Academic Policies

ACADEMIC CREDIT
Credit for all courses at Marygrove is expressed in semester hours. In addition to the traditional course-work method of attaining credit, you may acquire credit through tutorial instruction, through independent study or through credit for prior learning. For more information on these methods, see the Academic Options section of this catalog.

CLASS ATTENDANCE
Marygrove College considers attendance at every class session an important component of success in your undergraduate education. See your class syllabus for specific class attendance policies.

COURSE INFORMATION
Course Prerequisites
Courses often have prerequisites or requirements that must be met before a class can be taken. A prerequisite might take the form of a lower-level course or it might be an audition or the permission of the instructor teaching the course you’d like to take. If you don’t have the stated prerequisites for the course, you can’t register for it.

A course with no prerequisites indicates that no previous college-level courses are required to take the class. However, in your Marygrove courses, we presume that you will be able to perform competently in reading, composition, and math.

Course Numbering System
The first digit of a course number indicates the level of the content and gives you an idea of the type and difficulty of the course.

001-099: Courses in developmental studies which are not included among the total number of hours required for a degree.

100-199: Introductory or foundation level courses which insure basic competencies, or teach the principles and methodology of a discipline.

200-299: Intermediate-level courses which continue to develop a skill or give broad background or general experience to both majors and non-majors.

300-399: Advanced level courses demanding understanding of principles and methodology in an area of study or discipline.

400-499: Specialized courses intended primarily for majors and minors in the field.

GRADE INFORMATION
Marking System: Undergraduate
Grades are symbols which indicate the degree of your mastery of course objectives. Grades do not necessarily reflect the degree of effort put into learning material. The marking system, the significance of grades, and the numerical value of honor points are as follows:

Grade Points Per Credit Hour

Your grades are mailed at the end of each semester to the address under which you registered for that semester. Grades will be held if you owe a financial balance to the College.

Audit: AU
If you wish to participate in a course without being graded for it, you must obtain written permission from the instructor and register as an auditor. The audit form is available in the Office of the Registrar. The decision to audit a class must be made at the time of registration and a change may not be made from credit to audit or from audit to credit after the course has begun. No grades are assigned for courses that are taken on an audit basis.

The tuition for an audited course is $183 per credit hour. Some courses may require a course fee in addition to the audit tuition fee. You cannot receive financial aid for an audited course.

Incomplete Work: I
If you have successfully completed the majority of work in a course but for some serious reason are unable to meet all course requirements or take the final examination, you may petition the instructor for a grade of “I” (incomplete). An Incomplete is given when there is, in the judgment of the instructor, a reasonable probability that you can complete the course successfully without attending regular class sessions. The responsibility for completing all course work rests entirely with you. The mark of “I” is inappropriate if, in the instructor’s judgment, it will be necessary for you to attend subsequent sessions of the class. If class attendance is necessary, you must register for the course.

The grade of “I” is calculated with no honor points until the instructor officially records a new grade. All work must be completed in time for a new grade to be recorded at the end of the following term. An extension beyond the term immediately following the course can be granted only for a serious reason and will be limited to one calendar year, and must be approved in writing by the course instructor, the Dean of Graduate Studies, and the Registrar before the end of the extension period. If the work is not completed in the time allowed, the “I” will change to an “E” on record with the permanent computation value of 0.0. Each student is permitted a maximum of two incomplete courses a semester. However, any student who has two incomplete courses will not be permitted to register for subsequent terms until the work from at least one of the classes is completed

No Record: NR
An “NR” is a non-punitive mark assigned if a student’s name appears on the professor sheet, but the instructor has no record of the student attending class. An “NR” is recorded on the transcript but is not computed in the grade point average.

Official Withdrawal From A Course Or From The College: W
If you feel you are unable to complete a course but the add/drop period has already passed, you must officially withdraw from the class. You can withdraw through the twelfth week of class (or up to 80 percent of the class if it’s shorter than 15 weeks). In order to withdraw, you need to get a form from the registrar’s office, complete and return it as indicated, and pay the withdrawal fee in the business office.

The mark of “W” is assigned when you withdraw from a course in accordance with College policy. If you withdraw not just from a course but from the College during the academic year, you must schedule an exit interview with the director of academic advising and career services. Your official date of withdrawal from the college will be the date on which you have your interview. Tuition charges for withdrawal from a class or from the College will be assessed based on the date of your official withdrawal.

See the Financial Information section of this catalog.

If you withdraw, you will have to relinquish your student ID card at the time of the exit interview. Until we receive this card, no fees can be refunded nor will grades or transcripts be issued for you.

