Academic Policies & Procedures

Credit Hour Policy

Assumption University upholds the Federal Credit Hour Standard in its award of credit. For each hour of credit earned, for both undergraduate and graduate credit, Assumption requires fifty minutes of faculty instruction and two hours of student preparation per week for the fifteen weeks of the semester for a total of 42.5 hours of engagement required per earned credit. A 3-credit course, for example, includes a minimum of 2.5 hours of faculty instruction and 6 hours of student preparation each per week in a 15-week semester. This standard applies to the fall and spring 15-week semesters, and to the accelerated summer terms. Graduate classes typically meet once per week for 2.5 hours. This standard is applied in the awarding of labs, practicums, internships for credit, studio work, or other academic work completed as part of an academic program of study.

Grading

The grades are as follows: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F. A grade lower than a B- is not acceptable for graduate credit. Failures are not removed from the student transcript. A few courses, typically experiential learning courses, allow the Pass/No Credit grading system.

The “I” (Incomplete) is given when a student, for reasonable cause, does not complete the requirements of a course. Students must request an incomplete from the Instructor prior to the last day of scheduled classes, and the request should be in writing (e.g., an e-mail). The decision to grant an Incomplete is made by the Instructor in consultation with the Program Director. The Instructor will communicate the deadline for completing the work to the student. If the Incomplete is not changed to a grade by the marking time of the following semester, the grade will be changed automatically to an F. In extenuating circumstances, the Program Director may petition the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for an extension to complete the work in the course.

The “W” (Withdrawal) on a transcript signifies that the student has officially withdrawn from a course.

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation. All students whose GPA falls below this minimum will be subject to a progress review at the end of the relevant semester and possible dismissal from the program of study. Normally, students are placed on academic probation for the subsequent semester. If the GPA does not rise above 3.0 in that subsequent semester, the student may be dismissed from the program of study.

Course Withdrawals/Additions

Course Withdrawals (“Drop”): Students may withdraw from a course at any time up to the twelfth week of the semester. See the Financial information section of the handbook for the tuition refund schedule.

Unusual Circumstances: Where illness or extraordinary circumstances require a student to withdraw after the twelfth week, the student may submit a written statement to the Program Director requesting a withdrawal from the course(s).

Course Additions (“Add”): Students may be permitted to register for a course through the first week of the semester. No additions are permitted beyond that date.

To Drop or Add: Students who wish to change their course status must initiate the request through their program office. Drop/Add requests must be approved by the Program Director and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. If approved, tuition refunds will be granted according to the schedule stated in the handbook – see the Financial Information section for the tuition refund schedule. Approval of a request is NOT guaranteed.

Financial Aid Alert: Students receiving financial aid must maintain a minimum of six (6) course credits in order to remain compliant and eligible for federal financial aid. Students who drop below the minimum of six (6) course credits required for financial aid will become financially responsible for tuition and fees for those credits. Failure to meet financial aid compliance will affect a student’s ability to receive financial aid in the future.

Course Repeat Policy

When a student earns a C+ or lower in a course, the student may either repeat the course, if it is a specific requirement, or if it is an elective, replace it with a course that satisfies the same requirement. The student may repeat or replace the course only once. If the original course is repeated or replaced, the higher of the two grades prevails, the low grade appears with no hours attempted or earned, and the original grade is removed from the cumulative average, but not the student’s transcript. Students must request to repeat or replace a course in writing to the Program Director.

Dismissal

The University reserves the right to dismiss students for poor academic performance, academic dishonesty, or unprofessional behavior. Please refer to the Academic Policies or Graduate Program Specific Information & Policies sections of this handbook or consult with the graduate Program Director for more information.

Policy for Participating in Commencement

Assumption University holds one Graduate School Commencement Exercise in May of each year. Students completing a master’s degree or CAGS requirements at the end of the summer, fall, and spring semesters are eligible to participate in the ceremony held in May of that academic year.

Master’s degree students anticipating completion in the summer may attend Commencement in the preceding May as degree-in-progress candidates if the following conditions are met:

• The student is in good academic standing.
• The student is no more than 6 credits short of meeting graduation requirements at the end of the spring semester.
• The student anticipates completing the remaining coursework by the end of the Summer or Summer II Semester.
• The student has the permission of their program director.
• The student will need to request a petition to participate in the ceremony from the University Registrar.

The official Assumption University diploma will not be awarded until all graduation requirements are met. Students allowed to participate in Commencement as degree-in-progress candidates will receive diploma cases containing their in-progress status and their names will be marked as “Degree in Progress” in the Commencement program.

Directed Study/Independent Study

A student who wishes to take a course that is listed in the catalog but is not offered during a particular session may make a request to the Program Director to take that course as a Directed Study. Requests are reviewed with respect to future offerings, the progress of the student, and the availability of an instructor. The granting of such a request is NOT guaranteed. Students are normally limited to two Directed Studies.

An Independent Study is where a student, in conjunction with a faculty advisor, designs and conducts a critical study of a topic of interest, a curriculum-based project, a research study, a field experience, a practicum, or an internship. It is allowed with the permission of the instructor and the Program Director.

Course Evaluations

Students are invited to complete evaluations of each of their courses and instructors during the last week of each semester. These evaluations provide important feedback to faculty on how to improve the quality of their instruction and the value of their courses. All evaluations remain anonymous and faculty do not see the responses until after grades are submitted.

Class Cancellation Policy

Potential Messages:

1. Closed for the day – no day, evening ,or night classes. Online courses are not affected, they are held as scheduled regardless of weather. Instructors of on-campus graduate courses may opt to hold classes virtually, either synchronously through Zoom or asynchronously. Instructors will notify students of the status of their courses through Brightspace or via email.
2. School is delayed – there will be day classes, but the school will open 1 or 2 hours later. Online courses are not affected, they are held as regularly scheduled. The meeting time of on-campus afternoon or evening graduate courses is not affected – they will meet at the regularly scheduled time.
3. No day classes – we anticipate evening and night classes, but a final decision will be made at 2:30 p.m. and posted in appropriate media. Online courses are not affected, they are held as regularly scheduled.
4. Closed for evening and night classes – that decision is announced after 2:30 p.m. Online courses are not affected, they are held as regularly scheduled. Instructors of on-campus graduate courses may opt to hold classes virtually, either synchronously through Zoom or asynchronously. Instructors will notify students of the status of their courses through Brightspace or via email.

University Website: School delay/cancellation notice appears as a banner at the top of the University web site: www.assumption.edu.

Assumption Email: An announcement is sent to Assumption email addresses by 7:00 a.m. for morning classes, or after 2:30 p.m. for evening classes/ events.

RAVE Text Alert: A text indicating the type of cancellation or delay is sent to those individuals who have registered with the University their smartphone number.