluate students in this regard, and they may require

students to secure remedial instruction if necessary. If English is not the applicant’s native language

and they have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a post-

secondary institution in the United States, they are required to take a standardized English language

exam or successfully complete the language academy. The Graduate School accepts the Test of

English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or

Duolingo, and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. A TOEFL

score of 78 with a minimum of score of 18 on each section, IELTS score of 6.5, or Duolingo score of

115 is required to meet the language exam requirement. Successful completion of all levels of the

ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores. An

international applicant can be considered for conditional admission without the TOEFL, IELTS, or

Duolingo score. The applicant must attend and successfully complete the Language Academy and

any other applicable conditions, before admission is granted and they begin classes. More

information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available at

https://global-affairs.ecu.edu/intensive-english-program/. Individual programs may have higher

minimum requirements.

4.8.3. Financial Responsibility and the CFR

Once an international student is admitted by a program, additional information is needed from the

student. Before an international applicant's admission can be finalized, he/she must submit a

completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility (CFR). Once the CFR is approved, the applicant will

receive a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 or DS-2019).

The CFR requires the candidate to provide evidence of ability to cover all expenses, including those

of any accompanying dependents, for either 9 or 12 months. Commitments of financial support

from ECU in the form of tuition remissions, graduate assistantships, etc., are included in the

calculations to determine the student’s ability to cover expenses. Students must return the

complete CFR to the Graduate School.

4.8.4. Visas

Under immigration law, international students are divided according to their immigration

classification. Each visa type has its own eligibility requirements and restrictions.

F-1 Student - An F-1 student is a resident of a foreign country who plans to return to their home

country and is coming to the U.S. temporarily and solely for the purpose of attending a school

previously determined by the student. An F-1 student is required to demonstrate full financial

support to obtain the F-1 visa and be admitted to the U.S. as a student.

J-1 Exchange Visitor - The J-1 Exchange Visitor classification serves a variety of educational

purposes. Under this status, students, scholars, professors, and researchers may come to the U.S.

temporarily for the purpose of educational exchanges under the sponsorship of an approved

organization or institution. Students entering the country under the J-1 Exchange Visitor class of visa

may be sponsored by ECU or other outside agencies such as the Fulbright program.

Other Visa Types - In addition to F-1 and J-1 visas, there are other visa types represented among the

international student population at East Carolina University, such as H-1B, H-4, TN, TD, J-2, O, and E

visas. Because processing times at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are sometimes long

and there are many factors that must be taken into consideration when deciding to change one's

status, applicants are encouraged to begin the process early.

International students in F-1 or J-1 status must carry a full course load in each regular semester to

comply with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations. International students

in F-1 or J-1 status may not hold full-time assistantships or a combination of assistantships that

exceed 20 hours of service.

The Office of International Affairs provides assistance, information, and referrals to international

students regarding financial, personal, cultural, and academic concerns. Advisors assist international

students in maintaining their legal status while within the United States. This office also provides

expert advice regarding United States immigration regulations and helps with any problems relating

to visa status. For complete information, visit the ECU Office of Global Affairs website.

4.9. Early Admission Programs

There are a variety of ways that ECU undergraduate students may be admitted early and/or to take

graduate courses before completing the requirements for their undergraduate degree. These

programs include early assurance, the integrated bachelor’s and master’s program, the accelerated

master’s programs, the undergraduate/non-degree dual enrollment program, and the six-hour rule.

4.9.1. Early Assurance Programs

The undergraduate Honors College features Early Assurance programs to Physical Therapy (DPT),

Nursing (PhD), Medicine (MD), and Audiology (AuD/PhD). Under these programs, selected students

are guaranteed entry into these graduate programs upon completion of their undergraduate

degree, provided they satisfy program requirements. These programs are restricted to North

Carolina residents. See link for additional details from the Honors College.

4.9.2. Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

The Graduate Catalog policy for each accelerated program can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

The main policy is in the Graduate Catalog in the Admission and Readmission Section, Early

Admission to Graduate Studies.

The process is as follows: Students approved for an accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program

complete a special SharePoint form via a URL link that is provided to them by the graduate academic

program. Once the form is initiated, it is electronically routed to the Registrar’s office and Graduate

School for final review and processing. A special INTG attribute code is added to the students Banner

record by the Graduate School which helps identify the student as being an approved accelerated

bachelor’s/master’s program participant.

Departments will need to manually register accelerated program students for all graduate level

courses while they are still in undergraduate status.

Accelerated degree students must submit, via Pirate Port, their application to graduate with their

undergraduate degree at least one semester prior to completing their undergraduate requirements.

Accelerated degree participants must submit and complete a graduate school online application

for the term they seek to officially matriculate into the graduate portion of the degree, preferably

sometime in their final undergraduate year. All students must submit their application by the

programs advertised application deadline.

Accelerated degree participants and their program advisors will only be able to see their

undergraduate degree audit until the student has applied to graduate with their undergraduate

degree.

A report has been created for the Office of Financial Aid to verify what UG/GR courses the student is

taking so they can be covered by financial aid, if the student meets all other qualifying FA criterion.

4.9.3. Undergraduate /Non-Degree Graduate Dual Enrollment

Senior undergraduate students at ECU who possesses at least a 3.5 GPA in their last 30 semester

hours of undergraduate ECU course work are eligible to enroll in the Graduate School as a non-

degree student and complete up to 9 semester hours of graduate-level course work. Graduate

courses taken under the dual enrollment arrangement do not count toward completion of the

undergraduate degree. These courses are eligible to count towards the graduate degree upon

approval of the department offering the degree program. This form of dual enrollment is intended

to give a student contemplating future admission to a graduate program the opportunity to take

graduate courses while still an undergraduate. Permission must be obtained from the student’s

undergraduate advisor, the GPDC, and the Graduate School prior to admission into the Graduate

School.

4.9.4. Six-Hour Rule

ECU seniors who are within 6 semester hours or less of completion of all undergraduate degree

requirements may apply for admission to graduate degree programs. If admitted prior to the

semester or summer term during which 6 semester hours or less and any remaining requirements

must be completed, they may enroll in 5000- or 6000-level courses applicable to graduate degree

requirements. Graduate courses taken under the “six-hour rule” do not double count toward

completion of the undergraduate degree.

Successful applicants must complete all remaining undergraduate degree requirements during the

semester or summer term to which they are admitted. Failure to fulfill this requirement will result in

cancellation of admission to graduate degree study and enrollment in any 6000-level courses will be

invalidated.

No more than 12 graduate credit hours may be taken prior to the conferral of the undergraduate

degree unless specific written approval is given by the dean of the Graduate School.

4.10. Withdrawal

When a graduate student drops all university courses in a semester in which he or she is enrolled,

the student must officially withdraw from the university. Students seeking to withdraw for reasons

other than extenuating circumstances must notify the Office of Registrar of their official withdrawal

(regis@ecu.edu). A graduate student withdrawing from the university by the last day for graduate

students to drop courses without grades as set forth in the university calendar will not receive

grades in university courses for the semester. A graduate student withdrawing after the last day for

graduate students to drop courses without grades will receive a grade of F for all university classes

which he or she is failing at the time. The last day for a graduate student to drop a class without

grades will be 5:00 PM on the class day after 60% of the class days are completed for the term. No

retroactive withdrawals will be granted after classes have ended for the semester in which the

student was enrolled.

Students withdrawing for extenuating circumstances must apply for an extenuating circumstances

withdrawal to the Office of the Dean of Students. No retroactive extenuating circumstances

withdrawals will be granted after classes have ended for the semester in which the student was

enrolled, except in the case of extraordinary medical, personal, or family emergency, in the

judgment of the dean of the Graduate School.

4.11. New Student Information

Students are provided with instructions on getting started as a new student following the receipt of

their admission letter.

4.11.1. Student Health

All new students must complete the report of medical history form, which includes a record of

required immunizations. The form is available and processed online, see this link for more

information on this form and other related matters, including consideration for health insurance and

“opting out”: https://studenthealth.ecu.edu/ship/. These forms for immunization must be

processed before the beginning of the semester. Students will not be allowed to attend classes if an

up-to-date record of immunizations is not on file with Student Health Service. The medical history

form and student health checklist are available at: https://studenthealth.ecu.edu/

Online/off-campus/satellite students or students taking four credit hours or less are exempt from

the immunization requirement. The exemption is automatically taken care of at the time of

registration.

4.11.2. Health Insurance

East Carolina University students in on-campus classes are required to have health insurance. Health

insurance is not required for online students. If students are covered by an existing health plan, they

can waive out of the plan by providing policy information from a current, valid health insurance

carrier. For students without coverage from an existing health plan, they must enroll in the health

policy adopted by East Carolina University. https://studenthealth.ecu.edu/ship/

Eligibility criteria for student health insurance:

Graduate students must be:

• in degree seeking programs AND

• enrolled in 3 or more credit hours on campus AND

• pay the health fee with tuition

All students meeting eligibility criteria will be automatically billed for SHIP. It is the student's

responsibility to submit their current insurance information to opt out/waive out of SHIP and have

the charge credited back to their tuition bill.

Students or faculty who have questions about the Student Health Insurance Plan should email

studentinsuran[email protected]. The Graduate School does not handle insurance issues other than to

provide funding for certain students’ insurance cost.

4.11.3. Registration Information

Information about Registration & Schedule changes can be found at https://registrar.ecu.edu/ .

4.11.4. Tuition Information

East Carolina University’s Electronic Billing (eBill) system is the official means of generating tuition

bills to enrolled students. ECU does not mail paper bills to a student’s permanent home address.

Students will receive email notifications from cashier@ecu.edu to their ECU email address when a

new billing statement is available for review online. Students can gain access to the eBill system

through PiratePort. Once logged in, students will be able to make online payments, view and/or

print billing statements, and review current account activity.

If additional charges are incurred after an eBill statement has been generated, it is the student's

responsibility to monitor their financial account through the eBill system to ensure that there are

sufficient financial aid/resources and/or payment to cover all charges on the account. A partial

payment will not secure any of a student's class schedule. Important dates for late fees and

schedule cancellations are given below in the University Calendar section.

Visit https://financialservices.ecu.edu/cashiers-office/ for information about the Cashier’s Office

including Tuition and Fees and Important Information about Methods of Payment.

4.11.5. University Calendar

View ECU’s Academic Calendars for important deadlines regarding registration and tuition payment.

The calendar is available at https://facultysenate.ecu.edu/academic-calendars/ .

