Graduate Catalog 2006-2007

Academic Policies
Enrollment Status and Course Load :: Participation and Contribution Policy :: Student Status Change ::

Maintaining Active Student Status ::

Leave of Absence :: Withdrawal :: Re-Admission ::

Academic Dismissal :: Academic Integrity :: Academic Dishonesty :: Academic Policies and Procedures :: Withdrawal from Classes :: Exceptions to Academic Policies, Regulations or Requirements

Students are responsible for knowing the academic requirements, policies and procedures presented in the Stephens College Graduate & Continuing Studies Undergraduate Catalog and Handbook and advising materials.

Your Academic Advisor welcomes the opportunity to assist students as they plan a degree program. NEW STUDENTS entering Stephens College Graduate & Continuing Studies will be expected to meet the degree requirements in effect upon their initial course enrollment. For the CONTINUING STUDENT in Stephens College Graduate & Continuing Studies, this edition of the Student Handbook replaces earlier handbooks for policies and procedures. The student should retain the copy of the handbook that lists the degree requirements at the time of the student's initial course enrollment. These are the requirements that the student will need to meet for graduation. (Exceptions to this policy will be those students who choose to meet new degree requirements and those students required to meet new degree requirements in effect at reactivation after one year.)

The Stephens College Graduate & Continuing Studies Graduate Catalog and Handbook will be updated online annually prior to the start of the Summer semester. These updates should be read carefully and added to the handbook for future reference. Stephens College reserves the right to change the curriculum, any provision, policy, procedure, requirement, regulation or fee at its own discretion subsequent to the publication of this catalog. Every effort will be made to keep the student informed of these changes.

Enrollment Status and Course Load

Students are expected to enroll in a minimum of one course per semester (Fall, Spring and Summer). Students who do not enroll in courses for two successive semesters will be automatically dropped from the program. If necessary, students may arrange to take an official leave of absence.

Full-time student status is a requirement for the financial aid programs. A student who is receiving financial aid should check with the lending agency to determine that course registration loads are within the expected limit.

Participation and Contribution Policy

Stephens College emphasizes the importance of active participation in courses. Students must establish contact with the course instructor on the course start date. If the student does not submit assignments as directed, the instructor has the right to require the student to drop the course, or be awarded a failing grade at the end of the course unless an approved withdrawal is granted by the instructor.

Students are expected to regularly participate as directed by the instructor. Lack of participation from class for any reason does not exempt a student from completion of all work required for a course.

Instructors determine the participation and contribution policy for their classes. It is permissible to use participation and contribution as a factor in determining a student's grade or to lower the amount of credit awarded for a course.

Student Status Change

Students who have withdrawn, been dropped or taken a leave of absence for more than one year may be required to complete the online orientation session and meet degree requirements in effect at the time of readmission to the Division of Graduate & Continuing Studies. A student whose tuition account is in arrears more than three months may lose the right to continue in the program. If the student is readmitted, he or she may be required to meet new degree requirements, regardless of the amount of time the student was inactive. Students who are withdrawn from the program due to their tuition account being sent to a collection agency may be required to meet new degree requirements upon re-entry, regardless of the amount of time the student was inactive.

Maintaining Active Student Status

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 3 semester hours per semester (Fall and Spring) to maintain active student status. Students who fail to enroll for two successive semesters will be withdrawn from the program due to inactivity. Students who repeatedly skip semesters after a written warning may be withdrawn from the program. If necessary, students may arrange to take an official leave of absence.

Leave of Absence

Students may request a leave of absence (LOA) for up to one year. The request must be sent to the Academic Advisor. All courses currently in progress must be completed or dropped prior to the start of the LOA and payments on outstanding account balances with Stephens College must be continued. Prior to the one-year deadline for the leave of absence, the student must regain active status by following the procedures described in "Readmission" below. Only one LOA is allowed during the student's time at Stephens College , regardless of the length of the LOA. Students may not enroll in Stephens College courses while on LOA.

