Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication policies

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication has a student-centered culture focused on helping students complete their degrees in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to visit the school website or contact its student services center at 602-496-5055 with questions about any of the school’s policies.

Academic integrity

Academic dishonesty in any form is not tolerated in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The crux of democracy is the ability of citizens to obtain honest, truthful and balanced information, and the credibility and integrity of individual journalists and communications professionals are crucial in that effort. In light of the school's mission to prepare students to become journalists and communications professionals, it is critical that credibility and integrity be fostered within the educational environment of the school.

The school has zero-tolerance for academic dishonesty; academic integrity is enforced within every course and educational activity offered or sanctioned by the school. Any allegation of academic dishonesty is referred to an appointed academic integrity officer for investigation, with cases elevated to the school's Standards Committee for review and recommendation to the dean of the school. If any student is found to have engaged in academic dishonesty in any form — including cheating, plagiarizing and fabricating (see examples (PDF)) — that student will receive a grade of XE for the class and may face suspension or expulsion from ASU.

At the beginning of every Cronkite class, every student must digitally agree to uphold the school's commitment to academic integrity, as well as the ASU academic integrity policy and the ASU student honor code. This agreement indicates that each student has read and understands the terms of academic integrity violations and all potential sanctions.

Per ASU's policy, anyone with a good faith basis for believing that a student has engaged in academic dishonesty may report the alleged violation. In any case, the alleged violation should be brought to the attention of the faculty member or instructor who oversees the academic activity in question. Students can use this link to report an alleged violation to an academic integrity officer.

If the Cronkite school dean determines that a graduate student has violated the ASU academic integrity policy and should be suspended or dismissed from the program, they will notify ASU’s Graduate College and make a formal recommendation for dismissal or suspension. The Graduate College dean makes the final determination of sanctions.

Responsibilities related to academic integrity

Accuracy: Because accuracy is the most important aspect of journalism, students must adhere to rigid standards for all submitted work, regardless of the intent to publish. Any major error of fact, anything that would require a printed correction if the story appeared in a newspaper — a misspelled proper name, an erroneous phone number, an incorrect address, a libelous statement or a misstatement of a major fact — results in a grade of "E" (59%) on that assignment. Minor misspellings or errors of grammar bring down the grade. Carelessness causes students to lose points quickly.

Attendance and makeup work: Students must attend all classes for their full duration — as well as examinations, as noted by the ASU final exam schedule — on the days and times and in the locations indicated on the class syllabus and My ASU. If a student experiences extreme personal circumstances, they must notify their instructor immediately. The instructor is obligated to report extreme or extenuating circumstances to the dean's office for the coordination of student support. Other than for religious accommodations or university-sanctioned events, the Cronkite school does not give makeup work. If a student is absent and misses an in-class assignment, quiz or test, they do not earn credit for it.

Course content: Course content, including lectures, is copyrighted material. Students may not share outside the class, upload, sell or distribute course content, assessments, access codes or notes. Students must refrain from uploading to any course shell, discussion board or website used by the instructor or other course forum any material that is not the student's original work unless the student first complies with all applicable copyright laws; faculty members reserve the right to delete materials on the grounds of suspected copyright infringement.

Classroom etiquette: Students must keep mobile devices stored out of reach during class unless prompted by the instructor. Students may use computers, phones and other devices during class only to take notes and engage with course content. Food and drinks other than water are not allowed in the classroom. Students should arrive on time and be prepared to engage meaningfully with their instructor, peers and course content.

Deadlines: Effective Fall 2025, assignments submitted even one second past the deadline are subject to a 25% deduction; thus, a "C" becomes the highest possible grade for a late submission within the first 24 hours after the deadline. This includes assignments submitted at 12:00 a.m. when the deadline is 11:59 p.m. Assignments submitted more than 24 hours after the initial deadline receive zero points. Instructors do not grant exceptions for preventable circumstances, including technical difficulties and poor time management.