47 
 
Chapter 5:  Academic Regulations 
5.1. Course Credits 
Graduate students earn credit for their certificate and degree programs, with the Graduate Catalog 
providing the policies regarding these credits, including alternate methods of earning credit such as 
Credit by Examination or Transfer Credits. Appropriate forms for credit by examination or transfer 
credit are available on the Graduate School’s website. LINKS to the relevant sections of the ECU 
Graduate Catalog regarding course credits include:  
Course Load 
Course Repetition 
Credit 
Credit by Examination 
Transfer Credits 
Auditing Courses 
Double Counting Courses 
5.2. Registration Procedures  
5.2.1. Student Load 
No more than 15 semester hours of work may be taken in any fall or spring semester without the 
written permission of the department or college and the Dean of the Graduate School. A student is 
enrolled full-time when registered for a minimum of 9 semester hours during a regular semester. If 
the program’s curriculum requirements for graduation have been met (and the student is registering 
for thesis or other final project), then 3 semester hours of thesis for master’s students may be 
considered full-time for graduate assistantship eligibility purposes for the graduating (final) 
semester. The 3-semester hour minimum is retained for master’s students in deference to the 
greater proportion of educational costs and living expenses they are expected to bear relative to 
doctoral students, who receive substantially greater financial support from the Graduate School, 
other University sources, and grant funds. Accordingly, the Graduate School advocates a minimum 
of 9 credit hours as full-time for doctoral students for every semester. Appropriate allowance can be 
made, and equivalent credit can be given if work other than formal courses undertaken by the 
student contributes to the educational program. No more than 15 semester hours of work may be 

taken in any fall or spring semester without the written permission of the department or college and

the Dean of the Graduate School.

5.2.2. Auditing Courses

Online courses cannot be audited. Auditing a course consists of attendance at classes and listening

but taking no part in the class. An auditor is not responsible for any assignments, nor is he or she

allowed to take any tests or examinations. However, to have the audited course recorded on the

official transcript, a student must attend classes regularly. An auditor may not enroll in a

participation course (art classes, laboratories, etc.). Under no circumstances will a grade be

assigned, evaluations be made, or performance reports be issued on a student auditing a course.

Auditing a course or part of a course is contingent upon the approval of the instructor and the

appropriate departmental chairperson, school director, or college dean. Students may not register

to audit a course until the last day of the drop/add period. Persons who wish to attend university

classes without earning credit must be admitted to the university before seeking approval to audit

any course. The applicants shall complete the prescribed procedure for registering through the

Office of the Registrar and pay the audit fee to the cashier’s office before attendance in classes is

permitted.

Students regularly enrolled in the university wishing to audit course(s) must initiate the approval

process with their advisor.

5.2.3. Registration Procedures

Students who have been accepted into a degree or certificate program must contact the office of

the college, school, or department in which they are enrolled to be assigned an advisor who will

assist in scheduling classes and completing registration. Each student, new or continuing, has

primary responsibility for assuring that he or she is completing degree requirements. Degree Works

is an online tool within Banner Self Service for students to use for monitoring progress and

reviewing requirements. Students should self-register using the published processes unless they

encounter a course registration error. In that case, the student should be instructed to seek the

department that is offering the course to determine if they are eligible to be enrolled in that course.

In this instance, the program offering the course should register the student in the course. All other

courses should be self-registered by the student. Departments are strongly urged not to register

students into courses on a regular basis. Following appropriate advising by the program, the student

should follow instructions on the Registrar’s website to self-register using Banner Self Service. To

complete the process and be officially registered and entered on the class roll, students must pay

tuition and fees to the cashier’s office according to the deadlines provided by the Cashier’s Office.

No person will be admitted to any class unless officially registered either for audit or for credit.

Students are expected to complete registration (including the payment of all required fees) on the

dates prescribed in the university calendar. Students who register during the early registration

period are required to pay their fees and secure their official schedules during a stipulated period

prior to registration day. Students who fail to pay fees by this date will have their schedules

canceled.

The official policies on Registration Procedures, Early Registration, and Schedule Changes are

published in the Graduate Catalog section entitled Registration Procedures.

5.3. Grading System

In the Graduate School, grades consist of A, AU, B, C, F, I, NR, S, U and W. The Graduate School has

not adopted a plus/minus grading system. Grades for graduate students in 5000 level courses should

not include any plus/minus grades. A change of grade, other than “I,” for any reason, must be made

within one year from the date the original grade was received.

The Graduate Catalog provides the policies regarding grades including:

Course Repetition

Grading System (definition of grades and transcript notations)

Removal of Incompletes

5.4. Academic Eligibility Standards

In summary, graduate students in degree or certificate programs are expected to maintain a GPA of

3.0 or higher. The Graduate Catalog contains the policies that fully describe the academic eligibility

standards and the ramifications for GPAs falling below 3.0. The policies include:

Academic Eligibility Standards

Probation and Termination Policy

Graduate School Appeals Procedure

Readmission Following Academic Dismissal

Leave of Absence and Readmission

The Graduate Catalog does not provide a specific leave of absence policy. Any time a student is not

enrolled in a semester, the student is considered “on leave.” All students enrolled in graduate

degree programs who take a leave of absence of one or more semesters (excluding summer terms)

must notify their graduate program director and file a readmission application prior to returning.

During a leave of absence students will not be permitted to utilize university resources. Readmission

to a graduate program is not guaranteed.

The statement on Leave of Absence and Readmission in the Graduate Catalog provides guidance on

whether a student needs to meet previous or new degree requirements depending upon how long

the student was not enrolled.

5.5. Continuous Enrollment (or Registration)

The Continuous Enrollment (or Registration) policy describes the requirement for enrollment each

term in which a student is making progress towards completion of the degree or certificate. There

are exceptions for summer terms, for most students. In addition, there may be exceptions for

students in their graduating semester (e.g., thesis or dissertation students) or students who are

completing an incomplete from a previous term. The specific policy should be consulted for each

situation. International students studying in the USA on an F1 visa have specific enrollment

requirements and the Office of Global Affairs and the Graduate School should be consulted if there

are questions. Students on F1 visas must be registered for face-to-face courses and must be

registered in the term of graduation, even if it is a summer term.

Chapter 6: Degree Requirements

6.1. Time Limitations

The Time Limits for Completing Graduate Programs policy describes the length of time allowed to

complete a program. Typically, master’s degrees have a 6-year limit and doctoral degrees have a 10-

year limit; however, programs may stipulate earlier time requirements and should publish these in

their student handbook. All students in research based doctoral programs must achieve candidacy

for the degree within 5 calendar years or 72 credit hours, attempted, whichever occurs first.

Requests for time extensions are available.

The relevant policies in the Graduate Catalog regarding time limits include:

Time Limits for Completing Graduate Programs

Time Limit Extensions

Request for Time Extension to Complete Graduate Degree Requirements

Advancing to Doctoral Candidacy

Regarding advancing to doctoral candidacy, please note: all dissertation and thesis research must

be approved by the thesis or dissertation director and the Unit GPDC. All students whose

dissertation or thesis projects involve human subjects, animals, radiation, and/or biohazards must

have their proposed research approved by the appropriate ECU committee (see above) before

beginning their research, and a copy of the appropriate approval form must be submitted with the

Pre-Thesis/-Dissertation Research Approval form, and a copy of the IACUC or IRB approval letter

must be included in the Appendix of the completed dissertation or thesis.

6.2. Comprehensive Assessments

All graduate programs require students to successfully complete a comprehensive assessment. The

assessment may include a comprehensive examination (written and/or oral), a research project,

thesis, capstone course, portfolio, and/or equivalent. The specific requirements may be found in

descriptions of degree programs. For more information about degree requirements, view Curricula.

6.3. General Requirements for Degrees and Certificates

The General Requirements for Degrees and Certificates section of the Graduate Catalog provides

information about expected degree requirements. The detailed course requirements for each

program are designed by the graduate faculty in the department(s) hosting the degree program and

approved by the GCC. The decision on elective courses and other elements of the individual

students’ program is made by the student’s Advisory Committee in consultation with the student.

6.4. Dual Degrees

Dual degree programs are those in which a student can enroll concurrently in two degree programs

offered in two academic units. A limited number of student credit hours may be counted toward

both degrees, generally at the Master’s degree level, however exceptions such as the MD/MBA are

possible. Note that a Master’s degree student continuing to a PhD in the same academic program is

not considered a dual degree student under these guidelines.

The Dual Degree policy in the Graduate Catalog describes both formal and individualized degree

programs. The appropriate form for filing a request for a Dual Degree Plan is on the Graduate School

website. Requests for dual degrees are negotiated between both programs of interest and the final,

signed form is submitted to the Graduate School for final approval. The Graduate School will inform

the Registrar’s Office who will amend the student’s Degree Works to show both programs.

6.5. Graduate Certificate Programs

A Graduate Certificate Program (GCP) is a prescribed set of regular graduate-level academic courses,

and/or current degree program students. Upon completion, the GCP will be designated on the

student's transcript and the student shall receive a certificate from the Office of the Registrar.

The graduate certificate is not defined as a degree by the Graduate School. Rather, it is a focused

collection of courses that, when completed, affords the student some record of coherent academic

accomplishment in a given discipline or set of related disciplines. The graduate certificate is not

viewed as a guaranteed means of entry into a graduate degree program.

Certificate programs provide focused graduate coursework. Credit earned while enrolled in a

graduate certificate program may be transferred into a degree program with the approval of the

chair of the unit offering the degree program.

A graduate certificate student may enroll on either a part-time or a full-time basis, as determined by

the certificate program coordinator. Graduate certificate students enrolled as non-degree students

will not be eligible for graduate assistantships. Some, but not all, certificates are eligible for Federal

Financial Aid.

6.5.1. Minimum Requirements for Graduate Certificate Programs (GCP)

Below are the minimum requirements for GCPs. Individual programs may develop additional

requirements.

1. An appropriate number of credit hours must comprise the certificate program. The number

of graduate credits may not be less than 9 semester hours or more than one-half of the

semester hours necessary for a related graduate degree from the Graduate School.

2. To receive a Graduate Certificate, a student must have a minimum 3.00 GPA on all

certificate course work.

3. The minimum grade to receive certificate credit should be established by the

department/program but can be no lower than a grade of "C".

4. Up to one third of required credit hours for a Graduate Certificate Program can be

transferred from an outside institution.

Admission to and completion of a certificate program does not supersede the admission

requirements to a degree program should they subsequently apply to a graduate degree program.

Each graduate program must decide which, if any, certificate courses can be counted toward the

graduate degree after admission of a certificate student into the graduate degree program.

6.6. Graduation

The student should apply for graduation within Banner Self Service at least one semester prior to

the intended semester of graduation. Students should meet with their advisor and Graduate

Program Director at least one semester before graduation. At this meeting, the student’s Degree

Works audit will be reviewed to determine any remaining requirements. Any exceptions or

substitutions needed will be processed at this time by the program director or advisor using the

Petition Submission process provided by the Registrar’s Office. Review of the Degree Works audit

ensures that all requirements have been or will be met by the time of graduation and will eliminate

last minute errors. The catalog the student is following will be used to determine the requirements

for graduation. The official review of the Degree Works audit will be processed by the Graduation

Services office/Registrar at 207 East Fifth Street. If there is an error or omission, the student and

department will be notified. Questions can be referred to the Graduation Services office at

[email protected].

