Academic Regulations

Mentors

Each new graduate student will be assigned a mentor to formulate a program of study and to supervise her/his academic and professional progress. It is suggested that students work closely with their mentors and that the courtesy of arranging appointments in advance with faculty members so designated be observed by all students.

Grading System

The following grades are used in graduate course work:

S/U grading is authorized only for certain courses.

“IP” indicates that a student is registered for a thesis or an approved research project which has not been completed at the end of a given semester but for which satisfactory progress is being made. This grade is temporary and once the work has been completed it must be converted to one of the permanent grade symbols.

“W” indicates that a student has withdrawn from a course.

“I” indicates postponement of the completion of a course. It is given at the discretion of the instructor to a student who is doing satisfactory work but who has not completed all of the course requirements at the end of a given semester. Given such an  extension, the student must complete all the required work, unless otherwise agreed, before the midpoint of the next regular semester. Failure to complete the necessary work within the stipulated time results in automatic conversion of the “Incomplete” to  a permanent grade of F.

“AU” indicates that a student has taken a course for which permission has been granted without a grade being awarded. Students must secure such authorization prior to the start of a course. Entry of the audit grade on a transcript assumes satisfactory attendance at class meetings. The student should consult with the instructor as to what constitutes satisfactory attendance.

“NG” is a temporary grade issued when a faculty member fails to meet the deadline for the submission of grade reports. Such temporary grades will be changed to permanent grade symbols when issued by the professor.

Special permission is not needed to repeat failed courses; however, prior approval of the dean of the program is needed to repeat non-failed courses. The recording of grades for repeated courses shall be governed by the following conditions: 1. Credit for a course will be granted only once; 2. Credit for the course will be lost if the course is repeated and failed; 3. The most recent credit and grade will count toward the GPA with this exception: a “W” grade cannot replace another grade; 4. Each attempt to complete a course will be reported on the student’s transcript; 5. Ordinarily, a student may repeat a course only in the same mode in which it was originally taken; 6. A student repeating a course must so indicate on his/her registration form.

Regular attendance at class is considered a requisite for successful completion of a course.

Appeal of a Graduate Course Grade

A student who wishes to appeal the final grade in a graduate course should first contact the instructor of the course in order to remedy the situation informally. If, having met with the instructor, the student still thinks that he/she has been inappropriately evaluated in the course, he/she may make a written request that the Chair of the faculty member’s department review the process by which the grade was determined. The written request must describe, in detail, the situation and reason for appealing the course grade. The Chair will attempt to facilitate a reasonable solution at the departmental level. The Chair may make written recommendation to both the student and faculty member following the review. If the matter is not resolved at the departmental level, then the student may request, in writing, that the dean of the program review the matter. The Dean will conduct a review and provide a written decision to the student and faculty member. The Dean’s decision is final.  Ordinarily, no grade appeal will be considered unless it has been received by the dean’s office within thirty calendar days of the time the original grade was available to the student. 

Waiver or Partial Waiver of Regulations

A graduate student seeking waiver or partial waiver of a graduate requirement must petition in writing his/her Graduate Program Director explaining what relief is sought and why the student believes special consideration is justified. The Graduate Program Director will review the petition and will send her/his recommendation to the Dean of the program. The Dean will review the petition and inform the student of his/her decision. In all cases, the decision of the Dean is final.

Standards of Progress

All graduate students must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 in order to graduate with a master’s or doctoral degree. In addition, all graduate students must maintain a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.00 in order to remain in  good standing.

A graduate student whose cumulative graduate GPA falls between a 3.00 and 2.00 will be placed on academic probation. A graduate student whose cumulative graduate GPA falls below a 2.00 will be subject to dismissal.