If a student begins an assignment but runs out of time to complete it, the student should remember that submitting a partially completed assignment is better than not submitting anything at all (as long as the work meets all expectations for academic integrity and does not compromise the work of other students).

Extreme personal circumstances: Students should notify their instructor as soon as possible if an extreme individual circumstance interferes with their ability to complete coursework. Examples include hospitalization of a student, death of an immediate family member or a natural disaster.

Active duty military: Students who are on active duty with the military and, because of deployment or service responsibilities, experience Internet connectivity issues that prevent them from participating in course activities or meeting assignment deadlines must notify the instructor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

Religious accommodations: Students who must be absent from class because of religious observance should notify their instructors at the beginning of the semester.

Diversity principles: The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication embraces inclusivity in student, staff and faculty populations to create an academic environment that fosters diversity of thought and acceptance of all people. To this end, the school directs efforts to the following four principles:

Actively seek out and encourage diverse populations to become productive members of the faculty, staff and the student body.
Create and maintain a work, learning and social environment that is cognizant and supportive of a diversity of human differences and beliefs.
Incorporate within the formal content of the curriculum and in each course an affirmation of the core values of accuracy, fairness, ethical behavior and sensitivity when reflecting an increasingly multicultural world.
Foster and support a climate in which events and activities of the school reflect diversity of awareness, and sensitivity to and support for people of different origins, orientations and abilities.

Expectations of professionalism: Students must exhibit professionalism in all course-related activities, assessments and communications. It is vital to the learning process that each student respect their instructor, classmates, clients, partners, sources, technology, equipment and course content. Students who engage in damaging or abusive behavior — and those who consistently make disruptive, disrespectful or intimidating comments in person or online — are referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for investigation and possible consideration for dismissal from the program.

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication strives to create a respectful, civil learning environment for everyone; however, some course content and discussions may evoke emotional responses based on personal experiences and backgrounds. Students should bring any concerns to the attention of their instructor or, alternatively, to school leadership.

According to ASU policy SSM 104-02, “Students, faculty, staff, and other individuals do not have an unqualified right of access to university grounds, property or services. Interfering with the peaceful conduct of university-related business or activities or remaining on campus grounds after a request to leave may be considered a crime."

ACEJMC values and competencies: As a member of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the school is committed to classroom learning that achieves ACEJMC professional values and competencies (http://www.acejmc.org/policies-process/principles). These include the core areas of freedom of speech, ethics, diversity, critical thinking, research, writing and use of tools and technologies related to the field.

Social media guidelines: It is important that students of journalism and communication know how to use social media ethically and professionally. The school has developed standards drawn from The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Original work and collaborations: All work submitted for classes must be original work, created solely for the current session of the class. This includes photos, text, video and images. Students may not submit assignments or evaluations done for any other class, for any other organization or for a previous session of the class. ASU offers resources for learning more about plagiarism and self-plagiarism. Students who violate this clause are referred to an academic integrity officer.

All assignments must be the student's own work — from concept to execution — unless the instructor specifies some type of collaboration. Even when students are part of a team, not all elements of the assignment may be team-based. For example, the assignment may call for a team discussion of a topic, but a writing assignment based on that discussion must be the student's individual work. Violating this policy may qualify as academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for understanding what elements of an assignment or task (if any) require peer collaboration or individual completion.

Notice of nondiscrimination

ASU prohibits all forms of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Students should review ASU’s policy ACD 401: Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation.

Title IX protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. As required by Title IX, ASU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that we operate, including in admission and employment. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to the ASU Title IX coordinator or to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or to both. For more information, students should email titleixcoordinator@asu.edu, call 480-965-0696, or visit the office located at 1120 S. Cady Mall, INTDSB 284. For information on making a report, students should reference the Report It website.

