Masters Regulations and Procedures
Academic Load
Full-time masters students normally take nine semester credit hours. Additional courses above this load require permission from the appropriate college dean or designee. The minimum course load for full-time status is six credit hours in fall and spring, or three credit hours in a summer session. If a student demonstrates exceptional academic performance, the department chair or designee may approve a maximum one-course overload. A student’s enrollment may be restricted when deemed in the best interest of the student. Students in combined program pathways or 3+1+1 programs are considered full-time if their combined course load equals full-time based on graduate and undergraduate policy (i.e., 6 credits undergraduate + 3 credits graduate = full-time status).
Academic Standing
Academic Probation
Whenever the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of a student who has graduate status falls below 3.0, and/or the student earns a U (Unsatisfactory) or F (Failure) grade in graduate milestones or thesis coursework, the student will be placed on academic probation.
A student who receives a U (Unsatisfactory) or F (Failure) grade in graduate milestone or thesis coursework will be required to complete an improvement plan to meet graduate milestones or thesis requirements during the subsequent semester. The student must earn an S (satisfactory) or P (Pass) grade in the subsequent semester to be removed from probation status.
Academic Dismissal
Students will be dismissed from their graduate program whenever any of the following conditions occur:
- Students on conditional status fail to satisfy the conditions of their admission.
- A final grade of less than B is earned in any undergraduate course required in the graduate program as a condition of admission.
- A final grade of less than B is received in any three graduate courses.
- A final grade of U has been received for any two graduate courses.
- A final grade of F has been received for any two graduate courses.
- A final grade of F is received in any course worth 6 credit hours or more.
- The cumulative grade point average has not been raised to at least 3.0 within the first twelve graduate hours attempted after the semester/term in which the student is placed on academic probation.
Academic dismissal is entered on the student's permanent record.
To appeal academic dismissal, the student must submit a petition in writing detailing the existence of any exceptional, mitigating circumstances to the Chair of the academic department with responsibility for overseeing the graduate program or their designee within 30 days of the receipt of the dismissal notice. The College Dean and/or Department Chair or designee will provide his/her decision to uphold the dismissal or recommend a dismissal reversal and notify, in writing, the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost or designee, who will review the case and make a final determination of the action to be taken. Such action will be carried out in a timely manner not to exceed 30 days following receipt of the petition by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost or designee. If confirmed, academic dismissal is final.
Students may appeal their academic dismissal from the University only once.
Dismissal for Cause
The University reserves the right to dismiss a student at any time and without further reason, if the student exhibits the following undesirable conduct:
- Actions that pose a risk to the health, safety, or property of members of the University community, including, but not limited to, other students, faculty, staff, administrative officers, or the student himself/herself.
- Conduct that disrupts the educational process of the University.
- Any other just cause.
Loss of Master's Status and Readmission
Under certain circumstances (other than graduation), a masters student may lose graduate status and will no longer be considered a student at Embry-Riddle. This can occur when:
- A student voluntarily withdraws from the University.
- A student is dismissed from the University and the dismissal becomes final.
- A student fails to meet the requirement for continuous enrollment. This occurs when a student does not enroll in at least one term in a two-year period.
- A student does not complete the degree requirements of a master's program within seven years of starting the graduate program.
- A student completes a master's program.
Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment for any reason are required to apply for readmission under the catalog in effect at that time.
Degree Program Change
A masters student who wishes to transfer from one program to another must apply through Graduate Admissions. The department responsible for the new program has the prerogative to accept or reject the student’s request and to determine the courses applicable to the new program. Requests for transfer of credits from Embry-Riddle or other institutions and/or advanced standing credits should be included in the application.
When a student elects to transfer from one degree program to another, the catalog in effect when the transfer is approved is applicable.
Dual Master Degrees
Master’s students who have completed their degrees and who wish to enroll in an additional master’s degree must apply for admission to that degree through the Graduate Admissions office. A master's student is allowed to apply up to 12 applicable credit hours from one master's degree program to meet the requirements of another master's degree program. In order to be awarded a second graduate degree, the student must satisfy all the requirements of the degree sought.
