THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE 
                            FACULTY SENATE 

Senate Document Number   0590F 
Date of Senate Approval    10/11/90

 
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Statement of Faculty Senate Action: 
  
      APC #5:  IP grade and time limitation for Hum. 680 and 690

Effective Date:  Spring Semester, 1991

     1)  List HUM 680, Master's Project, and HUM 690, Master's 
Thesis, to be graded S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory), or 
IP (in progress).

     Rationale:  A student's project or thesis must be approved 
by his or her thesis/project advisor, thesis/project committee, 
and the Graduate Council (after a public defense).  In this 
situation, it is impractical to insist on a letter grade.  Also, 
most graduate schools use some sort of S/U system for theses 
and dissertations.

     2)  Limit the time span in which a student can complete his
or her work for HUM 680 or HUM 690 to four consecutive semesters
after the IP grade is assigned.  Automatically change the IP to U
if the thesis or project is not completed by the end of the
fourth semester after the IP grade is assigned.

     Rationale:  The practical effect of this step is to give
students five semesters and two summer sessions to complete their
thesis or project.  This seems to be a reasonable time limit for
completing a master's thesis or project.  The existence of this
time limit will motivate students to complete their work rather
than to procrastinate indefinitely.  Also, the absence of any
time limit will cause problems with continuity of personnel for
advisors, thesis/project committees, and Graduate Councils.  In
exceptional circumstances a student who is unjustly penalized by
this rule could appeal to the VCAA for an extension of time to
complete the thesis or project.