Unofficial Withdrawal: X
An “X” is assigned if a registered student unofficially withdraws without completing enough course work to determine a grade. An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student stops attending a class but fails to submit the paperwork for an official withdrawal. An “X” is computed into the semester and cumulative grade point averages with 0.0 honor points. An “X” remains on the transcript with the permanent value of an “E” grade. The College cannot give any refunds or cancel fees if you unofficially withdraw.

Grade Deferred: Y
The mark of “Y” is assigned when the student is up-to-date in the work of a course planned to continue beyond the semester (i.e., senior seminar course requiring a master’s project). The grade of “Y” may only be used in certain designated courses or if a student is called to active military duty.

Add/drop
If you wish to change your original registration, you must fill out an add/drop form which may be picked up in the registrar’s office. The add/drop period extends for the first calendar week of each Fall and Winter semester. During the Spring/Summer sessions, you may add or drop a course no later than the beginning of the second class session.

You will have to pay a $10.00 fee for processing a student-initiated change of program during the official add/drop period. A $10.00 fee will be assessed also for each course adjustment after the add/drop period, including course withdrawals.

Repeated Course Work
You may repeat a course in which you received a grade below “C” if you wish to raise the mark. Each attempt at the course will show on your transcript, but the highest grade received will be used in computing your grade point average.

YOUR STATUS AS A STUDENT AND YOUR OFFICIAL RECORDS

Classification Of Students
Minimal semester-hour requirements for classification of students are as follows:

Student Course Load
Undergraduate students carrying 12-17 hours per semester during the academic year are considered full-time students.

During the summer session, 6-11 semester hours constitutes full time. If you plan to obtain a bachelor’s degree in four years, you will need to carry the traditional 32 credit hours per year.

A full-time student may register for a maximum of 18 credit hours per semester.
A student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better may petition to register for 19 or 20 credit hours according to the following procedure:

• You must present the written permission of your advisor to the registrar.
• You must complete a Special Arrangements Form available from the registrar’s office, with the GPA certified by the registrar.
• The Registrar will rule on the request.
• Approved copies of the form will be distributed to the appropriate offices.

You may not register for more than 20 credit hours per term during the academic year. During shortened terms (e.g., the summer session), the credit-hour load you’ll be permitted to carry is determined by and limited to the number of weeks in the session for which you are registered.

Guest Student Status at Another Institution
Before you may apply for approval to take courses as a guest student at another college, you must have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours at Marygrove with a satisfactory grade point average (2.0 minimum). If you have accumulated 64 or more semester hours of credit, you are ineligible for guest status at a two-year institution. Students may take a maximum of 12 credit hours as a guest student. Only courses which are not available at Marygrove for the specific term will be considered for transfer to Marygrove on guest status.

Written approval from your academic advisor and the registrar is required before a guest student application can be processed. Approval forms are available in the registrar’s office. If you take courses without obtaining guest student approval from Marygrove, those credits from another institution may not be accepted at Marygrove.

Students with senior status and post-degree students are not eligible for guest student approval.

Updating of Students in Good Academic Standing
If you are a student in good standing and want to return to Marygrove after an absence of two or more terms, you should apply to the registrar’s office to update your files. To complete the updating process, you will need to pay a $15 fee.

Registering For Graduate-Level Courses
Under the Senior Rule, students with a 2.7 or better GPA are eligible to take courses in the 500 series. These courses may be taken for graduate credit or may be used to complete requirements for the undergraduate degree. However, if the courses are used to complete undergraduate requirements, the same credits may not be used at Marygrove for credit toward a graduate degree. You cannot take graduate level courses at the Consortium Colleges under the Senior Rule. Seniors should contact the Graduate Admissions Office for further information and an application.

Student Records
Marygrove College maintains the confidentiality of student records in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act stipulates that college students shall have full access to any and all official records, files, and data, including all material included in their cumulative records folder.

All permanent academic records for matriculated students are kept in the registrar’s office. These records include application, transfer, registration, and transcript materials.

If you wish to review your records, you should send a written request to the registrar. An appointment will be set up for the review within a reasonable time (30 days). According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students have the right to view their files but are not allowed to copy them.

Marygrove designates the following student information as public or “directory information:” name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class status, previous institutions attended, major field of study, honors, degrees conferred, participation in recognized sports and activities, physical factors, date and place of birth.

This information may be disclosed by the College at its discretion. Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of any category of information under the Rights and Privacy Act. To withhold disclosure, written notification must be received by
the registrar’s office prior to the end of registration each term. Forms requesting
the withholding of “directory information” are available in the registrar’s office. The College assumes that the absence of such a request indicates student approval for disclosure.