The same process should be followed for students graduating with a certificate. The student must

apply online to Graduate with the Certificate. Students must apply for graduation with a degree and

a certificate separately, even if they will be graduated in the same semester for both credentials.

Information on this process is available at https://registrar.ecu.edu/graduation-information/

The final responsibility for meeting all academic requirements for the degree rests with the student.

To ensure timely progress, the GPDC should advise the student to:

1. Review the required courses remaining for degree/certificate completion with the student.

2. Remind the student to apply for graduation.

3. Verify the courses the student should register for in the graduation semester. Ensure the

student is aware that it is their responsibility to enroll in courses.

4. Verify the receipt of transcripts from other Universities to ensure accurate transfer credit.

Ensure the completion of the Request for Transfer Credit form and ensure it is immediately

submitted to the Graduate School (if not already done).

5. Check the Graduate School website (https://gradschool.ecu.edu/forms/ ) including the

“Request for Transfer Credit…” form, among others.

Graduating students should be encouraged to visit http://commencement.ecu.edu/ for graduation

ceremony information including reservations, tickets (if needed), dates and times of the university

ceremony and/or unit recognition ceremonies, and any university ceremony updates (e.g., weather-

related).

6.6.1. Policy on Completion of Degree Requirements and Graduation

Graduate students who have previously registered for all credits in a graduate degree program but

who have not completed all requirements (e.g., thesis, professional paper, internship, etc.) must

continue to register each semester (except summer terms) until all degree requirements are

completed and filed with the registrar. Students must be enrolled for at least one credit hour during

the semester of graduation except summer, if registered for the prior spring semester. Students may

request a leave of absence for special circumstances but are not permitted to use university

resources during the period of their leave of absence. Students may petition the Graduate School for

an exception to the continuous registration requirement if all degree requirements are completed

prior to the first day of class in the next term, in which case they would not pay tuition and fees for

that term, though they will officially graduate at the end of that term. GRAD 6999 is available for

registration if a student is in a non-thesis-option Master’s degree program and is required to be

registered but has no additional courses to complete for degree requirements. Departments can

contact the Graduate School if they have questions about the use of GRAD 6999.

Chapter 7: Financial Aid

Students who qualify can receive financial aid in the following forms: (1) loans, (2) scholarships, and

(3) student employment. These financial aid programs are administered by the ECU Office of

Student Financial Aid (OSFA) (https://financialaid.ecu.edu/ ) (252-328-6610). The OSFA utilizes all aid

programs from all sources for which students are believed to be eligible and designs financial aid

packages for them. Specifically, the OSFA is responsible for administering and processing all Federal

Title IV financial aid funds for students. The University Cashier's Office (UCO)

(https://financialservices.ecu.edu/cashiers-office/ ) (252-328-6886) serves as the central collection

center for student accounts receivable. The UCO processes the billing, receiving, depositing,

disbursing, accounting, and the financial record keeping of student tuition, fees, and related

charges.

When loans and scholarships are processed, the student can expect to be working with officials from

both the OSFA and the UCO are encouraged to be in consistent communication with them regarding

their financial status as well as their own academic status as they matriculate toward their

degree/certificate. More importantly, students should have a complete understanding of what their

responsibilities and obligations are as they formalize agreements and arrangements with these two

financial entities (OSFA and UCO) on the ECU campus.

7.1. Student Eligibility for Financial Aid

Only a student admitted to a graduate program leading to a master’s, doctorate, medical/dental

degree, post-baccalaureate certificate, or the equivalent is officially a graduate student. Under some

circumstances, non-degree students may be eligible for institutional financial aid. Non-degree

students pursuing North Carolina Teacher Licensure are considered undergraduate students. Many

other post-graduate certificate students are eligible for federal Title IV program funds (U.S.

Department of Education, www.fafsa.ed.gov). A list of certificate programs approved for student

financial aid can be obtained from the web site of the ECU OSFA (https://financialaid.ecu.edu/).

Aside from these specific exceptions listed above, non-degree post baccalaureate students admitted

to the Graduate School are not eligible for Title IV (federal) financial aid. In addition, some unit

programs allow for eligibility if the non-degree student is taking up to nine hours of prerequisite

courses (over the course of two semesters) that are program requirements. Courses taken for

enrichment or to improve a student’s GPA for admission purposes are NOT eligible for financial aid.

More information concerning the student’s preparation and funding opportunities can be obtained

at the US Department of Education website: (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/).

A non-citizen who is in the United States as a permanent resident is eligible for federal student

assistance. A non-citizen in the United States on a temporary visa is not eligible for federal aid but

may be eligible for assistance through the University's grants, scholarships, or employment postings.

Financial aid eligibility is specific for the semester or summer term in which the student expects to

be enrolled upon admittance to a degree or certificate program. (For example, if the admission is

effective for the fall semester, eligibility for financial aid will not be established before that

semester).

7.1.1. Changes in a Student’s Degree/Certificate-Seeking Status

When a student receiving some form of financial aid makes a “change of status” regarding their

degree or a certificate of record, this is initiated with the applications/admissions staff in the

Graduate School, who in turn notifies the Office of the Registrar as well as the OSFA and UCO

officials. However, the student must also contact the OSFA and the UCO to understand how this

status change impacts their eligibility and their financial aid package. Students must be fully aware

of what their responsibilities and obligations are because of the change. Graduate Program

Directors and Coordinators (GPDCs) responsible for administering graduate programs in their

respective units are also encouraged to contact the OSFA and the UCO so that they are also aware of

the consequences of this change as they advise the student.

A change in academic status can have a profound and often negative impact on a student’s financial

aid package. The following scenarios constitute some of those that have been known to significantly

affect students’ financial aid:

1. An undergraduate enrolled at ECU in a degree program that is receiving financial aid is

admitted to a graduate non-degree program where there is no eligibility for financial aid.

2. A graduate degree-seeking ECU student changes status to a non-degree student.

3. A non-resident ECU graduate student (for tuition purposes) is reclassified as a North Carolina

resident for tuition purposes.

In some of these scenarios, the student will assume an additional and potentially substantial

financial burden, and the student will be solely responsible. The student receiving financial aid is

encouraged to consult with a financial counselor in the OSFA and the GPDC in their respective

academic units before any change in their status is initiated.

7.2. Disbursement Policies

7.2.1. Financial Aid Disbursements

The UCO bills the student for tuition, required fees, and housing and dining charges. This is the

“University billing account”. Financial aid is disbursed directly to the student’s account. The account

is a part of an automated system that the UCO uses to manage the billing and payment of tuition

and fees, campus housing and dining, and other miscellaneous charges.

Before financial aid is disbursed to an account, all eligibility requirements must be met. The student

can check the web site (PiratePort) to confirm that their aid has been disbursed to his/her account.

Charges are billed to the account each semester. Some charges, such as student health charges, are

not eligible to be paid automatically with financial aid. The student is encouraged to scrutinize the

account and is implored not to ignore the additional balances. Payment of these additional balance

charges are the responsibility of the student. Charges can be viewed on PiratePort and paid on

Touchnet (accessed via PiratePort).

Other financial arrangements can be made in advance to pay for all or a portion of the current

semester’s tuition and fee charges in installments. For additional information, the student should

contact the Cashier (https://financialservices.ecu.edu/cashiers-office/ (252-328-6886) regarding the

University approved installment payment plan.

Note: Aid is disbursed for use during a specific term. If a student’s account has charges from a prior

term, and aid is received for the current term, only eligible charges for the current term are paid

automatically. Charges from prior year (example: summer) cannot be paid with current year

(example: fall) aid.

7.2.2. Credit Balances

Any credit balance in a student’s account after all charges owed to the University have been paid

will be disbursed to the student. Charges added to the account after a credit balance has been

issued can be viewed on-line via PiratePort and should be paid immediately to prevent the student’s

account from being “flagged.” Student account “flags” prevent registration and the release of

transcripts. Students should ensure that that the University receives payment by the due date to

avoid possible schedule cancellation, registration delays, and transcript holds.

7.2.3. Refunds and Repayments

Changing one’s registration may reduce or cancel eligibility for financial aid. Before making any

changes, the student should consult with their GPDC and their ECU Financial Aid Counselor. If a

student reduces the number of credit hours for which they are registered below five credit hours,

they may be required to repay the financial aid dollars that they have already received. In this

case, the student will be notified by email by the OSFA and will have “a hold” placed on their

transcript and registration records.

7.3. Billing Cycle

Returning students and those currently admitted and registered will receive a Cashier’s billing

statement, for both fall and spring semesters, approximately thirty days prior to the published date

on which classes begin. Summer billing statements will be received approximately three weeks prior

to the first day of classes. Fall and spring payment of tuition and fees will be subject to a late

payment charge, if not paid by a published deadline, which usually precedes registration day by

about two weeks. To avoid having class schedules canceled, tuition, fees, room, and board (if

applicable) must be paid no later than the close of business on the last day before registration day.

To confirm a class schedule, the remittance stub from the billing statement must be returned by the

prescribed deadline to the University Cashier's Office, 105 Old Cafeteria Complex, even if no

remittance is required at that time.

7.4. Course Enrollment

Students should be certain that the tuition for the courses in which they enroll is covered by the

financial aid they receive, particularly undergraduate courses. Graduate student enrollment in

undergraduate courses cannot be covered unless the course can be demonstrated to be a

prerequisite for a graduate degree/certificate in the unit or is preparatory in nature for a graduate

degree/certificate. Verification of this is usually provided to the Office of Student Financial Aid by

the GPDC. The student is encouraged to consult with the GPDC as well as the OSFA financial aid

counselor before registering to determine that verification documentation is provided.

7.4.1. Full-Time and Part-Time Enrollment

Students are classified by the number of hours registered each semester. For graduate students, 9+

equals full-time, 6-8 equals three-quarter time, 5 equals half-time, and 1-4 equals less than half-time

enrollment. A graduate student must be enrolled at least half-time (5 semester hours) to receive

financial aid. If a student is not full-time, that student may be eligible for certain types of aid,

providing they do not drop below half-time. In addition, scholarships awarded based on full-time

attendance may be reduced or withdrawn. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least five (5)

graduate level semester hours to be eligible for aid during summer sessions.

The amount and type of financial aid is based on the student’s enrollment at the end of the

drop/add period. If the number of credit hours is increased after that period, the student will not

receive additional aid.

