GPO Toolkit

Toolkit for Graduate Program Officers

Roles and Responsibilities of the GPO

The Graduate Program Officer (GPO) serves to administer graduate programs and as a liaison to the Graduate School. It is usually best for the Graduate Program Officer to be a tenured faculty member; however, they may also be a designee that works closely with departmental admissions and student matriculation activities. The role of the GPO is critical to the mission of the Graduate School, which aims to enhance the quality and diversity of the graduate student body by attracting candidates with the potential for academic and professional success; fostering the development of researchers and scholars; advancing knowledge and expanding the curriculum; and enhancing faculty development and scholarship.

Typical responsibilities may include:

  • recruitment (including underrepresented groups and international candidates)
  • admissions
  • enrollment management
  • assistantship management
  • matriculation management
  • graduate placement
  • program assessment
  • program level practices
  • student awards & recognition
Admissions
  • The Graduate School no longer requires the GRE or GMAT. Minimum requirements, if any, should be determined by the program to which the student applies.
  • Requests for an exception to admissions policies must be made in writing to the Graduate School and a justification provided.
  • Successful applicants should have at least a 2.75 GPA on all undergraduate and a 3.0 GPA on all graduate course work at an accredited United States institution. International applicants must have completed  degree equivalent to a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree and provide an official original language transcript PLUS final diploma or certificate(s) accompanied by a certified English translation of each document.
  • Applicants whose native language is not English must submit: 1) TOEFL scores of at least 550 on the written test (213 on the computer-based test); 2) 79 on the Internet Based Test with at least 16 in each section; or 3) IELTS overall band score of at least 6.5. Applicants who do not meet the minimum English proficiency requirements may not be on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship working closely with students in a teaching capacity.
  • Applicants for admissions must submit one official transcript of all undergraduate and graduate-level study from each school previously attended.
  • Domestic applicants can be admitted provisionally for one semester, pending receipt of transcripts, GRE scores, or GMAT scores (if required by the department). Once the applicant has satisfied the provisional admission requirements, the department must return to their application to recommend full admission to ensure the registration hold is lifted from the student’s account. Please note: provisional admission makes an applicant ineligible for federal financial aid.
  • The provisional admission classification cannot be used for international students, who must submit unofficial transcripts and satisfactory scores on all required examinations before they are admitted.
  • With departmental approval, admission to the Graduate School is valid for up to one year.  If an applicant would like to defer to a later semester, the department GPO should notify the Graduate School with approval.
Student Services
Matriculation
  • MS/ PhD committee requirements:
    • Master’s: 3 members, 2 of which, including the chair, must be Graduate Faculty.
    • Doctoral: 4 graduate faculty members, 3 of which, including the chair must be level 2 Graduate Faculty.
  • Registration – Students can register themselves until the 5th class day (Fall & Spring term, 2nd class day in Summer). After that, the Department/Graduate School can register them until the 15th class day. Any adds after the 15th class day will require a workflow. The Graduate School will need the following to initiate the workflow: the student’s Banner ID / AU email, the CRN of the  course, the instructor’s email and how many hours needed. Retroactive adds or drops for a past term will require a schedule adjustment form.
  • Committee, Transfers, Exceptions & Candidacy (CTEC) Form: Due the term PRIOR to the student’s anticipated graduation
  • Doctoral Students’ Forms: Several forms are due during different semesters, check workflow for complete details
  • GPA Calculator
  • Leave of Absence Request Form
  • Academic standing – A 3.0 GGPA is required for good standing. Students below 3.0 go on Academic Probation; they have two consecutive terms or 11 hours to bring the GGPA back to 3.0; if not, they are suspended.  Suspended students need a departmental approved remediation plan by the 1st day of class to continue.  Note:  Graduate Assistants on probation will not be eligible for the full tuition waiver, only the out-of-state waiver.  Students who are suspended do not qualify for assistantships.
  • Loan Deferment – Students who have completed all course work but need to be listed as Full Time students (cannot be registered for graded courses to qualify for loan deferment) should complete the Deferment Form.  Graduate students must be registered for at least 5 hours or use the Loan Deferment Form to qualify for student loans or to defer loans.  International students are not allowed to use this form.
  • Curriculum Changes
  •  Continuous Enrollment – Students must be enrolled two out of three terms per academic year. Students who do not register for two consecutive terms will have to be readmitted using the Readmission Form. Readmitted students are charged the continuous enrollment fee for each term they should have been registered unless they submitted the Leave of Absence Request Form at the time of departure.
  • Advisor access in Degree Works and Banner – If you view your students in Degree Works or Banner, you will need to be added as an advisor on SGAADVR. For an advisor to be listed in Degree Works, the department course builder makes the change in BANNER through SGAADVR.
  • All  Incomplete (IN), In  Progress (IP) or Not Reported  (NR) grades need to be cleared within 6 months or be converted to an F.  All grade changes are submitted via Work Flow.
  • Required courses –  All required courses must be taken, or the department will need to send a substitution request to the Dean for approval.
Policies
  • Background checks are required for all GA/GRA/GTAs.
  • Annual reviews are required for Doctoral students and GTAs. The annual review period is for the academic year, from the first day of class in fall semester through the last day of summer semester. For example, the annual review period for an academic year would run August 16, 2022 through July 30, 2023. Reports are due to the Graduate School by October 30 each year for the most recently concluded academic year.  
  • Pregnant & Parenting Students’ Rights – Title IX, effective 08.01.2024
  • Recent policy changes

Contact us for more information:

Email: gradadm@auburn.edu      Phone (334) 844-4700

Last Modified: Jul 22, 2024 @ 11:04 am