E1.8 Dismissal
Updated: August 26th, 2011
There are generally two reasons a graduate student may be dismissed: for disciplinary reasons due to violations of the Code of Student Code and for academic deficiencies. The former is determined by the Vice Chancellor, Division of Student Affairs at the recommendation of the Office of Student Conduct and with the concurrence of the Graduate Dean. (For more information, see the Office of Student Conduct website: http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/sja.asp?id=297)
Dismissal for academic reasons is entirely under the purview of the Graduate Dean under the auspices of the Graduate Council.
Academic Dismissal. A student is subject to academic dismissal if:
- the student’s academic deficiencies as determined by the department and the Graduate Division were not corrected after a reasonable, established period of probation or lapsing; or
- the student failed the comprehensive, preliminary, or qualifying exam (however see Appendix A, section 9, “Academic Standing” and information in second paragraph below); or
- a department assesses that a student’s academic progress, although sufficient for the award of a master’s degree, was insufficient to merit the student’s proceeding to the doctoral level; or
- the student failed to meet the necessary clinical standards in a professional program (e.g., Optometry).
How to recommend that a student be dismissed. If the Head Graduate Adviser believes that it is unlikely that a student on probation or in lapsed status can improve his or her record or that the student is unable to meet requirements for the degree, the Head Graduate Adviser should recommend dismissal (or “termination” for lapsed individuals) to the Dean, in care of the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, #5900). The Graduate Division reviews the records of all students on probation to determine if they should be dismissed. Normally, departments can recommend dismissal only after the students have been informed in writing of their deficiencies and given adequate time to correct them and to meet acceptable criteria. A department must submit an individual request for each student it recommends for dismissal or termination.
Additionally, if the Head Graduate Adviser provides no such justification for extending probation beyond the probationary semester, the Associate Dean for Degrees may recommend to the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student be formally dismissed.
Dismissal for Failed Examinations (Comprehensive, Preliminary, and Qualifying Examinations). The Graduate Council requires that students who fail a departmental examination on the first attempt be given an opportunity for reexamination following a reasonable delay for additional preparation. A student permitted to undertake a second examination is not placed on probation while preparing for the retake.
However, in cases of a comprehensive or preliminary examination, if the examining committee, with the concurrence of the Head Graduate Adviser, recommends that no second examination be given and that the student’s status in that department be terminated, the chair of the committee must provide an explanatory letter addressed to the cognizant Associate Dean, in care of the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, #5900). This would apply in cases where the examination committee’s opinion is that the student’s performance on the exam was so poor that it is unlikely the student will pass in a second attempt within an acceptable period of time.
Note: Departments must appropriately inform students before the examination that it is the program’s policy to possibly not recommend a second examination and that a student not recommended for a second attempt is subject to dismissal.
For the Qualifying Examination, the examining committee, with the concurrence of the Head Graduate Adviser, may also recommend that no second examination be given. If a committee does not recommend a reexamination, a written explanation from the committee chair must be sent to the Graduate Services Degrees Unit in addition to the Report on the Qualifying Examination. For the particular regulations governing the report of a student failing the Qualifying Examination, please refer to Chapter F, “Degrees,” section F2.7 “Exam Failure or Split Vote.”
When a student is dismissed. After the student’s record and the department’s recommendations, if applicable, are reviewed by the Graduate Division, the Graduate Dean sends a letter of dismissal to the student and so informs the department, and the Office of the Registrar. The Graduate Services: Degrees Office requests the Registrar’s Office to block the student from further registration and the Registrar’s Office notates his or her transcript with the following: “Further registration subject to the approval of the Dean of the Graduate Division.” The student is ineligible to apply for readmission to the program from which he or she has been academically dismissed. However, the student is not excluded from applying to another academic program; this program has the right to review the student’s academic records to inform its decision on whether or not to admit the student. When a student is dismissed for reasons of misconduct, however, the student is not allowed to apply for any program in the UC system unless with the express permission of the Chancellor of the UC campus to which the former student wishes to apply.
More information. If you have questions about probation, lapsing and dismissal, please contact the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, degrees@berkeley.edu) or the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs (643-7412). Special requests for probation and dismissal should be addressed to the cognizant Associate Dean in care of the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, #5900).
See All Topics in the Category: E. Course Work, Grading, Probation, and Dismissal, Guide to Graduate Policy
