Research with Human Participants

Academic integrity is an adherence to a high standard of values regarding life and work in an academic community. Pursuit of knowledge and the creation of an atmosphere conducive to learning are both definite aspects of academic integrity, but its basis lies in the standard of honesty.

Students at the University of Georgia are responsible for maintaining and adhering to the strictest standards of honesty and integrity in every aspect of their lives. Honesty in academic matters is a large part of this obligation. Specific regulations governing student academic conduct are contained in the Student Handbook, and these should be read to avoid any misunderstanding.

Students and faculty who suspect that an act of academic dishonesty has taken place should contact the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.

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• View Acceptance of Credit by Transfer information

An application for graduation must be filed with the Graduate School no later than Friday of the second full week (the first full week for summer) of classes in the semester of the anticipated graduation date. You may now apply online.

University of Georgia students have the right to appeal certain academic decisions. The appeals process starts at the unit responsible for the decision (ex. grades will start with the department that offered the course). For most appeals, an unfavorable ruling at one level can be appealed to the successive level. All appeals are heard by the Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council. The appellant must submit a letter of appeal. Appellants are also allowed to submit up to 10 pages of supporting documentation beyond the appeal letter. Appellants do not need to submit any documentation that is already in their file at the Graduate School. Appeal letters, supporting documentation, and questions about the appeals process should be submitted to gradassociatedean@uga.edu.

The Appeals Committee shall hear appeals from (a) applicants denied admission to graduate study, (b) students denied a change of degree objective by the Graduate School, (c) students dismissed by the academic unit and/or the Graduate School, (d) students denied an extension of time, (e) students who have violated the Continuous Enrollment Policy, and (f) students contesting a course grade. The committee shall make recommendations to the dean and report its activities to the Council.

During the appeals hearing, each party (appellant and respondent) has a maximum of 10 minutes to present their case. The Appeals Committee then meets to discuss the case and renders a decision.

Below are the most common types of appeals heard by the Committee.

Admission Decision Appeals

Appeals of admissions decisions must first be made to the applicant’s intended department and then to their college. After an unfavorable decision at the college level, the student has 30 days to initiate their appeal at the Graduate School. Decisions made by the Appeals Committee regarding admissions decision are final. There is no higher level to which the applicant can submit an appeal.

Dismissal Decision

There are two types of dismissal appeals:  departmental dismissals and Graduate School dismissals. Students wishing to appeal a departmental dismissal must first appeal to their department and then their college. After an unfavorable decision at the college level, the student has 30 days to contact the Graduate School to initiate their appeal. Students dismissed by the Graduate School must appeal to the Graduate School first. Dismissal appeals decisions made by the Appeals Committee can be appealed to the Educational Affairs Committee of the University Council.

Students subject to Graduate School dismissal may, with the support of their department / program, take advantage of an expedited review of their dismissal. Within two business days of the release of grades, the Graduate School will contact the program of each student subject to dismissal, giving the program two days to request an expedited review. (Any later review requests would go through the normal appeals process.)

The program will work with the student to develop supporting documents that must be submitted by four days prior to Registration Day of the next semester. These documents should include a letter of support from the program (including a development plan outlining how the student will come into compliance and make satisfactory progress toward graduation with appropriate GPA) and a letter from the student (describing any mitigating or extenuating circumstances for consideration by the Appeals Committee). All documentation should total no more than five pages. The student’s transcript will also be available for review.

An Expedited Review Committee will be composed of at least five members of the Graduate Council. This committee will be populated from the Appeals Committee, with additional volunteers solicited from Graduate Council as needed. The chair of the Expedited Review Committee will ordinarily be the chair of the Appeals Committee. Committee meetings (in-person or remote) will be scheduled up to three times per year on Registration Day prior to each semester.

The Expedited Review Committee will review the requests each semester. As in the traditional appeals process, the student may appear on their own behalf. The department / program is encouraged to send (in-person or virtually) a faculty or staff member to serve as an advocate for the student. Each involved party will be granted no more than ten minutes to present their case.

Any Expedited Review Committee decision to reinstate a dismissed student will be available in time for the student to register for classes during the semester following dismissal. If the dismissal is upheld, the standard appeals process is still available to the student. A student may only request an expedited dismissal review one time.

Grade Appeals

Students appealing grades must first contact the instructor of a course to appeal a final course grade. If the student receives an unfavorable decision, the student can then appeal to the department in which the course is housed, using procedures established by the requisite school or college. Please note that students can only appeal final course grades. If the student is given an unfavorable decision from the department, the student can then appeal to the college. After the decision at the college level, the student has 30 days to initiate their appeal to the Graduate School. Grade appeal decisions made by the Appeals Committee can be appealed to the Educational Affairs Committee. The Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council does not hear grade appeals from professional programs. Appeals involving hardship withdraws and Incompletes (I’s) converting to F’s are heard by the Educational Affairs Committee, not the Appeals Committee. To contact the Educational Affairs Committee, please email ovpiappeals@uga.edu. For questions regarding appeals heard by the Educational Affairs Committee, please visit their website.

