Petitions

Students may petition the College of Nursing Graduate Studies Committee for an exception to standard curriculum requirements and policies with the signature of his/her advisor. All student petitions must be signed by the advisor and submitted by the student at least two full weeks prior to the Graduate Studies Committee meeting. Within one week following the GSC meeting, the student will be informed of the decision by the Nursing Graduate Program Manager, Nursing Online Programs Coordinator, or GSC Chair and is encouraged to speak to their advisor regarding curriculum plan changes and/or other considerations that may arise following the GSC decision.

Please note: The Graduate Studies Committee accepts electronic versions of petitions and will use e-mails from a student’s advisor in lieu of a signed petition form.

If there is not satisfaction with the outcome of the Graduate Studies Committee decision regarding the petition, the student should discuss the matter with his/her faculty advisor or the College of Nursing Graduate Studies Committee Chair. If the student is able to provide additional information that may have bearing on the committee’s decision, the student may appeal the original decision and resubmit the petition with the inclusion of the additional information. Following a second review, the Graduate Studies Committee will render a decision that is final.

The Nursing Graduate Studies Committee has developed procedures for the following requests:

1. • Request for transfer credit
   • Request for course waiver
   • Request for leave of absence

Petition submission guidelines

Petition forms (including specific directions) are available in the Student Affairs area of the StudentWeb.

• Petition submission: All student petitions must be submitted by the student at least 2 full weeks prior to the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) meeting. The list of dates for the GSC meetings are also available at the website listed above. Any petitions submitted after this submission deadline will be placed on the agenda of the following GSC meeting.
• Student notification:   Within one week following the GSC meeting; the student, adviser, and all relevant stakeholders will be informed of the decision by the Nursing Graduate Program Manager, Nursing Online Programs Coordinator, or Nursing GSC Chair. This notification is also a prompt for advisors to update curriculum plans and for students and advisors to discuss changes related to the petition decision.
• Faculty notification: A hard copy of the petition decision will be sent by the GraduateRecords Office to the student’s faculty advisor (or Program Director if a new advisor must be assigned) as a prompt to update curriculum plans and/or perform any other advising related functions.
• Record keeping: A copy of the petition and decision will be placed in the student’s file.
• Appeal: Students are permitted one appeal. Decisions rendered by the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee following a second review are final.

Copies of each of the petition forms follow. If you wish to make such a request, please follow the directions on the appropriate form.

Petition to enroll in additional credits over the Graduate School limit

Students wishing to take more than the allowable number of credits specified by the Graduate School should discuss the possibility first with his or her advisor. The student must be in good academic standing with a strong GPA, and there should be clear and compelling rationale why the student will be able to satisfactorily manage a course overload. If the advisor agrees, the student and advisor each write a letter of request specifying the academic rationale for the credit overload to the College of Nursing Graduate Studies Committee. If the Graduate Studies Committee approves the request, the GSC Chair will write a letter of support and the three letters will be sent to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will increase the credit limit if approved. Increases of one or two credits over the standard Graduate School limit for our College may be supported by the College of Nursing Graduate Studies Committee for students who are in satisfactory academic progress, but approval of requests for more than two credits are unlikely to be approved by the GSC or the Graduate School.

Petitions to the Graduate School to drop a course after the deadline

Students who do not drop a course by the deadline posted by the Registrar for that term may petition the Graduate School to drop the course using the form on Grad Forms. Please note that proof of extenuating circumstances affecting the student’s ability to drop the course by the deadline will be required by the Graduate School. If there are questions regarding the validity of one’s circumstances please contact the Nursing Graduate Program Manager (for on campus students), the Nursing Online Programs Coordinator (for online students), or the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee Chairperson for clarification.

Petition forms

The various petition forms are hyperlinked in the Student Handbook, and can also be found on the Student Web.

The Ohio State University College of Nursing Graduate Program Request to Transfer a Course into the Graduate Program

The graduate credit must have been earned as a graduate student at an accredited university, with a grade of B or better, but not used toward completion of a previous degree. The Nursing Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School must approve the transfer. The process is detailed on the form.

The Ohio State University College of Nursing Graduate Program Request for Leave of Absence (LOA) From the Program of Study

Anytime a student does not intend to take classes during Autumn or Spring, or if the students is required to take classes in Summer and does not intend to enroll, a Leave of Absence petition is required. A student who needs a LOA must notify his or her advisor and the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee (Chair). Please note: taking an LOA may alter the availability of clinical placement sites and also ensures the time taken off does not count towards the five year completion requirement for the MHI degree.