The academic year is divided into two semesters and one summer session. The fall semester begins in late August and ends before the Christmas holidays. The spring semester begins in mid-January and ends in May. The summer session begins in mid-May and continues until mid-August. There is a one-week mid-semester break in the fall and spring, short Thanksgiving and Easter recesses, and a vacation of three to four weeks between fall and spring semesters.
Most graduate courses taught in the fall and spring semesters are taught for the duration of the 15-week semester. Graduate courses taught in the summer vary in length depending on the program. All courses taught in the summer are compressed.
A degree-seeking graduate student is in good academic standing if the student:
Individual degree programs may have policies in place for satisfactory academic progress. Students are responsible for verifying additional satisfactory progress policies as required by their degree program.
Graduate students are expected to maintain a B average throughout their program of study (3.0/4.0 GPA). The student and their advisor will receive written notification of academic probationary status from the Program Director if:
Written communication will be directed to the student’s College email. A second course grade lower than a B- may result in dismissal from the program even if the cumulative GPA is above 3.0. If the student's cumulative GPA at the end of the semester is 3.0 or above, the student's probationary status will be elevated to Good Academic Standing. If the student's cumulative GPA is below 3.0, the student remains in Academic Probationary Status.
Students may continue on academic probation for no more than two consecutive semesters. A student may complete all remaining degree requirements during a semester in which the student was in Probationary Status.
No grades below a B- may be counted as fulfilling degree requirements; such grades will be calculated into the grade point average. Grades below B- such as a C or D grade are awarded to graduate students and are used to calculate both semester and cumulative GPA; however, they will not be accepted for completion of graduate course work. Students may be required to repeat courses to complete the degree. See individual program policies for additional detail about courses with grades below B-.
The faculty, staff, and administration of Saint Mary’s College are committed to helping students succeed in their graduate studies. Therefore, the GPA of each graduate student is reviewed at the end of each semester by the Program Director and/or academic advisor to determine whether action is necessary.
A student may complete all remaining degree requirements during a semester in which the student was in Probationary Status. If the student’s cumulative GPA at the end of the semester is 3.0 or above, the student’s probationary status will be elevated to Good Academic Standing. If the student’s cumulative GPA is below 3.0, the student remains in Academic Probationary Status.
Full semester courses offered in the fall, spring, or summer sessions and online asynchronous courses that meet for at least 8 weeks may be added or dropped until the end of the first week of class. Courses meeting less than 8 weeks may be added or dropped before the beginning of the second class meeting.
Saint Mary’s College operates under a semester credit hour system and defines credit hours based on the Carnegie unit. Each semester hour of credit represents one hour per week (15 weeks) of lecture or recitation and 2 to 3 hours of time spent in independent preparation (readings, papers, etc.). The length of a clinical, laboratory, practicum, or internship period depends upon the requirement of the course. Normally, one semester hour of credit is awarded for satisfactory work in two or three hours of clinical, laboratory, practicum, or internship work per week for a 15-week semester.
The assignment of credit policy applies equally to courses offered for less than 15 weeks, such as summer session courses. Such courses contain an equal or greater number of hours of direct instruction and independent preparation as the same course offered in the standard 15-week semester.
The assignment of credit policy applies equally to courses delivered through all modes of instruction including online courses. A course taught online must first be reviewed and approved by the Online Academic Excellence Committee. An online course must cover the same content and achieve the same outcomes as the same course taught on campus.
A student is expected to attend every meeting of a class for which the student is registered. The responsibility for attendance rests with the student. Excused absences may be granted to students who must miss class for serious and documentable reasons of personal health or family concerns (emergency or important event in student’s family).