Transcripts
Permanent records of your progress are kept in transcript form.

Approximately two weeks are needed to process grades, record them, and prepare records for copy. Therefore, if you need transcripts at the end of a semester, you should wait two weeks after grades are submitted by instructors to request
those transcripts.

College transcripts may be requested in person, by mail, or through WebAdvisor. Because your signature is required for release of transcripts, we cannot honor requests made by telephone. The written request should include the name under which you took courses, your address, dates of attendance at Marygrove, your student identification number or social security number and the name and address of the person to whom the transcript should be sent.

Expect a five- to seven-day turnaround
time on your transcript requests. Transcripts will not be issued if your financial obligations to the College have not been met. Transcripts for courses taken through the Division of Continuing Education should be requested directly from the Office of Continuing Education.

ACADEMIC HONESTY AND ACADEMIC PROBATION
Academic Honesty
One of the essential elements that Marygrove offers its students is our reputation for academic excellence. One facet of this excellence is the expectation of the faculty and administration that Marygrove students will conduct themselves with honor in their academic coursework and with responsible personal behavior in the classroom. Specifically, you will be expected to respect the integrity and personal rights of others and to recognize and allow for their educational process at the College. Marygrove will not tolerate academic dishonesty, and you will be held accountable for any form of academic misconduct or disruptive behavior. See the Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty which appears below. See also the Campus Life section of this catalog and the Marygrove Student Handbook for procedures and sanctions.

Policy On Plagiarism And Academic Dishonesty
For the purposes of identifying and defining academic dishonesty or misconduct involving plagiarism and/or cheating, the following definitions from The American Heritage College Dictionary apply:

Plagiarize: To use and pass off as one’s own (the ideas or writings of another). To appropriate for use as one’s own passages or ideas of (another).

Cheat: To deceive by trickery; swindle. To mislead; fool. To act dishonestly; practice fraud.

In cases of plagiarism or cheating at Marygrove:

1. The faculty member will make a copy of all evidence of academic dishonesty and will impose an appropriate penalty, based upon the policies in the course syllabus, for the specific offense.
2. The faculty member will contact the offending student at the time of the offense to discuss the situation. The faculty member will then submit a common form, “Notification of
   Academic Dishonesty,” to the Dean and the student’s academic advisor with evidence attached and notation of “confidential.” The faculty member will give the student the opportunity to review the form and evidence, either in the faculty member’s company or in the Dean’s office. Both the faculty member and student sign the form. It remains on file in the office of the Dean for a period of seven years or until the student graduates, whichever comes first.
3. Refusal of the student to sign the form in no way invalidates the action taken.
4. If the Dean receives two notifications of academic dishonesty for the same student, the Dean will schedule a consultation with the student and instructor(s) involved. The Dean will also schedule a conference if the faculty member requests a conference with the Dean and the student after one notification. The Dean of Students will be present as an objective observer at all such conferences.
5. After two notifications at the time of the conference, the faculty member(s) will present evidence of academic dishonesty and the Dean will make a decision. If academic dishonesty is not evident, all documents related to the second instance will be destroyed and no further action will occur. If the Dean determines, however, that the evidence is sufficient to substantiate a repeated instance of academic dishonesty, the student will receive a failing grade in the course, the Dean will place a written notice of the academic misconduct in the student’s permanent records, and the Dean will present the evidence to the Academic Review Board, which will impose one of the following penalties according to established guidelines:
   
   • The student will be placed on academic probation for one term, or
   • The student will be suspended for one term, or
   • The student will be dismissed from the College.

Academic Review Board
The Academic Review Board is a committee of faculty and academic administrators who are responsible for reviewing matter relating to academic requirements. The Academic Review Board meets twice a year, in December and May. All actions taken by the Academic Review Board (i.e., probation, dismissal, etc.) are recorded and remain on the student’s permanent record.

Dismissal From The College
In keeping with its mission as an educational community committed to individual and social responsibility, Marygrove reserves the right to dismiss a student for infraction of regulations, unsatisfactory academic standing, or for other reasons which affect the welfare of the individual student or of the College community.

Academic Probation
You are considered to be in good standing at Marygrove if you maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. You are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if you successfully complete 2/3 of the credit hours for which you register at the beginning of each term. Incompletes, withdrawals, and “E’s” are not considered to be successful completions of a given course.

