To be awarded a graduate degree, students must:

• successfully complete all courses required in the specific graduate degree program;
• maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00;
• meet the Franklin University residence requirement;
• complete the payment of all requisite tuition and fees; and
• not to be under disciplinary dismissal due to academic dishonesty or violation of Student Code of Conduct.

Complete the residency credit requirement (regardless of course delivery method such as online, face to face, hybrid, etc.): 

Master of Science in Accounting and Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 18 of the 30 required credits.

Master of Science – Instructional Design & Learning Technology, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Science in Data Analytics, and Master of Science in Health Informatics students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 20 of the 32 required credit.

Master of Science - Nurse Administrator must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 21 of the 33 required credits.

Master of Business Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration, Master of Science in Business Psychology, Master of Science – Computer Science, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science in Human Resources Management, Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Master of Science in Information Technology, and Master of Science – Marketing & Communication students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 24 of the 36 required credits.

Master of Science in Nursing students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 26 of the 38 required credits.

Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 29 of the 41 required credits.

Doctorate students must earn in residence at Franklin University at least 34 of the 58 required credits. Students are permitted to transfer in up to 24 credit hours in the research core, major area, or elective courses. Transfer credit cannot be applied for credit to the orientation colloquium, the comprehensive exam, or dissertation work. According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, to earn a doctorate degree, students must have completed a minimum of 90 semester credit hours above the bachelor’s degree. Students requiring additional credit hours to meet this minimum will take GRAD 900 Advanced Integrative Research.

Transfer credit awarded based on experiential learning shall not count toward the residence requirement at Franklin University.

A student who earns a Master’s degree at Franklin University may apply a maximum of eight (8) semester credit hours toward completion of a second (or more) Master’s degree.

Students should plan academic loads in consultation with a Graduate Academic Advisor. Academic load is designed as follows:

• Full-time: 6 or more credit hours
• Half-time: 3-5 credit hours
• Less than half-time: 1-2 credit hours

Time Estimates & Credit Hours: Each credit hour equates to 30 hours of student instructional activities (SIA). Student instructional activities are defined as classroom time, assigned readings, and assignment preparation for students. The length of course does not impact the number of hours of SIA. For more information, see “Credit Hour Definition” in Academic Information section.

As evidence of satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree, students must complete all requirements for the degree within seven years of completion of the first graduate level course. Thereafter, a student is bound by current Academic Bulletin/Catalog requirements.

Students may view and print grades at my.franklin.edu. No grades will be released by telephone.

The purpose of grading is multi-fold: to provide feedback on how well a student is doing relative to meeting course requirements, and to chronicle the student’s academic development for appropriate recognition. It is the expectation that our graduate students master each course taken. We consider the grade of “B” (3.0) or higher as representing this “mastery” criteria.

The Graduate Academic Certificate program is a graduate-level program of study that concentrates on a specific body of knowledge within a field of study. It is intended to prepare, upgrade, or retrain a person for immediate application of the knowledge learned. The credits earned as part of this program of study can be applied to a related degree program at Franklin University.

Graduate Academic Certificate Program Requirements

• The program must have a minimum of fifteen (15) credit hours with at least twelve (12) of those credit hours earned at Franklin University
• Students must adhere to the same admissions standards as those entering the graduate program
• All applicable prerequisites must be taken prior to enrolling in the required certificate courses
• Courses must be completed with a grade of “B-” or better
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is required to receive the certificate

Under certain academic conditions, the Grade Point Average (GPA) for a new program for a Franklin University graduate student will start over upon admission into each new graduate program:

• If a student chooses to complete multiple graduate programs
• If a student withdraws from a graduate program, in good standing, and chooses to return to begin a different graduate program
• If a student is readmitted after going through the Reinstatement Process

Additionally, upon approval of the Program Chair, up to twelve hours of masters credit may be transferred into any graduate program or twenty-four hours of doctorate credit into any doctorate program. Such transferred graduate credit, whether from Franklin University (8 credits) or another institution (12 or 24 credits), will not be calculated in the graduate student’s new GPA.

The Grade Forgiveness Policy was designed to be used only by former students whose previous academic performance at Franklin University was extremely poor (as determined by a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0), but who wish to return to the University. Usually, persons seeking permission to use the Grade Forgiveness Policy have not been students at Franklin University for several years. However, occasionally it is appropriate for permission to be granted to students who have no break in attendance. Students interested in further information should contact their Graduate Academic Advisor or the University Registrar no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trimester in which they request the policy to be implemented.