A graduate student may elect to take a graduate or undergraduate course on an audit basis with the approval of the instructor and as long as space is available. Auditors are not permitted in laboratory courses, practicum, internship, or clinical experiences. No credit will be given for the course. Audited courses will be indicated on the student’s transcript with a grade of V. Courses taken for audit do not apply toward any academic degree and do not count as a part of a student’s full-time or part-time course load for purposes of financial aid or for loan deferments. Full time graduate students may audit free of charge. All part time graduate students will be charged full tuition for each course audited. Tuition for an audited course is the same as a credit course. A student wishing to declare an audit must do so in accordance with the Registrar’s posted academic calendar.
For all master’s degrees, a minimum of 30 credits is required. Consult individual master’s degree programs for the precise requirements as some programs require more than 30 hours. Only courses at the 500-level or above are included in the master’s degree program. A degree is not conferred for a mere collection of credits. A significant culminating or “capstone” experience or other mechanism to demonstrate evidence of analytical ability and synthesis of material is required. The specific form of the culminating experience is determined by the degree program and includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:
Failure to satisfy the program requirements will result in forfeiture of degree eligibility.
The DNP is a terminal degree in nursing and, as a clinical doctor, emphasizes expert clinical practice. To qualify for the DNP degree, all students must successfully complete the required course work in their program of study:
Failure to satisfy the program requirements will result in forfeiture of degree eligibility. In rare circumstances, and where a leave of absence is not appropriate, a student may petition the graduate program director and the Provost for one additional semester to complete the requirements for completion of the DNP program.
Once admitted to a graduate degree program, graduate students must be registered for a minimum of one credit hour (not audit) or a zero credit hour “continuous enrollment” course during all phases of their graduate education. All students, including those who have completed all coursework, must register each semester until all degree requirements are met. Students are responsible for completing the registration process each semester. A student who does not maintain continuous enrollment must communicate with the director of the relevant graduate program prior to applying for reinstatement.
Those students who have completed all coursework and are writing a master’s thesis or preparing for a comprehensive exam should register for the corresponding course in their department of study for the purpose of continuing enrollment. Courses with grades of “V” (audit) are not considered valid registration for continuous enrollment purposes; students completing work for a course in which they received an “X” (incomplete) must maintain continuous enrollment in the following semester while completing all incomplete courses.
A student who does not meet the continuous enrollment requirement unless they have received an approved leave of absence, is considered inactive and not in good academic standing. Continuous enrollment may continue until the student’s length of continuous enrollment reaches the Maximum Time to Degree as determined in the policies of the program into which the student matriculated. If degree requirements are not completely met by the Maximum Time to Degree, the student is considered inactive.
Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment are considered inactive. Please see the Reinstatement policy for more details.
Courses appearing in this Bulletin are numbered according to the following guidelines:
All students will follow the policies for program completion, GPA requirement, and maximum time to degree established by the individual graduate programs at Saint Mary’s College. Students are required to earn at least a B- in each graduate course in order for the course to count toward degree completion; some programs may have more rigorous grade requirements. Individual programs may also require a capstone experience, comprehensive examination, clinical practicum, oral defense, or field experience. Please see specific programs’ sections of the Graduate Bulletin for individual program requirements.
Saint Mary’s College reserves the right to dismiss a student from a graduate program when the student’s poor academic performance or conduct warrants such action.
Poor academic performance may be demonstrated by remaining in probationary status for more than two academic terms (see Academic Standing policy). Failure to make satisfactory progress toward program completion may also be considered poor academic performance (see Completion of the Master’s Degree policy and the Completion of the Practice Doctorate (DNP) policy). Individual programs may define additional criteria for poor academic performance. Please review the policies of the relevant graduate program. The Dean of Graduate Studies will review extreme cases of poor performance (such as a single semester GPA of 2.3 or below) to determine the student’s eligibility to continue.
All students enrolled at Saint Mary’s College are expected to adhere to all College policies and procedures as defined by our Community Standards and Code of Student Conduct. Students are also expected to avoid academic misconduct (see Academic Honesty policy), research misconduct, and other fraudulent, unprofessional, or unethical behaviors as defined in the policies of the relevant graduate program.