Academic Probation

1. If a master’s or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student is placed on academic probation, the student is required to earn a cumulative graduate GPA of a least 3.00 within the next three courses taken (normally nine hours of course work).
2. Successful achievement of this expectation will result in the master’s or DNP student being reinstated to regular academic status.
3. Failure to fulfill this expectation may result in the dismissal of the master’s or DNP student.
4. Although there are no set limitations on the number of courses a master’s or DNP student may take in a semester while on academic probation, it is imperative that the student recognizes the necessity of improved academic performance in order to regain the minimum graduate GPA of 3.00 within the next three courses.

A student on academic probation cannot apply for a graduate assistantship. A student who is a graduate assistant and who is placed on academic probation may be reappointed for a second year provided he/she is making reasonable progress toward completion of degree requirements. In this situation, the student’s graduate program director will need to provide the Dean with a written recommendation presenting a sufficient case for reappointment.

Time Limit

All graduate work for a degree, including the thesis, must be completed within six years of the date when the first graduate level course is taken. Time spent in the armed forces is not included in the six-year period. Extension of this time restriction may be granted for valid reasons at the discretion of the Dean of the program.

Application for Degree

In order to qualify for award of the master’s or doctoral degree, a student must complete the Application for Degree form. This should be done prior to the Course Registration period for the term in which the student expects to finish all requirements. Online Applications for Degree can be found at http://www.scranton.edu/academics/registrar/graduate/commencement-information.shtml

The University provides the opportunity for students who have completed degree requirements to graduate at the conclusion of each academic term: summer, fall, intersession, spring. Official dates of graduation are noted in the academic calendar. Commencement exercises are held once in the academic year, at the conclusion of the spring term. Students who graduated in the previous summer, fall or intersession terms, as well as in the current spring term, may participate in these commencement exercises.

Transfer of Credits

Transfer of credits to graduate programs at The University of Scranton is governed by the following policies (special exceptions may pertain to affiliation programs):

1. Credits for transfer must be earned at an accredited institution while enrolled as a graduate student;
2. A maximum of nine graduate credits may be transferred for graduate programs requiring at least 39 credit hours for completion and six graduate credits may be transferred for graduate [degree] programs that require less than 39 credit hours for completion;
3. Courses to be transferred must be integral to the student’s program of study;
4. Transferred credits must have been taken within six years of the date of requested transfer to The University of Scranton;
5. A grade of B or better is required in any course to be transferred and an official transcript demonstrating this must be submitted for work at other institutions (including course descriptions of the credits in question). A grade of Pass or Satisfactory is not  acceptable for transferred credits;
6. The course to be transferred must be a regularly scheduled course and not a workshop.

7. Please note: Any course work taught in a language other than English, will require a transcript evaluation.

Students matriculated at The University of Scranton may take courses at other accredited graduate schools for the purpose of transfer of credit only with the prior permission of their mentor and the Dean of their college.

Field Experiences and Internships

Many community agencies and organizations may require students completing course required hours, or volunteers completing elective hours to obtain clearances, vaccinations and/or health insurance prior to working with individuals within the organization.  Students in certain disciplines may be required to apply and pay for clearances, vaccinations, and/or health insurance in regard to their respective majors in order to complete certain assignments within a course.  It can take several weeks to receive clearance results.  Please check with your department or field coordinator for details to see which requirements are needed for your major, and how often they need to be renewed. 

Capstone Experience

Each student in a master’s degree program must complete a capstone experience in his/her field of study. For some programs, this will mean successfully passing a comprehensive examination given during the last semester of studies; some programs  will require the writing and defense of a master’s thesis or major research paper, directed by the student’s academic advisor, on a topic appropriate to the field of study; and other programs may require the writing and defense of a major paper, written in the program’s capstone course, which synthesizes the ideas, philosophy, and techniques learned in the program of study.  Students failing the capstone experience twice are subject to dismissal.

Following are graduate requirements concerning the comprehensive examination and thesis.