The policy gives Franklin University students a one-time opportunity to have their GPA recalculated. “C,” “Z” and “F” grades in graduate courses may be forgiven by changing them to a “CK,” “ZK” or “FK” grade by approval of the Chair of the graduate program. This removes them from the GPA calculation, but leaves them on the record.

An acceptable reason for this shall be:

• the program has been changed and the student cannot retake a course to receive a passing grade, as that course number is no longer offered. Instead, the student has a passing grade in a new course that has replaced the old course. In this case it is reasonable to remove the grade of the old course from the GPA calculation by changing it to “CK,” “ZK” or “FK.”

In any other case, the approval for changing a grade may be done with the approval of the Provost. Documentation of the change shall be sent to the Graduate Academic Advisor and placed in the student’s file for historical record. Questions regarding financial aid and veterans benefits should be directed to the Financial Aid office.

1. A nurse practitioner student much achieve a "B" or better in each nurse practitioner course (NURS 700, NURS 701, NURS 702, AND NURS 790), as well as NURS 644 (Advanced Pathophysiology), and NURS 646 (Advanced Physical Assessment), and NURS 648 (Advanced Pharmacology). Franklin University considers the grade of "B" (3.0) (B+ or B) or higher as representing "mastery criteria. Students earning a B- or lower in a nurse practitioner course must repeat the course. 
2. If a student receives a grade less than a B (B+ or B) in a nurse practitioner course, he or she may repeat the course only one time. A maximum of two nurse practitioner courses may be repeated in the program.
3. Nurse practitioner students who do not satisfy these standards will have the option to change to a different graduate program, provided they satisfy the admission requirements for that program and are in compliance with the University's academic standards for graduate students.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution with which it is affiliated. The Franklin University IRB comprises faculty and staff members, as well as a community member not otherwise affiliated with the University, who are responsible for overseeing research projects involving human subjects.

The IRB reviews protocols and has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove all research activities that fall within its jurisdiction as specified by both the federal regulations and local institutional policy. The IRB makes its independent determination whether to approve or disapprove the protocol based upon whether or not human subjects are adequately protected.

Webpage link: https://www.franklin.edu/about-us/policy-information/institutional-review-board 
 

Graduate students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 throughout their program of study, and students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to graduate.

In the course of graduate study, students are permitted to earn one grade of “C” (this includes a “C+,” “C,” or C-). When a graduate student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 at the end of a trimester, the student will be placed on probation and may be scheduled for academic counseling.

After being placed on probation, the student may attempt eight hours of coursework to return their overall cumulative GPA to 3.0. Students can achieve this in one of the following ways:

• Retake a course to restore their GPA to 3.0
• Earn a sufficient number of higher grades to restore their GPA to 3.0. Coursework used to raise the GPA must be part of the normal degree requirements. Any student who fails to attain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 within one grading period of enrollment following academic probation will be subjected to academic dismissal. Once dismissed, students must appeal by following the Readmission procedure to re-enroll in the same program from which they were dismissed. Academically-dismissed graduate students seeking reinstatement to Franklin University in another graduate program may also submit an appeal by following the Readmission procedure. All graduate requirements outlined in this Academic Catalog continue to apply, including the rate of progress.

Academically-dismissed graduate students seeking reinstatement to Franklin University may submit an appeal to the Graduate Council. Students must appeal in writing to the Director of Admissions 30 days prior to the start of the trimester in which reinstatement is being sought (graduate.admissions@franklin.edu or via fax to 614-947-6771).
The appeal letter must include the following information:

• permission to release their University records to the Council
• a summary of the student’s desire to return
• reasons that the student will be successful after reinstatement

If the appeal is granted, the student will be required to meet with the Director of Admissions (or designated representative) and satisfy any pre-determined conditions for reinstatement as set by the Faculty Senate Sub-Committee on Reinstatement. Students have one opportunity to re-enroll in the same program from which they were dismissed. There is only one additional opportunity for a student to be reinstated into another graduate program. Further, admission into a different program will be subject to all admission requirements for that program. Students dismissed due to academic dishonesty are not eligible for reinstatement. The Faculty Senate Sub-Committee has the authority to grant or deny permission to use the Reinstatement Procedure. Students interested in further information should contact the Office of Admissions.