Each University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences (CBS) graduate program must maintain the milestones and academic standards that graduate students in that program must meet to remain in good academic standing. These milestones and standards must be detailed in each program’s graduate student handbook. Academic standards in CBS graduate programs include, at a minimum, completing required and elective coursework with at least a 3.0 GPA, identifying an advisor according to the program’s timeline, passing written and oral preliminary examinations according to the program’s timeline, and meeting expectations for research progress and actively conducting research in the lab/field.
Students must meet their graduate program’s milestones and academic standards in order to remain in good standing as a student in the program. In addition, students must meet the University of Minnesota expectations for performance standards and progress in a master’s degree or doctoral degree program.
Students who do not meet the academic requirements of their graduate degree program may be dismissed from the program. Students have the right to appeal such a decision if they wish to do so. Academic dismissal is defined as dismissal made by a graduate program related to overall academic progress of a student and is not related to employment.