7.4.2. Taking Classes at Other Institutions

Students interested in taking a class at another university/community college while attending ECU,

should schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor at least one semester prior to taking

the class if the plan is to fund the class by qualifying for financial assistance. Students should contact

their graduate program director for permission to use a class from another institution within their

program. Courses are transferable only if the program approves and submits the transfer credit

request form on behalf of the student. The university must be properly accredited, and the course

must be at the graduate level. Grades of A and B are transferable. Course grades below B (C, D, F,

W) are not transferable.

7.5. Refunds and Adjustments of Title IV Funds

A student who withdraws from the University within the first 60% of the semester will receive an

adjustment (reduction) to their financial aid. This adjustment to the student’s financial aid will be

based on a percentage which represents the amount of time completed in the semester and will be

applied to the amount of Title IV financial aid applied to the student’s account.

The University will assume responsibility for returning funds to the Title IV programs for

overpayments to the student, as well as overpayments received by the University. It is the

responsibility of the student to pay the University for these overpayments within 45 days of the

date that the student withdrew from the University. Failure to repay the University the amounts of

overpayment may jeopardize eligibility for further Title IV financial assistance at East Carolina

University as well as other institutions of higher education and will prevent enrollment in a future

term or receipt of a transcript or diploma.

7.6. ECU Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Policy

Graduate students at ECU must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress to maintain their

financial aid eligibility. Satisfactory academic progress is defined at ECU according to the following

three criteria:

1. Students must earn a 3.00 grade point average on a 4.00 scale.

2. Students must earn an 80% completion rate (hours completed divided by hours attempted,

cumulative).

3. Students must comply with the timeframe maximum, i.e., complete their program within

150% of the hours required to complete the degree program (example: Master of Arts in

English = 33 hours, the maximum hours for financial aid purposes will be 49 hours

attempted).

Chapter 8: Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Remissions

8.1. Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships: Awards, Assignments, and

Terminations

Assistantships may only be awarded to graduate students enrolled in on-campus programs that lead

to a graduate degree at East Carolina University. Assistantship funds will be allocated based upon

each unit’s established rate. Units may opt to pay their assistants at a higher rate per FTE if they

deem it appropriate, by using one source or multiple sources of funds. Employees at other state

agencies may not hold a graduate assistantship. At a unit’s discretion, graduate intern assistantships

or off-campus students enrolled in off-campus programs may receive graduate assistantships with

unit funds; however, they may not be supported with Graduate School funds. Assistantship eligibility

does not extend to students who have been admitted by exception (unless an exception is

approved), students on academic probation, non-degree students, or undergraduates.

The monetary award of an assistantship varies also with degree program. A full-time graduate

assistantship (20 hours per week - fall and spring semesters) for a master’s student will be worth a

minimum of $9,000. Doctoral students who teach should receive an assistantship equivalent to the

current prevailing rate for other doctoral students in the unit; in addition, tuition and health

insurance are paid for by the funding source whether a grant, the Graduate School, the individual

college, or some other University source.

Graduate assistants of any type should not work more than twenty hours per week during the

academic year. Graduate assistants are limited to twenty-five hours per week in the fall and spring

semesters in any combination of appointments – GIA/GRA/GTA, self-help, College Work Study,

EPA/SPA. Foreign students are limited to twenty hours per week, no exceptions (this is a federal

requirement).

Students are ineligible for assistantships if they are not registered by census day. Census day is

defined as the day that enrollment is captured and, concurrently, how ECU’s funding is awarded. A

good rule of thumb to follow is to make sure that anyone on an assistantship is registered on or

before the last day to add classes each semester.

For graduate assistants to be exempt from FICA tax, they must have a minimum registration of 4

semester hours for the fall and spring semesters and 3 semester hours in the summer. If the GA is

registered for less than the stated hours, FICA will be withheld. Departments paying students from

sources other than state appropriated dollars should note that the university’s portion of the FICA

(7.65%) will be taken from the funding source used to pay the assistantship and should therefore

budget accordingly.

Students in master’s programs should not receive assistantship support for more than five

semesters (excluding summer sessions). Students in doctoral programs should not receive

assistantship support for more than ten semesters (excluding summer sessions). Students must be

in good academic standing to be eligible for an assistantship.

Academic standing is a combination of maintaining a minimum level of academic performance in

coursework (GPA ³ 3.0) and making adequate progress toward meeting their degree requirements

as determined by their unit guidelines, faculty advisor or research mentor, and the unit’s Graduate

Program Director. Full-time equates to a course load of 9 semester hours. If the program’s

curriculum requirements for graduation have been met (and the student is registering for thesis or

other final project), then 3 semester hours of thesis for master’s students may be considered full-

time for graduate assistantship eligibility purposes for the graduating (final) semester only.

However, departments may recommend enrolling for at least 4 semester hours to satisfy federal

guidelines relating to minimum full-time enrollment, and the student thereby avoids being subject

to FICA taxes. In this case, graduate students must be enrolled for at least 4 credit hours during the

fall and spring semesters and for 3 credit hours in the summer. Enrollment for less than the stated

hours will result in FICA withholding. To be eligible for the Student Health Insurance Plan the

student must be enrolled in 3 or more credit hours on campus, be degree-seeking, and pay the

health fee. Thus, for master’s students, 3 semester hours (must be face-to-face and not DE) is the

minimum to be eligible for university health insurance (for master’s and doctoral students; they will

be billed and must “opt-out” if they have alternative coverage for health insurance), 5 semester

hours is the minimum to be eligible for financial aid, 4 semester hours is the minimum to avoid FICA

taxes, and, only when the student s registering for thesis or final project for their FINAL/graduating

semester, 3 semester hours is the minimum to be full-time in absence of financial aid and FICA

concerns.

The number of Thesis and Dissertation credit hours qualifying for full-time status has been an item

of interest to the Graduate School. The issue is that the traditional credit load of 3 semester hours

(or 4, or 5, as described in the paragraph above) for Thesis/Dissertation underrepresents both the

actual time invested in the research and the Departmental and University resources consumed in

the process. The 3-semester hour minimum (face-to-face, see paragraph above regarding health

insurance) for the last semester of enrollment was retained for Master’s students in deference to

the greater proportion of educational costs and living expenses they are expected bear relative to

doctoral students, who receive substantially greater financial support from the Graduate School,

other University sources, and grant funds. Accordingly, the Graduate School advocates a minimum

of 9 credit hours as full-time for doctoral students for every semester, including their last semester.

Departments must issue a signed assistantship/fellowship contract for each graduate assistant or

fellowship recipient. For teaching assistants, the contract must state which course(s) they are

teaching, name of the individual responsible for the course, name of the supervising faculty, state

that the TA has been/will be trained, will be monitored, and evaluated, and be signed by the GPDC

(as opposed to administrative assistant). It is necessary that all units hiring graduate assistants have

a copy of the completed agreement in the student’s personnel file and forward a copy of the signed

contract to the Graduate School office by Census Day.

8.1.1. Admission by Exception and Graduate Assistantships

Some programs may recommend admission by exception (AE) for a limited number of applicants

who do not qualify academically for regular admission but have other offsetting strengths. The

program must provide a brief justification for the admission recommendation on the review sheet in

Application Review Tool (ART) in TargetX. If the Graduate School is not in agreement with the

program’s recommendation, the student will be rejected. The program may appeal the Graduate

School’s decision to the Graduate Council. Admission by exception requires the student to earn a

minimum of 3.0 GPA in the first 9 or more completed hours to remain in the program. A hold is

placed on the student’s registration for the subsequent term until grades are posted and can be

evaluated by the Graduate School.

Students who are admitted by exception (AE) will be eligible for assistantship support at a

reduced number of hours equivalent to ½ the full-time workload (up to 10 hours per week).

Program directors may request an exception, for a full-time workload (up to 20 hours per week) on a

case-by-case basis for individual students close to the cut-off with a suitable justification. Students

admitted by exception can attain full graduate standing after completion of 9 or more graduate

credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Programs may establish higher or additional academic

standards for continuation for students that are admitted by exception.

8.1.2. Termination, Reassignment, & Reappointment of GA

The student contract defines the terms and conditions that apply to all graduate students being

appointed as graduate assistants at East Carolina University. The end date of the appointment as a

Graduate Assistant serves as the notice of termination; therefore, there is no notice of non-

reappointment. If the student terminates or withdraws from the graduate degree program, the

graduate assistantship may be terminated at the same time and the University is under no

obligation to allow transfer to another degree classification or graduate degree program. The

graduate program director and/or supervising faculty member retain the right to reassign the

Graduate Assistant to new duties commensurate with their prior duties and pay. There is no

guarantee for reappointment. If the program wishes to reappoint the student at the termination of

their appointment, a new contract must be issued for the new appointment.

8.2. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA)

Graduate teaching assistants participate in the education of all levels of undergraduates by being

lecturers, lab assistants, exam proctors and graders, facilitators of learning, discussion and study

group mentors, and tutors of individuals. They also serve as exemplars for developing scholars, for

responsible and ethical behavior both within and outside of the classroom, and for objective and fair

treatment of students in their charge. Graduate teaching assistants are therefore critical in aiding

the University to fulfill its mission in education and research. It is thus in the best interest of all to

ensure that graduate teaching assistants are properly prepared for their instructional roles and their

future professional roles. The following sections address issues of responsibilities of teaching

assistants, training in instruction and pedagogy, assignment of assistantships, and financial support.

The intent of this section is to present recommendations and not be prescriptive.

8.2.1. GTA Responsibilities

The responsibilities of GTAs varies among Departments, but include laboratory assistants, laboratory

instructors, course lecturers, course instructors, discussion leaders, exam proctors and graders, and

assistants in course development. Regardless of the assignment, GTAs are expected to uphold the

highest standards of ethical conduct, engage in the honest exchange of ideas and information, and

show fair and objective assessment of students.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requires that GTAs accumulate a minimum

of 18 semester credit hours of graduate coursework in the field of instruction to be solely

responsible for instructional content and grading. Prior to that time, another qualified individual—a

member of the faculty—must serve as instructor of record and provide appropriate oversight and

supervision for the student. Such students must also receive in-service training and be evaluated on

a semester-by-semester basis. Departments should clearly delineate the responsibilities and

expectations of their teaching assistants. Documents that address these issues should be developed

in the unit if none currently exist. Duties should also be explained and enumerated as part of the

assistantship contract.

8.2.2. Selection and Assignment of GTAs

Written guidelines for selection and assignment of Teaching Assistantships within the academic unit

are recommended to avoid misunderstandings about the selection process and guard against

inequities in the allocation of monetary resources. Teaching assignments typically reflect the

student’s academic training and discipline of interest.

