2004 Academic Policies (PDF)

Each degree-seeking student is to have an faculty academic advisor throughout the period of graduate study. The faculty academic advisor plays a major role in working with the student to ensure a planned, disciplined, and well-supervised approach to graduate study.  The relationship between advisor and advisee is reciprocal and requires mutual effort in the planning and execution of all aspects of the student's progress. The faculty academic advisor, as a mentor, is to be diligent in providing guidance by being available for regular consultation and by working with the student in scheduling regular meetings of the thesis/dissertation committee. The student is likewise responsible for actively seeking the guidance of the faculty advisor and committee members for all matters pertaining to the student's progression through the program including degree completion.

Students, faculty members, and administrators are strongly encouraged to attempt to resolve informally problems arising from academic matters.  The Graduate School hopes that open communication between all parties and mutual confidence in each other's goodwill will lead to the resolution of problems in this manner.  When informal attempts at resolution fail, the management of academic grievances involving students of The Graduate School is to proceed according to the formal procedures set forth below.

Jurisdiction 

Students, faculty members, or administrators may invoke the following procedures when academic grievances arise.  Academic grievances include those that arise from matters involving scholarly competence and ethical scholarly behavior; thus, questions regarding evaluation of students, cheating on examinations, falsification or misrepresentation of research data, and plagiarism are included within the meaning of "academic".  Allegations of misconduct in the design, conduct, or reporting of research supported by federal funds shall be handled through the procedures described in the university's policy concerning misconduct in scholarship (published by the Office of University Research Services).  Problems arising from clearly non-academic matters fall within the jurisdiction of the university's Division of Student Development.  In cases in which the jurisdiction is unclear or mixed, the dean of the Graduate School and the vice president for student development will determine the appropriate jurisdiction.

Regarding evaluation of students, the academic grievance procedure applies only to those cases in which the evaluation of the student is alleged to be capricious, in significant violation of clearly established written school policies, or a result of improper procedures.  An evaluation of a student is capricious if the evaluation is: 1) based partially or entirely on criteria other than the student's performance; 2) based on standards different from those standards of evaluation applied to other students; or 3) based on a substantial departure from announced standards of evaluation.  In cases other than those noted above, an evaluation of a student is not a basis for an academic grievance.

The Graduate School retains copies of all documentation related to the management of grievances under its jurisdiction.

Graduate School Hearing 

Request for a Hearing.  The grievant is to make a written request for a hearing to the dean of the Graduate School.  The request must specify the nature of the grievance and prior attempts to resolve the matter.  The request must be made within thirty days after the beginning of the term following the event leading to the grievance (excluding summer sessions).

Hearing Board.  The Graduate School has a standing hearing board, appointed by the dean, consisting of at least three members, including one student; in addition, alternate members are available should a member of the standing board be involved in the grievance or otherwise unable to participate.  Only members of the Graduate School faculty or Graduate School students are eligible to serve on the hearing board.  The hearing board is to have a chairperson, appointed by the dean, who is responsible for managing all procedures related to the hearing.

Hearing Procedure.  The purpose of the hearing is to ensure that all parties have full opportunity to present their views to the hearing board, and to allow the hearing board to assure itself that it fully understands the parties' views.  The conduct of the hearing is informal; it is not bound by rules of evidence or court procedures.  All matters of procedure are to be decided by the chairperson of the hearing board in accordance with the following guidelines.

The chairperson of the hearing board is to set the date, time, and location of the hearing.  The hearing is to take place within thirty days of the request for a hearing, if practicable.  All involved parties are to receive timely written notice of the hearing and the matters to be considered. All supporting documentation relating to the matter is to be submitted to the hearing board at least one week prior to the hearing; the hearing board will distribute it in a timely manner to all involved parties prior to the hearing.

The hearing and material submitted to the hearing board are private, and all parties involved in the grievance are to consider their contents confidential; however, if a party disseminates their contents, the party's interest in confidentiality is deemed waived.  Electronic recording of the hearing is prohibited.

A party may obtain the assistance of members of the University community in preparing written documentation or in presenting information to the hearing board, provided that the assistants are not attorneys; individuals from outside the University, including attorneys, are not permitted to serve as assistants.  The party must notify the chairperson of the hearing board of the names of the assistants at least one day prior to the hearing.