Undergraduate policies

Academic standing

Probation and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication continuing academic probation

All ASU students, first-year students through seniors, must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 for all courses completed at ASU. If this standard is not maintained, the student is placed on probation. Students on probation must see an advisor before further registration and must do one of the following:

Achieve an ASU GPA of 2.00 or greater to return to academic good standing.
Obtain a semester GPA of 2.50 with no grade lower than “C” to be granted one additional semester on continuing probation. At the end of the continuing probation, the student must return to academic good standing (a minimum cumulative ASU GPA of 2.00) to avoid disqualification.

Disqualification

Students who do not meet probation requirements are academically disqualified. Disqualified students should meet with their academic advisors. These students may attend ASU only during the summer session immediately following disqualification.

Journalism and mass communication and sports journalism majors: Students in these majors must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 for all courses completed at ASU to be in good standing in the major. Students who have a cumulative GPA lower than 2.50 have one semester to raise their cumulative GPA to meet the requirement. Students who fail to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.50 or higher must change their major from journalism and mass communication or sports journalism.

Mass communication and media studies, digital media literacy and digital audiences majors: Students in these majors follow the university policies on retention and academic standards for GPA requirements, probation and disqualification.

Advising

Undergraduate students are assigned an advisor according to the student’s last name. Students should see the school advising page for specifics.

To ensure that students are making progress toward their degrees, the school encourages students to check in with their advisors each semester. Advising is mandatory for:

first-time, first-year students, both semesters during their first year at ASU
students on academic probation
students who are off track in their major
students who have completed 75 credit hours
transfer students before they enroll in their first semester at ASU

ASU Online students are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with their respective advisors before enrolling in their first semester.

For additional information, students should contact the school’s advising center at cronkiteadvising@asu.edu.

Students should follow the sequence of courses outlined on major maps and online degree audits and contact their advisor with any questions. Critical requirements for first-year students in the school are available at the school website.

Credit and registration

Changes of major

Students are eligible to change their major if they meet the criteria below.

Journalism and mass communication and sports journalism degree programs: Current ASU students are eligible to change their major to this program if they have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 in 12 or more credit hours earned at ASU in courses that can be used to satisfy the school's nonelective general studies requirements.

Mass communication and media studies, digital audiences and digital media literacy degree programs: Current ASU students are eligible to change their major to these programs if they have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.

Transfer credit

Students may apply up to 64 credits of coursework from an accredited two-year institution to their degree. Students may apply up to nine credit hours of approved upper-division journalism coursework from a four-year, ACEJMC-accredited institution to meet the school’s Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication and BA in sports journalism degree requirements. Students interested in having these courses reviewed should collect detailed syllabi and course schedules, review the ASU transfer credit criteria and consult a Cronkite academic advisor or admission specialist for assistance.

Degree requirements

All students must meet the critical requirements for their majors. Students who are required to follow eAdvisor tracking requirements and do not comply with the critical requirements are off track, and a hold is placed on their records. These students must meet with an advisor to have the hold removed.

specific requirements for the journalism and mass communication degree
specific requirements for the sports journalism degree
specific requirements for the mass communication and media studies degree
specific requirements for the digital audiences degree
specific requirements for the digital media literacy degree

Concurrent degrees

The primary degree is the one that appears at the top of a student's transcript. A concurrent degree is an additional degree that a student pursues.

Following are general rules for students pursuing concurrent degrees in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication:

Currently enrolled journalism and mass communication or sports journalism majors who would like to add a concurrent degree must have a cumulative ASU GPA of 2.50 or higher and must have completed 30 credit hours of coursework.
Currently enrolled mass communication and media studies, digital audiences or digital media literacy majors who would like to add a concurrent degree must have a cumulative ASU GPA of 2.00 or higher and must have completed 30 credit hours of coursework.
ASU students not enrolled in the school who would like to add a concurrent degree in journalism and mass communication or sports journalism must be in good academic standing within ASU, must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 and must have completed 30 credit hours of coursework.
ASU students not enrolled in the school who would like to add a concurrent degree in mass communication and media studies or digital audiences must be in good academic standing, must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 in a degree program and must have completed 30 credit hours of coursework.
The school requires that students enrolled in journalism and mass communication or sports journalism majors take a minimum of 36 credit hours of the school's courses.
The school requires that students enrolled in the mass communication and media studies, digital media literacy, or digital audiences majors take a minimum of 30 credit hours of the school's courses.
A student may not pursue concurrent degrees in journalism and mass communication, sports journalism, mass communication and media studies, digital audiences, or digital media literacy.