8.2.3. Training for Graduate Teaching Assistants

Training helps students develop skills in integration, synthesis, summarization, and presentation of

researched material. These skills have broad value so programs in industry and business could also

profit by providing similar training. Although the decision regarding the readiness of a graduate

student for a specific teaching assignment is made most effectively at the unit level, all units should

conform to the following guidelines for the preparation of GTAs for their teaching assignments:

1. The unit sends a letter to each GTA outlining the educational requirements, job

requirements, duties, and performance standards.

2. The unit appoints one or more faculty members as supervisors/mentors for the GTA.

3. Each GTA is evaluated formally, in writing, by their mentors and by student evaluations.

It is recommended that the unit request a test of spoken English or personal interview before

considering an international GTA for a teaching assignment (unless English is their native language)

A spring 2010 University-wide survey revealed that nearly all units that utilize GTAs also provide

training in pedagogy, organization and time management, syllabus preparation, professionalism,

communication, course content, and dealing with cheating and plagiarism. Most units initiate

training prior to the beginning of classes and continue on a regular basis throughout the semester

for reasons of pedagogy, and to obtain feedback from the GTAs about their teaching effectiveness.

Assessment of GTAs should consist of a combination class visitation, peer review instrument, and

the Student Opinion Instructional Survey, at a minimum.

Several units who participated in the survey that had established programs in mentoring Teaching

Assistants also indicated their willingness to open their dedicated course in pedagogy to students

from other units that lack faculty expertise in this area. These include Communications, Recreation

and Leisure Studies, and Health Communication and Science Disorders.

The responsibility for developing subject-specific instructional policies and procedures is largely

delegated to the individual academic unit. Likewise, safety regulations originate within the ECU

Office of Environmental Health and Safety and are administered at the instructional level through a

faculty supervisor, unit chair, or other designated faculty member. However, units may adopt

additional regulations as deemed necessary to ensure the safe operation of class/laboratory

activities in their teaching area. In all cases, the communication and interpretation of instructional

policies to the teaching staff within a unit is the responsibility of the GPDC or a designated

representative.

Some units have developed general instructional guides for their faculty members and GTAs. Others

may maintain comprehensive policy manuals, often in loose-leaf form for ease in updating. The

GPDC or designated representative is therefore the best source of information regarding the

applicability of specific instructional policies or other regulations related to the GTA. The GTA is

responsible for operating within established university policies and procedures, all of which are

either administered through or created at the unit level.

8.2.4. Liability Protection

Limited liability protection as provided by state law for all University personnel also applies to GTAs

for liability arising in connection with, or because of their employment. In certain circumstances, the

State may provide for the defense of a civil or criminal action or proceeding brought against the

employee in his or her official capacity.

The likelihood of ever needing this representation can be minimized by exercising responsibility,

prudence, professional discretion, and adherence to established University policies and procedures

for instruction. Basic responsibilities of this nature include:

1. Appropriate supervision of students during class time to minimize student risk from

criminal, violent, or otherwise threatening or dangerous behavior.

2. Proper and timely instruction of students in safety procedures for laboratory classes and

other situations where improper use of supplies or equipment may create dangerous

situations.

3. Scrutiny of the learning environment to ensure that furniture and equipment are

maintained at a reasonably safe level of repair.

4. Compliance with students’ rights to privacy regarding records, grades, and personal

information (however, if a student threatens violent or criminal action such as suicide or

public peril, call the University Police or the Student Health Service).

5. Discretion and courtesy in handling student problems (e.g., the GTAs should never accuse a

student of cheating in front of others and should avoid ridiculing comments about students.

When faced with a difficult situation, GTAs are expected to act as other reasonable, prudent persons

within the profession would act under similar circumstances. Any actions or decisions which may

adversely affect the records of a student (such as assigning a failing grade or reporting cheating)

should have a factual and supportable basis, reflect good judgment and reasonable standards, and

be handled in compliance with established University policies and procedures.

8.2.5. Student Rights to Privacy

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (sometimes referred to as

"The Buckley Amendment"), ECU guarantees students certain rights related to their educational

records. GTAs need to review the complete policy statement (Academic Regulations of the ECU

Graduate Catalog, Student Educational Records) and comply with University policy on student

records.

8.2.6. Student Safety

Safety is a 24 hour-a-day concern at ECU. The ECU Police Department (328-6150) oversees concerns

about physical safety on campus. The functions of the University Police can be found at the ECU

Police Department website. If the GTA work assignment involves exposing oneself or students to

possible hazards, see also Office of Environmental Health & Safety.

8.2.7. Accidental Injuries

Accidental injuries involving students should be reported to the GPDC and to the Office of

Environmental Health and Safety. Safety hazards observed on campus should also be reported to

the GPDC or to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

8.2.8. GTAs and Undergraduate Student Grievance Procedures

If properly understood and used, grievance procedures provide a positive, constructive means to

solve misunderstandings and reach fair resolution of grievances. Since many complaints or

grievances result from simple misunderstandings which can be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of

everyone involved, the first step in any grievance procedure is to attempt to resolve the issue with

the concerned individual’s immediate supervisor. If a GTA has a complaint relating to his or her

teaching function, every effort should be made to resolve the issue with the faculty supervisor. If the

supervisor cannot resolve the problem, the matter may then be referred to the GPDC.

8.3. Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)

8.3.1. The Role of the Graduate Research Assistant

In a GRA, financial support is given to a graduate student for performing thesis/dissertation research

or other-directed research. The student is expected to devote considerable time on research that is

academically significant and directed by a faculty advisor. Often the faculty advisor is a principal

investigator working on an externally funded grant/contract. At the unit’s discretion, off-campus

students enrolled in distance education programs may receive GRAs with unit funds; however, they

may not be supported with Graduate School funds.

In general, the GRA works closely with a faculty member on his or her research. This research is

usually a component of the faculty advisor/mentors research that is directly supported by external

funding. GRAs generally work on a specific research project that often forms the basis for a thesis or

dissertation.

8.3.2. Tasks and Responsibilities of a Graduate Research Assistant

The duties will vary by faculty member, project, and discipline. GRAs may perform chemistry or

biology laboratory or field experiments, administer surveys, maintain, and operate laboratory

equipment, or care for animals. Others might code and enter data or write literature reviews. The

end goal is to become an independent scholar and to design an independent research program.

General duties include the following:

1. Perform experiments, calculations, and analyzing the results and disseminating new

knowledge orally or in written publications.

2. Reflect on the state of the field and propose new research problems.

3. Attend conferences to present results and collaborate with other researchers.

4. Train and supervise less experienced research personnel.

5. Collect data by administering surveys, interviews, or running research protocols.

6. Score, code, and enter data into a spreadsheet or statistical analysis program.

7. Conduct general library research including literature searches, making copies of articles, and

ordering unavailable articles and books through interlibrary loan.

8. Develop new research ideas.

9. Use computer skills such as word processing, spreadsheet processing, scheduling, and

statistical analysis programs.

10. Assist in preparing submissions for local or regional conferences and, if accepted, work on

poster or oral presentations for professional conferences.

11. Assist faculty in preparing a manuscript to submit the results of collaborative research to a

journal.

8.4. Tuition Remissions

Certain graduate students may be eligible for an in-state or nonresident tuition remission. Unlike a

tuition waiver, which is a forgiveness of the tuition obligation, a tuition remission constitutes a

payment of tuition with real dollars from a source that is not the student. For most graduate

students, the tuition remission source is the Graduate School, but other academic units, and grant

agencies can provide them as well. However, they are all administered through the OFSA. Tuition

remissions cover the cost of tuition only, not University fees. Students are responsible for payment

of University fees.

A non-resident doctoral/master’s student who is awarded an assistantship or fellowship

appointment may be eligible for a nonresident tuition remission reducing tuition to in-state rates. In

addition, a full-time, non-resident or resident doctoral student in a research-oriented program, who

is awarded a full-time assistantship or fellowship appointment, may be eligible for a resident tuition

remission. A graduate student qualifying for tuition remissions must be degree-seeking and must

have a full-time (20 hr/wk) appointment.

Students must maintain their eligibility for tuition remissions throughout their matriculation to the

degree or certificate. Thus, students who have been determined at any point in the semester to no

longer meet the eligibility requirements to receive a tuition remission will have the full amount of

their tuition remission rescinded, and as such, they are then personally responsible for paying the

full costs of their tuition for that semester.

8.4.1. Nonresident Tuition Remissions

The nonresident tuition remission offered by the Graduate School is designed to attract high-quality

graduate students with no prejudice against those from outside of North Carolina. There is an

expectation that prospective students will be informed of the limited time for which tuition will be

remitted and encouraged upon arrival to review information on establishing legal residency in North

Carolina at: https://gradschool.ecu.edu/residency/ , if their intent is to become permanent legal

residents of North Carolina. By North Carolina law, students whose primary intent for moving to the

state is to attend school are not eligible for classification as in-state for tuition purposes; however,

those that demonstrate a clear intent to become permanent North Carolina residents, may qualify

for the in-state classification after at least one year of legal residency in the state.

8.4.2. Resident Tuition Remissions

Fundamental to recruiting quality graduate students are recruitment packages that are competitive.

This is especially true in research-intensive doctoral programs. To maintain quality research

programs, the highest priority for in-state remissions will be full-time doctoral students that are on a

full-time assistantship. It is expected that resident tuition remissions for any student will come from

the same source as the student’s assistantship.

8.4.3. Eligibility for Resident Tuition Remissions

Students must meet the following criteria to qualify for resident tuition remissions:

1. Students must be degree seeking and on-campus.

2. Doctoral students are the first priority for resident tuition remissions, research and

professional master’s and MFA students may become eligible as resources allow.

3. Students must have a full-time (20 hr/wk) appointment as a graduate teaching assistant

(GTA), a graduate research assistant (GRA), a graduate intern assistant (GIA) or a graduate

fellow (fellowship); the appointment must be in effect for a period of not less than two

academic semesters for the student to be eligible for and to retain a tuition remission.

4. Students should be in good academic standing as defined in the Graduate School Catalog.

Note: Students who have been determined at any point in the semester to no longer meet the

eligibility requirements to receive a tuition remission will have the full amount of their tuition

remission rescinded, and as such, they are then personally responsible for paying the full costs of

their tuition for that semester.

8.4.4. Resignation from Appointment

Students who have received a tuition remission and who resign from their University appointment

prior to the end of the semester (for personal, financial, medical, or any other reason) will have the

full amount of their tuition remission rescinded, and they are then personally responsible for paying

the full costs of tuition for that semester.

8.4.5. Adding a Course

Students who have received a partial tuition remission and add a course before the end of the

schedule change period which results in additional tuition charges will be held personally

responsible for paying the additional cost, unless the OSFA has received written verification from

the student’s assigned unit program of payment. Students who add a course after the official

schedule change period or, which results in additional tuition charges, will not receive additional

tuition remission funds to cover the credit hours added, and are personally responsible for paying

the additional cost for the credit hours added.