Students will be notified in writing within 10 business days of the decision for dismissal. Students who have been dismissed have a right to appeal and are advised to consult the appeal process under Academic Appeals.
All degree seeking graduate students must register each semester during the dates and times posted by the College Registrar. Any admitted student who fails to maintain continuous enrollment (see the Continuous Enrollment policy) must apply for reinstatement to the College’, who will review the student’s case with the Graduate Program Director of the relevant program. Students should consult their programs’ policies for additional requirements regarding full-time enrollment status.
The College defines full-time, half-time, and less-than-half-time in the following manner:
| Enrollment Status | Fall/Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 8 credit hours | 6 credit hours |
| Half-time | 4 to 7.5 credit hours | 3 to 5.5 credit hours |
| Less-than-half-time status | 3.5 or fewer credit hours | 2.5 fewer credit hours |
Please see program policies for additional enrollment requirements for individual programs.
Some professions (e.g. nursing, teaching, social work, speech therapy, accounting, etc.) require specific requirements for licensure and/or hiring (e.g. acceptable criminal background check, sex offender check, drug and alcohol testing, citizenship or permanent resident status documentation, valid immigration status for non-US citizens, valid social security number, etc.). Such requirements may also apply to required clinical and field work, or other out-of-class room experience necessary to complete degree requirements in the majors related to these professions. These requirements are determined by laws and regulations at both the state and federal levels and are subject to change. Saint Mary’s College strongly urges all admitted and current students to research and understand the appropriate requirements for their intended course of study and profession. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the student and the graduate. You should become informed and continue to monitor such requirements as laws and other legal requirements are subject to change.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the privacy of education records for all students at Saint Mary’s College. Education records are considered confidential and may not be released to third parties (including parents) without the written consent of the student except in specific circumstances. Additional information about FERPA and student records privacy can be found at www.saintmarys.edu/academics/resources/registrar.
Note: Students are responsible for fees that any of the options below may incur.
Note: Students are responsible for fees that any of the options below may incur.
Exams are given online through Blackboard. In most cases, proctoring will be managed with Respondus Lockdown Browser with Monitoring or a similar online service. In some courses, students may have the option to arrange for in-person proctoring through a local testing center of proctoring service. A proctor must be arranged and approved by the instructor in advance.
Find a test center through National college Testing Association. This website contains information on participants both inside and outside the United states: www.ncta-testing.org/cctc/find.php, including test center location, service availability students from other institutions, hours of operation, testing fees, etc.
Graduate students register for courses through PRISM, the online registration system for Saint Mary’s College, via the my.saintmarys.edu portal. In the first semester, the Graduate Director for the student's program may register incoming students. Registration dates are published on the graduate program academic calendar. No student shall attend any class unless he or she is registered for the class. Credit will not be awarded to a student who is not officially registered.
A student who does not maintain continuous enrollment must request reinstatement into the graduate program in which they were matriculated. Any student who wishes to apply for reinstatement into his or her program of study may do so with permission from the Graduate Program Director of the relevant program and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
A readmission application must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies. It must be accompanied by transcripts of any academic work pursued by the student while not at Saint Mary’s College. The program may require the student to complete additional work if the length of the student’s inactivity from the program merits it.
Students reinstated to a graduate program are reinstated with Probationary Academic standing.
A graduate student may retake any course at Saint Mary’s College; however, all grades are a part of the student’s permanent academic record and remain on the student’s transcript as well as in all GPA calculations. If a course is repeated, credit will be awarded only on the most recent attempt.
Research involving human subjects must meet the guidelines of the Saint Mary’s College Institutional Review Board. The student must consult his or her advisor to assure these guidelines are followed. The student must also complete CITI training. The student may not use the name of Saint Mary’s College in connection with personal research without the sponsorship of a member of the student’s program faculty. This permission is freely and generously given, but the College insists upon its right to determine the context in which its name is used.
