The Graduate Restart Program is available to help graduate students who were previously unsuccessful have a fresh restart in the same graduate degree program.
Admission Criteria
The following criteria must be met to apply to the restart program:
- Students have been previously admitted and enrolled in a graduate program at MU.
- At least 3 years has passed since the student’s last enrollment in an MU graduate program.
- During their past enrollment at MU, students must have earned a cumulative GPA below 3.0.
- Students must apply to the same MU graduate degree or graduate certificate program.
- A clear justification and an academic plan must be provided.
- Students must receive an endorsement from the Department Chair or the Director of Graduate Studies for the academic program.
Application Process
1. Graduate Restart Program Application: The student must complete the Graduate Restart Program application form on the Graduate School website and submit it to the director of graduate studies of their degree/certificate program. Students will be asked to provide the following information.
- Explain what factors resulted in the previous graduate academic record and how those obstacles will be overcome if allowed to return.
- Discuss how earning a graduate degree will help meet long-term career goals.
- Submit a detailed first year academic plan developed by both the student and the academic advisor demonstrating how the student will successfully complete the degree program if the student were admitted through the Graduate Restart Program.
2. Academic Program Review: Academic programs will review the Graduate Restart Program application form and once they decide to accept the student, they will approve the application form and send it along with an endorsement letter* to the Graduate School.
- Endorsement Letter: The appropriate Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies must submit a letter of support strongly advocating for the student’s petition to the Graduate Restart Program.
3. Approval Process
- Each student who petitions to the Graduate Restart Program will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- To participate in the Graduate Restart Program, a student must meet all requirements for full graduate admissions, no conditional admission is allowed through this program.
- Petitions to the Graduate Restart Program can only be granted to an eligible student once.
Enrollment Requirements
For students granted full admission through the Graduate Restart Program, the following requirements must be met by the student while enrolled:
- The student must be in Good Standing (3.00 GPA or higher) with the university each semester, or the student may be subject to academic dismissal.
- During the first year of re-enrollment, the student will regularly meet with the faculty advisor who will actively monitor the student’s academic performance to help ensure positive academic progress is occurring.
- The student will comply with the academic plan that was submitted in the application to the Graduate School.
Credits and Grades from the Previous Graduate Program(s) at MU
- Selected course credits from the previous graduate program may be considered for inclusion in the re-started program, subject to approval by the project/capstone, thesis, or dissertation committee.
- Grades from the previous program will not be included in the calculation of their future GPA regarding academic standing, which will be reset for the restarted program.
- All previous courses and grades will remain on the permanent record, whether they are applied toward the restarted degree or not.
- An official notation will be added to the student transcript, signifying that the student is eligible for participation in the Restart Program with an effective date of the new GPA calculation.