8.4.6. Dropping a Course

Students who have received a tuition remission and drop a course at any point in the semester will

be re-evaluated to ensure that they still meet the eligibility requirements to receive a tuition

remission. Students who are determined to still meet the eligibility requirements for the remission

should incur no penalty. Students who are determined NOT to be meeting eligibility requirements

have their tuition remission (which has been granted to cover the credit hours for the course

dropped) rescinded, and personally responsible for paying the tuition costs for the credit hours

dropped.

Students are encouraged to refer to the Schedule Changes section under Academic Regulations. For

further details on the financial consequences of dropping a course after the census date contact the

Office of Student Financial Aid.

8.4.7. Final Drop Date

The final drop date can be found on the official University calendar. Graduate students should be

informed of the policies and consequences of dropping a graduate course:

• Dropping a course has Financial Aid implication; if the student is receiving Financial Aid, they

need to contact the Financial Aid office to discuss their plans before dropping the course.

• If the student is on academic probation and drops the course after census day of the

semester, the dropped course is included in the number of semester hours allowed under

probation.

• When a student drops a course before the deadline, they will not receive a grade and the

drop does not affect their GPA.

• If all courses are dropped for a semester, this is a withdrawal from the University and will be

indicated as such on their transcript, but if there is at least one course remaining on their

schedule, the dropped course will not appear on their transcript

• There is not a limit on the number of drops allowed.

8.4.8. Withdrawal

Students who have received a tuition remission and who withdraw from the University (i.e., drop all

classes) prior to the fulfillment of their term commitment (for personal, financial, medical, or any

other reason) will have the full amount of their tuition remission rescinded and are therefore

personally responsible for paying the full costs of tuition for that semester. Although tuition charges

may be prorated according to established policies of the UCO, tuition remissions are not prorated.

8.4.9. Payment Schedule

All students must pay tuition and fees according to the University schedule. Refer to the University

Cashier’s Office for current cost of attendance information and Important Dates for payments.

Chapter 9: Residency

Residency status for the purpose of determining tuition charges at a public institution of higher

education in the state of NC is governed by the North Carolina General Statutes. Students who are

classified as residents for tuition purposes are eligible for a tuition rate lower than that charged to

nonresidents because a resident’s tuition is subsidized by tax revenue from the state of NC. Resident

tuition is, therefore, a benefit offered by the state to its residents under terms in the applicable

General Statutes. It is strongly recommended that students review the laws and regulations prior to

submitting a Resident and Tuition Status Application.

9.1. NC General Statute 116-143.1, the Basis for Residency Decisions

Decisions of NC residency for tuition purposes are based upon NC General Statute 116-143.1 and

regulations in “North Carolina State Residence Classification Manual, A Manual to Assist the Public

Higher Education Institutions of North Carolina in the Matter of Student Residence” prepared by the

General Administration of the University of North Carolina. This “NC Residency Manual” is also

available via a link online at https://gradschool.ecu.edu/residency/ . These policies govern the

determination of Residency for Tuition Purposes at all 16 campuses of the UNC system, although the

decision at one campus is not binding on the decisions of the other campuses.

“To qualify as a resident for tuition purposes, a person must have established legal residence

(domicile) in NC and maintained that legal residence for at least 12 months immediately prior to his

or her classification as a resident for tuition purposes" (General Statute 116-143.1.b). Thus, there is

a distinction between legal residence and residence for tuition purposes. Furthermore, 12 months'

legal residence means more than having a residence in NC. "To be eligible for classification as a

resident for tuition purposes, a person must establish that his or her presence in the state currently

is, and during the requisite 12-month qualifying period was, for purposes of maintaining a bona fide

domicile rather than maintaining a mere temporary residence or abode incident to enrollment in an

institution of higher education" (General Statute 116-143.1.c). The burden of establishing facts,

which justify classification of a student as a resident entitled to resident tuition rates, is on the

applicant, who must show his or her entitlement by the preponderance of the residentiary

information.

To determine whether an individual can become a legal resident of NC for tuition purposes, that

individual must:

Demonstrate financial independence from parent(s) or guardian if the parent(s) or guardian

are non-residents of NC.

Demonstrate a visible means of support substantiating the claim of financial independence.

If the individual has not been entirely self-supporting during the last 24 months, a

completed affidavit may be required from the parent(s) or legal guardian.

Demonstrate intent to make NC the student's permanent dwelling place of indefinite

duration by performing Residentiary acts at the beginning of the 12-month period. These

acts should be undertaken immediately upon the student's arrival to NC.

Having clearly established the intent and financial independence, the student must maintain

NC residency for 12 months immediately prior to the semester for which they are applying

for the benefit.

9.2. Military Personnel

A current student who has been deemed to be a NC resident and who is called to serve outside the

State in the armed forces does not lose NC residence for tuition purposes simply by reason of such

service if the student remains continuously enrolled in the degree program. Students from the

military may prove retention or establishment of residence by reference, as in other cases, to

Residentiary acts accompanied by Residentiary intent.

In addition, a separate NC statute affords tuition rate benefits to certain military personnel, with a

permanent duty station in NC, and their dependents even though not qualifying for the resident

tuition rate based on the twelve months qualification. A dependent relative of a service member

stationed in NC is eligible to be charged the in-state tuition rate while the dependent relative is

living in NC with the service member and if the dependent relative has met any requirement of the

Selective Service System applicable to the dependent relative. These tuition benefits may be

enjoyed only if the applicable requirements for admission have been met. These benefits alone do

not provide the basis for receiving those derivative benefits under the provisions of the residence

classification statute reviewed elsewhere in this summary.

9.3. International Students

Some international students may qualify for resident "Residency for Tuition Purposes" if they have

the legal capacity to establish a domicile ("permanent dwelling place of indefinite duration") in NC.

In these cases, the decision is based on the conditions of the visa held by the individual and the

strength of the "ties" the individual is establishing to the state. After establishing capacity, the

individual is then subject to all policies governing the determination of "Residency for Tuition

Purposes" described above.

If you have any questions about the taxes for international students or visitors, please contact the

International Tax Office at [email protected].

Note: International students in possession of an F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 visa are not eligible for NC

residency for tuition purposes.

9.4. Application for Residency Reclassification

Any student, initially classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes may file an application for

reclassification using the Residency Determination System (RDS), an NC state mandated system. The

student may access the system at https://ncresidency.cfnc.org/residencyInfo/. The application

should be submitted at any time after the twelve -month waiting period as a legal resident

(domiciliary) acquired by any of the means provided by G.S. 116-143.1 have been satisfied. There

are no deadlines to complete a reconsideration. Reconsideration requests may be submitted up to

three times every ninety days. Reclassification decisions made more than 30 calendar days AFTER

the first day of classes, will be in effect for the NEXT semester of enrollment.

9.5. Appeal of Residency Classification

You may request an Appeal if you believe that the RDS process has failed to accurately consider

important information regarding your residency claim. There are two types of appeal:

9.5.1. RDS Appeal

The RDS appeal is for students who believe their active residency determination is incorrect – either

from an initial consideration or a reconsideration. Students can request the RDS Appeal online,

submitting additional information and documentation to support their claim, and meet fact-to-face

(or via technology) to review their appeal.

9.5.2 SEAA Appeal

The SEAA Appeal is the final administrative step in the residency process. The appeal is conducted

by a statewide committee comprised of representatives from the North Carolina Community College

System, North Carolina independent Colleges and Universities, State Education Assistance Authority,

and The University of North Carolina System. No additional documentation or information is

permitted by RDS or the student in this appeal.

You have the right to appeal an RDS appeal decision. To learn more about requesting a second-level

SEAA Appeal, go to the Residency Guideline section of

https://ncresidency.cfnc.org/residencyInfo/guidelines.

Chapter 10: Theses & Dissertation Committees, ETD Submission, &

Intellectual Property Rights

In programs where a thesis or dissertation is prepared (ETD: Electronic Theses and Dissertations),

the student must comply with the specific regulations of his or her school or department and the

general requirements of the Graduate School. These requirements are specified in the Manual of

Basic Requirements for Theses and Dissertations, including deadline submission dates for theses and

dissertations, which are approved by the Graduate School and available on the Graduate School’s

web site, https://gradschool.ecu.edu/thesis-dissertation/. The deadline for submission of theses

and dissertations is ten business days prior to the last of final exams.

Related Forms, Contacts, and Websites:

Degree Works Petition System

Thesis to Non-Thesis Change Form

Master’s Pre-Thesis Research Approval Form

Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy Form

Signature Page

Non-Exclusive Distribution License (NEDL: For Theses & Dissertations

10.1. Top Ten Thesis & Dissertation Submission Items To Check

1) If any survey, human, or animal work involved, must have a pre-approved ECU Institutional

Review Board (IRB) or Institution of Animal Care and Use (IACUC), or alternatively a “pre-approved-

exempt,” single page signed letter as an Appendix A item. If any questions about human/animal

work, must submit and let ECU determine if exemptions apply. These approvals must be granted by

ECU BEFORE research starts or all data is invalid by federal requirements.

2) Must have three ECU Graduate Faculty/Associate Graduate Faculty on their advisory

committee/signature sheet, and signature sheet should include “APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF

THESIS” or “…DIRECTOR OF DISSERTATION” but Not “…DIRECTOR OF THESIS/DISSERTATION”;

uploaded signature sheet should have all signatures, including chair, except for graduate dean.

3) Cannot have page numbers showing on the first page of each chapter/appendices/references.

4) On Title page, must show month and year (no day) of actual graduation, i.e., May, December, or

July depending on your graduation date.

5) Must include both pages (2

page is often missing in student uploads) of the Non-Exclusive

Distribution License (NEDL) form and have it signed by their mentor.

6) List prefatory pages in Table of Contents using lowercase roman numbers, but do NOT place page

numbers on the actual prefatory pages.

7) Must clearly state, without abbreviations, exact degree on the title page, which may be different

from the departmental name (which is listed separately on the title page).

8) If thesis or dissertation is a collection of published or submitted papers or manuscripts, it must

include an original Introduction and an original comprehensive (covering all chapters/papers)

conclusion; and it also needs to demonstrate permissions for published papers, either below title of

chapter or in appendix.

9) Order of items overall must be: Abstract, Blank page, Title page, Copyright page, Dedication

(optional), Acknowledgement (optional), Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, List of

Abbreviations, Chapters, References, and Appendices.

10) No exceptions to submission deadline. Theses and dissertations received after that date will be

processed as they are received without promise of graduation that semester. Processing time is

highly dependent upon how quickly the student responds to emails stating necessary edits.