Procedures for adding a concurrent degree:

Once a student has decided to declare a concurrent degree, they should inform the academic advisor for each degree in order to receive proper information about requirements such as degree requirements and courses.
When a student meets the requirements for a concurrent degree, they should contact the assigned academic advisor for each major to review and complete the university's approval process. Students in the school are assigned an academic advisor by the student’s last name.
If a student no longer wishes to pursue a concurrent degree, they should email that intention to the academic advisor. The message should include the student's full name and ASU ID number, and specify the degree that the student wants to have removed from the academic record.

Any questions should be directed to cronkiteadvising@asu.edu.

Reinstatement/readmission

Students seeking readmission after being discontinued from the university should contact admission services.

Graduate policies

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a nationally recognized professional program that prepares students for careers as reporters, editors, producers, anchors, multimedia journalists, digital marketers, strategic communicators, entrepreneurs and media executives. Students go on to work for news organizations, digital media and production companies, public relations firms, nonprofit organizations and corporate brands around the world.

More information on the school’s academic standards, policies and procedures can be found in the program handbook. Students must fulfill all requirements of their individual graduate programs to remain in good academic standing, and they must abide by all university policies, including those of the Graduate College and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Admission

Candidates for the on-campus Master of Mass Communication, Master of Arts in investigative journalism, MA in strategic communication or MA in sports journalism degrees apply online.

The graduate application opens Sept. 1. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications received before Dec. 1 are given priority for both admission and funding. The final application deadline is June 1.

Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

They must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

graduate admission application and application fee
official transcripts
three letters of recommendation
personal statement of interest (350–500 words in length)
resume
proof of English proficiency

An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. Students can choose to submit scores from the TOEFL, Duolingo or IELTS English proficiency exams. TOEFL scores must be at least 100 for the iBT® taken in a testing center, Duolingo scores must be 135 or higher, and IELTS must be 7.5 or higher.

Students should see the program website for application deadlines and admission terms. Applicants must meet all deadlines and application requirements to be considered. The school's master’s degree committee reviews applications that are complete and submitted on time. Recommendations for admission are made to admission services, where the final admission decisions are made.

Candidates for the Master of Science in digital audience strategy, offered online and at ASU's California Center in Los Angeles, apply online. Candidates must submit a graduate application, application fee, resume, statement of personal interest (300–500 words) and official transcripts.

Candidates for the MA in narrative and emerging media, offered at ASU’s California Center in Los Angeles in collaboration with ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, apply online. Candidates must submit a graduate application, application fee, resume, statement of personal interest (300–500 words), two letters of application and official transcripts. An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency, with an iBT® TOEFL score (taken in a testing center) equal to or greater than 80. Other exams may be considered. Applicants should consult the school with specifics.

Degree requirements

Plan of study

Graduate students are required to complete their interactive plan of study in their first enrolled semester. This requirement is monitored by the academic unit and is considered critical to satisfactory academic progress. The plan of study is available online in the My Programs box on My ASU.

The student selects the ASU courses that have been taken, those in progress and those that the student plans to take in future semesters. Once the POS is completed, it is electronically forwarded to the school’s graduate advisor. It must be approved by the school’s director of master's degree programs. The completed POS is sent to the Graduate College and then to the graduation office. The approved POS is a contract between the student and the school, verifying the classes the student intends to take during the course of study. Students who do not have an approved POS on file are not eligible for graduation. Changes to the POS may be made by using the form Course Changes to the Graduate Plan of Study available on My ASU.