Withdrawal

Students may withdraw from the Division of Graduate & Continuing Studies by declaring this intention in writing to the Academic Advisor and submit the appropriate drop form for any courses in progress. At that time, the student is withdrawn from all academic work in progress. Tuition refund policies apply as outlined in that section of the handbook. Students who have withdrawn may regain active status by following the procedures stated in "Readmission" below.

Students may be withdrawn from the program for the following reasons:

1. Lack of current mailing and e-mail address
2. Lack of course registration to maintain active status
3. Lack of academic progress (See Maintaining Active Student Status and Academic Probation)
4. No communication from the student for more than one year
5. Failure to arrange payment of fees with the Accounting office or failure to make regular monthly payments on tuition and student charges. Students who fail to make monthly payments will be turned over to a collection agency. The student will be withdrawn from all academic work in progress at the time they are dropped from the program. All fees will remain in effect.

A student who has been withdrawn may become active by following the readmission procedures stated below. The student who has been withdrawn from the program because of financial difficulties with the College must have an account balance of zero prior to re-entry. A student whose tuition account is in arrears more than three months may lose the right to continue in the program. If the student is readmitted, they may be required to meet new degree requirements, regardless of the amount of time the student was inactive. If a student is withdrawn from the program due to their tuition account being sent to a collection agency, the student may be required to meet new degree requirements upon re-entry, regardless of the amount of time the student was inactive.

Re-admission

Student wishing to re-enter as an active student after withdrawal or leave of absence must request to do so by contacting the Division of Graduate & Continuing Studies. Students must pay a $50.00 readmission fee, complete the application for readmission, order all transcripts from institutions attended since last enrolled at Stephens College , and submit an essay explaining the reasons why they are prepared to continue their degree. They must enroll in a minimum of 3 semester hours for the next academic semester. Those students who have been inactive for over one year may be required to complete degree requirements in effect at the time of reentering the program and retake the online orientation session prior to enrolling in further course work. NOTE: All student applications for re-admission will be reviewed by the Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies and may be denied re-entry into the Graduate & Continuing Studies program. Persons applying for re-admission will be informed of the Director's decision in writing.

Academic Dismissal

Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 (B average) GPA while in a graduate program at Stephens College. Should a student fail to do so the Registrar will send a written notice to the student indicating that he or she is on academic probation. A student whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 after completing 15 credit hours will be dismissed. After achieving candidacy status, a student must achieve a grade of 3.0 in each course and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to continue in the program. See individual graduate programs for academic dismissal criteria specific to that program.

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Academic Integrity

As a community of scholars committed to truth, Stephens College espouses the belief that any type of academic dishonesty violates an important code of ethics. Therefore, Stephens has adopted an academic honesty policy that imposes penalties for students who fail to disclose previous enrollment at another college or university; who are dishonest in examinations, assignments or any other academic activity; who plagiarize; who falsify College forms or records; or who willfully aid other students in an act of academic dishonesty. The severity of a penalty will depend upon the nature, extent and frequency of the violation and may range from receiving a failing grade on an assignment to degree revocation. A full policy statement is outlined below.

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Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty refers to behaviors that violate the academic standards of the College. It includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Engaging in dishonest behavior on examinations, assignments or in any other academic activity.
2. Committing plagiarism. This includes using another person's phrases, sentences or paragraphs without quotation marks; using someone else's design, choreography, ideas or compositional structure without properly crediting the author, artist or composer; paraphrasing without introducing or documenting the source; and using someone else's design/art project, speech or composition and presenting it as one's own (i.e. buying a paper from any source).
3. Using copyrighted material or paraphrasing it as though it were one's own. This includes works of all kinds, whether literary, musical, motion picture or other audio-visual productions, or works of art such as graphic arrangements, photographs, paintings, choreography, logotypes and trademarks. One must credit the owner or author for any use of copyrighted material.
4. Willfully aiding another student in any act of academic dishonesty.
5. Falsifying College records, including the lack of declaration of all transfer credit.