No full-time, contract-eligible member of the faculty of the University of Georgia above the rank of instructor may be awarded a doctoral degree earned in their academic unit of employment.

A student wishing to change his or her degree objective may do so with the approval of the departmental graduate coordinator and the dean of the Graduate School. A form requesting a change in degree objective may be submitted to the Graduate School if a student has registration eligibility and is 1) changing from provisional admission status to the status of a prospective candidate for a degree within the same department; 2) changing from one degree objective to another degree objective within the same department; and/or 3) changing from one major to another within the same department.

A non-degree student or a transient student is not eligible to request a change of degree objective and must apply for admission to be considered for a graduate degree program. A currently enrolled student wishing to change from one degree and department / college to another degree and department / college must apply for admission to the new department / college.

To be eligible for admission to candidacy and graduation, a student must maintain an average of 3.0 (B) both on the graduate transcript and on all courses on the program of study. No grade below C (2.0) will be accepted as part of a program of study for a graduate degree.

When a graduate course is repeated, the last grade received will be used in calculating the cumulative graduate average that is used for probation, dismissal, admission to candidacy, and graduation.

The University of Georgia Graduate School offers more than 250 graduate degree programs. The Doctor of Philosophy is offered in 86 disciplines, the Master of Arts in 35 disciplines, and the Master of Science in 50 disciplines. Professional doctoral degrees are offered in education, music, and public health, and professional master’s degrees are available in 32 areas.

• Doctoral Degrees and Requirements
• Master’s Degrees and Requirements
• Specialist Degrees and Requirements
• Certification of Professional Personnel

Graduate credit is not allowed for work done in extension or by correspondence.

Students must be registered at the University of Georgia for a minimum of three hours of credit the semester in which they complete all degree requirements. Once degree requirements have been completed, no further registration is required, even if the official graduation date is in a following semester.

A graduate course, GRSC 9270 (Graduate Study Completion), is designed for students completing degree requirements who will be using staff time or University facilities and for whom no regular course is appropriate. Permission to register for this course must be granted by the Graduate School.

Students will not be approved for graduation if they have a grade of I or ER which, when changed to a recorded grade, could cause the graduate grade point average to fall below the minimum required for graduation.

Formal commencement exercises are held in May and December. Candidates for degrees are urged to participate in graduation exercises, but they are not required to attend.

• View the Graduate Enrollment Policy

Students may be placed on probation or dismissed by their program at the end of any semester if they have not made sufficient academic progress to warrant continuance of study. Dismissal of graduate students in these cases will follow policies and procedures adopted by the program and communicated in the program handbook. The program must immediately notify the Graduate School of a dismissal. A program may dismiss a student for:

• Failure to pass comprehensive or other required examinations
• Inadequate academic progress
• Failure to meet program requirements (academic, professional)
• Failure to adhere to the honor code
• Title IX/Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment violation
• Research misconduct
• Violation of ethical (professional) standards in program’s handbook (or professional society)

No clear path to degree status. Graduate students who cannot identify a major professor (excluding students on rotations) or who cannot form a committee shall be placed on a status called “No clear path to degree completion.” This status is distinct from “Not in good standing,” which refers to academic status. Students will be given one semester after being placed on this status by their unit/program to identify a major professor or form a committee. Graduate coordinators should work closely with the student to try to rectify the problem. If the situation is not resolved during this semester, the student can be dismissed from the program.

Program dismissal triggers dismissal from the UGA Graduate School, unless the student remains in good standing in another program at UGA.

Graduate assistant eligibility while on academic probation. Graduate students who are placed on academic warning may not have their assistantship removed unless it is deemed by the major professor (if applicable), in consultation with the graduate coordinator and unit head, that the activities associated with the assistantship are contributing to the student’s impaired academic performance. In this case, an alternative source of funding that will allow the student to focus on academic performance should be considered. If a student is subsequently placed on probation, the decision to change the source of or remove an assistantship shall be determined by the major professor (if applicable) in consultation with the graduate coordinator and unit head.

Graduate School Dismissal. Students with a cumulative graduate course GPA below 3.0 for two consecutive terms are placed on academic probation by the Graduate School. They then must make a 3.0 or higher GPA (in graduate courses) every succeeding semester until the cumulative graduate GPA is 3.0 or above. If they make below a 3.0 semester graduate GPA while on probation, they are dismissed. When students repeat a graduate course, the last grade will be utilized to calculate the cumulative graduate GPA that is used for probation, dismissal, admission to candidacy and graduation. Grades of S, U, I, and V will not be used in calculating the cumulative graduate average. However, when a grade of I converts to F, this may result in an action of probation or dismissal for the semester in which the conversion takes place, even if the student is not registered for the semester in which it converted.

