Student Responsibilities

Students are responsible for fulfilling all admission, program, degree and graduation requirements. They are responsible for adhering to College deadlines, attendance dates, and rules and regulations published in this Graduate Bulletin. Students are also responsible for knowing and abiding by the College regulations that appear in other official publications and those posted on the bulletin board of the Office of the Registrar.

Change of Address

Students must notify the Office of the Registrar of any change of address by filing an official Change of Address form. Failure to submit this form may result in the loss or delay in delivery of important correspondence.

Enforcement and Appeal

The Office of the Dean for Admissions and Registration is responsible for enforcing all academic rules. Appeals from rules and regulations should be addressed to the Dean for Admissions and Registration and filed in the Office of the Registrar.

GENERAL REGULATIONS

Credit Load

Full-time graduate students normally register for 12 credits per semester; part-time students, employed full-time, normally take 6 credits per semester. Students matriculated-with-conditions are expected to take 6 credits per semester. In exceptional circumstances, students may exceed or fall short of these limits with the permission of a graduate program director.

No student may register for more than 60 graduate credits at John Jay without the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and the Dean for Admissions and Registration and then may only register for courses needed for graduation.

Time Limit

All master's degree requirements must be completed within four years of the date of entrance into the program. Extensions of this time limit may be granted for compelling reasons upon application to the Dean for Admissions and Registration.

Class Attendance

Class attendance and participation are factors in assessing student performance. Faculty will advise students at the beginning of the semester of attendance requirements.

Withdrawal

Written notice of voluntary withdrawal from a course must be submitted to the Registrar for approval no later than the ninth week of the semester.

Readmission

A student in good standing who has not registered for one or more semesters is required to file an application for readmission at least one month before the beginning of the registration period. If the application is approved, the student will receive registration instructions. A readmission fee of $10.00 is payable only by check or money order. Readmitted students may be subject to changes in curricular requirements instituted since their last term of attendance. Students who have not been in attendance for seven or more years may not be able to use previously completed courses to fulfill degree requirements unless these courses are approved by the appropriate graduate program director.

Maintenance of Matriculation

Students not taking courses should register to maintain matriculation (THE 791) in order to remain on the active rolls of John Jay.

Students must register for courses, or maintain matriculation status, in the semester in which they file for and obtain their degree.

Students who fail to register for courses or for maintenance of matriculation will be required to file an Application for Readmission at least one month prior to the start of the semester for which they plan to return.

In order to comply with Board reporting and funding requirements, all maintenance of matriculation fees must be received by the end of the second week of classes.

College Policy on Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's ideas, words, or artistic, scientific, or technical work as one's own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original source.

Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism.

It is the student's responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are common knowledge (which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others. Paraphrasing, summarizing, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as the source is cited.

Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The Library has free guides designed to help students with problems of documentation.

College Policy on Cheating

Students are prohibited from using books, notes, and other reference materials during examinations except as specifically authorized by the instructor. Students may not copy other students' examination papers, have others take examinations for them, substitute examination booklets, submit papers written by others, or engage in other forms of academic dishonesty. An instructor who determines that such violation has occurred may follow the options stated below.

Resolving Allegations of Cheating and Plagiarism

Allegations of cheating may be referred to the Vice President for Student Development to be handled under the Student Disciplinary Procedures in Article 15 of the Bylaws of the CUNY Board of Trustees, copies of which are available in the Library. Plagiarism may be either an academic infraction or a disciplinary infraction depending on the nature of the allegation. The key factor in determining whether an allegation of plagiarism should be treated as an academic or disciplinary matter is whether resolution of the issues involves primarily a question of fact or primarily a question of professional academic judgment (i.e., a judgment involving the professor's expertise, or a subjective evaluation of the student's work product, or both). For example, whether a student did, in fact, plagiarize from another source frequently involves primarily a question of fact. In such circumstances, the matter may be referred to the Vice President for Student Development for the initiation of a disciplinary hearing.

However, the primary issue in a plagiarism case frequently is whether the ideas and/or language expressed by a student were original or were the ideas of another. In such cases, the matter is nore properly characterized as academic, for which the faculty member should award a a grade appropriate to the circumstances.

Sometimes, whether a question of fact or an academic judgment is at issue is not clear. When a faculty member is not certain whether a particular case of plagiarism ought to be treated as a disciplinary infraction or an academic infraction, the faculty member should consult with the Vice President for Student Development. If the Vice President determines that the matter is disciplinary, the matter will be handled as a disciplinary violation under Article 15 of the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees, If it is determined that the matter is academic, the Vice President will refer the matter back to the faculty member, and the College's established procedures in terms of grading and appeals will be followed.

In some instances of plagiarism, a faculty member may wish to impose a grade reduction penalty to a student as well as seek the imposition of one of the penalties that may be authorized only by a disciplinary committee convened pursuant to Article 15 of the Bylaws, such as disciplinary probation, long term suspension, or exclusion. Where the faculty member refers a case to the Vice President for Student Development for referral to a Judicial Committee, the faculty member must hold the grade in abeyance until the Judicial Committee has determined whether the student is guilty or innocent of the charges. After the Judicial Committee has rendered its decision, a grade that is consistent with the findings of the committee may be awarded by the faculty member.