Course-related Instances of Dishonesty

Faculty members should inform students of policies that apply to incidents of dishonesty in their classes. The general procedures that will be followed are outlined below.

1. A faculty member suspecting dishonesty on an assignment or an examination will first confer with the student.

   1. If the teacher is convinced the student is innocent, the matter will be dropped. If the apparently unethical behavior was unintentional, the teacher will help the student to understand what was wrong and how to avoid a future recurrence. No penalty will be imposed, but the faculty member will notify the Academic Standing Committee.
   2. If the student admits guilt to the act of dishonesty, the faculty member may impose a penalty previously mentioned in the course syllabus, class announcement or some other form of advance notification. If the faculty member has a stated policy, the penalty will be imposed according to the policy. If the faculty member does not have a stated policy, then the penalty will be no more than an F for that assignment and the grade will be averaged in with the final grade. The Academic Standing Committee will be notified of the incident.
2. If the faculty member and the student cannot agree on a settlement of the situation, or if either the faculty member or the student desires a formal hearing of the case, the faculty member will withhold credit for the work in question and notify the Academic Standing Committee. If the student requests a hearing, the student will write a statement explaining why the request is being made. All documentation/evidence will be forwarded to the Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies.
   1. The Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies will forward to the Registrar who will convene the Review Committee of the Academic Standing Committee as soon as possible to hear the case. In such a hearing, all due process rights of the student will be protected and appropriate judicial procedures will be followed.

Sanctions

1. In situations where the faculty member and the student come to an agreement on the events of the incident and that the student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the following sanctions will be imposed:
   1. For the first offense in any one course, the faculty member will determine whether the student should receive an F on the work in question or an F in the course.
   2. For a second offense in the same course, the faculty member will give the student an F in the course. The Academic Standing Committee also will review the case and may add additional sanctions that could include suspension from the College for a minimum of one semester.
2. In situations where the Academic Standing Committee is asked to hear the case and the student is found guilty of committing an act of academic dishonesty, the following sanctions will be imposed:
   1. For the first offense, the Academic Standing Committee may recommend to the faculty member that the student receive an F on the work in question or an F in the course.
   2. For a second offense in the same course, the Academic Standing Committee may recommend an F in the course in question and may also recommend that the student be placed on disciplinary probation or be suspended from the College for a minimum of one semester.
   3. If a third offense occurs, the Academic Standing Committee may recommend suspension or immediate expulsion from the College with no possibility of return.
3. In situations where the Academic Standing Committee reviews instances of two or more violations that may have occurred during the student's college career and involved two or more courses, the following sanctions will be imposed:
1. If the student is guilty of two separate instances of academic dishonesty, in addition to the penalties assessed by the individual faculty members, the Review Committee of the Academic Standing Committee may recommend disciplinary probation or suspension from the College for a minimum of one semester.
2. In the event of a third instance of dishonesty, in addition to the penalties assessed by the individual faculty member, the Academic Standing Committee may recommend suspension or immediate expulsion from the College with no possibility of return.
4. Grade adjustments will be reported to the Office of the Registrar with appropriate explanations.
5. A student may appeal the decision of a faculty member to the Academic Standing Committee within seven days of the decision. The appeal must be in writing.
6. The only appeal of decisions made by the Academic Standing Committee is to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Falsification of College Records

1. Falsification of college records, such as transcripts and other official documents, is illegal and is a very serious form of dishonesty that the College will not tolerate.
2. Failure to declare college credit attempted or earned prior to or during enrollment at Stephens is considered falsification of records.
3. Cases of falsification of records will be reported to the Academic Standing Committee and hearings will be held. All judicial procedures will be followed.

Sanctions

1. Students found guilty of falsification of college records will be subject to probation, suspension or expulsion from the College.
2. Failure to declare previously attempted or earned college credit will be grounds for non-admission or suspension if this information is discovered after admission.

