All students in the public informatics program must achieve certain academic standards in order to continue in the course of study. The program is committed to an excellent education for all students; however, a student will occasionally have difficulty. The program director, in consultation with other faculty, administers student standing. If a student fails to meet these standards, the program director may recommend dismissal to the dean.

Grade-Point Average Requirement

A student must maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 and a grade-point average of 3.0 in the required courses in order to graduate with a master of public informatics (M.P.I.) degree (A=4.0 and F=0). If, at the end of a semester, the grade-point average is below 3.0, according to either criterion, the student will have one semester to improve the average to 3.0 or greater. During this semester, the student will be on probation. At the end of the probation semester, if the student has not achieved a grade-point average of 3.0 overall and in the required courses, the program director may recommend dismissal to the dean.

Additionally, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy requires that no more than 9 credits of C or C+ grades may be used in meeting the requirements of the degree. In calculating the grade-point average, all courses taken while a matriculated student in the M.P.I. degree program will be counted. Courses taken as a nonmatriculated student that are to be counted for the degree also will be included in the grade-point average.

Undergraduate Courses for Graduate Credit

Undergraduate courses may be taken for graduate credit while a student is matriculated in the program. They are taken only when no comparable graduate courses are available within Rutgers University and only under the guided supervision of the student's faculty adviser or program director. Undergraduate courses to be taken for graduate credit must be reviewed and approved by the faculty adviser and by the program director. The faculty adviser supervises the writing of a paper that integrates the material in the undergraduate course with the coursework taken under the student's area of concentration. In general, no more than 3 credits of undergraduate coursework taken while the student is in the graduate program may be applied to the graduate degree. A form is available from the Office of Student and Academic Services. When registering, the student must insert a G prefix before the course number in order to receive graduate credit. Students who have taken an undergraduate course without the G prefix will find that the transcript indicates the course does not count toward their graduate degree.

Course Requirement Waiver

Students may be excused from a required course if they demonstrate equivalent mastery of the subject matter. Application for waiver should be made to the program director who will consult with the principal faculty members in charge of the required courses on the waiver of course requirement form available from the Office of Student and Academic Services. When waivers are granted, the student then must substitute other courses to fulfill the total credit requirement for the degree.

A maximum of 12 graduate credits earned outside of the program may be transferred into the M.P.I., all subject to approval by the program director.