| Academic Honesty | Leave of Absence |
| Admissions | Probation/Suspension |
| Attendance | Credit Waivers |
| Course Drop/Withdrawal | Program Withdrawal |
| Grade Appeal | Readmission |
| Incomplete | Transfer of Graduate Credit |
Academic Honesty
Honesty - A college is a community of students and faculty interested in the search for knowledge
and understanding. Essential to that search is a commitment to honesty and integrity.
Honesty on the part of every college student has and always shall be an integral part
of the plan of higher education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Acts of
dishonesty conflict with the work and purpose of the entire College and are not merely
a private matter between student and instructor.
Violations of academic honesty include but are not limited to:
Plagiarism -The academic departments of the College have varying requirements for reporting
the use of sources, but certain fundamental principles for the acknowledgment of sources
apply to all fields and levels of work. The use of source materials of any kind and
the preparation of essays or laboratory reports must be fully and properly acknowledged.
In papers or laboratory reports, students are expected to acknowledge any expression
or idea that is not their own. Students submitting papers are implying that the form
and content of the essays or reports, in whole and in part, represent their own work,
except where clear and specific reference is made to other sources.
Even if there is no conscious intention to deceive, the failure to make appropriate
acknowledgment may constitute plagiarism. Any quotation - even of a phrase - must
be placed in quotation marks and the precise source stated in a note or in the text;
any material that is paraphrased or summarized and any ideas that are borrowed must
be specifically acknowledged. A thorough reordering or rearrangement of an author's
text does not release the student from these responsibilities. All sources that have
been consulted in the preparation of the essay or report should be listed in the bibliography.
Upon an occurrence of alleged academic dishonesty instructors may exercise their
discretion in imposing a sanction. Instructors may further file charges with the Academic
Appeals Committee against students if they believe that additional sanctions would
be appropriate. Instructors shall notify the Registrar in writing of any occurrence
of academic dishonesty whenever they have imposed sanctions. Such notification shall
include the student's name, course title, date of occurrence, type of dishonesty,
sanction(s) being imposed, and any further action requested. This notification shall
be effected within fourteen days after discovery of the incident. A copy of said notice
shall be sent to the student involved, including the charges made against the student
and the grounds, if proven, that would justify failure or other academic sanction.
If the student involved wishes to appeal the sanction imposed by the instructor, the
student must initiate an appeal within two weeks after receipt of this notification.
The Academic Appeals Committee shall consider as a basis for a hearing that: a) the
student claims not to have been academically dishonest;
b) the student claims the instructor imposed an inappropriate sanction;
c) the nature of the offense merits further action.
In academic dishonesty cases the Committee may receive requests for hearings from
students, from individual faculty and staff members, and from the Registrar. The
Academic Appeals Committee reserves the right not to hear any appeal in any case where
data is not sufficient, the necessary steps have not been followed, and when the committee
jurisdiction is not clear.
Further information regarding instructor and student rights and responsibilities
and appropriate procedures to be followed in applying this policy may be obtained
from the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs or the Registrar.
Admissions
All students applying for admission to the MBA program are required to complete the
designated application process. (See MCLA website for admissions criteria and application
process.)
An undergraduate major in business is not a requirement. The program requires 45
credits of graduate business courses. Credit waivers may be available for those students
who already possess an undergraduate business degree. (See Waiver policy)
Transfer credits are accepted up to a maximum of six (6) credit hours for core or
elective courses with grades of B or better and must be no more than five years old,
taken at an accredited institution. (See Transfer of Graduate Credit Policy)
Prior to consideration for admission, international student applicants whose primary
language is not English, must receive a passing score on the TOEFL or have completed
a prior degree from an accredited college or university in a primarily English speaking
country.
Attendance
Class attendance is taken very seriously, and students may be penalized for unexcused
absences within the grading process. Students are expected to attend classes regularly,
since this is a necessary means of learning and of attaining the educational objectives
of the College. Since course design and objectives vary, attendance policies are
set forth in each instructor's course syllabus.
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If an MBA student must drop from a course for extenuating circumstances (such as family situation, military service, or extremely urgent work-related issues) he/she must complete a drop form including signatures from the Professor and the MBA Program Director and submit to the Registrar within seven academic days of the start of class. After the drop period the students will receive a grade of "W" and will be financially responsible for the course.
The student has an option of taking an incomplete if he/she completed 50% or more of the coursework with a passing grade, and may complete the specific course with the next MBA cohort or withdraw from the program.
(See Readmission policy)
Any student who enrolled, but did not attend a course and did not officially withdraw will receive an F in the specific course.
Grade Appeal
In cases involving appeals of a course grade, a student has 21 days following the
completion of the course to initiate an appeal relating to a grade earned in the most
recently completed MBA course. The appeal begins with the Faculty member. If unable
to be resolved, it then goes to the Program Director and then the Graduate Education
Council. Students should contact the Registrar's office for appropriate paperwork
. All appeals must follow this chain and the specified time frames as outlined.
Incomplete
A temporary grade of "I" - incomplete - will be used when a student, having completed
at least 50 percent of the course, cannot complete the remainder of the course due
to documented illness, family or work situation, or other extenuating circumstances.
Arrangements for completing the work must be made with the professor and documented
in written correspondence with the Program Director. Students assigned a grade of
"I" will be allowed one year to complete the outstanding course requirements or they
must repeat the course with the next cohort. If the course is repeated, the grade
of "I" will be changed to "W". If the course is not repeated, the "I" grade will
be converted to an "F."
Leave of Absence
A student whose personal, family, work or medical circumstances require a temporary
interruption of graduate study may apply for a leave of absence for up to one year.
Requests will be reviewed by the Program Director and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
Since the MBA is a cohort program, when a student returns from a leave of absence,
he/she will be required to make up the missed courses with the next cohort, or may
request the option of joining the next cohort. (See Readmission policy.)
Probation/Suspension
Graduate students at MCLA are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better in all
of their coursework. A student who fails to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be
placed on academic probation and must meet with the Program Director to discuss the
situation which may cause the student's inability to maintain the required GPA. Failure
to show improvement in the next two courses may lead to suspension. All MBA students
must have at least a 3.0 cumulative average in order to graduate from the program.
Credit Waivers
Credit waivers for up to five of the foundation courses may be available to those
students who have an undergraduate degree in business from an accredited school. Students
must be prepared to show documentation including a transcript of the grades received
in those courses, a course syllabus and the text and/or materials used in the course.
Waivers are given at the discretion of the Program Director.
Students who have been accepted into the MBA program may defer admission for up to one year. If the student does not enroll in courses within that year, he/she must formally withdraw from the program by completing a Withdrawal from College form obtained from Advising Services. The form must be signed by the Program Director.
Students who are admitted to and enroll in the MBA program, but who take a leave of absence, may be away from the program for up to one year without being required to reapply for admission. After one year, they must complete another application form and submit an updated resume. The application will be evaluated based on the current admission standards at the time of the request for readmission, and reentry to the program will be based on qualifications and space available in the current cohort.
Transfer of graduate credits from another institution will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The decision criteria include currency, relevance to the MBA curriculum, and the quality (accreditation) of the institution at which the course was completed. Any potential transfer credit must have earned a grade of B or better. Requests for transfer credit (maximum of six credits) must be submitted to the Program Director.