Revocation of a Degree

A degree granted on the basis of fraudulent information knowingly furnished by the student, or any other person pertaining to the student's academic performance, is subject to revocation on the basis of academic dishonesty. The following procedures will be followed if charges are made:

1. The charge will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee according to the guidelines published for allegations of academic dishonesty.
2. If the allegations are not well founded, the Academic Standing Committee will dismiss the charge.
3. If probable cause is found, the Academic Standing Committee will interview and prepare reports from all persons directly involved.
4. The student will be notified in writing of the allegations and given a fair opportunity to present a personal position in writing. The student will have the right to a formal hearing if requested. The notification sent to the student will include the range of sanctions or penalties that apply to allegations of academic dishonesty, including the possible revocation of a degree, assuming completion of degree requirements is brought into question by the charge.
5. The Academic Standing Committee will review all information brought to bear on the case. If the allegations are found to be true, the Academic Standing Committee will determine the appropriate sanction or penalty according to the degree of academic dishonesty. If the penalty does not involve the possible revocation of a degree, the Academic Standing Committee will notify the student of the outcome of the case and any penalties assessed.
6. If the penalty involves the possible revocation of a degree, the Academic Standing Committee will make that recommendation to the President of the College and the Board of Trustees.
7. The President of the College and the Board of Trustees will review the recommendation and determine the appropriate sanction or penalty, including degree revocation.
8. The student will be notified in writing of all final decisions. The letter will notify the student if the student is to be dismissed from the College on the grounds of academic dishonesty or if the student will be given the opportunity, under stated conditions, to complete degree requirements.
9. If the student is allowed to complete degree requirements, the Academic Standing Committee will confer with appropriate faculty and administrators to establish the conditions that allow completion of degree requirements within a future degree-training period. The Graduate Council will consider other honor violations.

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Academic Policies and Procedures

Academic Advising: The appropriate graduate program director will serve as advisor, or assign an advisor to each degree-seeking student upon admission.

Grade of Incomplete: A student who completes most of the work in a course at a passing level, but is unable to complete the work on time due to extenuating circumstances, may speak with the instructor to see if receiving an Incomplete (I) mark is warranted. When an instructor grants an incomplete, one semester is allowed to complete the coursework, unless the instructor sets an earlier deadline. If the work is not submitted by the deadline, the I will automatically become an F. If unusual circumstances indicate the need, the instructor may grant one additional semester to complete the course. An incomplete does not affect the GPA in the semester it is assigned. Students who receive incompletes are ineligible for the deans' list that semester, unless they earn at least 4.0 graded credits. For current fees for incomplete grades see Tuition and Fees section.

Independent Studies for Graduate Students:

Policy - The first priority of the Stephens College graduate programs is to assure the overall student success and the integrity of these programs. Graduate students are expected to complete their coursework in a certain sequential manner in order to graduate on time. Courses are offered each semester that allow the graduate student to meet this graduation deadline.

Independent studies are defined as studies undertaken in a manner by which the student receives a project and readings, or other stated goals to complete, and works independently under the guidance of an instructor. Independent studies are considered exceptions to the plan of study offered at the graduate level. Independent studies will only be offered as an alternative if, through no fault of their own, there is no other way a graduate student can complete his or her work in a timely manner. A maximum of two independent studies will be granted per graduate student during their program.

Procedure - To obtain permission to complete an independent study, students must first obtain permission from the instructor of the course they wish to take. They then must submit their request to the Program Director, along with an explanation of why they need to take the course as an independent study. If approved, the request then goes to the Executive Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies for final approval. The request can be denied for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to: insufficient evidence of an emergency situation, poor performance by the student in other classes, and instructor workload.

There are two categories that apply to graduate programs: reading and projects. A course delivered in either of the two formats must be accompanied by two copies of the syllabus (one for the Registrar and one for the Graduate & Continuing Studies office) that describes exactly what the student will need to accomplish to complete the course requirements.