Students who need to file a POS are notified by the Graduate College via email. If the student fails to file the POS within the specified period, a hold is placed on the student’s ASU record. The hold prevents the student from registering for classes. Once the student has filed the POS and it has been approved, the hold is removed. The Graduate College monitors students’ iPOS statuses and places or removes the holds.

Academic standing

Satisfactory academic progress

All graduate students are expected to make systematic progress toward completion of their degree. This progress includes satisfying the conditions listed below, achieving the benchmarks, and meeting the requirements set by the individual degree programs. Each degree program should have in place policies for satisfactory academic progress. Students are responsible for verifying additional satisfactory progress policies as described in the program handbook. If a student fails to meet the requirements of their degree program and the benchmarks outlined below, the student may be dismissed from their program based on the academic unit’s recommendation to the Graduate College. The dean of the Graduate College makes the final determination.

Maintain a minimum iPOS, graduate and cumulative GPA of 3.00. If a GPA is lower than 3.00, the student must develop, with their advisor, an academic performance improvement plan that includes the conditions and time frames for making satisfactory academic progress in the degree program.

The iPOS GPA is calculated from all courses that appear on the student's approved iPOS.

The graduate GPA is calculated from all courses numbered 500 or higher that appear on the transcript, with the exception of courses counted toward an undergraduate degree at ASU (unless shared with a master's degree in an approved bachelor's and master's degree program) and from courses identified as deficiencies in the original letter of admission. The student is considered to be on academic probation until the conditions specified in the academic performance improvement plan are met and both GPAs are 3.00 or higher.

The cumulative ASU GPA represents all courses completed at ASU during the graduate career.
Satisfy all requirements of the graduate degree program.
Satisfy the maximum time limit for graduation from the student's graduate degree program.
Students have three years from the start of their program to complete the MS in digital audience strategy, six years from the start of their program to complete other Cronkite master's degrees, and 10 years from the start of their program to complete the doctoral degree program.
Successfully pass any comprehensive exams, qualifying exams, foreign language exams, and the oral defense of the proposal or prospectus for the thesis or dissertation that are required for the specific graduate program.
Successfully complete the culminating experience and, if required, the oral defense of the culminating experience.
Stay continuously enrolled in the graduate program. Failing to do so without a Graduate College-approved request to maintain continuous enrollment is considered a lack of academic progress and may lead to automatic dismissal of the student from the graduate program. Persistent "W" (withdrawal) and "I" (incomplete) grades during multiple semesters on a POS or transcript may reflect a lack of academic progress.

In addition to the Graduate College satisfactory academic progress policies, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication has adopted the following:

If any of a student’s GPAs are lower than 3.00, the student is placed on academic probation. If the student’s GPAs are not raised to at least 3.00 by the end of the next semester, the Cronkite School may recommend dismissal to ASU's Graduate College.
If a student in the MMA, MA in investigative journalism, MA in strategic communication or MA in sports journalism earns lower than a "C" (2.00) in MCO 502 Multimedia Storytelling (Bootcamp), the school recommends to the Graduate College that the student be removed from the program immediately.
To receive their degrees, MMC, MA in investigative journalism, MA in strategic communication and MA in sports journalism students who have MCO 570 Capstone as their culminating experience are required to earn at least a "B" (3.00).
Students in the MS in digital audience strategy program must earn a "B" (3.00) or higher in MCO 561 Defining the Digital Audience before enrolling in MCO 562, 563, 564 or 565. To receive their degrees, students also are required to earn at least a "B" (3.00) in MCO 566 Digital Audience Management (Capstone). To enroll in the MCO 566, students must earn a "B" (3.00) or higher in MCO 561, and a "C" (2.00) or higher in all other courses.
Students in the MA in narrative and emerging media program should consult their program handbook for applicable policies from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Appeals

Students who want to appeal a course grade must first discuss the issue with the instructor. If the issue is not resolved, the student may appeal the grade to the school’s standards committee by completing the academic affairs report form; the standards committee reviews the issue and makes a recommendation to the dean. The dean’s decision is final. Students should be aware that the standards committee may recommend a grade lower than the one awarded by the course instructor.

