Registration, Scheduling, and Program Change
Registration
Specific registration information is distributed by the Registrar prior to each academic session. Students may register online (if enrolled in a degree, certificate, or certification program) through the MarywoodYou portal at www.marywood.edu/you, by a form accessed on the Marywood website, by mail, by fax at (570) 961-4758, or in person for each term during which they expect to attend classes. Matriculating students and those in a certificate or certification program need the approval of the chairperson/advisor or administrator; other students need the signature of the Assistant Provost for Student Success in the Academic Success Office or designee.
A student may be denied further registration if progress toward the completion of his/her planned program of study becomes unsatisfactory, or in the event of financial delinquency.
Course Load
A full-time graduate student carries from 6-16 semester hours of credit in both fall and spring semesters. Credits in excess of 16 require the approval of the appropriate dean.
Cancelled Courses
Marywood reserves the right to cancel any course, revise subject matter content, or alter schedules.
Student Schedule Changes
At the beginning of each semester there is an established period during which a student may make scheduling changes. Students should follow the specific procedure for schedule changes as published by the Registrar. Students are encouraged to utilize the web system for schedule changes. Students who prefer may use the online form at www.marywood.edu/registrar/forms.html or utilize paper processing with a schedule change form obtained at the Office of Academic Records.
Withdrawal from Courses
Students may withdraw from courses which follow session parameters at any time during the session up to the specific withdrawal deadline date, which is published each term and can be found on the academic calendar located on the University website. The Registrar’s Office can provide alternate deadline dates for non-standard courses. The official date of withdrawal is the date of the online transaction or the date that the completed electronic or paper form is received at the Office of the Registrar. Students may utilize the web registration system (degree, certificate, or certification students), if they have received advisor approval. Absence from class does not constitute notice of withdrawal. A student who discontinues attendance in a course without officially withdrawing will receive an “F*” in that course.
Auditing Courses
Upon appropriate advisement, a person who holds a bachelor’s degree and fulfills departmental requirements prerequisite to attendance may register for and attend graduate classes as an auditor. Academic credit will not be given subsequently for courses taken as an auditor.
Graduate Advisement
Upon acceptance to a Marywood University graduate program, each student is assigned a faculty advisor from the student’s area of study. Each graduate student must seek academic advisement and receive course scheduling approval from the assigned graduate department advisor or chairperson before registering for courses. Students are expected to schedule advising appointments well in advance whenever possible. It is recommended that students develop a course of study plan for two semesters or more each time they meet with their advisor. Before taking any elective coursework, each student should have a conference with the advisor to discuss career interests and professional goals. Ultimately, it is the student’s responsibility to meet all requirements for his or her program of study.
Graduate students who have not yet been formally accepted into a graduate program should seek academic advisement and receive course scheduling approval from the Office of Retention and Advising at 570-340-6043.
Scheduling of Classes
Graduate classes taught in the regular academic year are usually scheduled in late afternoons, evenings, and on Saturdays, as well as in hybrid or online modalities, to provide the opportunity for individuals engaged in full-time occupations to further their education. Graduate courses are offered during the summer terms in regular daytime and evening class times as well as online.
Course Numbering
Courses marked 500 and above are strictly graduate courses. Courses marked 1000 and above are specifically doctoral level courses (Ph.D. program) and those psychology courses in the 700 and 800 series are doctoral level (Psy.D. program). Some courses marked 400 to 499 are bi-level courses. No more than nine graduate credits of a student’s total graduate program may be selected from bi-level courses. Only such 400 courses as are offered for graduate credit may be used in this way; undergraduate credits are not applicable to the master’s degree. Graduate students enrolled in 400 numbered courses are expected to meet more rigorous requirements than undergraduates in the same course.
Change of Program or Field of Study
Students who wish to change from one department to another must file a reapplication with the University Admissions Office. Their applications will be reviewed by the faculty of the new department.
A student who wishes to change a field of study within a department must file an Academic Goal Change within Department Authorization Form, available on the Registrar’s webpage at www.marywood.edu/registrar/forms.html.
Credit Hour Definition
Marywood University defines its credit hour in compliance with both United States and Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements. Marywood designs its academic calendar to meet or exceed the minimum standards for class meetings, assuring that there are 14 hours of classroom instruction exclusive of holidays or final examinations. The credit hour consists of one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction per week with two hours of out of classroom work over the course of the 15-week semester. The credit hour consists of 14 hours of classroom instruction, with a 15th week devoted to a final examination or culminating experience. In the case of a three-credit course, the student will have 45 contact hours spent in class for a total of 135 hours of work inside and outside the classroom. For all alternate instructional delivery methods, laboratories, or independent studies, the credit hour represents an equivalent to the minimum requirement for classroom instruction. Online courses are conducted 100 percent online (with the exception of a possible optional in-person orientation). Courses are considered to be hybrid if 20 percent (equivalent to three weeks of classes) or more of the course is online. Summer sessions meet the required instructional hours per credit in the compressed timeframe of a shorter session.