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 via email from the Beacon student portal.  Students are encouraged to speak to their advisor regarding curriculum plan changes and/or other considerations that may arise prior to the petition submission.

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:

Petition submission guidelines

  • Petition forms are available in Beacon at https://beacon.nursing.osu.edu
  • Petition directions and details are available in the Student Affairs area of the StudentWeb at http://studentweb.con.ohio-state.edu/sa/Masters/
  • Prior to petition submission is the appropriate time for students and advisors to discuss changes related to the petition decision.
  • 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.
  • Notification.   Within one week following the GSC meeting; the student, adviser, and all relevant stakeholders will be informed of the decision via email, sent by the Beacon student portal.
  • Record keeping: The request for approval is the prompt for advisors and SPD’s to update their information. The approval is the prompt for the Graduate Program Manager to update the curriculum plan.
  • Appeal. Students are permitted one appeal. Decisions rendered by the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee following a second review are final.

Descriptions 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 on the Registrar’s Important Dates for that term may petition the Graduate School to drop the course using the Graduate Student Course Petition form on the GRADFORMS portal. 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 in the Beacon student portal.

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

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 M.S. in Nursing degree.

Please note, students petitioning for reactivation in the M.S. in Nursing or DNP program following a leave of absence (LOA) of greater than 1 year or three consecutive terms (including summer) in duration are required to repeat the clinical compliance Background Check process prior to enrolling in courses. Students must be compliant for the new background check before they can begin clinical experiences.

Individuals who have been on leave for less than 12 months must disclose any criminal convictions to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Educational Innovation Dr. Cindy Anderson (anderson.2765@osu.edu) that occurred during the leave of absence (LOA) prior to enrolling in courses.

Request to Change Status (FT vs PT) within A Specialty Program

Students may request a change to change from or to full time or part time status for the post-licensure portion of the M.S. in Nursing program. Consideration is based on available space within a given specialty track in which the student is enrolled. The student must also be in good academic standing and making reasonable progress in the Program (refer to M.S. in Nursing Student Handbook, Academic Standards and Progression in the Program. Approval of a request to change enrollment status is not guaranteed.

Request to Waive a Course in the Graduate Program

Because the College of Nursing requires far more than the 30 credit hours required by the Graduate School to graduate, students most often need only to waive a Nursing course without actually transferring the credits.  Please note: The Nursing Graduate Studies Committee will not accept undergraduate coursework in place of required graduate courses.  The process is detailed on the form.

It is recommended that the student create a table that lists the objectives from our program, and then shows how those objectives were completed in the course(s) already taken. If it is clear the objectives are not met, the student can assume the petition will not be viable. Classes must also be for the same or greater number of semesters credit as the College of Nursing class they are fulfilling.

Request to Transfer Specialty Within the Graduate Program

Students may request a transfer of specialty or add a specialty during the Autumn Semester, and if approved the change will take place in Spring Semester.  The request requires review by the College of Nursing graduate faculty members in the “new” specialty track.  Track recommendations must be approved by the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee.  Students must be in good standing to initiate such a request.

Please note- GE students in the Family and Psych specialties who are approved to transfer to the online cohort will move online for Summer semester.  Assessment and Pharmacology will still be taken with the on-campus  cohorts in Spring.

Request for Out-of-State Clinical Placement for Specialty Clinical Experiences

Students who request an out-of-state clinical placement for the Advanced Practice Practicum must submit a written request to the College of Nursing Graduate Studies Committee for approval. This request should be received prior to beginning any clinical work out of state.  Only students who are making reasonable progress as defined in the progression guidelines as described in the College of Nursing Graduate Handbook will be considered for this clinical placement petition.