Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes throughout the academic session as defined by the University Registrar’s academic calendar, which gives dates from start and end of session, exam week, and breaks and holidays. Grounds for excusable absences are to be arranged between the student and the instructor of the course in question; policies are typically provided by the instructor in the course syllabus. As a matter of policy, the Department of Student Health does not furnish excuses (for example, doctor’s notes) for illness, either to the student or to the instructor. At the request of the program director, the Department of Student Health will evaluate the effect of any illness upon a student’s attendance and academic performance. Failure by students to attend lectures and other prescribed exercises in the courses for which they are registered may subject them to penalties.
Absence from written examinations will not be excused except for sickness on the day of examination attested by a physician’s certificate or for other cause that the graduate faculty, by special action, may approve. An unexcused absence in such cases constitutes failure of the examination.
Degree Conferral
A graduate student who wishes to receive his or her degree must apply for graduation on the University’s online application system. Deadlines for degree applications are October 1st for conferral in December, February 1st for conferral in May, and July 1st for conferral in August (or the next business day if a deadline falls on a weekend), as determined by the University Registrar.
In the event that a candidate does not complete the degree requirements in the term for which his or her degree application was approved, the candidate must meet with the program director to determine a course of action for degree completion and notify the School of Data Science of the revised expected date for graduation. The candidate must then submit a new application at the beginning of the subsequent term in which candidacy for the degree is again proposed. Any term in which a degree is conferred requires registration and payment of fees, including the summer term.
Enforced Withdrawal
A student may be required to withdraw from the program if the program director, faculty, and Dean determine that the student is making unsatisfactory progress toward the degree, or is in violation of the University’s standards of conduct, or has not abided by the obligations of the Honor System.
Enrollment
Students are required to register for a full course load as determined by the program requirements by the stated deadline each term, unless further approval has been obtained. These credit hours should come from the graded core and elective courses for the program during that term. Under special circumstances, courses may comprise of a combination of courses and Non-Topical Research. Students must register for courses on the standard lettered scale (A through F). Audited courses and Credit/No Credit do not count toward the full course enrollment requirement. Students are limited to the credit hours as determined by the program requirements, unless they have approval from the program director for an overload. Under special circumstances, with the endorsement of the program director, a residential master’s student may request permission to enroll part-time in order to complete the program.
The registration process is not complete until a student has paid tuition and fees or made satisfactory arrangements with Student Financial Services. Changes in a student’s registration record after the final day for dropping courses, including changing grading options, require the approval of the program director. Students are expected to enroll continuously through the completion of their degree programs.
Grades and GPA
The standing of a graduate student in each course is indicated by one of the following grades: A+, A, A-; B+, B, B-; C+, C, C-; D+, D, D-; F. B- is the lowest satisfactory grade for graduate credit. In courses where the grading option is Satisfactory(S)/Unsatisfactory (U), Unsatisfactory (U) is considered to be a failing grade, as is a grade of No Credit (NC). Students must achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.00 during each academic term and sustain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 cumulatively in order to maintain good academic standing. Unsatisfactory performance during a given semester may be considered sufficient reason for a student to be placed on academic probation or asked to leave a program. In the case that a student fails a course he or she will be required to meet with the program director about the possibility of retaking the course to fulfill graduation requirements, as courses are only offered once per year.
A grade of Incomplete (IN) for a graduate course must be resolved by the conclusion of the next full term. An unresolved grade of Incomplete will be converted to a failing grade by the University registrar 200 days from the date on which grades for that term were originally due. Courses in which no grade was recorded are assigned a failing grade 30 days from the date on which grades for that term were originally due. Failing grades recorded in this manner have the same effect on a student’s record and standing as failing grades assigned by instructors.
Students are responsible for confirming the accuracy of their transcripts. A student must identify and seek correction of any errors by the conclusion of the term following the award of the grade in question or prior to degree conferral if they are graduating that term. Upon identifying a possible error, the student should contact the instructor and director of graduate studies immediately. Errors not noted within these time limits will not be revised.