Reading category is defined as "(those) which are available for topics not offered in the regular curriculum. The study includes assigned readings and at least one major research paper." These courses would be numbered 598G Title of Course (e.g. 598G: Family and Community: Partners in Education).

Projects category is defined as "(those) which are available to document learning that takes place in study that culminates in a project. Readings and a paper may be required." These courses would be numbered 599G: Title of Course (e.g. 599G: Managerial Economics). 

Independent study credit hours should be limited to two courses (6 credit hours.) Each course can be approved by the Director of Graduate Programs.

Project or Thesis: Each program requires a project or thesis as part of its program requirements for the degree. Guidelines concerning the master's thesis or project are available from the Graduate & Continuing Studies office.

Graduation: The approved master's degree candidacy program form, with the appropriate signatures, must be on file with the Graduate & Continuing Studies office prior to graduation. A calendar of deadlines and a schedule of fees are available from the Graduate & Continuing Studies website. Commencement is held once a year in the spring.

Time Limit: All degree requirements must be met within seven (7) years following the date of enrollment in the first course of the degree program. Stephens College urges students to complete their graduate program in a timely manner. A lack of satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree, as determined by the student's graduate program, can be considered grounds for dismissal.

If the thesis or major project has not been completed by the end of the term in which the student first enrolled, continuous enrollment for one credit hour in PSY695G or EDU 695G must be maintained until all thesis or major project requirements have been completed.

Policies on Access to Student Records: The Office of the Registrar maintains an official folder of academic information for all current students. A permanent academic record card that shows credit attempted and the resulting grade point average is on file. Students may review their academic records by showing appropriate identification.

Other records open to students include those maintained by the Office of Financial Aid and by the faculty adviser. Students may not review financial information submitted by parents or confidential letters associated with admission, employment or job placement, nor may they see any material for which they waived the right to review. Any student who believes that inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate information may be in one of his or her record files may request a hearing with the Executive Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies.

Information about a student, other than directory information allowed by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (as amended), will not be released without the student's written consent. A copy of the FERPA 1974 is available for review in the Graduate & Continuing Studies office.

The following directory-type information may be released about a student: name, campus and e-mail address, campus phone number, home address, classification, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees earned and honors received. A student who wishes to prevent the release of directory-type information must make the request in writing to the Graduate & Continuing Studies office by September 15 each year.

Only college personnel who have a direct educational interest in the student, or identified representatives of local, state and national governmental law agencies have access to non-directory information. Efforts will be made to notify the student when information is requested to comply with a judicial order or any lawful subpoena.

Upon written request and payment of necessary fees, the Registrar's office will issue statements of academic standing and official transcripts for students in good financial standing. The Division of Graduate & Continuing Studies will complete recommendations, employment forms and a statement of good standing; the Career Services office will provide placement papers. If a fee is required, the student will bear the costs.

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Withdrawal from Classes

A graduate student may withdraw from a course according to the academic calendar posted on the website. It is the responsibility of the student to submit a drop form electronically via the Stephens website

and indicate the course number, section and course title.

A student who does not give official notice of withdrawal will receive a grade of F (Unsatisfactory) that will be recorded on the permanent record. The Graduate & Continuing Studies office will notify the instructor when a student withdraws officially.

Failure to begin or continue to attend classes does not constitute official notice of withdrawal.

Exceptions to Academic Policies, Regulations or Requirements

Appeal Procedure

The Academic Standing Committee will hear appeals on academic matters. Exceptions to academic policies, regulations or requirements as stated in the catalog or elsewhere are rarely made. A student who believes an exception is justified may petition the Academic Standing Committee. The petition should be addressed to the Academic Standing Committee, in care of the Registrar, and should state exactly what exception is being requested and the reasons for it.  The degree-seeking student's faculty adviser must countersign the petition, indicating his or her recommendation. Non-degree students should petition the Executive Director of Graduate & Continuing Studies.

Petitions are considered by the Academic Standing Committee at regularly scheduled meetings.