Other Academic Regulations and Rules
Academic Honesty
The Marywood University community functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, and trust. The entire community, students and faculty alike, recognize the necessity and accept the responsibility for academic honesty. Students must realize that deception for individual gain is an offense against the entire community. Cheating and plagiarism are behaviors destructive of the learning process and of the ethical standards expected of all students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Students have a responsibility to know and adhere to the University’s Academic Honesty policy. Violations of this academic honesty statement or the intent of this statement carry consequences. University procedures for investigation of alleged violations of this policy ensure that students are protected from arbitrary or capricious disciplinary action. Initial sanctions for violations of academic honesty ordinarily are determined by the course instructor. The faculty member will employ a range of sanctions, from a minimum of a failing grade for the specific coursework in which the infraction occurred to a maximum of a failing grade for the entire course. If necessary, the chairperson and/or academic dean may become involved in investigating the allegation of academic dishonesty and the determination of sanctions.
The faculty member will file a report with the Office of the Provost, with a copy to the faculty member’s department chairperson and the student’s academic dean. An academic dean may choose at any time to inform the Dean of Students of charges of academic dishonesty for adjudication in the University conduct system. Likewise, a member of the University community may submit a conduct report against a student, group of students, or student organization for alleged violations of the Academic Honesty policy to the Dean of Students, who will inform the appropriate academic dean for possible adjudication. The Provost will maintain a register of established cases of academic dishonesty in order to identify an individual student’s pattern of violation. Two established cases of academic dishonesty will result in suspension from the University; three established cases will result in dismissal.
In a case in which the student is involved with violations of both academic and discipline policies from the same incident, the Dean of Students and the cognizant academic dean of the college in which the student is enrolled will confer regarding sanctions to assess their academic impact and to assure that a consistent message is communicated to the student.
Sanctions for academic and/or disciplinary reason, as determined by the Dean of Students and in compliance with the judicial process, may include either suspension or dismissal from the University.
Suspension is the termination of student status for a specified period of time. Conditions of reinstatement are included in the Preliminary/Formal Hearing Results notice. A suspended student is charged fees for the semester in which the suspension occurs in accordance with the published University Withdrawal and Refund Policy Statement. A grade of “W” is assigned for the same semester courses remaining on the student transcript. A statement of the student’s status is sent to the Provost, the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services, and the Registrar, and the record of the sanction is maintained for five years in the Office of the Dean of Students. Since the majority of undergraduates are legal dependents of their parents/guardians, the University reserves the right to contact parents and/or guardians when sanctions of Removal from University Housing or Suspension/ Dismissal from the University are imposed. Independent students should notify the Dean of Students of their independence and verify that status if requested.
Dismissal is the permanent termination of student status and separation from the University. A dismissed student is charged full fees for the semester in which the dismissal occurs in accordance with the published University Withdrawal and Refund Policy Statement and a grade of “W” is assigned for the same semester courses remaining on the student transcript. A statement of the student’s status is sent to the Provost and the Registrar and is recorded permanently in the Office of the Dean of Students. Since the majority of undergraduates are legal dependents of their parents/guardians, the University reserves the right to contact parents and/or guardians when sanctions of Removal from University Housing or Suspension/Dismissal from the University are imposed. Independent students should notify the Dean of Students of their independence and verify that status if requested. See University/Student Handbook Academic Honesty section for definitions and procedures.
The student has a right to appeal sanctions resulting from academic dishonesty. A student who decides to file a formal grievance must submit the request in writing to the departmental Chair or Dean. This is ordinarily done within thirty working days of the date an alleged incident occurred or a problem began. The necessary form is available from the Academic Dean of the college where the alleged problem occurred. The Provost is the final recourse in the academic appeal process.
Professional Standards of Ethics and Conduct
The University educates students to take positions of responsibility and ethical leadership within their communities. Many of our departments and programs represent professions which adhere to established standards of behavior and ethics; we expect our students to adhere to those standards. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from a program of study. For further information, consult your Dean or faculty advisor.
Admission to Degree Candidacy
Admission to graduate study as a fully-admitted student does not assure admission to candidacy for a degree. A separate and thorough assessment of the degree candidate’s progress and work for candidacy will be made by the department within which candidacy is sought. When a department admits a student to degree candidacy, it does so as an expression of a firm belief that the quality of work that a degree-seeking student has completed gives strong evidence of significant potential for successful advanced study within the degree area. Students achieving marginally passing grades in their beginning courses may be dropped from the degree program at the time of review for failing to make a strong case for their continued candidacy.
