Graduate Admission Procedures

To receive consideration for admission to a graduate program, the required admissions materials (listed below) must be submitted to and be on file in the Office of Academic Affairs. The address for the Office of Academic Affairs is: 433 West Madison Street, Pulaski, TN 38478, or you may contact Dr. Judy Cheatham, Provost at 931- 363-9823 or jbcheat@utsouthern.edu .

Each individual applicant is responsible for any payments and fees associated with these items. The Provost informs individual applicants of provisional, conditional, or full admission to the graduate program (refer to Graduate Admissions Procedures section for definitions of Provisional, Conditional, and Full Admission status).

Though the UT Southern graduate programs offer rolling admissions, candidates must have their applications FULLY complete by August 15 for fall entry and April 15 for summer entry. Evaluation for admission to the graduate program is based upon the following requirements:

A completed Graduate Application Form.

A letter of intent explaining the reasons the applicant wants to enter the graduate program. The applicant should discuss their managerial or work experience, aspirations, and support systems (financial, personal, and professional) that will contribute to the successful completion of the graduate program.

Official transcripts for ALL previous undergraduate and graduate course work sent directly from the granting institution to the Office of Academic Affairs at The University of Tennessee Southern. Transcripts issued outside the United States must be evaluated and translated by the World Education Services at http://wes.org. or another accepted organization.

A baccalaureate degree in an appropriate field from a regionally accredited institution, meeting a 3.0 grade point average or a 3.0 grade point average in the 300/400 level major courses.

Three letters of recommendation in support of the individual’s applications:

An interview with the Admissions Committee, consisting of the Program Director and other full time faculty in the program. The applicant will be contacted to schedule this interview.

For an applicant whose first language is other than English, a minimum TOEFL score of 80 with no subscore below 20. See http://www.ets.org/toefl for information about the TOEFL exam. Upon acceptance to the program and arrival on campus, international applicants will be interviewed by a representative of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program to review of the applicant’s speaking and listening skills during academic discourse in English.

Provisional Admission

Applicants who have not submitted all of the official documentation required for full admission by the admission deadline for the graduate program may, at the recommendation of the Program Director, the Admissions Committee, and the Provost, receive provisional admission to the graduate program. Provisional admission includes such circumstances as:

The undergraduate institution’s not having officially posted the awarding of the baccalaureate degree;

A missing letter of recommendation.

Applicants admitted provisionally for missing documentation must submit all missing documentation by the end of the first month of study, or they will be removed from the graduate program. Financial aid is not available for provisional admissions.

Conditional Admission

Applicants who meet any of the following conditions may be offered conditional admission to enroll in 6 graduate hours at the recommendation of the Program Director, the Admissions Committee, and the Provost.

Undergraduate GPA below 3.0;

GPA below 3.0 on the last 30 hours of 300-400 level business courses

Proficiency requirements not met.

After successful completion of 6 graduate semester hours with final grades of B or higher as a conditionally admitted graduate candidate, the individual may file a written request with the Provost to review the application for full admission to the graduate program. The request will be forwarded to the Program Director for consideration by the Admission Committee. Graduate credits earned while a conditionally admitted candidate holds conditional status may count towards the graduate degree program.

Applicants who receive conditional admission to the graduate program may be required to satisfactorily complete additional preparatory course work before continuing in the degree program.

Financial aid is not available for conditional admissions.

Non-Degree Admission

Individuals who do not wish to pursue a graduate degree may apply as non-degree seeking students. Non- degree status is usually used for applicants who are practicing professionals in the field and who wish to take one or more courses for professional development. Non-degree students may be admitted upon receipt of the following:

An application for admission.

Transcripts to document undergraduate and graduate work.

Written permission from the coordinator/director of the graduate program offering the course. All other courses will be blocked to non-degree-seeking applicants except for the course(s) that have been approved.

Non-degree seeking students who later apply for and are accepted into a degree program may apply a maximum of twelve hours taken as non-degree students toward their degree, but all admissions requirements would apply.

Financial aid is not available for non- degree admission.

Admission of Transient Students in Graduate Programs at Other Institutions

Applicants who are unconditionally enrolled in graduate programs at other institutions may take a limited number of courses in a graduate program at the University of Tennessee Southern with the following documentation:

An application.

A letter from the Registrar’s Office at the institution in which that the applicant is enrolled stating the applicant is a student in good standing and the applicant has permission to take the requested course.

Written permission from the appropriate program director.

An official transcript from all institutions attended.

Admission of Undergraduate Students to Graduate Coursework

An undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee Southern who has a cumulative 3.0 GPA and is within nine hours of graduation may receive written permission from the appropriate director/coordinator to take up to six hours of graduate courses. The student must maintain a 3.0 GPA while taking these courses. If these courses count as hours towards the baccalaureate degree, they cannot be used later as graduate hours towards a graduate degree.

Admission of International Students to Graduate Coursework

International students must meet the same admission standards required of other applicants. In addition, they must submit the following items:

Certified transcripts, diplomas, and certificates translated in English by WES or another accredited service.

An official letter of financial backing.

A signed International Student Health Agreement.

A satisfactory score on an approved test of English-language proficiency. Graduate studies require an official test score of at least 80 (TOEFL iBT), 550 (TOEFL PBT and ITP), 670 (TOEIC), or 6.0 (IELTS).The Test of Written English may also be required. Individual graduate programs may set higher English-language proficiency scores and/or require additional documentation of English-language proficiency.

Transfer Credits

A master's candidate may transfer up to six (6) graduate semester credits from another regionally accredited institution, depending upon review and recommendation from the Program Director, Program Committee, and the Graduate Council. The candidate must include course descriptions and course syllabi with any transfer request, and may also be asked to provide examples of the work in any course for which transfer credit is requested. Any courses in which the candidate has earned the grade of B ins eligible for transfer. The Provost will make the final decision on transfer requests.

Graduate Course Substitutions

Graduate students may substitute a graduate course from the University or another regionally accredited institution for a program requirement. The full-time professor who teaches the equivalent course may make a recommendation regarding the substitution request, or may refer the substitution request to the Graduate Council. If there is no full- time faculty member for the equivalent course, the substitution request will be forwarded to the Graduate Council for a recommendation. The Provost will make the final decision on graduate course substitution requests.

Retention of Records for Graduate and Undergraduate Applications

Applicants who have been admitted and choose not to enroll in coursework but wish to keep their records current should submit a written request to the Admissions Office, indicating that they want their application to be kept on file for one calendar year following the term of admission. After one calendar year, their files will be purged. Former students who have not enrolled in coursework for a semester/term (i.e., they have taken a break from college for any reason) need to notify the Admissions Office they wish to continue in their program, so they can complete the re-admission process. They also need to provide the Office of Academic Affairs with any updated personal information (e.g., a change of address) and provide official transcripts if they have taken courses for college credit at another institution.