In rare cases, it may be necessary to dismiss a student from the Graduate Program. The reasons for this may include, but are not limited to, failure to maintain the required 3.0 GPA in graduate coursework, failure to pass the required oral qualifying exam, failure to perform assigned Teaching Assistant duties, failure to make acceptable progress toward the degree objective, academic dishonesty, sexual or other forms of harassment against others, or criminal behavior. The decision for dismissal will be made by the Department Head in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator and the major professor. If a student is dismissed from the program, they may appeal this decision within 30 days of receiving notification. The appeal and a full description of any mitigating circumstances must be submitted in writing first to the Graduate Coordinator's office. If a suitable resolution cannot be obtained, further appeal will be handled by the Chemistry Department Head, who will refer the matter to a review committee in the Chemistry Department. The review committee will be appointed by the Department Head consisting of three Chemistry Department Graduate Faculty members. This committee will review written materials submitted as part of the appeal and they will meet in a timely manner with the student who was dismissed to discuss the matter. Following this meeting, the committee will submit a written report on the appeal to the Department Head, including their recommendation for upholding or reversing the dismissal. If a suitable resolution cannot be obtained by the review committee, the student is entitled to further appeal the case to the Graduate School.
