Stevens students who have yet to complete their undergraduate degree are having their status changed to graduate according to the Simultaneous Degree Program policy. As a result of the status switch, students are charged graduate tuition rates and are ineligible for undergraduate financial aid, including Stevens undergraduate scholarships. Graduate students are charged a flat tuition rate for 9 to 12 credits, so graduate students who take more than 12 credits for the semester are charged on a per-credit basis for every additional credit over 12.
Every major has a defined number of credits needed to obtain the degree. The amount of credits needed to complete a degree acts as a type of “credit ceiling” as well as a “credit minimum.” For example, Civil Engineering majors need 141 credits to graduate. If a Civil Engineering student were to enroll in enough classes to exceed this 141 credit limit and was simultaneously enrolled in a graduate program, then their status would be changed to that of a graduate student. It is important to note that these 141 credits include all credits students use toward their degree. This includes classes completed at Stevens, Advanced Placement (AP) credit, International Baccalaureate (IB) credit, and transfer credits from other colleges (including study abroad). For students pursuing a minor, or any other degree enhancement, the credit ceiling will be raised accordingly.
According to Susan Gross, Assistant Vice President for Financial Aid and Undergraduate Admissions, the U.S. Department of Education and the State of New Jersey require that financial aid be paid only for costs incurred for the student’s degree program, specifically for coursework that applies to the student’s degree. Until recently, students were able to make changes to their study plans through their final semester of undergraduate study. This would allow them to “switch out” graduate level coursework from their undergraduate study plan to a graduate study plan. Students were also allowed to apply and be admitted to a graduate degree program in their last semester of undergraduate study. In many cases, these students had enough credits — through AP/transfer and graduate coursework — to graduate from both degree programs simultaneously. The federal government requires that an institution determine when students in a “dual degree program” (i.e. completing both the undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously) move from the undergraduate to graduate level as a student cannot receive undergraduate aid for the entire length of their simultaneous degree program. In order to have a graduate degree conferred, students need to be admitted and enrolled in a graduate degree program for at least one semester.
For example, there are students who are in the 4+1 program but have completed enough credits to graduate with both degrees in only four years. However, due to classes like Engineering Design that must be taken in a specific order, students must wait the full four years to finish their undergraduate curriculum, forcing them to complete both degrees at the same time.
In order to remedy this situation, Vice Provost for Graduate Education Constantin Chassapis stated, “I would recommend students complete as many of their undergraduate degree requirements first, leaving as few undergraduate credits as possible, perhaps only senior design, to take together with the rest of their graduate credits, for their graduate degree.” By doing so, students can avoid the sticky situation of getting charged extra on a per-credit basis for the undergraduate courses that they need to
Students who think that they have been moved to graduate status in error can work with the Office of the Registrar to complete a degree audit. However, the outcome of this audit does not guarantee a change back to undergraduate status. Also, students who are concerned about their future standing may submit an application for candidacy to the Office of the Registrar earlier than necessary, which will allow for a degree audit that can provide more accurate information.
Additionally, due to the number of students having their status changed multiple times, the Office of Graduate Academics will be the main point of contact to coordinate status changes between the Offices of the Registrar, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and Academics. Specifically, the Assistant Director of Graduate Academics, Danielle Pagliuca, has been appointed to coordinate status changes between the four offices. This change has been made to increase communication between offices and reduce confusion amongst the student body.
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