Graduate students may elect to take courses for credit outside of their program. All graduate students, full-time and part-time, will be charged the current graduate tuition rate. Undergraduate courses do not affect a graduate student’s grade point average. Students interested in taking a course should contact the Office of the Registrar for assistance.
The instructor has the jurisdiction in determining and assigning grades at the end of the semester. The criteria for assigning grades must be stated in the course syllabus and communicated to students at the beginning of the course. Students have the right to appeal a final grade that they believe was not consistent with grading polices stated in the syllabus and/or different from those applied to other students in the same course. Before appealing, the student must meet with the instructor to discuss his or her dissatisfaction with the grade. This process must be initiated within 30 days of the start of the new semester. If the grade dispute is not settled at this level, the student and instructor will confer with the program director. If the issue is still not resolved, the student may initiate a formal grade appeal in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The appeal must be submitted within 10 working days of the decision being sent by the program director. The appeal must contain reasons why the student believes the grade should be changed. The Dean of Graduate Studies will chair a committee composed of three program directors (or an appointed substitute) from the graduate programs other than the student's own to serve on a Graduate Appeal committee. The dean will not vote except in the case of a tie. The decision of the committee is final. The Dean will notify the student of the final disposition of the appeal.
A student has the right to appeal a dismissal from the graduate program for academic reasons by submitting an appeal in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies within 10 working days of the decision being sent by the program director. The appeal must include reasons the student believes they should be reinstated and a plan for future success. The decision on the student’s status will be made by the Dean of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Graduate Appeals committee based on the information provided by the student and the Director of the relevant graduate program. The Dean of Graduate Studies will notify the student of the decision. The decision of the Dean of Graduate Studies is final.
In cases of dismissal for non-academic reasons, refer to the Code of Student Conduct.
Academic Integrity and Academic Honesty
Saint Mary’s College is dedicated to intellectual inquiry and the personal and professional growth of its students. Academic integrity is foundational to the vibrant academic life and social structure of the College and represents the mutual engagement in learning between students and faculty members. Academic integrity is grounded in certain fundamental values which include truth, honesty, respect, responsibility, and fairness that form the basis for a vibrant academic culture. The highest standards of academic integrity are expected of all graduate students and faculty members in academic coursework and research activities. Activities that compromise truth gleaned through the advancement of learning and knowledge development undermine intellectual effort.
Academic integrity, in all its forms, is an explicit value of the College. Academic honesty is a form of academic integrity. Academic honesty can be best understood by the ethical standards guiding faculty in their academic work. Specifically an individual’s contributions, in terms of words and scholarly findings, are attributable to the individual scholar alone; no other individuals can honestly claim another’s ideas as their own. Furthermore, the integrity of scholarly knowledge rests on the accurate demonstration of the assumptions and reasoning that produced it. These standards are used as the implicit basis for teaching and learning in the College.
Academic honesty consists of truth telling and truthful representations in all academic contexts. All members of the academic community have a responsibility to ensure that academic honesty is maintained.
Faculty responsibilities include:
Student responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to: cheating on assignments or exams, fabrication of data, tampering, sabotaging another student’s work, plagiarism, falsification of records and official documents, unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems, and aiding and/or facilitating any such activities. It is assumed that all work submitted by a student represents the student’s own ideas and work. Verbatim copying, paraphrasing, adapting or summarizing the work of another, regardless of the source — whether books, journals, periodicals, websites, or other forms of media—must be properly cited. Any representation of the work of another that is not properly referenced is considered to be plagiarism. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism is not a defense to an allegation of a violation of the academic integrity policy. Any act that involves misrepresentation regarding the student’s academic work or that abridges the rights of other students to fair academic competition is unacceptable.
Any context in which students neglect or actively decline to be fully honest in academic work is academic dishonesty. Similarly, failure to report observations of academic dishonesty is considered to constitute a violation of academic integrity. The medium in which full honesty is ignored—whether electronic, print or verbal (e.g., verbally claiming responsibility for another person’s academic work)—is immaterial. Neither is it important whether the academic work in question is required for a course or optional, a quiz or a test, a term paper or an in-class essay, graded or ungraded, etc. Neither does it matter whether the student benefits directly or at all from the dishonesty.
