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ADMISSION

APPLICATION FORMS AND DATES

On-line applications are available on the Web. Application forms may also be obtained by writing the Office of Admissions, Clemson University, 101 Sikes Hall, Box 345124, Clemson, SC 29634-5124. Applications for admission of United States citizens and residents should be received no later than five weeks prior to the first day of class. Every required item in support of the application (completed application form, application fee, transcripts from each post-secondary school attended, letters of recommendation, and test scores) must be on file with the Office of Admissions by this date. Note: Some programs have earlier deadlines or stricter admission requirements. Applicants are encouraged to contact academic departments for additional information.

Applications from prospective international students should be completed by April 15 for fall semester enrollment and September 15 for spring semester enrollment. Every required item in support of the application (completed application form, application fee, transcripts from each post-secondary school attended, letters of recommendation, test scores, and financial certificate) must be on file with the Office of Admissions by these dates. For students who have submitted acceptable financial certification, issuance of form I-20 or form DS-2019 for a student visa will normally be completed by June 1 and October 15 for registration in the fall and spring semesters, respectively. Initial enrollment of international students in the summer sessions is discouraged.

Applicants must submit a nonrefundable application fee of $50 (subject to change) for each program applied to, payable to Clemson University via money order or check drawn on a U.S. bank. Applicants who apply electronically may pay the application fee by credit card. The application fee must be received before the application is processed. Applications will be discarded after 60 days if the fee is not received.

ADMISSION CLASSIFICATIONS

Candidates for admission to a degree program will be admitted in one of the following categories:

Full status--The applicant's credentials equal or exceed all minimum admission criteria prescribed for the particular degree.

Provisional status--At least one admission criterion prescribed for the particular degree is marginal. Provisional applicants will be required to remove the provisional status with a satisfactory academic performance during the first semester.

Conditional acceptance---At least one item required for admission is not available. Notice of conditional acceptance may be given to highly qualified applicants prior to receipt of the degree they are presently pursuing; however, all requirements for this degree must be completed prior to enrolling in the proposed graduate program at Clemson. Likewise, conditional acceptance may be given prior to receipt of satisfactory GRE or GMAT scores, if required, but such scores must be received prior to or during the first semester of enrollment.

Seniors lacking less than a full semester of work to complete the requirements for their bachelor's degrees may apply to a graduate program and, if granted conditional acceptance, be allowed to enroll in courses for graduate credit.

In addition to meeting the minimum, general requirements for admission listed below, students must be recommended for admission by the program coordinator or department chair and must meet any special departmental requirements.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

New Applicants

In general, admission to any of the University's graduate programs requires that prospective students hold at least a four-year bachelor's degree from an institution whose scholastic rating is satisfactory to the University. Prospective students must have the approval of the appropriate department chair or program coordinator. Although the quality of an applicant's previous academic record always plays an integral role in any admission decision, a general division of requirements, based on the degree objective, follows:

Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy Degrees--Applicants must submit satisfactory scores on the general portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Applicants to the MS program in Management, PhD program in Management, and MA program in Economics must submit satisfactory scores on either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Professional Degrees--Admission criteria, recommended by the individual colleges awarding the degree, may include professional experience and/or credentials as well as GRE general scores. Specifically, the professional programs in Accounting and Business Administration require satisfactory scores on the GMAT.

Note: GRE or GMAT scores more than five years old will not be accepted.

International students, in addition to meeting the minimum requirements above, must submit satisfactory scores on the general portion of the Graduate Record Examination, regardless of the degree objective (except as noted above for the master's programs in Management, Economics, Accounting, and Business Administration, and PhD program in Management). A satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is also required of international students whose native language is not English. (Note: TOEFL scores more than two years old will not be accepted.) Applicants who hope to receive a graduate assistantship are encouraged to submit scores from the Test of Written English (TWE). The Graduate School may waive this requirement if the applicant has a demonstrated command of the English language.

