School of Professional Studies - Graduate Academic Policies

Absence Due to Religious Beliefs

According to Massachusetts state law, any student who is unable because of religious beliefs to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirement on a particular day will be excused from that requirement. The student will have an opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirement missed because of such absence, provided the makeup examination or work does not create an unreasonable burden on the University. No fees will be charged by the University for making such opportunities available. No adverse or prejudicial effects will result to any students availing themselves of these provisions. Students should make appropriate arrangements with the instructor in advance of the absence to ensure smooth academic continuity. 

Academic Integrity

Clark University maintains standards of academic conduct that have preserved integrity and excellence in institutions of higher learning over the centuries. All work submitted to fulfill course requirements is presumed to be the student’s own, unless credit is given for the work of others in a manner prescribed by the course instructor. Cheating, plagiarizing, and falsifying data constitute violations of academic integrity, as does submitting the same paper or assignment in different courses without prior approval of the instructor to do so.  It is the student’s responsibility to consult the faculty when in doubt whether a particular act constitutes academic misconduct.

Several violations of academic integrity are outlined below. If you have questions concerning academic integrity, contact the instructor teaching a course and/or your academic advisor. 

1. Cheating has three principal forms:

Unauthorized use of notes, text, or other aids during an examination or in performance of course assignments

Copying the work of another

Handing in the same paper or assignment for more than one course unless the faculty members involved gives their explicit permission to do so.

2. Plagiarism refers to the presentation of someone else’s work as one’s own, without proper citation of references and sources, whether or not the work has been previously published. Submitting work obtained from a professional term paper writer or company is plagiarism. Claims of ignorance about the rules of attribution, or of unintentional error are not a defense against a finding of plagiarism.

3. Unauthorized collaboration refers to work that students submit as their own that was arrived at through a process of collaboration without the approval of the instructor. Since standards on appropriate or inappropriate collaboration may vary widely among individual faculty, students should make certain they understand a instructor’s expectations before collaborating on any class work.

4. Alteration or fabrication of data includes the submission or changing of data obtained by someone else or not actually obtained in the performance of an experiment or study, except where allowed by the faculty. It also includes the changing of data obtained in the performance of one’s research.

5. Participating in or facilitating dishonest activities includes, but is not limited to:

• Stealing examinations
• Forging grade reports or grade change forms, or altering academic records
• Sabotaging the work of another student
• Selling, lending, or otherwise distributing materials for the purpose of cheating
• Forging or altering senior clearance forms
• Forging letters of recommendation
• Forging signatures on any official university document

Reporting, investigating, appealing

When a student is found responsible for violating academic integrity, sanctions will be imposed. Sanctions for a first offense may include but are not limited to one or a combination of the following responses:

• Letter of warning
• Grade of zero for the particular assignment
• Grade of F (failure) for the course
• Academic Probation
• Notation of sanction on the student’s academic record
• Suspension from the University
• Expulsion from the University

If a student is found responsible for a second offense, a hearing may be convened and harsher sanctions will be imposed. These may include one or a combination of the following:

• Grade of F (failure) for the course
• Suspension from the University
• Expulsion from the University

Academic Standing and Dismissal

Departments determine their own regulations for good standing.  Departments determine their own minimum standards for number of courses passed, grade point averages, timely passing of preliminary or qualifying examinations, written theses or dissertations, and oral defenses. It is the department’s responsibility to act as judge of standards of performance.  Departments shall develop regulations for the number of times a student may attempt the various qualifying examinations, but this shall not normally exceed two attempts.  Minimum standards for retention of graduate appointments (i.e. Scholar, Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant) are set by the individual departments.

In addition, good Academic Standing is subject to regulations regarding minimum levels of achievement set by the Graduate Board.  Failure of two graduate courses will, in all cases, result in dismissal from the graduate program. 

Students who do not maintain Good Academic Standing are dismissed from the graduate program.  For doctoral students, student may be dismissed when they are unable to find a faculty advisor to direct his/her dissertation.  The departmental decision for dismissal will result in an immediate withdrawal from the university, including any graduate (teaching/research) assistantships.  