Individual graduate programs at Saint Mary’s College may have additional, discipline-specific ethical guidelines as appropriate to the program. Please see the relevant program’s policies.
The Carolyn S. Langley Award in Speech Language Pathology is given to the graduate student who embodies the mind, heart and soul of the Speech Language Pathology program at Saint Mary's College. The recipient, chosen by academic and clinical faculty, is superior in scholarly achievement, an adaptive and reflective clinician, culturally sensitive, and compassionate to those in need.
The Madeleva Award is presented annually to the outstanding graduate student selected from the cohort receiving advanced degrees in recognition of scholastic distinction and exceptional achievement.
A grade point average is determined by dividing the total grade points earned by the number of graded semester hours of the coursework taken. The quality points for a particular course are found by multiplying the grade points assigned to the letter grade by the number of semester hours of the course. (See also: Grade Scale.)
Saint Mary’s computes a semester GPA and a cumulative GPA for all graded graduate courses taken. The GPA excludes grades of courses transferred from other colleges. The GPA also excludes grades earned in undergraduate coursework taken at Saint Mary’s College. The student’s official GPA is maintained in the registrar’s office and is truncated at two decimal places on the academic transcript.
Students may view final grades via PRISM through the my.saintmarys.edu portal. At the end of each semester a student will be mailed a grade report only upon request. The grade report is withheld if a student has not met all financial obligations to the College, and PRISM access denied.
At the end of each semester the student receives a final grade in each course based upon the instructor’s evaluation of course requirements. The following grades are used in calculating the GPA:
Grades not included in calculating the GPA:
Grades lower than a B- may be awarded for courses in graduate programs and are used to calculate both semester and cumulative GPA; however, they will not be accepted for completion of graduate coursework. If a student receives lower than a grade of B- in a required course, he or she must either retake the same course or its equivalent as determined by the program to fulfill the degree requirement.
A graduate student planning to participate in the commencement ceremony held in May must file a degree petition with the Office of the Registrar. This includes Degree Candidates described in the following paragraph. This petition must be approved by the Program Director of the department.
If a student will have completed all of his/her degree requirements no later than the end of a given calendar year, permission may be requested from the Office of Graduate Studies to walk in commencement exercise as a “degree candidate” in the May of that calendar year (in the only ceremony Saint Mary’s provides its graduates). “Graduate Degree candidates” do not receive a diploma and are not graduates of Saint Mary’s College until the end of the semester following the completion of all degree requirements.
All work for credit is expected to be completed within the term it is attempted including independent studies. This expectation of students should also guide faculty members who teach graduate courses. That is, faculty are obligated to evaluate and grade graduate work by the end of the term in which the course is offered.
An incomplete grade (X) should only be given when an emergency or other legitimate reason prevents a student, who has been passing the course, from completing some critical portion of the required work. An incomplete grade is not automatic and must be negotiated with the course instructor prior to the final exam week. If an incomplete is granted by the instructor, the student is generally expected to complete the course requirements within 30 days after the beginning of the next term. If no change has been made by the approved due date, the grade will convert to a grade of F. Extensions for incompletes beyond 30 days require formal approval from the Graduate Program Director.
A leave of absence (LOA) is a period of time during which a student remains in the intended graduate program but is inactive. Students do not take courses at Saint Mary’s College during a leave of absence or engage in academic or practicum activities that are part of their program of study.
Whenever possible, students must request a LOA in advance of the leave from the Graduate Program Director at Saint Mary’s College. A LOA will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances including but not limited to such events as prolonged illness, serious injury, family circumstances, relocation, change in employment status, etc.