Each party may present information, both orally and in writing, to the hearing board.  All parties are to be present throughout the hearing.  Each party may call witnesses at the hearing (the party is to submit to the chairperson of the hearing board the witnesses' names at least one week prior to the hearing; the hearing board will notify all parties of the names of witnesses in a timely manner prior to the hearing).  The board may direct questions to any party or witness.  All individuals presenting information to the hearing board have the responsibility of presenting truthful information.

After the hearing board has gathered all information necessary to understand fully the parties' views, the board will deliberate in private.  In reaching its decision, the board will examine all documents and other exhibits and consider fully statements of all parties and witnesses.  The decision of the board will be determined by a majority vote of participating board members.

The chairperson of the hearing board will notify the parties in writing of the board's decision within two weeks of the hearing.

Appeal 

A party may appeal the decision of the hearing board to the dean of the Graduate School.  The party is to request an appeal in writing within thirty days of notification of the hearing board's decision; the request must include an explanation of the basis for the appeal.  The dean will notify all parties of the request for an appeal and will provide an opportunity for a response.  The dean will obtain from the parties and the hearing board information necessary to consider fully the parties' views and the hearing board's decision.

The dean may affirm, modify, or reverse the hearing board's decision.  The dean will notify the parties of the disposition of the appeal within thirty days of receiving the appeal, if practicable. The dean's decision is final in all cases (including dismissal from a Graduate School program), except those involving possible expulsion from the university (i.e., a permanent prohibition of enrollment at the university); the penalty of expulsion may be imposed only by the university's provost or senior vice president for health sciences.

Good Standing

A degree-seeking student is in good academic standing if he or she: (1) meets the standards of quality of his or her academic program and the Graduate School; (2) makes satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements within the established time limit; (3) fulfills the Graduate School's requirement regarding continuous registration (see below); and (4) fulfills the Graduate School's requirement regarding grade point average (see below).  Students who are not in good academic standing are not eligible to receive a degree.

Continuous Registration 

All students (including those who have completed all course work) are required to register during the regular academic year (not including summer sessions) until all degree requirements are met, unless they have received a leave of absence (see below).

Students who have completed all course work and are preparing for comprehensive examinations and/or preparing dissertation/thesis proposal are to register for Doctoral/Master's Study (registration is limited to two semesters).

Students working on a dissertation/thesis are to register for Dissertation/Thesis Supervision (even if they are registered for other courses).

Inactive Status. Students who do not meet the requirement of continuous registration are considered inactive and not in good academic standing. To request reinstatement to active status, the inactive student should discuss the matter with the graduate program director (GPD) and send the GPD a written request for reinstatement, which must include the following information: (1) the academic semester/term for which the student is requesting reinstatement; (2) information as to why the student discontinued her/his studies and information on the nature of any academic or professional work undertaken since the discontinuation of her/his studies; (3) a proposed time-line for completion of outstanding degree requirements; and (4) for students at the dissertation or thesis stage, a list of individuals who agree to serve henceforth as members of a dissertation committee (this list must meet the Graduate School's requirements for dissertation/thesis committee membership).

The program may require additional information of the student as it reviews her/his request and prepares a recommendation to the Graduate School.  In addition, the program may recommend completion of additional requirements (e.g., coursework) as a condition of reinstatement because of the time that has elapsed since discontinuation of studies at Loyola.

Given the continuous creation of new knowledge and new technologies within academic disciplines, and in order to ensure that students have adequate knowledge of the current state of the field and the specialty, if a Ph.D. student who has been inactive (i.e., not registered) for more than two years applies for reinstatement in a program, the Graduate School will require the student to re- take and complete successfully the program's doctoral comprehensive examination requirement if more than five years have elapsed since the student initially completed the requirement.  (The program may recommend to The Graduate School an alternative to the comprehensive examination as a means of satisfying the requirement that the student demonstrate currency in the field.)

The graduate program director will forward to the Graduate School the student's written request for reinstatement and the program's recommendation regarding the request.  The Graduate School will notify the student and the program of its decision regarding reinstatement.