Dismissal appeals. Dismissal by a program may be appealed to the Dean of the Graduate School after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted at the deparment/unit, school, and/or college level. This should be completed within 30 calendar days of the decision at the previous level.

Students who are dismissed by the Graduate School for academic reasons may appeal the dismissal to the Dean of the Graduate School. The appeal must be submitted to the Dean within 30 calendar days following receipt of notice of dismissal. Information concerning the appeal process may be obtained in the Graduate School. Please contact gradassociatedean@uga.edu for more information.

Readmission following dismissal. If a student is dismissed by a program, they may reapply to the Graduate School for admission to the same graduate program or a different degree-granting unit, unless the dismissal was triggered by:

• Failure to adhere to the honor code
• Title IX/ Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment violation
• Research misconduct
• Violation of ethical/professional standards in program’s handbook (or professional society)

A graduate student who misses a graduation deadline by failing to file the Application for Graduation, Advisory Committee Form, and/or completed Program of Study Form will have the option of paying a single fee of $50 (check or money order in U.S. dollars) for late processing of all required forms. A completed Late Filing for Graduation Form, all required graduation forms, and the late fee payment must be submitted to the Graduate School Office of Enrolled Student Services within 45 calendar days of the original deadline. After the 45 day late period, no students will be added to the commencement roster for the current semester.

As a matter of University policy, all research projects involving human participants must be submitted to the Human Subjects Office for review and approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Human participation is involved any time data are collected on individuals for research purposes. This policy applies to all research whether funded or not, whether conducted by faculty, staff, students or visitors, both on and off campus. Projects involving minimal risk to human participants can usually be approved expeditiously, but it is recommended that the application forms and all the supporting documents be submitted well in advance, allowing at least 4-6 weeks for processing. Failure to obtain IRB approval for research with human subjects is a violation of University policy and federal regulations.

The detailed guidelines and the necessary application forms are available on the Office of Research website and questions regarding these may be directed to the Human Subjects Office at (706) 542-3199 or IRB@uga.edu.

1. For course work leading to a professional master’s degree, credit on a resident basis will be granted for graduate courses taken at a graduate center approved by the Board of Regents, provided:
   1. the student has been admitted to the Graduate School of the University of Georgia prior to taking the course;
   2. the physical facilities such as classrooms, library, and teaching aids are adequate as determined by a site visit of at least three persons, one appointed by the dean of the school or college offering the course, one appointed by the Director of Libraries, and one appointed by the dean of the Graduate School; and
   3. the instructor is the same one who teaches the course on campus, or is approved by the dean of the school or college offering the course and the dean of the Graduate School.
2. Resident credit will be granted for course work or research leading to degrees other than professional master’s degrees offered at off-campus locations provided:
   1. 1. the student has been admitted to the Graduate School prior to taking the course;

   the requirement of two consecutive semesters of full-time work on campus in Athens for all doctoral students is satisfied;

   1. the requirement of two semesters of full-time work on campus in Athens (which need not be consecutive) is, in general, satisfied for all candidates for MA and MS degrees. An exception to the above may be made for students who prefer to spend one semester of full-time work abroad in a program of study approved by the University of Georgia or the Board of Regents. Such study shall be counted as resident credit; and the instructor is the same one who teaches the course or directs the research on campus, or is approved by the dean of the school or college offering the work and the dean of the Graduate School.
3. Residence or non-residence credit for Studies Abroad is determined by the department from which a student is seeking a degree.
4. Resident credit is considered any course for which registration takes place through the Athena system so that they appear on the student’s official transcript without a manual transfer process, which includes UGA online courses, and any courses taken under the cross-registration policy.

• View UGA information on Responsible Conduct of Research

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They include the following:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records, subject to certain specific exceptions. A student wishing to review his/her education records should submit to the registrar, academic dean or other appropriate official a written request that identifies the records he/she wishes to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official will advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records. A student may ask the University to amend a record that he/she believes is inaccurate or misleading. The student should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record he/she wants changed and specifying how it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his/her right to a hearing as well as the hearing procedures.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without the student’s consent. One exception is disclosure to other University officials who have been determined to have a legitimate educational interest in the information.
   Upon request, the University also discloses education records without the student’s consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. In addition, directory information may be disclosed without a student’s consent unless the student has advised the registrar in writing and he/she wishes to restrict access to this information. “Directory information” includes, but is not limited to, the student’s name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student, as well as the weight and height of members of athletic teams.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning the University’s alleged failure to comply with FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.

Copies of the complete University policy statement regarding FERPA may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.

Course and resident credit used to satisfy the requirements of one degree cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of another degree, unless the student is enrolled in an approved dual degree program that allows the use of double credit.