Academic Policies and Grading

Academic Load

A minimum of six credits is required for financial aid. Graduate candidates carry anywhere from three to twelve credits per semester. Candidates should refer to program handbooks or academic advisors for determining academic load.

Academic Standing

A graduate student must maintain a 3.00 grade point average for all course work. If the average drops below 3.00 or a grade of “C+” or lower is received, a student is placed on academic probation. By action of the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, a student will be academically dismissed if:

1. the student receives two grades of “C+” or lower or one “F” at any time during his or her graduate study at the College or
2. the student fails to achieve academic progress (as measured by an increase in GPA) while on academic probation.

A student has the right to appeal an academic dismissal. A written appeal must be sent to the Academic Policy and Standards Committee within 30 days after the notice of dismissal. The Academic Policy and Standards Committee will review the appeal and act on it in a timely fashion.

Dismissals from the College or the academic program may also result from failure to observe the graduate Professional Ethics & Standards. This can range from unethical or unprofessional conduct, unsuitability for one’s field of study, or failure to meet individual program requirements.

The Academic Policy and Standards Committee may be asked by program coordinators to review students for dismissals other than Professional Ethics & Standards violations. A student has the right to appeal such a dismissal to the Dean of Graduate and Profesional Studies within 30 days after the notice of dismissal. The committee will review the appeal in a timely fashion.

Add/Drop

Prior to the start of class, students may add or drop a class using the Archway. After classes start, students may add a class only if they have the approval of the instructor or program coordinator; an add/drop form, with the instructor’s signature, must be processed with the Registrar’s Office. You may drop a course on the Archway during the first two weeks of class (during the summer only through the second class meeting), after that they must send an email from their official McDaniel College email address to the Registrar’s Office. Please include name, student ID number, the course title, number and section for the course or courses you want to drop and a daytime phone number. Notifying the instructor of the class is common courtesy but is NOT an official drop.

If a student drops a course(s) after the first two weeks of class, a grade of “W’ will be posted.  This grade appears on the transcript but is not calculated in the students’ GPA.  Students may not drop a class two weeks prior to the class ending without permission of the program coordinator.

If students determine they are unable to complete their academic program or continue enrollment in classes, they should withdraw from the College. It is assumed that students will not withdraw from the College during a term. However, if such a withdrawal is necessary during the term, please refer to the add/drop policy. Students must notify the Registrar’s Office in writing if they intend to withdraw from the College (email from the McDaniel email will suffice).

A person who has completed the admission requirements and who wishes to attend a course without satisfying the formal course requirements may do so by auditing the course.  An audit is entered on the record as “AU,” no credit hours attempted, and no grade or quality points awarded.  The instructor sets the amount of participation required in the course.  The charge is one-half the regular tuition.  While audited courses appear on student transcripts, they do not carry grades or credit.  If the student does not meet the instructor’s requirements, the instructor has the right to delete the course from the student’s record.  Although students must declare the audit option prior to the end of the second week of class, they can request a change from audit to letter grade up until the end of the semester.  Students who choose this option must complete course requirements as assigned, must have the instructor’s approval to change from audit to credit, and must pay the price differential.  Any request to change from Audit to letter grade after the end of the semester must be directed to the Academic Policy and Standards Committee.

Grades are available on the Archway within 48 hours of the completion of the class.

A student’s grade reflects the quality of the scholarly achievement. A total average of 3.00 (B) must be maintained in order to remain in good standing.

Letter grades are converted to numerical values on the following scale:

An Incomplete (I) grade may be given only for emergency reasons acceptable both to the instructor and the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. The date of completion may not be longer than one semester from the date when the Incomplete (I) grade was issued. Any Incomplete grade which extends beyond the one-semester time limit becomes an “F”.  While carrying an Incomplete (I) grade, a student may not register for more than a total of six (6) credits of additional course work.

A grade of IP (In Progress) may be given for students who are continuing to complete requirements for courses that extend beyond one semester, such as internships, special projects, etc.

Grade Repeat Policy

Graduate students may repeat only one graduate course. This course may be repeated once and must be retaken within one year of receiving the original grade (not including a grade of “I”). Both grades for that course will remain on the student’s transcript and are calculated into the GPA.

