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Policies
Grading Policies
Students must take the following courses for a letter grade:
MIP Core Courses
Exceptions: INTLPOL 300A and 300S, both of which are only offered as Satisfactory/No Credit
MIP Capstone Courses
Exception: INTLPOL 310A, which is only offered as Satisfactory/No Credit
MIP Subplan (i.e., Area of Specialization) Required Courses
Students may apply up to 10 pass/fail units toward the Subplan Electives and Customized Electives. (Note: This is a combined total).
The 10-unit limit includes pass/fail courses taken at the: Graduate School of Business; School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Science; School of Education; School of Engineering; School of Medicine; School of Sustainability; and School of Humanities and Sciences. This also includes Law School courses taken as: Mandatory Pass/Restricted Credit/Fail.
Students assigned a grade of Incomplete ("I") are subject to the MIP program's deadlines for completing outstanding coursework. These deadlines are more restrictive than the University's standard policy. The required completion schedule is as follows:
Autumn and winter quarters: Incomplete grades must be completed no later than June 30 of the same academic year.
Spring quarter: Incomplete grades must be completed no later than August 30 of the same academic year.
Summer quarter: Incomplete grades must be completed no later than December 30 of the same calendar year.
Students are also responsible for coordinating the course completion with the instructor(s) and apprising the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs of progress.
Students who accrue three or more grades of Incomplete ("I") or who carry Incomplete grades over multiple academic quarters will be placed on academic probation. An exception may be granted when the student's circumstances are attributable to documented personal or medical reasons. Documentation must be provided by Counseling and Psychological Services opens in a new tab (CAPS), the Office of Accessible Education opens in a new tab (OAE), or Vaden Health Center opens in a new tab.
GPA Requirements
To remain in good academic standing and to be eligible for the conferral of the MA degree, MIP students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students who fail to maintain good academic standing, whether by falling below the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or by failing to make satisfactory progress toward the degree, will be placed on academic probation. Continued failure to meet academic standards may result in dismissal from the University. Students experiencing academic difficulties are strongly encouraged to consult with the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs as early as possible to discuss available support and strategies for returning to good academic standing.
Please review the details on Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students. opens in a new tab
External Credit Policies
Per university policy, students enrolled in this MA program may not apply external credits toward their degree requirements. The university’s general requirements, applicable to all graduate degrees at Stanford, are listed in Graduate Degrees.
Additional Program Policies
Courses numbered below 100 may not be applied toward graduate degree requirements. A maximum of 12 undergraduate-level units (generally numbered 100-199, with the exception of History and Political Science courses numbered 100-299) may be taken toward the INPOL-MA
Activity courses (e.g., tennis and weightlifting), performance and visual arts courses (e.g., piano, studio arts, and dance), WELLNESS courses, and other courses numbered below 100 do not satisfy MIP degree requirements. Restrictions on English proficiency courses are described in English Proficiency Courses below.
Language Courses
Units earned in language courses may be applied only toward the Customized Electives requirement. Language courses numbered below 100 do not count toward MIP degree requirements, per University policy. Students seeking advanced language study should consult the Stanford Language Center regarding available graduate-level options, including enrollment in courses numbered 395, where appropriate.
English proficiency courses for international students do not count toward MIP degree requirements.
Students planning to apply language course units toward the MA degree must obtain approval from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs before the Final Study List deadline for the applicable quarter.
Directed Readings
A directed reading is an independent study conducted under the guidance and supervision of a Stanford instructor. Additional information is available in Stanford Navigator opens in a new tab, the Stanford Bulletin, and the MIP website opens in a new tab.
Students may propose a directed reading to satisfy subplan or Customized Electives requirements when existing course offerings do not adequately support their academic or research objectives.
Directed Reading Limits
The following restrictions apply to directed reading courses:
A maximum of 15 units of directed reading may be applied toward the MA degree.
Of these, no more than 10 units may be applied toward subplan requirements.
Any remaining directed reading units may be applied toward the Customized Electives requirement, subject to the 15-unit maximum.
Students may enroll in a maximum of 5 units per directed reading course.
All directed reading courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Proposal and Approval Process
Students must submit a MIP Directed Reading Proposal opens in a new tab to the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs for approval. The proposal must include:
The proposed topic of study
A research or study plan
Course requirements, including assignments and other deliverables
Confirmation from the instructor (provided via signature or email confirmation)
Proposals must be submitted no later than the second Friday of the academic quarter in which the student intends to enroll. MIP will review each proposal and notify the student of its decision no later than two days before the Final Study List deadline.
If a proposal is approved, MIP will create a section of INTLPOL 299: Directed Reading for the supervising instructor. Students will enroll in the section corresponding to their instructor (e.g., INTLPOL 299-02: Directed Reading (Stoner, Kathryn)).
Department Coterm Course Transfer Policy
In this master’s program, courses taken three quarters before the first graduate quarter or later are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career for Coterminal students. No courses taken before the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements. Please visit the Coterminal Course Transfer opens in a new tab webpage for additional details.