10.2. Switching from a Thesis Track to Non-Thesis Track

This switch, when necessary, requires submitting a form to the Graduate School. The thesis courses

do not count towards completion of the degree. Please remind advisors of this policy. Thesis to non-

thesis change forms must be submitted prior to the end of the semester (especially if that is the

semester for graduation).

10.3. Prior to Beginning Research

Students whose research involves human subjects, animals, biohazards, or radiation must have their

research proposals approved by the appropriate compliance committee BEFORE beginning their

research. A copy of the appropriate committee (IRB, IACUC, or Prospective Health) approval letter

must be included in the appendixes of the final thesis or dissertation. Research involving human

subjects, including survey work, must be approved by the University and Medical Center

Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB), a part of the Office for Human Research Integrity (OHRI):

https://rede.ecu.edu/umcirb/. Research involving animals must be approved by the Institutional

Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC): https://iacuc.ecu.edu/ . Research involving

radiation/biohazards must be reviewed by the Office of Prospective Health to ensure compliance:

https://prospective-health.ecu.edu/.

10.3.1. Master’s Pre-Thesis Research Approval and Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy Forms

The Master’s Pre-Thesis Research Approval Form (required for master’s students) and the

Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy Form (required for doctoral students) are available on the

Graduate School website and should be completed, with appropriate signatures, and submitted to

the Graduate School by the student, prior to beginning research. Note: all thesis and dissertation

research must be approved by the thesis or dissertation director and the Unit GPDC. All students

whose thesis or dissertation projects involve human subjects, animals, radiation, and/or biohazards

must have their proposed research approved by the appropriate ECU committee (see above) before

beginning their research, and a copy of the appropriate approval form must be submitted with the

Pre-Thesis/-Dissertation Research Approval form and must be included in the Appendix of the

completed thesis or dissertation.

10.3.2. Thesis or Dissertation Committee Requirements

Faculty chairing or serving on thesis or dissertation committees must have appropriate graduate

faculty rank (See ECU Faculty Manual, Part II, Section IV). In general, at least three members of a

thesis or dissertation committee must have either associate graduate faculty status or full graduate

faculty status except for the additional conditions outlined below:

1. Graduate teaching faculty may serve as a fourth member of a committee as provided in the

ECU Faculty Manual, Part II, Section IV. The Graduate Council interprets this to mean that

at least three members must have associate or full graduate faculty status. Retired and

emeritus faculty who are members or associate members of the graduate faculty at the time

of their retirement may be reconsidered for reappointment for five-year renewable terms in

the manner described in the Faculty Manual, but if chairing the student’s advisory

committee, an ECU graduate faculty co-chair needs to be appointed.

2. An ECU graduate faculty member from a unit/college other than the student’s degree-

granting unit may serve on that graduate student’s advisory committee as one of the three

primary members if they have appropriate graduate faculty status as described above. If

they do not, they can serve as a fourth or fifth member. Please check unit code

requirements for possible additional restrictions or requirements.

3. External individuals (external to ECU) with demonstrated expertise in the discipline of a

thesis or dissertation may serve as a fourth or fifth member of a thesis or dissertation

committee, but they may not chair a thesis or dissertation committee. The external member

should have a terminal degree in an appropriate discipline or extensive professional

experience. This appointment must be approved by the faculty Graduate Program Director

or Coordinator and the unit graduate faculty members serving on the thesis or dissertation

committee. The Graduate Program Director will maintain a record of external members’

credentials (academic CV or resume) in case they are needed for external review. There is

no graduate school requirement for an external committee member for theses or doctoral

committees, though several individual units have this requirement.

10.4. Use of Copyrighted Materials in a Thesis/Dissertation

Students must comply with provisions of the Copyright Act when using copyrighted materials in a

thesis/dissertation. The fair use doctrine allows limited use of copyrighted material without

requiring prior permission from the copyright holder. Explanations of copyright for can be found on

ECU’s Copyright website. Documentation that any needed permission has been obtained must be

included in the Appendix of the completed thesis or dissertation. Students and advisors may consult

ECU’s Copyright Consultant (mailto:[email protected]) for assistance, including determination of

whether fair use of copyrighted materials applies, and may consult ECU’s Fair Use and Permissions

website.

10.5. Defense of Thesis/Dissertation

Copies of the thesis/dissertation must be presented by the student to his or her faculty advisor for

the use of the examining committee not later than one week prior to the date on which the

examining committee will conduct the oral examination and defense of the thesis. At this oral

defense of the thesis, the examining committee may ask the student questions regarding the subject

matter in the major field. A student may attempt to defend the thesis or dissertation no more than

twice.

After the student has successfully defended their thesis or dissertation and made the changes

recommended by their committee, they must obtain committee members' signatures on the

signature page and complete the ECU Non-Exclusive Distribution Agreement (NEDL) with their thesis

or dissertation chair. See https://gradschool.ecu.edu/forms/

10.6. Electronic Submission Process

The Vireo electronic thesis and dissertation submission system is used at ECU. The

thesis/dissertation signature page, with all DocuSign signatures except that of the dean of the

graduate school, and the ECU Non-Exclusive Distribution Agreement (NEDL), must both be uploaded

to Vireo, as separate documents in addition to the thesis or dissertation itself. These two forms

must be uploaded before the student’s thesis/dissertation will be reviewed. In terms of the

signature page, please note that at the time of electronic submission, the student will upload the 1)

the thesis or dissertation document, which will include the committee members' names on the title

page of their thesis/dissertation document, 2) the completed signature page from the DocuSign

system described on the ECU Thesis and Dissertation Graduate School web pages, and 3) the

completed and signed NEDL document.

Theses and dissertations must be submitted for Graduate School review no later than ten business

days prior to the last day of final exams during the intended semester of graduation. This date

applies to all semesters including summer and can be found on here:

https://gradschool.ecu.edu/thesis-dissertation/

10.6.1. Selection of Electronic Publishing Options during the Submission Process

At ECU dissertations and theses are published in two electronic databases; (a) the ECU institutional

repository, named the ECU ScholarShip (see the individual descriptions, below), and (b) while

submitted through Vireo, a ProQuest database, called ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global is

also used in order to ensure the widest exposure to the world’s scholarly community. More

information on Vireo may be found on the ECU Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation web pages.

10.6.2. Electronic Publishing Options

During the electronic submission process, the student must select a type of publishing agreement;

(a) Open Access or (b) Campus Access. In addition, with either of these options, students may elect

to have their work made available as soon as it is published or to delay release of their work for a

period of time (i.e., an embargo for 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years). No actual signature is needed

when choosing from these electronic options (keeping in mind that the NEDL form that is also

uploaded, mentioned above, requires the signature of the thesis/dissertation director, ensuring

discussion and agreement about any embargo terms) but the student must click to accept the online

agreement to continue. The student and the mentor (student’s graduate advisory committee chair)

should familiarize themselves with these two publishing options and select the one that best fits the

student’s interests and scholarly publishing obligations. The Graduate School encourages open

access and the shortest embargo period possible to further academic knowledge and gain

recognition for ECU’s graduate scholarly achievements.

10.6.3. ECU Open Access ScholarShip Publishing Options

Electronic theses and dissertations will be automatically published in ECU's open-access institutional

repository (The ScholarShip) either as (a) open access or (b) campus access subject to any embargo

period of up to two years, selected by the student. With Open Access, the entire Work is released

immediately for free world-wide access. With Campus Access, the entire Work is released

immediately for access only by ECU faculty, students, and staff (access authenticated by valid

PirateID). The student is responsible for requesting any changes in embargo selections for the

ProQuest database. Contact information for ProQuest may be obtained when inquiring about

embargo options with The ScholarShip (check link for contact information).

10.6.4. Precautions Regarding Intellectual Property Rights and Electronic Publication

1. Faculty and students are cautioned that electronic publication may disclose intellectual

property and thus harm patenting and licensing rights. In these cases, embargos are

necessary to protect the intellectual property, but are limited in timespan. The student does

retain the copyright for all theses and dissertations published through ECU.

2. Faculty and students planning to publish their theses or dissertations in the future should

investigate specific publishers’ copyright policies. Most large publishers explicitly accept

manuscripts based on theses or dissertations; to find out the publisher’s policy, students

should check “Instructions for Authors” or “Copyright Information” on the specific journal’s

web site. The Sherpa/RoMEO database collects publishers’ copyright policies:

http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/.

3. Faculty and students are also cautioned that electronic publication of theses or dissertations

may preclude future publication of creative works such as plays or short stories, though

specific policies vary by publisher.

4. Please note that ECU never asks or holds the copyright to students’ theses and dissertations.

Vireo does not ask students to sign over the copyright to their work during the submission

process.

If a student’s work contains confidential intellectual property, patentable material, or there are

concerns about future publications, students may delay the release of their work by choosing to

embargo their thesis/dissertation with ECU’s Institutional Repository and with ProQuest for a period

of 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years. If more time is needed, they may request a one-time extension of

the embargo. During the embargo, the full text of the ETD is not made available to the public by the

Institutional Repository or ProQuest. Abstracts, document titles, author name, and keywords are

publicly viewable in the Institutional repository and ProQuest. Students are required to contact

ProQuest to request embargo extensions in the ProQuest database. Abstracts for work on material

being submitted for a patent should be written in such a fashion as to not reveal critical aspects,

because the Graduate School does not support removing abstracts which are part of the metadata,

even on an embargoed thesis or dissertation.

Students are required to consult with their thesis/dissertation advisor about potential problems

concerning any intellectual property disclosure or prior publication issues. The Graduate School will

verify that this consultation has taken place by checking the advisor's signature on the mandatory

Non-Exclusive Distribution License (NEDL) Form.

10.6.5. Copyright Filing and Information

A copyright is an intangible right granted to the author or originator of certain literary or artistic

productions, under which he or she is invested for a limited period with the sole, exclusive privilege

of making copies and publishing and selling them. Copyright protection automatically exists from the

time the work is created in “fixed, tangible medium.” There is no requirement that the work be

published or registered to obtain protection under copyright law. The copyright in the work of

authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work unless it is a

work-for-hire or unless ownership has been assigned by written agreement.

U.S., registration is required before you can file an infringement lawsuit. Registration also allows the

author to be awarded damages and attorney fees in an infringement action. Generally, the author

must have registered before the infringement occurs to have these benefits. Students may file

their own copyright registration, and students submitting their thesis or dissertation via

Vireo may choose to file for copyright themselves. Students may file an application with

the US Copyright Office, online or by mail, for a fee of $35. For more information, see the U.S.

students include a copyright notice following the title page, to protect the student. Typical copyright

10.6.6. Revising the Submission

After review by the Graduate School, the student will receive an email indicating any necessary

formatting corrections. Corrections need to be made in the original Word document, converted to a

PDF. The revised PDF should then be resubmitted/re-uploaded.