Repeated Courses
If a course is failed (as defined by the program requirements) and repeated, both courses and grades appear on the transcript. The repeated course with a passing grade (as defined by the program requirements) will count toward the credits needed for the degree. Both the failed and the repeated course grades are computed in the cumulative grade point average (GPA), but only the repeated course grade with a passing grade (as defined by the program requirements) will be computed into the degree GPA. A student may repeat a course (or it’s equivalent) only once.
Leave of Absence
A student who wishes to suspend full-time study temporarily may request approval from the program director to undertake a leave of absence and postpone his or her expected date of graduation. Depending on the circumstances of the leave, a student may be required by the program director to meet with the associate dean of students as part of the approval process. Leaves are approved for a full term or academic year, with a student eligible for up to two years of leave cumulatively. A student on an approved leave retains access to his or her UVA e-mail account and may under certain circumstances purchase health insurance during the first twelve months of the leave but is otherwise ineligible for financial aid and the use of University facilities. A student must affirm his or her intent to return from leave at least eight weeks before the end of the leave.
Leaves of absence involving medical circumstances may be approved at any point before or during a term. In the latter case, tuition is charged according to the portion of the term elapsed before the effective date of the leave, and financial support allocated to the student for the remainder of that term is forfeited. Students whose leaves involve medical circumstances are required to meet with the associate dean of students as part of the approval process and obtain clearance from the Department of Student Health in order to resume enrollment.
Petitions, Appeals and Grievances
Students must petition the program director and Dean for exceptions to the School of Data Science program policy.
The School of Data Science does not entertain appeals or grievances of the faculty’s academic evaluation of students.
Students are expected to follow complaint or grievance processes set forth in applicable University policies, including but not limited to those regarding:
- Preventing and Addressing Discrimination and Harassment
- Preventing and Addressing Retaliation
- Standards of Conduct
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Student Sexual Misconduct
For situations not otherwise directly addressed in University policy, graduate students should attempt to resolve concerns or conflicts by working directly with a faculty member or the program director. Conflicts or concerns that cannot be resolved to the student’s satisfaction should be discussed with the Dean.
Posthumous Degrees
Eligibility for posthumous degrees extends only to students enrolled in B.A. and B.S. programs.
Readmission and Reinstatement
A student who voluntarily withdraws from the program or otherwise ceases to enroll for a period of up to two academic years and wishes to resume enrollment must petition the program director for reinstatement at least 60 days in advance of the next registration period. A student who has been absent for longer than two years must reapply through the standard process to his or her program of study.
Transfer Credit
External Credit for New Students in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Spring 2020. To review the criteria that will be used to evaluate courses taken during Spring 2020 please Click Here .
The M.S. in Data Science normally requires students to complete all requirements of the program during their period of enrollment in the program at the University of Virginia. Transfer credits must be reviewed by the M.S. in Data Science program director.
Students who enter the University of Virginia specifically as non-degree seeking School of Data Science students may apply up to 6 credit hours to the M.S. in Data Science program. The 6 credit hours are limited to courses within the M.S. in Data Science curriculum and offered through the Data Science Institute.
Voluntary Withdrawal
A student who wishes to withdraw voluntarily from the program during an academic term must discuss the circumstances with the program director and submit a formal notice of withdrawal. Forms for this purpose may be obtained from the School of Data Science. Students withdrawing during an academic term must do so at least one week prior to the examination period in order to receive notations of “W” on the transcript. A student withdrawing after the conclusion of an academic term and before enrolling for a subsequent term need only provide formal notice to the program director. For more detail, see “University Regulations—Academic Regulations—Voluntary Withdrawal.”
Policies
All applications for admission must be submitted through the online application system by the stated deadlines. A non-refundable application fee (amount as determined by the Institute) is payable at the time of application. An application for admission is also only considered for admittance to the specific cohort of students, as determined by the academic year and term. Official decisions regarding the application for admission are communicated through the central admissions office, who manages the application system for the Institute.