If you do not meet the College’s requirements for good standing and satisfactory academic progress, you will be put on probationary status. Probation extends through the following term. If you have not then met the good standing and satisfactory progress requirements, you may be dismissed from the College. Financial aid may be restricted based on academic standing.

If you are admitted on probation, you must earn a C (2.0) or better grade point average for the first 12 semester hours of credit taken at Marygrove. After you complete 12 credit hours, your situation will be reviewed by the Academic Review Board, who will determine if you are making satisfactory academic progress.

Marygrove does not normally readmit students who have been dismissed for unsatisfactory academic work. However, if after a year or longer you would like to be considered for readmission, you should appeal to the Academic Review Board in care of the registrar’s office. You will have to provide, in writing, evidence of increased maturity gained through significant work experience or through successful achievement at another accredited institution. Readmission depends upon final approval from the Academic Review Board.

Academic Appeals Procedure

1. If the student wishes to appeal a matter subject to the Academic Appeal Procedure, he/she must first contact the instructor or person directly responsible for the agrieved matter and discuss the matter with him/her. Whenever possible, grievances should be resolved at this level.
2. If no agreement is reached at this level, the student should contact the department or program coordinator and discuss the matter with him/her.
3. If no agreement is reached at this level, the student should contact the chairperson of the academic department involved and discuss the matter
   with him/her.
4. If no agreement is reached at this level, the student, if he/she wishes to pursue the grievance, must file a written grievance with the divisional dean documenting that the above steps were taken. No appeal will be considered unless:
   • The student making the appeal files the grievance in writing, stating the specific complaint, reasons for the complaint and remedy suggested.
   • The written request to the dean is made within 45 calendar days following the incident or notice upon which the alleged grievance is based, or in case of a contested grade, within 45 days following the end of the term in which the grade in question was received.

The Academic Appeal Procedure is the exclusive remedy for academic grievances.

Academic Appeals Board
The Academic Appeals Board consists of five (5) members, including two faculty, two students and one academic administrator, whose purpose is to rule on student academic grievances in the following areas: final course grades, admission into programs or cases of academic dishonesty.

The dean will initiate the convening of the academic appeals board. The appeals board will review the documents presented, interview the parties concerned and others deemed necessary, render a judgment and notify the parties involved. The Provost will accept as final the result of a simple majority vote of the appeals board. Copies of the Academic Appeal Procedure, which include details on the hearing procedures, are available from the divisional dean.

ACADEMIC HONORS
Dean’s List
As a full-time student, you are eligible for the Dean’s List if in a given semester:

1. You successfully complete all courses for which you registered with a GPA of 3.5 or better
2. You have not taken a developmental course.

As a part-time student, you are eligible for the Dean’s List if you maintain a minimum of 6 credit hours and meet the above requirements for two consecutive semesters (not counting summer sessions). After initial eligibility, you will be honored each semester you qualify. However, if you fall below the criteria for a semester, you will again need to meet the requirements for two consecutive semesters to regain eligibility.

National Dean’s List
Full-time students who have been named to the Marygrove Dean’s List for at least three consecutive semesters and part-time students who have been on the Dean’s List for six consecutive semesters are named to the National Dean’s List.

The Dean’s List and the National Dean’s List are determined at the end of each fall and winter semester. Students achieving the Dean’s List will have their names posted on the bulletin board next to the Registrar’s Office. Students named to the National Dean’s List will also be recognized at the Honor’s Day Convocation in the spring.

Graduation Honors
Graduation honors are determined by using the last 64 credit hours taken at Marygrove College. These include any approved guest or consortium hours taken by students in their last 64 hours. Transfer students must complete 64 credit hours at Marygrove College to be eligible for graduation honors. The grade point average criteria for graduation honors is as follows:

Graduation honors are reserved for those receiving bachelor’s degrees.

Graduation
You must apply for graduation no later than the semester before your final semester at the College. Specific deadlines are posted on the board next to the registrar’s office. The deadlines are generally as follows: August for December graduation;
December for May graduation; and June for August graduation.

Applications are picked up, completed, and returned (along with a completed Summary of Credits) to the registrar’s office.

Graduation fees, library fees, and any other outstanding tuition charges or fees owed to the College must be paid before you can receive a diploma.

Commencement ceremonies are held once per academic year. When you complete requirements in December or August, the actual date of completion will appear on your transcripts and your diplomas. You may not have the same completion date for both associate and bachelor’s degrees.

Information on baccalaureate and graduation ceremonies, caps and gowns, invitations, class pictures, class rings, and grad gala are mailed to each prospective graduate by the Office of Student Affairs.

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last updated 10/07