Grade Point Average 

Students must maintain a grade point average of not less than 3.00 (B) for all graduate- level courses and undergraduate-level courses taken for graduate credit.  If a student, with authorization, retakes a course, the most recent grade earned for the course will be used when calculating the student's grade point average. As indicated above, no student will be graduated with less than a 3.00 grade point average.

Probation and Dismissal 

Students who fail to maintain a grade point average of at least a 3.00 may be placed on academic probation. In such cases, if the student does not raise the grade point average to at least 3.00 during the next two consecutive terms in which the student registers, the student will be dismissed for poor scholarship.

A student who earns multiple grades of C or lower, or who otherwise fails to maintain good academic standing, is subject to review and possible dismissal from the program.

All courses taken by the student and other relevant academic information are included on the student's official academic transcripts, which are maintained by university's Office of Registration and Records. 

Most programs require the completion of written and/or oral comprehensive (or qualifying) examinations to assess the student's knowledge of the field and competency to undertake independent research.  The comprehensive examinations, if required, are to be completed successfully before the student prepares a thesis/dissertation proposal for review by her or his committee.  If a student fails all or a portion of the examinations, reexamination may be permitted, but only once. Failure of the reexamination will result in dismissal from the program.

Course Levels 

Graduate students may receive credit toward a degree or certificate from: (1) courses at the 400-level and above, and (2) certain 300-level courses.

Regarding 300-level courses, approval of the student's program is required for the application of such courses toward a graduate degree.  No more than three 300-level courses may apply toward a master's degree; no more than one quarter of the total credit hours required for the Ph.D. degree may be earned from 300-level courses.  However, individual programs may approve fewer such courses or even none.

Other undergraduate courses, including all 100- and 200-level courses, do not apply toward fulfillment of graduate course work requirements; such courses may, however, be used to fulfill prerequisite or research tool requirements (e.g., a 100-level language course may be used to fulfill a program's language requirement).

Grade Requirements 

No more than two courses for which a student receives a final grade of C+ or C, and no course for which a student receives a final grade of less than a C, may be applied toward the fulfillment degree or certificate requirements. Such grades, however, will be used in the calculation of a student's grade point average.

Students are to use the Application to Receive a Degree form to apply to receive a Ph.D., M.A., or M.S. degree at the end of the term during which they expect to complete all degree requirements.  This application must be received by the Graduate School by the published deadline; failure to meet the deadline may result in a delay of the conferral of the degree.  This application is valid for one degree-conferral date only; if the degree is not conferred as of the date noted on the application, a new application is required for a subsequent degree-conferral date.  The Bursar's office will assess a graduate application fee for students; students must pay this fee each time they apply to receive a degree.  The Graduate School's commencement ceremony is held once per academic year, in May.

Several master's programs require the completion of a thesis; all Ph.D. programs require the completion of a dissertation.  To ensure that standards of quality are maintained consistently across programs, the Graduate School oversees matters relating to dissertations and theses.

The student has primary responsibility for preparing and submitting the dissertation or thesis to the Graduate School.  The Graduate School's "Student Managed Submission of Theses and Dissertations" packet includes information and the necessary forms for establishing a thesis/dissertation committee, submitting an approved proposal, and documenting approval of the text and oral defense.  The Graduate School's Manual for Theses and Dissertations contains information on the preparation and submission of the final copies to the Graduate School.

Committees 

Thesis and dissertation committees have official standing only upon appointment by The Graduate School.  Only a full member of the Faculty of the Graduate School may serve as director of the committee.  Full and associate members of the Faculty of the Graduate School, other Loyola University Chicago faculty members, and individuals from other institutions may be recommended to serve as readers.

If a director's status as a full member of the Faculty of the Graduate School is discontinued (e.g., the individual leaves the university), he or she may, with the approval of the Graduate School, continue to serve as the director of the committee for up to one year after the change in status.  Following this one year period, a full member of the Faculty must be named as either co-director (along with the original director) or director of the committee.

The minimum number of voting members required for a committee at the Lakeside campuses is two for a thesis and three for a dissertation; at the Medical Center Campus, the minimum required number is three for a thesis and five for a dissertation.  Individual programs may have additional requirements.

For all committees, at least one half of the committee members must be full or associate members of the Faculty of the Graduate School.