Student Appeals in Questions of Academic Honesty

If a student has been penalized for cheating or plagiarizing, he or she has a right to appeal an academic sanction to the Judicial Committee. Appeals are made through the Vice President for Student Development. Generally, such appeals are filed on the issues of whether (a) plagiarism did in fact occur; and/or (b) the imposition of such sanction is grossly disproportionate to the offense involved. A presumption strongly favoring proportionality shall attach to the appeal and the burden of proof lies with the student. In the case of the imposition of disciplinary sanctions, the appropriate rules, regulations and bylaws of the Board of Trustees concerning student discipline are followed. Appeals regarding disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Judicial Committee can be made to the President of the College.

GRADES

Grades

Grades for courses that have been completed through the final examination are as follows:

Application for a change of grade assigned by a member of the faculty may be made at any time within one year from the end of the semester in which the course was taken. This request may be made either by the student or the instructor. The procedures outlined below apply to the change of grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, and F.

Application for Change of Final Grade

To appeal a final grade, a student should first meet with the faculty member to discuss the final grade. If the instructor agrees that the grade should be changed, he or she can make the change on the appropriate forms provided by the Registrar's Office. These forms must then be countersigned by the department chairperson and returned to the Registrar's Office for entry on the student's record.

Appeal for Change of Final Grade

In the event that the faculty member reaffirms the final grade, the student has a right to appeal to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research who will appoint a three member subcommittee of the Committee on Graduate Studies to hear the appeal. A student member may be appointed to the subcommittee. The faculty member will be notified of the appeal and will be requested to respond in writing to the Committee on Graduate Studies. The appeal should include reasons for the request for change of grade and any supporting documentation. It is the responsibility of the student to provide sufficient copies of the appeal, as requested, 14 days prior to the scheduled hearing date. The student and faculty member have the right to make a brief presentation before the subcommittee. The decision of the full subcommittee, if unanimous, is final and will be communicated in writing, by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research , to the student, faculty member, Dean for Admissions and Registration, and the Committee on Graduate Studies. If the decision is not unanimous, either party may appeal to the Committee on Graduate Studies whose decision will be final.      

Grades for Courses not Completed 

Grade of F

F grade is used for students who have been doing unsatisfactory work and who resign from a course after the ninth week of the semester, or for excessive absences, or for very unsatisfactory work, or for student withdrawal without official approval.

Grade of IN (Incomplete)

IN is given in lieu of a grade only in exceptional circumstances for students who have been doing satisfactory work and have been unable to complete course requirements. Students who receive an Incomplete in the spring semester or summer session must fulfill their academic obligation by the following November 15; in the fall semester, students must fulfill their academic obligation by the following April 15. In exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research or the Dean for Admissions and Registration, the time limit may be extended to the end of the semester. Incompletes unresolved by the above dates become permanent entries on the students' records as an Incomplete (no credit) and may not be changed thereafter.

Resolving the grade of IN through make-up examinations. The procedure outlined here is initiated when a student has received the grade of IN because of absence from a final examination.

All make-up final examinations given after the completion of the semester are processed and administered by the Office of the Registrar. The scheduled date for make-up examinations is published in the College Calendar. Students must submit applications at least two weeks prior to the examination date. Applications require the written authorization of the course instructor and must be accompanied by the required fee. Students are required to present their College I.D.'s for admission to make-up examinations.

Grade of W (Withdrawal)

This grade indicates withdrawal with permission of the Registrar while students are doing satisfactory work. This withdrawal is without academic prejudice.

Grade Point Average

The grade point average is computed by multiplying the numerical value of grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C-, and F (see "Grades" in this chapter) with the number of credits of each course, which yields the number of quality points. The number of quality points is then divided by the total number of accumulated credits to yield the grade point average.

Academic Review of Records

Students' records will be reviewed after each semester. Before registering for additional courses, students whose averages are below 3.0 or students with two or more grades below B will be required to discuss their standing with their graduate program director in an effort to assess their potential for completing the degree.

RETENTION STANDARDS

Students must maintain an overall average of B or better in their courses. If they fail to maintain a cumulative scholastic index of 3.0, they may be dismissed. Similarly, nine or more credits below B may also disqualify students from earning a master's degree. All grades below B, including B-, are reported to the graduate program director; students who receive such a grade are expected to make an appointment to discuss their standing with their director.

If, after completing 12 credits, matriculants-with-conditions achieve an overall average of B or better, and have met all other admissions requirements, they become matriculants and are considered degree candidates.

Graduation Requirements

Candidates for graduation must have all degree requirements completed by the end of the semester. An Incomplete grade in a course will result in removal from the list of graduates. Students will also be barred from graduation if they have outstanding Lloyd George Sealy Library or CUNY Interlibrary fines.

Application

An application for graduation must be filed in the Office of the Registrar according to the date listed in the Graduate Calendar. This application may be obtained in the Office of the Registrar. If the degree is not completed in that semester, a new application for graduation must be filed in the Office of the Registrar.

Diploma

The diploma is granted only upon graduation and will not be replaced. To assure the integrity of the document, the College will under no circumstances issue a duplicate of a lost original. In the event of loss or damage to a diploma, the College will supply, upon proper documentation and the payment of a fee to cover the cost, a Certificate of Graduation to serve as a legal substitute for the original diploma.