To be eligible for candidacy a student must:
- File an application for admission to candidacy with the Chairperson or Administrator, according to the criteria of the department and upon completion of 12 hours of graduate work (30 hours in the doctoral program) with a “B” average. Application forms are available in the deans’ offices and in department offices.
- Meet all prerequisites required by the department as listed in this catalog and the program handbook.
Notification of admission to candidacy is given in writing by the Chairperson of the department.
Standards for Continuance
All graduate students must maintain a cumulative QPA of at least 3.00 to remain in good academic standing and to earn the degree. (NOTE: Some academic departments or programs have published requirements that are higher than the minimum University standards for good academic standing.) Additionally, a graduate student whose cumulative QPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation.
If placed on academic probation, the student is required to achieve at least a 3.00 cumulative QPA within the completion of the next three courses (typically nine credits) or s/he may be subject to dismissal. A student who obtains two failing grades (“F,” “F*,” and in some programs “U”) in a program, for whatever reason, will be dismissed from the University.
Transfer of Credit
At least two-thirds of the degree requirements must be met at Marywood. Departments or individual programs may require more hours taken at Marywood and may limit transfer credits to fewer than this limit. Specific credits and numbers of credits accepted for transfer must be approved in writing by the department chairperson in the degree program or graduate certification program to which a student has been fully admitted.
All credits accepted for transfer must have been taken at the graduate level. Bi-level courses are generally unacceptable and must be specifically justified in the student’s departmental records. All credits transferred must be equivalent to a “B” grade or better. If a course has been taken on a pass-fail basis there must be a written statement attached to the requested transfer credit that states it is the institutional policy to grant credit only for grades of “B” or better in graduate coursework. Transfer credits must parallel or integrate well, both in terms of content and quality, with current standards at the University. Ordinarily, acceptable transfer credits must have been earned within the five previous calendar years from the date of provisional or regular admission.
An applicant desiring to earn credit at Marywood for transfer to another institution should file application and submit an official statement of good academic standing from the home institution.
Marywood students desiring to register for credits at another institution to be transferred to Marywood to fulfill specific requirements of a certificate or degree program must receive prior approval of the appropriate department chairperson or administrator and obtain his or her signature on the graduate level Authorization for Transfer Credit form. Transfer Credit forms are available on the Registrar’s page on the Marywood website.
Students who wish to apply credits from one Marywood University graduate degree program to another may only do so up to one-third of the total credits for the second degree program.
Time Limitation for Degrees
All requirements for a master’s or doctoral degree must be completed within seven calendar years unless a specific department requires a different time limitation or the student has been granted a leave of absence for medical or other good reason and the time period for completion has been extended by the Dean. This period of time is only rarely extended. Written application for extension, with full documentation of serious cause, must be made to the chairperson or administrator of the department in which the student is enrolled. Any extension must have the approval of both the department and the appropriate dean.
Leave of Absence Policy
The University will consider a serious student-initiated petition for leave of absence from studies in any degree program. Students who cannot actively pursue their degree studies for more than two consecutive semesters (including summer sessions) are well advised to seek a department-approved leave of absence. Without any documented and approved leave of absence recorded, students will be held strictly accountable to the seven-year time limit for degree completion.
The time limit applies to all degree requirements including a degree candidate’s professional contribution and any other degree closure experiences/requirements. Failure to return to graduate studies by the specified date from an approved leave of absence will result in the administrative withdrawal of the student from Marywood by the Registrar.
No leave of absence will be granted without the prior approval of the appropriate dean. The maximum additional time permitted through any combination of leaves of absence within one degree is two calendar years. Leave of absence petitions must generally be filed with the department/program at least two months prior to the semester they are proposed to take effect. In cases where a Leave of Absence is filed with an effective date within a term for which a student is registered, all published deadlines for withdrawal and refund apply.
Withdrawal from the University
A matriculating student who desires to withdraw from Marywood must notify the Registrar’s Office and appropriate dean in writing. If enrolled in classes, ordinary procedures for withdrawing from courses and the University’s published time line apply. Absence from class does not constitute notice of withdrawal from a course. A student who discontinues attendance at classes without withdrawing officially will receive “F*” in all courses concerned.
Continuous enrollment and consistent progress toward a degree in each academic year is an expectation of the University for all matriculating students. A matriculating student who has not completed any credits toward the degree in a two-year period may be administratively withdrawn from the program.
Readmission
A former matriculating student who wishes to return after having been withdrawn must reapply for admission. The catalog which is current at the time of readmission will apply. If the student’s bid for readmission is successful, previously earned academic credits will be evaluated in light of their age and applicability to the current curriculum by the appropriate chairperson or administrator.