To appeal the departmental decision and request a reinstatement, a written statement and all documented evidence must be filed within 10 business days of notification of dismissal by the department to the area Deans/Director.[1] Exceptions to this limit may be made at the discretion of the area Dean/Director. Appeals must be based either a) on the new information not available at the time of the departmental decision or b) on flaws in the procedure of the departmental decision. Appeals may not be based solely on dissatisfaction with the decision of the department nor on academic standards set by individual departments.  Only appeals that clearly state the grounds a) or b) above are reviewed by the area Dean/Director.  The Dean/Director may choose to convene a subcommittee of the Graduate Board to consider the appeal. When appeal is considered by the Dean/Director, all documents are made available to the Dean/Director or their designee(s). The decision of the Dean/Director on reinstatement is final.

[1]SOM students fall under the SOM Dean, SPS student under the Dean of SPS, and IDCE students under the Director of IDCE.  Doctoral students, master’s students in Arts and Sciences as well as in Education and English fall under the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. When the student is being advised by one of the Deans/Director, or when the Dean/Director is responsible for the departmental dismissal decision, an alternative Dean is selected by the Provost to make decision on an appeal.

Attendance

There is no university-wide class attendance policy. However, many individual instructors do set attendance requirements for their courses and have the right to issue lower or failing grades for a student’s lack of attendance, based on the attendance requirements stated in the course syllabus.

Audit Policy

To audit a course in a given semester, a student must maintain full-time enrollment status in that semester (that is, must be registered for at least three (3) units of credit, excluding the course to be audited). Full-time resident graduate students* may audit one undergraduate or graduate course per semester with permission of instructor and based on course availability.  Students registering for credit will be given preference during the pre-registration period; audit requests will be permitted during the add/drop period only.  Faculty reserve the right to deny audit requests.  Courses that are audited may not be taken again for credit except in cases where the course is repeatable for credit and the content differs.  Students who audit a course are required to adhere to the instructor’s attendance and participation requirements to receive a transcript designation of “AU” for the course.  The audited course will not count as earned units and does not get factored into the GPA.  During the final grade submission period, faculty may request to the Registrar’s Office that a student not receive a transcript audit notation in cases where students do not meet the requirements of the audit.

*Non-resident and less than full-time graduate students may not audit courses

Courses Permitted in Other Graduate Departments

Graduate students are permitted to select from courses offered in all School of Professional Studies graduate programs and selected courses offered by the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Program/School of Management. Contact the SPS Associate Dean for Graduate Studies for further details.

Course Waivers

Waivers may be granted for foundation courses if competency in the academic area can be demonstrated by prior academic work. Also, mastery of skill areas through extensive professional experience can be used to waive some foundation course requirements. If a waiver is granted, an elective may replace the foundation requirement. The waiver does not reduce the total number of courses required for graduation.

Enrollment Status

At Clark, academic credit is expressed in terms of course units. Most Clark courses are awarded one unit which is equivalent to four semester credit hours or 180 hours of engaged academic time.  

Enrollment status is determined on a semester-by-semester basis based on actual registration. A student is considered to be enrolled as of the first day of classes of that particular semester.  Registration enrollment statuses and criteria are defined as follows:

Enrollment statuses are used to determine financial aid eligibility, loan deferment, FICA exemption, health insurance, and for international students, immigration status.   After each term begins, enrollment statuses are reported to the National Student Clearinghouse several times in the semester to ensure that loan agencies have accurate and up-to-date enrollment information, as is required by federal regulations.

General University Graduation Requirements

In addition to meeting all academic requirements, a student’s disciplinary record must be in good standing in order to be eligible to receive a degree from the University. Clark may place a hold on the conferral of the degree along with other student records if any of the following exist with regard to a student’s disciplinary record: any pending disciplinary proceeding, any pending appeals of a disciplinary proceeding or sanction, or any pending or active sanctions.