Admission to all programs is restricted to those students whose academic records indicate the potential to be successful in graduate studies. This determination is made by the faculty of each graduate program and is affirmed by the Office of Admissions. This determination may include a broad range of performance indicators, which may be different for master's and doctoral programs in the same discipline. These indicators may include, but are not limited to, previous academic (both graduate and undergraduate) performance, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, personal interviews, applicant statements of interest, portfolio of previous work, and materials indicating the appli-cant's ability to perform independent research in the discipline. The faculty of each program has significant discretion to determine admission standards and class size based on availability of academic advisors, financial support, laboratory space, student distribution within interest areas, and other resource constraints. The Office of Admissions reserves the right to require additional indicators prior to reaching an admission decision. Neither an academic record exceeding minimum requirements, satisfactory scores on standardized tests, nor professional expertise alone will assure a student's admission in this competitive environment. Rather, the total record must indicate the strong likelihood of successfully completing graduate study.

Assessment of Previous Academic Work

The grade-point ratio representing an assessment of an applicant's undergraduate work will be based on the last half of the coursework listed on the transcript(s). In conventional cases, this will equate to the full junior and senior years. As a minimum, 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) will be examined; and in no cases will a partial term, session, or enrollment period be utilized. Courses graded on a pass/fail basis and certain electives having no relationship to a curriculum are excluded in the computation. Departments are at liberty to discount additional courses in assessing an applicant's academic record. Certain professional programs may use the total undergraduate grade-point ratio to satisfy accreditation standards. In evaluating the grade-point ratio of an applicant's graduate work, departments will use all graduate coursework except research and/or courses graded on a pass/fail basis.

Nondegree Students

Admission in this category is restricted primarily to those who may benefit professionally from additional study at the graduate level. In general, the only supportive material required for such admission is an official transcript showing an appropriate background and confirming the awarding of a bachelor's degree or higher.

Nondegree students may not be candidates for advanced degrees and may not receive a graduate appointment for financial assistance. Should the student subsequently be admitted to a degree program, a maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate credit (nondegree and/or transfer) may be applied toward the degree. In all cases the nondegree student must receive permission from the program coordinator or the department chair before enrolling in graduate courses. This classification is not open to international students.

Students enrolled in a nondegree status are subject to the same academic regulations regarding continuous enrollment as students in degree programs.

Teacher Certification or Recertification

Initial certification (endorsement) at the graduate level is available only in Educational Administration, Reading, Personnel Services (Elementary and Secondary Counseling), and Middle Grades (MAT program based at the University Center of Green-ville). Students seeking admission to the Educational Administration and Reading programs should hold an appropriate teacher's certificate. MAT admission requires the student to have passed one content area PRAXIS exam.

Students who hold a bachelor's degree or higher and who want initial certification in the teaching areas of early childhood, elementary, secondary, or special education must complete the undergraduate courses needed for certification in a postgraduate status administered by the College of Health, Education, and Human Development Academic Advising Center.

Prospective students should understand that the material in this catalog applies only to requirements for graduate degrees and has no direct relation to certification or recertification for public school teachers. The Graduate School gives no assurance that a program for a graduate degree and a program for a certificate or recertification thereof, will coincide. Students interested in professional certificates should confer with the Academic Advising Center in the College of Health, Education, and Human Development.

Currently Enrolled Students

Students enrolled in a degree program at Clemson who wish to continue their studies in another graduate program after completing their initial degree may apply by submitting a new application to the Office of Admissions. An application fee is not required if the application is received within one year of completing the initial degree.

Postbaccalaureate Students

Students may be accepted by the Graduate School as postbaccalaureate if they apply to a graduate degree program but do not have the appropriate academic background. Students must be recommended by the appropriate department or program chair and should meet all other requirements for admission to the degree program with respect to grade-point ratio and standardized test scores. Postbaccalaureate students who are denied admission because of failure to meet the minimum requirements have access to the same appeal procedure as other students applying to the Graduate School.