Admission is considered on a cohort by cohort basis and thus offers of admission are not deferrable. In exceptional cases, with approval from the program director, an application may be used again to be considered for admission in a subsequent year, with the option to provide updated material.
With approval from the program director, applicants who hold master’s degrees are eligible for admission to a terminal master’s degree program in the same field in cases where the faculty recognizes a significant curricular distinction between the previous and proposed programs of study.
A non-refundable admission tuition deposit (amount as determined by the Institute) is payable upon matriculation.
Requirements
An applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree conferred by a collegiate institution of recognized rank. Proof of degree conferral issued by the undergraduate institution is required before an admitted applicant may start the MSDS program. Degree conferral is defined as official certification and confirmation of the date of degree completion from the undergraduate institution’s Student Records or Registrar office, and is typically signified by receipt of a diploma or degree certificate and/or an official final transcript. Other baccalaureate degrees from such institutions may be acceptable upon approval from the program director.
Regardless of the applicant’s degree or major in his or her undergraduate career, prerequisite knowledge is required for matriculation in the MSDS program. This knowledge includes:
- Single variable calculus (similar to UVA MATH 1210-1220 or MATH 1310-1320 or APMA 1090-1110)
- Linear algebra or matrix algebra (similar to UVA MATH 3350 or MATH 3351 or APMA 3080)
- An introductory statistics course (similar to UVA STAT 2020 or STAT 2120 or APMA 3110 or APMA 3120)
- An introductory programming course (similar to UVA CS 1110 or CS 1111 or CS 1112 or CS 1113)
Prerequisite knowledge may be obtained through summer session courses at UVa, courses at another institution, online, or other forms of instruction as approved by the program director.
An applicant should have achieved, at minimum, a B average in their undergraduate program or the equivalent as estimated by the program director.
Academic credits, undergraduate or graduate, earned more than ten years before the date of application for admission may not be considered as a valid basis for admission, unless determined by the program director as sufficient.
Results of the Graduate Record Examination general test (or the General Management Admission Test or Medical College Admission Test), a statement of purpose, a résumé or curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty who have taught in the field of the major subject) are required in support of the application. Upon matriculation to the graduate program, the applicant must provide official transcripts of his or her baccalaureate record and any graduate-level work conducted at the University or elsewhere, and all official reports for test scores on their application.
Applicants whose first language is not English must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by ETS, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This requirement is typically waived for applicants who will have received a baccalaureate degree or its international equivalent entirely from a college or university in which English is the primary language of instruction. Recommended supplementary materials may also be submitted.
Master’s Degree
The degree of Master of Science will be conferred upon the holder of an approved baccalaureate degree who has fulfilled within the designated time limit all requirements set forth in the Graduate Record and any discipline-specific requirements stated by the department or program.
Academic Requirements: Students must complete the minimum credit hours required by their program of enrollment. For the MSDS program a minimum of 32 graded credits, which include 26 graded credits in core MSDS courses and 6 graded graduate-level elective credits are required for completion of the program.
The requirements of the master’s degree must be completed in the location and/or method of study as determined by the Data Science Institute. Students are not permitted to deviate from the required method of study, unless for extenuating circumstances approved by the program director.
A student’s elective courses are selected in consultation with faculty advisors and the program director. Additional discipline-specific requirements for the master’s degree are noted in the entries for the specific program.
Time Limitation: All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within five years from the first term of enrollment.
Loans and Part-Time Employment
Graduate students enrolled full-time are expected to limit their employment, including assistantships and other wage appointments through the University, to twenty hours per week. A student who wishes to work beyond twenty hours per week must petition the program director, indicating the type of work to be undertaken, the weekly effort involved, the potential effects of this additional work on the student’s academic progress, and whether or not the student is present at the University on an international visa. If the director of graduate studies endorses the request, he or she will forward it to the Director for review.
Graduate students may apply for financial assistance through Student Financial Services. All awards from federal loan or employment funds are based on need. Students must submit a University financial aid application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Student Financial Services. For further information or to obtain a copy of the requisite forms, please contact Student Financial Services.
|