A request for an LOA must be made in writing and should include the length of time desired for the LOA, the reason for the leave request, and a defined plan to return to the program after the LOA is complete.
Without prior approval from the Graduate Program Director, transfer credits will not be granted for courses taken elsewhere during a leave of absence.
Students who do not qualify for or are not granted an LOA may transition to inactive status (See policy on Continuous Enrollment and Academic Standing: Inactive Academic Status). Inactive status does not require formal approval but does count against the maximum time to graduation.
Two situations lead to a student being out of the normal program progression:
The Graduate Director will prepare an alternate progression plan for the student. Students continuing their studies out of normal progression will be notified of changes to their tuition fee structure, if any, by the Students Account Manager.
Graduate students cannot elect a Pass/Fail grading option for graduate courses in their program of study. Graduate students may elect a Pass/Fail grading option for undergraduate courses. See the “Pass/Fail Option” in the Undergraduate Policies and Programs section.
A student’s permanent academic record is maintained in the Office of the Registrar. Official transcripts of the permanent record are available to each student or alumna. Requests for transcripts must be submitted in writing to the registrar or through the secure area within PRISM via the my.saintmarys.edu portal. Transcripts will not be issued to students or alumni who have not met their financial obligations to the College.
A program may accept graduate coursework completed at another accredited college or university toward meeting its degree requirements. Official transcripts must be submitted to Graduate Admission from the records office where the credits were earned. A student may transfer graduate credits earned at another accredited college or university only if all of the following requirements are satisfied.
Typically, no more than six semester graduate credit hours may be transferred into a Saint Mary’s College graduate program. Additional graduate credit hours may be transferred by students who already have an earned graduate degree. A student pursuing a master’s degree at Saint Mary’s may transfer up to 9 credit hours; A student pursuing a doctoral degree at Saint Mary’s may transfer up to 50% of the total credits required for the Saint Mary’s degree. Transfer students who join a previous cohort will be charged according to the tuition rate applied to that cohort.
Grades for accepted transfer courses are not included in the student’s Saint Mary’s GPA. Certain types of graduate credits are not accepted for transfer to Saint Mary’s College graduate programs. In particular, graduate programs do not accept credit awarded
All transfer credit is subject to review and approval, at outlined above. Transfer students who join a previous cohort will be charged according to the tuition rate applied to that cohort.
Saint Mary’s graduate courses completed while a student is an undergraduate at Saint Mary’s may be accepted into a graduate program.
The following requirements need to be satisfied:
No more than six semester graduate credit hours may be transferred into a Saint Mary’s College graduate program. (Note: since students participating in 4+1 programs are admitted into a Saint Mary’s graduate program before completing their bachelor’s degree, the number of graduate hours taken in their program between the time of admission into the 4+1 program and the completion of the baccalaureate degree is not limited by this policy.)
Grades for accepted transfer courses are included in the student’s Saint Mary’s graduate GPA.
After consultation with the instructor and the graduate program director, a student may withdraw from a course after the add/drop deadline and until the last day of class as stated in the course syllabus. If the student is passing the course at the time of withdrawal, the grade of “W” is recorded on the student’s transcript for that course. A grade of “F” is recorded for a withdrawn course in which the student is failing.
A graduate student wishing to withdraw from a program is required to notify the Office of Graduate Studies and the Program Director.
The date of official written notification will determine the official date of withdrawal. If a graduate student withdraws from the program between the first day of class and the end of the drop period, he/she will be dropped from all classes and a notation of enrollment and a withdrawal entry is made on his/her permanent record. If a graduate student withdraws from the program after the official drop period, he/she will receive grades of “W” or “F” from his/her instructors depending on progress to date.
A graduate student might be non-responsive to attempts to communicate with him/her regarding his/her absence from a course or all courses in the graduate program in which he/she was registered. A student who has not participated in coursework and has been non-responsive will receive an official notification from the Dean of Graduate Studies. If the student does not respond in seven (7) days, the student may be administratively withdrawn by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
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