Coursework Criteria/Graduate Level

1. Graduate coursework has a greater level of academic/ intellectual rigor, is more specialized, and requires significantly greater depth and intensity of study than does UW-Stevens Point undergraduate coursework.

2. Graduate coursework involves a balance of theory and practice. Some courses in a master’s program will place more emphasis on theory while others will emphasize practice.

3. The methods of instruction in graduate courses reflect a high level of personal interaction between the instructor and individual students. This requires small graduate course sections, regular and personalized advising, and interactive teaching methods.

4. Graduate coursework requires more student self-directed learning than found in undergraduate courses and requires extensive use of learning resources that include but are not limited to library resources, laboratories, and computer facilities.

5. Graduate coursework focuses on advanced disciplinary content, usually an extension of what was presented at the undergraduate level. When graduate work serves an introductory function, it introduces content that is not offered at the undergraduate level but is dependent upon understandings acquired at the lower level. However, introductory graduate coursework may also be used in an accelerated way to create a basic background for an individual with an undergraduate degree in another field or who lacks background from undergraduate preparation.

6. All graduate coursework should contribute to degree program goals.

7. Grades assigned in graduate courses distinguish between levels of achievement at the graduate level.

8. Graduate courses should only be taught by graduate faculty or by those with similar qualifications. Evidence of graduate level coursework should be present in the form of specific, additional assignments as part of a slash (300/500 or 400/600) course.