If a student fails to make satisfactory academic progress, and a recommendation is made to the Graduate College to remove the student from their graduate program, the student has 10 business days to file a written appeal with the dean. The dean’s decision regarding appeals is final.

Credit and registration

Transfer credit

Students admitted to the 30 credit hour, midcareer MMC program may transfer up to six credit hours of approved coursework that was taken before beginning the program and not used toward a previous degree; the six credit hours may include nondegree coursework. Only courses with a grade of "A" (4.00) or "B" (3.00) and taken within three years of admission to an ASU graduate program may be accepted as transfer credit.

To have graduate coursework that was completed at other accredited institutions included on a POS, a student must petition the school’s master's or doctoral committee. The student also must complete the petition section of the POS.

Students who are in the 36 credit hour professional master’s degree programs are not permitted to transfer coursework from another institution or from another ASU program.

400-level courses taken for graduate credit

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication may allow graduate students to enroll in and use up to two three-credit, 400-level courses on their plans of study (a total of six credit hours). Students must receive permission from the program director before enrolling in any 400-level course they intend to include in their POS. Students taking these courses are responsible for obtaining and completing the 400-level course contract form. This form specifies what the student must do to receive graduate credit for the course. It must be signed by the professor.

Preadmission credit

Credit earned in graduate‐level courses (per the Graduate College preadmission policy) by undergraduate students may count toward their graduate degrees at ASU, provided the credit hours have not been used toward a previously awarded degree. Before they are awarded a bachelor’s degree, ASU undergraduate students should contact their undergraduate advisor to set aside graduate courses for use toward a graduate degree.

Reserving a course does not guarantee that the student will be admitted to a graduate degree program or that the course will be used to meet graduate degree requirements. A maximum of nine credit hours may be reserved, and only courses with a grade of “B” (3.00) or higher are applicable. Reserved credit is classified as nondegree credit and must be taken within the six-year limit to be included on a POS.

Grades of incomplete

A grade of "I" (incomplete) may be given by the instructor when a student who is otherwise doing acceptable work is unable to complete the course because of illness or other conditions beyond their control. The student must request an incomplete, which must be approved by the instructor and the director of the master's degree or doctoral program.

The Graduate College requires students who receive an "I" in graduate coursework (500 level and higher) to complete the necessary work within one calendar year or a shorter time frame as agreed upon by the instructor and student. If the "I" is not removed within one calendar year, it becomes part of the student's permanent transcript and cannot be used on a student's POS. To receive credit for the course, the student must repeat the course by re-registering, paying fees and fulfilling all course requirements.

Master's degree students with more than one "I" at any time are considered failing to make adequate progress, and they are placed on probation. If the student does not complete the work to remove the "I" and earn a letter grade by the end of the calendar year, a recommendation may be made to the Graduate College to remove the student from the program.

With 400-level courses taken for graduate credit, students are required to complete the necessary work to remove an incomplete grade within one calendar year. If the incomplete grade is not removed within one calendar year, the “I” becomes an “E” (failing) grade. An “E” cannot be used to meet the requirements for a graduate degree, but it is used to calculate the student’s GPA. Students may retake the class to earn a higher grade; however, both the “E” and the new grade are used in calculating the student’s GPA. If this results in a GPA lower than 3.00, a recommendation to withdraw the student from the program is made to the Graduate College.

Other special requirements

Time limitations

Students have three years from the start of their program to complete the MS in digital audience strategy, six years from the start of their program to complete other Cronkite master's degrees, and 10 years from the start of their program to complete the doctoral degree.

Financial aid

Many graduate students receive financial aid from ASU to assist in financing their education.

Applied project

Students enrolled in the 30 credit hour, midcareer MMC program have the option of completing an applied project and are eligible to enroll in MCO 593 Applied Project when they have no more than six credit hours of coursework remaining on their POS. Students interested in completing an applied project are encouraged to meet with the master’s program director no later than the end of their first year in the program.