Comprehensive Examination:

Students who are required to take a comprehensive examination must apply to take the examination by the deadlines given in the academic calendar, using the Application for Comprehensive Examination form available for on campus students at https://forms.scranton.edu/comprehensive-examination-on-campus-form/ and for online students at http://forms.scranton.edu/comprehensive-examination-form/.  The examinations may be oral, written or both and are given on dates published in the academic calendar  in this catalog. The Director of the student’s program determines eligibility for the examination. Students should consult their mentor regarding the nature of the examination in their field. Please refer to the relevant program-of-study section in this catalog for capstone experience requirements. Students failing the capstone experience twice are subject to dismissal.

Thesis:

The Weinberg Memorial Library coordinates the submission of graduate theses. For thesis submission instructions, visit www.scranton.edu/library/theses and select “Current Graduate Students”.  Students failing the capstone experience twice are subject to dismissal.

Dropping, Withdrawing from or Adding a Course

Students may officially drop a course by completing and returning to Graduate and Continuing Education Services a “Schedule Change” form.

If they drop the course early in the semester, they will be entitled to a refund according to the schedule , and the drop will be treated as though the student had never registered for the course.

Beyond the refund period, a student may still withdraw from a course until the date indicated on the Academic Calendar. The student’s transcript will carry the number and title of the course with a grade of “W.”

Withdrawing from a course without completion and official acceptance of the appropriate form will result in a grade of “F.”

To add a course, the student must complete, and return to Graduate and Continuing Education Services by the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar, the “Schedule Change” form.

Note: There is a special fee for any course-related schedule change made after the first week of each term.

Courses Taken as Readers and Independent Studies

 The purpose of reader and independent study courses is to enable University of Scranton students in good academic and disciplinary standing to pursue a course of study that meets one of the following descriptions.

Readers are study experiences that replicate courses listed in the catalog and are offered to one or, less frequently, two students. These offerings are limited to meeting acute student programmatic need, as identified and accepted by the dean, and are not meant to be offered routinely.

Independent Studies, experiences provided to academically successful students, are specially designed learning experiences and are not offered in the normal course listing.

Thesis, experiences are specially designed and are not offered in the normal course listing. These experiences are based on experimental work that involves intensive research activity and a public defense on the part of the student.

Students may take no more than one reader or independent study per term and no more than one reader or independent study per year, on average, during the course of their degree programs. Readers and independent studies are to be taken for the same number of credits as are granted similar courses in the discipline in which the reader or independent study is offered. Readers and independent studies may not ordinarily be used to repeat failed courses.

The completed Reader and Independent Study forms should be submitted to Graduate and Continuing Education Services by the last day to add courses as published in the University academic calendar. A fee of $60 per credit in addition to the normal tuition will be charged.

Readers and independent studies are not available to visiting students. Faculty conducting independent study courses will provide the dean’s office with a copy of the syllabus, reading lists, and examinations used in the independent study. Normally, faculty are limited to mentoring no more than two students per semester in any combination of readers, independent studies, directed studies and special topics. Exceptions to this limitation can be made by the Dean of the program for programmatic reasons or in response to course cancellations.

Military Leave Policy

If a student is called or volunteers for active military duty while attending The University of Scranton, the University will do its best to protect the academic and financial interest of the student within the norms of good academic judgment. The student must meet with the Dean of his/her college and provide proof of being called to active duty. The Dean, after conferring with the Director of Financial Aid, the Treasurer, the student’s current faculty, and the student, will decide the course of action. The Dean will then process the necessary paperwork and place the student on military leave status. If the student does not concur with the Dean’s decision, the student may appeal to the Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.  The student is responsible for all room and board and related expenses incurred. Deans must confer with the Financial Aid and Treasurer’s Offices before making decisions regarding refunds.

Student Course Evaluations

Because student course evaluations are a necessary part of the University’s program to enhance the quality of teaching, students are asked to complete an evaluation for each of their courses. Final grades are unavailable for one week in those cases where students choose not to complete the evaluations.