Graduate Assistantships
Master assistantships are academic appointments that are normally reserved for qualified graduate students at the Daytona Beach Campus. A graduate teaching assistant helps in teaching undergraduate students in specified courses or laboratories under the general supervision of a faculty member. A teaching assistant must have completed 18 graduate credit-hours in the discipline. A graduate research assistant is involved in research activities under the direction of a faculty member or a research associate. A graduate administrative assistant assists departments or faculty with curriculum development, special projects, and other duties as assigned. To be eligible for a master assistantship, a student must have full graduate status in a degree program, must have maintained a CGPA of 3.00 out of a possible 4.00 or above through the end of the semester (graduate or undergraduate) preceding the appointment, must maintain a 3.0 GPA during the semester, and must demonstrate adequate communication and technical skills.
Each department has the responsibility to post the availability of its graduate assistantships. Students interested in applying should submit a resume directly to the department. Incoming students should contact departments directly about the availability of assistantships.
Full graduate assistantships carry a stipend set by the University and a tuition waiver for up to nine graduate credits per semester. Graduate assistants with such appointments are expected to devote 20 hours each week to carry out their assignments effectively. Under some circumstances, partial assistantships providing either tuition or a stipend may be granted. In such cases, expected time to be devoted is set by the assigning department. Graduate assistants are permitted to accept other University employment; however, University policies limit students to a total of 25 hours and international students to 20 hours of work per week, including the graduate assistantship. All graduate teaching, research, and administrative assistantships, both full and partial, require that the recipient be registered for at least six graduate credits at Embry-Riddle for any semester of their appointment. Summer registration is not required, but encouraged.
Graduate Internships
Graduate internships are temporary professional opportunities in industry available to students enrolled in graduate programs at the university. Full-time employees of the offering organization are not eligible for an internship appointment and cannot receive academic credit for their professional position.
Masters-level academic credit is awarded at a rate of one credit hour for every 200 clock hours of work completed, up to a maximum of three credit hours in one semester. Three internship credit hours may be applied toward degree requirements in all degree programs.
International students must verify their eligibility to work in the U.S. with International Student Services BEFORE accepting an internship, and may not register for an internship after having completed their educational requirements, according to the regulations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. An internship must be required in the curriculum or fulfill a required elective.
Students selected for an internship may register for the approved number of credit hours in the appropriate departmental internship course and will be charged tuition for one credit hour plus applicable mandatory and program fees. Additional information is available from Career Services and in Handshake.
Graduation Requirements
The following summary of graduation requirements is provided for all students. An Embry-Riddle master's degree will be conferred upon the successful completion of the general requirements of the University and the specific requirements of the degree sought.
- All course, thesis, GRP, GCP and other academic requirements, as appropriate, must be met.
- The student is not on negative academic standing.
- All debts and obligations to the University are satisfied.
- The student is not under University investigation for misconduct or other disciplinary matters.
- A student must be enrolled in the term in which he/she graduates.
- An application for graduation must be initiated by the student and received in the time limit specified by the appropriate campus records office.
- Participation in graduation exercises will not be permitted, a diploma will not be awarded, nor a transcript annotated as complete, until all of the degree requirements have been satisfied.
Graduation Honors
Students who have completed a master's degree program and who have excelled academically throughout their graduate careers are recognized through the publication of graduation honors on the transcript and in the commencement program. To be eligible, graduate students must have completed their degree program with a cumulative grade point average of 4.00 based on grades received in all courses at the graduate level.
Thesis, Research or Capstone Project
Students who elect a thesis, graduate research project or graduate capstone project must obtain approval of the research topic. The University encourages masters students to select thesis, graduate research/capstone project topics that permit them to participate in faculty research. Once approved, a research advisor and one or more additional committee members are selected and approved by the department coordinator or designee. Normally, if a student is working with a faculty research team as part of their thesis or graduate/capstone research project, the faculty member who is directing the student’s research should generally be the student’s research advisor. The graduate research/capstone project option may not be available for all programs.
An interruption in thesis registration requires written approval in advance from the department chair or designee and is permissible only for sound reasons and only if the student is making no use of University facilities or personnel.
Time Limit for Degree Completion
The student has seven years from the date of admission to the master's degree program to complete the degree. No Embry-Riddle course older than seven years at the time of graduation may be used in the program of study for a master's degree. (Prerequisite courses are exempt from this requirement.) Transfer courses older than seven years, earned at other universities, may be accepted at the discretion of the appropriate program coordinator. Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment (missing enrollment at the University for a period of two years) must file for readmission to the University. The seven year limit is measured from when the student was first admitted to the Embry-Riddle program.