Applicants will be classified as postbaccalaureate if they are not qualified to take at least one graduate course per semester which can be included in the minimum hours required for the graduate degree. Additionally, students required to complete eighteen or more semester hours of undergraduate credits prior to enrolling in graduate credits will be classified as postbaccalaureate. The postbaccalaureate status will remain in effect until the number of required undergraduate credit hours is less than or equal to eighteen and the student is qualified to take, each semester, a graduate course which can be included in the minimum hours required for the graduate degree. Departments or students may request postbaccalaureate status even though the above criteria are satisfied.

Once postbaccalaureate students become eligible for classification as graduate students, the decision as to eventual admission status (full or provisional) will be made based on criteria utilized by the department and Graduate School for all other applicants to the degree program. Postbaccalaureate students are expected to maintain a B average and receive no grade lower than C to qualify for admission to a graduate program.

Postbaccalaureate students can enroll in the same number of credits per semester as undergraduate students but cannot enroll in graduate courses or receive graduate assistantships. No degree or certificate shall be awarded to students in a postbac-calaureate status, and such students who subsequently wish to obtain an additional baccalaureate degree must apply through the Office of Admissions. The applicability of credits earned toward the undergraduate degree will be determined by the policy pertaining to transfer students. Tuition and fees for post-baccalaureate students shall be those applicable to undergraduate students and are subject to out-of-state fees, if applicable.

Students possessing undergraduate degrees or graduate degrees who wish to enroll in undergraduate courses for reasons other than future admission to graduate study shall not be classified as postbaccalaureate and shall be governed by policies established by the Office of Admissions.

University Employees

With the approval of the appropriate dean or director, qualified University employees may pursue graduate work for credit; however, members of the faculty or staff who have rank higher than instructor or its equivalent may not be considered as candidates for advanced degrees in the academic department where employed.

Readmission

Former graduate students who have not maintained continuous enrollment (summers excluded) but who are eligible to continue in the degree programs in which they were most recently enrolled may be permitted to return.

Students who were enrolled within the last two years must complete an Application for Re-entrance, available from the Enrolled Student Services Office in 104 Sikes Hall or on the Web. Students are readmitted into the degree and major they were in when they last attended Clemson University Graduate School. No application fee is required.

Students who were enrolled more than two years but less than six years previously must complete an Application for Re-entrance, application fee, and all supporting materials. The application must be approved by the appropriate academic department and must show any intervening graduate work. Appropriate official transcripts of the work may be required by the Graduate School. Revalidation of individual courses is at the discretion of the academic department.

Students who were not enrolled within the past six years are considered new applicants and must submit a new application, application fee, and all supporting materials to the Office of Admissions.

Former Clemson graduate students who wish to return to pursue an undergraduate degree should contact the Registrar's Office for procedures. Former graduate students who wish to pursue undergraduate coursework with no immediate plans for graduate work should contact the Admissions Office for procedures.

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

Graduate students entering Clemson University for the first time must submit a medical history form prior to registration. Students will not be allowed to complete registration without meeting immunization requirements.

The University requires that all new students have documentation of two red measles (rubeola) vaccinations on or after their first birthday. Students born before January 1, 1957, are exempt from the measles requirement. A tuberculin skin test (PPD) is required only of students coming from countries identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as having a high risk for tuberculosis. Students will be screened upon arrival at Clemson. Students with a history of positive skin tests are required to have a chest X-ray within the year prior to admission. Students not in compliance with immunization requirements will not be allowed to complete registration.

APPEALS

Students may appeal if they believe that admission was unfairly denied. Notice of intention to appeal must be filed in writing with the Office of Admissions within 30 days of the date of the letter indicating rejection and no later than three days prior to the first day of class of the semester of intended first enrollment.

DEFERRED ADMISSION

Generally, students may defer enrollment for up to one year. Students wishing to defer enrollment must request and receive written approval from the academic department.

DISPOSITION OF APPLICATION MATERIALS

Credentials or supporting materials submitted for admission to the Graduate School become the property of the University and are not returned. Furthermore, no copies will be provided to a third party outside the University even if the applicant requests this release. Copies will be provided to appropriate offices at the University in the interest of academic matters or financial awards relative to the applicant.