Grading

The letter grades used in performance evaluation are as follows: A Outstanding (4.0); B Good-performing at a graduate level (3.0); C Marginal Pass (2.0) (The symbols + or - attached to letter grades increase or decrease the grade respectively by 0.3. There is no A+ or C- grade); F is failing (0); I Incomplete (an Incomplete is given at the discretion of the instructor when circumstances beyond the control prevent him or her from meeting specific out-of-class requirements after the last day to withdraw). Only the instructor of the course may assign an incomplete. The letter W is a Withdraw: indicates that the student withdrew from the course (withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing). The academic record for each student is reviewed every semester. Good standing indicates that a student’s cumulative grade point average is at least 3.0 (B). While the grade of C earned in a course is a passing grade, a cumulative average of B is required for graduation. A cumulative grade point average below 3.0 is considered inadequate academic performance. Students are placed on academic probation when their GPA is below 3.0 after completing four or more units. Students who remain on academic probation after two semesters may be dismissed from the School of Professional Studies graduate programs. An F grade in any course may constitute grounds for dismissal from the program. An F received as a consequence of a violation of academic integrity will result in expulsion from the University.

Leave of Absence

Leaves of absence may be granted by the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies (in IDCE, SOM or SPS granted by the Dean/Director of the department) on the recommendation of the department for a designated period. A student may apply for a voluntary leave of absence for a period up to 180 days (typically one semester at a time) during periods of enrollment, most often Fall and Spring. Summer is not considered part of the leave of absence period if it is not required for the student’s specific program. At the end of the requested leave of absence, the student may re-enroll; file a request for an extension of their leave of absence; or withdrawal from the university. One extension beyond the initial leave of absence is permitted, after which time the student will be withdrawn from the university. The University Leave (including Medical Leaves) of Absence policy is for internal purposes only, students will be considered withdrawn to any all external agencies, including the Federal Government.  Students receiving federally or state funded aid, should consult with their financial aid counselor to understand how this may impact their aid.

A student may apply for a medical leave, based on the leave of absence policy and medical documentation that supports the medical necessity for the student to be away.  Medical documentation will also be required when the student to Clark to support the student’s readiness to return to Clark.

Whether a leave is voluntary or medical, the student is considered a degree seeking student who has temporarily separated from the University and is expected to return at the end of the leave period to resume their studies.  While on the leave, the student is not considered an enrolled student because no registration exists; benefits available to enrolled students are not available to students who are on a leave.

Pass/Fail

A Pass/Fail grade option may be elected: P (pass) signifies performance at a B- or above level; a grade below B- will show as an F (fail) on transcripts. Good standing is still determined by the letter grade submitted by the faculty member.

Posthumous Degree

The University may grant undergraduate and graduate degrees posthumously. To be eligible for consideration for the awarding of a posthumous degree, the deceased student must at the time of death:

• be an enrolled student in good standing with the university;
• have completed 75% of the degree requirements based on normal academic progress (have achieved senior status as an undergraduate; completed 75% of course requirements for a Master’s degree; have a draft of a dissertation/degree paper and completed all other degree requirements for the Ph.D.).

When a request to award a posthumous degree to an eligible student is received, the President will consult with the Provost, Chair of the Faculty and the Chair of the Board of Trustees prior to deciding whether to proceed with the awarding of the degree.

Prior Experiential Credit

Students with significant profoessional experience may be awarded academic credit for that work.  For more information please consult with the Associate Dean in the School of Professional Studies.

The process includes the following:

• The student prepares a portfolio outlining their experience.  The portfolio shall map the student’s experiences directly to the learning outcomes of the course and provide evidence of how those outcomes have been met or exceeded.  The evidence in achieving the outcomes can include (but is not limited to) industry certifications, professional job descriptions, documented professional development, training sessions etc…
• An evaluation of the student’s portfolio is conducted by an academically qualified individual within the academic unit.  The evaluation should focus on the intersection of the student’s professional experiences and the curriculum’s learning outcomes. The evaluation should result in a clear and unambiguous assessment of the file and recommend that the student receive 0, 1 or 2 course equivalents. The evaluation may include interviewing the student and calling upon professional references to triangulate and verify the information presented. 
• The assessment is submitted to the dean or director of the academic unit for final approval.  Award of academic credit cannot proceed without this approval.
• A documented review of the assessment is submitted to the student in a timely manner.  In the case where the student has shown evidence of academic merit for credit, the evaluator shall also notify the Clark Registrar of the award of credit.
• Credits assigned through this process shall be treated as transfer credits and therefore do not apply as university residency requirements. 
• Students will be assessed a fee for each portfolio submited.