Grades submitted by the instructor are considered final and may be appealed only if:

1. a reporting or arithmetic error occurred which resulted in an incorrect grade. The instructor will submit a Change of Grade form to the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies for approval; or
2. the student believes the grade was prejudicial or capricious. In such cases, the student will first discuss the grade with the instructor. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of that discussion, then he or she will discuss the grade with the appropriate graduate program coordinator. If further discussion is necessary, the student may appeal the grade to the Academic Policy and Standards Committee. If a resolution cannot be reached, the student may then appeal the grade to the Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies.

The deadline for appealing a grade is the last day of classes of the semester following the term in which the course was taken.

All graduate students wishing to graduate must fill out an Application for Graduation, which is available on the Archway, under Graduate Information. Prior to filling out an application, students are encouraged to meet with their program coordinators or advisors to be sure they are eligible to graduate. The Registrar’s Office handles all graduation clearances. Diplomas are awarded three times a year - August, December, and May, however formal commencement exercises are held only in May. Beginning in early February, several campus offices will send commencement ceremony information. All inquiries should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Records

Educational Records

Educational records are those records, files, documents, and other material directly related to a student and maintained by McDaniel College or any of its agents. The College assumes an implicit and justifiable trust as custodian of these records. Access to and release of student records are determined by College policy, which complies with Public Law 93-380 (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, often referred to as the Buckley Amendment). Copies of the College Policy on Release of Information About Students and of the U.S. Department of Education regulations implementing Public Law 93-380 are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Retention of Records

Academic records are held by the Registar’s Office. Transcript records are also permanently held by the Registrar’s Office. Documentation pertaining to the registration for each semester is held only for a period of one year. If any questions should arise regarding documentation of enrollment more than one year beyond registration for the course, it will be the student’s responsibility to produce proper documentation to support any claim for a change to the record.

Transcripts

Official transcripts will be sent upon written request by the student. A $8.00 fee is charged for each official transcript requested. Transcript requests will not be honored if the student has any outstanding accounts at the College. Transcript requests must be received in writing. Transcript Request Forms are available on the McDaniel College website, www.mcdaniel.edu under Records, or in the Registrar’s Office. Students may mail or fax a written request with a credit card number to the Registrar’s Office. The written request should include: student’s name, ID #, dates of attendance, academic level (graduate/undergraduate) and the name/address where transcript is to be sent. Any special notations, such as “hold for degree posting” or “hold for current semester grades”, should also be included in the request. The Registrar’s Office fax number is 410/857-2752. Normally once a written transcript request is received it may take up to three-five days to process the request. However, at the end of each term due to the volume of requests, the processing time is longer. PLEASE NOTE: The Registrar’s Office WILL NOT accept transcript requests via e-mail because a signature is required. For more information on how to request a transcript please call the automated transcript information line, 410-857-2215.

Registration

One to two months prior to registration, course offerings for the following term will appear on the Archway. Registration dates and times will be emailed to all active students’ McDaniel email as well as appear on the Archway, under Authorizations and Restrictions.

Time Limitation

All course work, degree and certification requirements must be completed within six years of taking the first course at McDaniel College. Appeals for extension of the six-year limit must be sent to the Academic Policy and Standards Committee.

Students may request a leave of absence for up to 12 months for personal circumstances, extending their time for completion of the degree. Please contact the Registrar’s Office for processing a leave of absence so that your record may reflect the break in courses and extend the time limit.

Transfer Credit

Credit earned at another institution must be presented to the program coordinator or academic adviser for approval. Specific restrictions are:

transfer credit must be from institutions accredited by accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education;
the work must be equal in scope and content to that offered by McDaniel College;
only grades of A and B may be transferred;
a maximum of six graduate level transfer credits may be accepted from other accredited institutions or from a previous McDaniel College master’s degree; HRD and CED (School Guidance) students may transfer up to nine credits; CED (Community Mental Health) students may transfer up to 12 credits;
individuals seeking a second Master’s degree must earn a minimum of 60 graduate credits;
credits may be earned no earlier than six years prior to beginning the master’s degree program; and
official transcripts must be submitted before credits will be posted on a student’s McDaniel record and catalog course descriptions may be requested.

Withdrawal from the College

If students determine they are unable to complete their academic program or continue enrollment in classes, they should withdraw from the College. It is assumed that students will not withdraw from the College during a term. However, if such a withdrawal is necessary during the term, please refer to the add/drop policy. Students must notify the Registrar’s Office in writing if they intend to withdraw from the College (email from the McDaniel email will suffice).