10.7. Final Approval of Manuscript

The student will be notified by the Graduate School via email upon final approval of their ETD

documents. An email notification will be sent to the student and the Registrar’s Office. The

approved thesis/dissertation document is designated on the Administrator Site as the official copy

and is submitted to The ScholarShip. Once the Graduate School accepts/approves the final

document, the student’s account will be locked, and no revisions or resubmissions are allowed.

When the student’s manuscript has been approved by the Graduate School, the approved

manuscript will be accessible to the ECU institutional repository for publication according to the

agreed upon conditions (and the institutional repository will submit to the ProQuest database), at

the end of the term upon verification of the student’s graduation by the Registrar’s Office. Theses

and dissertations are also shared with ProQuest at the end of the term, but there may be a

processing delay of up to six months before abstracts (and full-text, if selected) are available in the

database. If the student would like to inquire about the status of their submission after it has been

submitted to the Graduate School, they may contact Marquerite Bond at [email protected].

10.8. Archives

The Library of Congress’ official offsite repository for dissertations and theses in digital format is

ProQuest. They are stored as TIFFs and PDF in online electronic vaults. In addition, dissertations and

theses are archived on two copies of microform stored in separate vaults.

10.9. Ordering Bound Copies

Students may order bound copies of their theses or dissertations by contacting private companies.

The ECU Graduate School is not in the business of binding or ordering bound copies of theses or

dissertations. Two companies that have done such binding in the past are Thesis On Demand and

Lulu.com, but the Graduate School is not making recommendations on commercial binderies.

Appendix A: Best Practices for Graduate Theses or Dissertation Advising

(modified only to fit within the outline and chapter format of this handbook)

This best practices document was adopted by the Graduate Council on April 13, 2015. Its purpose is

to provide best practice guidelines for graduate programs in adopting or revising their procedures

for advising students in the preparation of their theses and dissertations. The recommendations

were compiled by examining a survey of the practices of all ECU Graduate Programs in guiding their

graduate students for masters and Doctoral Theses or Dissertations and Defenses. There is

substantial variation among the programs for how a thesis or dissertation is done, and who is

involved in the advising and decision-making steps. The repository of “best practice” information,

informed by responses by individual ECU program to the Survey, is intended to make it easier for the

various graduate programs, Graduate Council, the Graduate Council’s Executive Committee, and the

Dean of the Graduate School to evaluate instances where there is a problem for a student and

recommend possible revisions.

These “best practices” will be published in the Graduate Director’s Handbook and available through

the ECU Graduate School website.

The Policies of each individual Degree Program regarding Thesis or Dissertation Advising shall be

available in writing and communicated to students. The guidelines outlined below should be

implemented consistent with all stipulations in the Graduate Faculty Manual.

A.1. Initial Advisor or Committee

Right attention and advising from the very beginning of a masters or doctoral students’ enrollment

in a thesis- or dissertation-based program is critically important as a student prepares to launch into

a well-conceived, well-monitored program of study and research. It is a best practice that students

will have an Initial Advisor or advisory committee to guide them during the early stages in the

program prior to selecting a Thesis or Dissertation Advisor. The initial advisor may be the graduate

program director or other graduate faculty as deemed appropriate by the program. The initial

advisor or advisory committee helps students select a graduate faculty member whose research

expertise aligns well with the student’s intended area research to serve as their thesis or

dissertation advisor. The thesis or dissertation advisor chairs the student’s Thesis or Dissertation

Committee, which may or may not be the same as the student’s Initial Advisor or advisory

committee.

A.2 Thesis or Dissertation Advisor and Committee

A.2.a. Composition of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee

i. Thesis or Dissertation Advisor (Mentor) should act as chair

ii. Selection of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee should be by the Student in consultation

with the Thesis or Dissertation Advisor prior to an attempt at Candidacy by the Student.

iii. At least one additional graduate faculty member from within the degree program

iv. Membership should complement the direction or aims of the Thesis or Dissertation project

planned by the Student.

v. Doctoral: At least one member external to the degree program or Dissertation Advisor’s

department is strongly recommended.

vi. Doctoral: minimum of four (4) graduate faculty members in total

vii. Masters: minimum of three (3) graduate faculty members in total

viii. Wherever feasible, there should be continuity in the composition of a student’s Committee

(from Advisory to Candidacy to Thesis).

1. Provides consistency of expectations of the Student

2. Allows early and comprehensive evaluation of Student’s progress toward

the degree

ix It is preferable that a single committee advise the Student throughout the degree. In cases

where programs allow two or more distinct Committees at different stages of the degree

process (e.g., during the coursework phase or during research phase; or prior to or following

candidacy), the Committees are expected to relate information about the students’ progress

to one another at regular intervals (at least annually).

A.2.b. Timing of forming the Thesis or Dissertation Committee

i. Selection of Thesis or Dissertation Committee members should precede any formal

preparation for Candidacy

ii. The Thesis or Dissertation Committee should be formed by the Student in consultation with

the Thesis or Dissertation Advisor immediately following initial planning of the Thesis or

Dissertation or project

iii Prior to selection of the Thesis or Dissertation Advisor, the graduate program director or

designated Initial Advisor(s) will act as the Advisory Committee for each new student.

A.2.c. Qualifications of Members

i. All internal Thesis or Dissertation Committee members must have ECU graduate faculty

status (Note: at least 3 members must be full or associate graduate faculty).

ii. External members may be from industry, government, community organizations or other

universities, and must have been approved by the process described in the Faculty Manual.

iii Each member is expected to have a terminal degree equivalent to or beyond the degree

being sought by the student. The terminal degree requirement may be waived for an

outside member from an agency, industry, government, or community organizations who

serves to provide novel expertise to the committee.

A.2.d. Frequency of student meetings with Thesis or Dissertation Committee

i. A required first organizational Thesis or Dissertation Committee meeting should occur as

soon as is feasible after selection by the Student and Thesis or Dissertation Advisor.

ii. At least once per semester for Masters students.

iii An organizational meeting with a doctoral student must occur prior to the Assessment for

Candidacy status.

iv. At least once per year for Doctoral students

v. Meetings may occasionally be substituted with a formal, written update to the entire Thesis

or Dissertation Committee, as allowed by the Program guidelines.

vi. Programs should consider including in their written documentation a description of the

frequency of occurrence of formal Thesis or Dissertation Committee meetings and their

outcomes.

vii. Face to face meetings or video conferences with students are expected for at least one of

the annual meetings.

A.3 Advancement to Candidacy Status

A.3.a. Programs should clearly define in writing the steps required for Advancement to Candidacy

or the program equivalent and the expected timeline to achieve it.

A.3.b. Advancement should precede a Student’s entry into the research or project or scholarly

activity implementation process.

A.3.c. Form of Assessment (aka Thesis or Dissertation Proposal or Competency Exam or Qualifying

Exam or Candidacy Exam or Thesis Prospectus.

i. May be comprised of a single or multiple components (e.g., written exam, submitted outline

or grant proposal or oral presentation)

ii. All components should be evaluated by the Committee; outcomes reported in a single,

documented report to Program Director

iii. Doctoral Programs: outcome must be formally reported to the Graduate School using the

“Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy” form. (Efforts should be made to include this step in

the student’s electronic academic file.)

A.3.d. Timing of the Assessment

i. Advancement to Candidacy is essential for Doctoral degrees. Advancement to thesis status

is encouraged but not required for Masters degrees.

ii. When applicable, efforts should be made to administer the Assessment (3c, above) as early

in the degree progression as practical. Outcomes should be used by the Thesis or

Dissertation Committee to thoughtfully and objectively consider if it is in the student’s best

interest to continue in the Thesis or Dissertation track.

iii. Recommended for Master’s degree for full-time graduate students: End of 2

semester; no

later than 3

semester (not including summer)

iv. Recommended for Doctoral degree for full-time graduate students: End of 4

semester; no

later than 6

semester (not including summer)

A.3.e. Failure and Remediation

i. Programs should have a clearly defined policy communicated in writing to Students on

opportunities to repeat the initial Candidacy Assessment. Programs may choose to grant no

such opportunity; but it is recommended that no more than two (2) repeat Assessments be

allowed.

ii. Recommendation: If the policy includes an opportunity to repeat the Candidacy

Assessment, the committee should provide individualized guidance on what remediation is

need and a timeline for completing the next assessment.

A.4 Responsibilities of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee

A.4.a. Role in Committee Meetings.

The Thesis or Dissertation Committee will:

i. Advise the student in the educational program, as well as the planning, conduct and

interpretation of research or scholarly activity.

ii. Monitor and evaluate the Student’s progress toward the degree

iii. Oversee the Student’s intellectual, professional, and scholarly development and respond to

any difficulties in the Student’s performance

iv. Meet in formal sessions to critically assess progress toward the degree (frequency described

above)

1. Meetings may be requested by the Student or Thesis or Dissertation Advisor

2. Or by a member of the Committee.

3. Frequent direct interaction between the Student and Thesis or Dissertation Committee

members is essential

4. Thesis or Dissertation Committee must express to the Student and Thesis or Dissertation

Advisor any concerns they have regarding the student’s performance and quality of

work

v. In the event the Student’s performance or progress is insufficient; the Thesis or Dissertation

Committee will offer guidelines to aid in the fulfillment of their expectations.

A.4.b. Role in Thesis or Dissertation preparation and defense.

The Thesis or Dissertation Committee will:

i. Approve of the subject matter and methodology of the Thesis or Dissertation research

ii. Review and comment on drafts of the Thesis or Dissertation regarding editorial, linguistic

and bibliographic quality prior to submission to the Graduate School.

iii. Verify proper organization, content and formatting of the Thesis or Dissertation for

submission to the Graduate School

iv. Verify, to the best of their ability, the quality of the data collection and evidence, data

analysis, and logical reasoning or interpretation considering the proposal aims.

v. Evaluate whether the Student’s Thesis or Dissertation fulfills the requirements of the

degree.

vi. Encourage the Student in the submission and revision of manuscripts based on the Thesis or

Dissertation for publication in the scholarly literature.

vii. Programs should include an authorization signature for any additional formal readers of the

thesis or dissertation, in addition to the Thesis or Dissertation Advisor and Department

Chair, on the “Report of Defense” or “Recommendation to Awarded Degree” form to the

Graduate School.

Respectfully submitted,

TDO Committee (2014):

Brett D Keiper Biochem (chair)

Carl Swanson History

Heather Ries Math

Marie Pokorny Nursing (retired)

Andy Morehead Chemistry

Angela Lamson Med Family Therapy

Cheryl McFadden Education Leadership, Higher Ed. (retired)

Terry West Biology

Jared Stallings Graduate Assistant

Monica Moore ITCS