Policy Changes, Academic Integrity, Student Conduct and Student Rights of Confidentiality

The University reserves the right to change any of the rules and regulations in this catalog. All such changes are effective at such times as the proper authorities determine and may apply not only to prospective students but also to those who are already matriculated in the University. However, curricular changes shall not become effective until published in the catalog unless specifically approved for an earlier implementation date by the appropriate body. If a change is approved for implementation prior to its publication in a catalog, the appropriate school, department, or program shall inform students affected by the change. Application of policies, rules, and requirements, including changes thereto, may be appealed to the dean of the student’s college.

The University of Scranton recognizes the privacy rights of individuals who are or who have been students, as guaranteed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. No information from educational records, files, or other data directly related to a student shall be disclosed to individuals or agencies outside The University without the express written consent of the student. Except where prescribed by law, information regarding a student’s education record may not be disclosed to a parent, guardian or spouse without the student’s written authorization on file in the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services, academic advising center or dean’s office, or unless the student has granted access to specific information to specific persons through the online Third Party Authorization Form in their Self Service account in the www.scranton.edu portal .

FERPA does authorize the University to disclose information without consent to school officials with legitimate educational interests. Legitimate education interest means that the official has a need to know in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities on behalf of the University. Examples of people having legitimate education interest depending on their official duties and within the context of those duties include: persons or companies with whom The University has contracted, such as attorneys, auditors, collection agents, consultants and other parties to whom the school has outsourced institutional functions or services; students serving on official committees, such as disciplinary or grievance committees or assisting school officials in performing their tasks; persons or organizations to whom students have applied for financial aid; persons in compliance with a lawful subpoena or court order; and persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons. In January 2012, the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA regulations expanded the circumstances of release to federal, state and local authorities to evaluate federal- or state- supported education programs, to researchers performing certain types of studies, and to state authorities in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems. In addition, the complete “Student Rights and Confidentiality of Information Policy” can be reviewed at the following link: http://www.scranton.edu/studenthandbook.

The University considers the following to be public information that may be made available, at its discretion, without prior consent of the student:

Name

Former name(s)

Address (local and permanent)

Telephone number (campus/local and permanent)

Date and place of birth

Photograph

Major field of study

Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

E-mail address

Dates of attendance

Enrollment status

Campus employment

Class level

Expected/actual date of graduation

Degrees, awards, academic honors

Weight and height of members of athletic teams

Students who wish to prevent the public disclosure of any or all the above information may complete and submit a request to the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services.

A directory of names, addresses and telephone numbers of students is promulgated by The University at the beginning of the fall semester. Students who do not wish to be listed in the campus directory must notify the University by the end of the first week of classes in the fall semester.

FERPA affords students the right to inspect and review their educational records within 45 days of the day The University receives such requests. Students should submit to the Registrar or other appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. University officials will make arrangements for access and notify requesting students of the time and place where their records may be inspected.

Students have the right to request the amendment of any educational records that they believe are inaccurate or misleading. They should write to the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record that they want changed, and specify why they believe it is inaccurate or misleading. If The University decides not to amend the records as requested, The University will notify students of the decision and advise them of their right to appeal the decision and the process that must be undertaken to do so.

For more information regarding FERPA, please contact the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services, Room 106, O’Hara Hall. Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by The University of Scranton to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5920.

In addition, The University of Scranton complies with the Student Right-to-Know Act by providing graduation rate information to current and prospective students upon request. Graduation rate information may be obtained by contacting the Institutional Research Office or by consulting the University’s Consumer Information webpage at http://www.scranton.edu/pir/institutional-research/HEOA/index.shtml

The University reserves the right to take appropriate disciplinary action in the case of any student who conducts himself or herself contrary to the standards of the University. These standards (particularly the “Academic Code of Honesty” and the “Policies Governing the University Community”, (www.scranton.edu/studenthandbook) are given clear expression in the faculty and student handbooks of the University. The University also reserves the right to modify admissions requirements, the right to change tuition and fee charges, and the right to change the semester schedule of courses.

Special Note for Students

It is the personal responsibility of each student to acquire an active knowledge of all pertinent regulations set forth in the Graduate Studies Catalog.