The following steps should be taken:

Step 1: Student must be an accepted student and actively taking courses in their degree program.

Step 2: Student completes application for Prior Learning Credit available from the academic advisor. Application covers employment and job related training both formal and informal as well as other Professional experiences such as volunteering, community advocacy, etc.

Step 3: Student meets with academic advisor to discuss correlation between curriculum offerings and his/her Professional experience to gain approval to proceed with the application.  Professional experience and job training outcomes must map to the learning outcomes for the particular course that the student is seeking for credit.

Step 4: Student works with advisor reviewing pertinent syllabi from the Clark Catalog of Course to determine Professional experience related to graduate course learning outcomes. 

Step 5: Student submits completed application to the academic advisor for review to assess if the application documentation is sufficient to award credit. Job experience must clearly demonstrate in the narrative the alignment with learning outcomes.

Step 6: If the application is in order, the academic advisor will arrange for a review meeting with SPS Program Leads.  The student may be asked to present his/her case for Prior   Learning Credit.

Step 7:  The decision for approval will be made by the School of Professional Studies program lead and the Associate Dean.  The decision will be sent by academic advisor to the student within 3 days of the meeting.

Step 8:  Upon SPS approval, the approval for Prior   Learning Credit forwarded to the Registrar’s Office for inclusion in the student’s transcript.

Step 9:  Student Accounts will assess a fee for the processing of the prior learning credit if approved.

Readmission

After a period when a student is neither enrolled or on an official leave of absence from the University, a student may apply for readmission to seek permission to continue pursuing a degree for which they were admitted. Readmission is at the discretion of the academic department and the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies (or in IDCE, SOM or SPS the Dean/Director is the final action). Any requests received after 5 years will require the student to go through the departmental admissions process again to ensure the student continues to meet the admissions standards. A readmitted student is subject to the degree requirements in the academic catalog at the time of readmission; course equivalents and substitutions from the original enrollment period will be made at the discretion of the academic department.

Repeat Course

It is the policy of Clark University to allow students to repeat a course. However, credit will only be earned once, the most recent course occurrence.  Both courses will appear on the transcript and both grades will be computed into the term and cumulative GPA.  Students receiving any federal or institutional aid should consult with the Office of Financial Assistance to determine if the repeated course/s will affected their aid eligibility. Note: some courses (e.g., directed studies) may be considered repeatable for credit; in those cases, students will earn credit for each occurrence up to any limits that may exist for the specific course.

Required Withdrawal

Students may be required to withdraw from the University for financial reasons or failure to register by the registration deadline.  Students who are required to withdraw from the University may not be eligible for a refund, but may be eligible for reinstatement.

Residency Requirement

An academic year or a minimum of eight (8) Clark units is the minimum residency requirement for students in graduate programs. Individual departments or programs may require longer periods of residency.  Please see the Graduate Academics and Information  page regarding graduate certificates and residency requirements.

Transfer Credits

At the discretion of the Associate Dean, applicants to the School of Professional Studies graduate degree programs may file a petition to transfer selected previous course work toward fulfillment of program requirements. Professional training may be submitted for consideration for course equivalency. However, this will be approved only with proper documentation that must include a curriculum, a certification of completion and an evaluation or grade of the work by the training organization. Courses and course equivalents that have been taken toward the completion of another graduate degree can be transferred into the Clark masters’ degree programs at the discretion of the director of graduate programs. NOTE: with very few exceptions,  Professional Studies graduate courses are credited for 1 unit, which equals four semester hours. Transfers approved for courses of less than four hours will be transferred as partial units.