Proposals 

Thesis and dissertation proposals should include: (1) a discussion of the purpose or end of the proposed research; (2) a review of the related literature; and (3) a discussion of the project's research methodology/procedure.  Committee members are allowed one week to vote on a proposal.  To secure committee approval of the proposal, the student must receive unanimous, unqualified approval from all committee members by written ballot.

As noted below, a student proposing to conduct research involving the use of human and/or vertebrate animal subjects must secure approval of the university's Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) and/or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) after the dissertation/thesis committee approves the proposal and prior to undertaking the research.

Upon committee and (if necessary) IRB and/or IACUC approval of the proposal, and after paying the thesis/dissertation registration fee, the student is to submit to The Graduate School a copy of the proposal, the committee ballot, and a copy of the approval letter from the IRB and/or the IACUC.  The Graduate School will not record final approval of your proposal until all required documentation is received.

Text and Oral Defense 

A public oral defense is required of all dissertations and most theses (see individual programs' requirements).  The committee must indicate approval of the text to the student before the date of the oral defense is established; no oral defense may take place without the prior agreement among the committee members that the text is substantially in its final state, with no major revisions necessary.

All voting members of the committee must participate in the oral defense.  In all cases the director of the committee must be present at the oral defense, and ordinarily all readers must be present as well.  However, in exceptional circumstances and upon the approval of the director of the committee, readers may participate in the oral defense via telephone or video conference.  The Graduate School will not accept a committee's approval of a thesis or dissertation if one or more voting members does not participate in the oral defense.  The only exception to this policy is in the case of non-participation due to an emergency; in such cases, the Graduate School will accept the result of the oral defense only after consultation with all non-participating committee members.

In the case of a two-member thesis or three-member dissertation committee, approval of the text and oral defense must be unanimous.  In the case of a Lakeside thesis committee with more than two members, and in the case of all four- and five-member committees, approval of the text and oral defense must be with no more than one dissenting vote.

The committee may award "Distinction" to designate outstanding work on both the text and oral defense; this designation should be made only on rare occasions of truly exceptional work. Votes of "Distinction" must be unanimous.  This designation will appear on the student's transcript.

The results of the committee's evaluation of the text and oral defense are noted on a written ballot, which the student is to submit to the Graduate School as soon as possible after the oral defense.

Final Copies of the Text 

Students are required to submit to the Graduate School final approved copies of the text and other necessary material in proper format.  In addition, in order to ensure that all dissertations are accessible to the academic community and the interested public, all dissertations must be published through UMI (University Microfilms, Inc., a part of the ProQuest Information and Learning Co.).

The requirements for doctoral candidacy are: (1) successful completion of all specifically required coursework; (2) fulfillment of all research tool requirements; (3) successful completion of all comprehensive examinations; (4) approval of the dissertation proposal by the approved dissertation committee, the IRB and/or the IACUC (if necessary), and the Graduate School.

The Graduate School's English language requirement is intended to further students' academic success and allow them to attain a level of proficiency expected of students completing a graduate program at a U.S. university.  As stated in letters of admission, the requirement applies to degree-seeking students who have not received a bachelor's degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction.  The requirement includes assessment of students' English skills and, depending on the results of the assessment, course work.  The English language requirement is a degree requirement: students who have not fulfilled the requirement will not receive a degree.  In addition, students must complete the requirement in a timely manner to be eligible for continued enrollment in the Graduate School and for renewal of merit awards.

The Graduate School may grant a student an exemption from the English language requirement if the student has written and orally defended a thesis or dissertation as part of completing a graduate program at an institution where English is the language of instruction.  All requests for exemption must be in writing and include appropriate supporting documentation.  Requests must be sent first to the student's graduate program director, who is to then send it to the Graduate School with a written recommendation regarding the request.  (The Graduate School will not grant an exemption without receiving a positive recommendation from the graduate program director.)  Requests for exemption must be received by the Graduate School at least one week before the beginning of the student's first semester as a degree-seeking student.  The Graduate School will determine whether the student qualifies for an exemption and will notify the student and the graduate program director of its decision.

Assessment 

As indicated above, the English language requirement includes a placement test to assess students' English skills.  This placement test is administered by Loyola University Chicago's Department of English as a Second Language (ESL) and is a different test from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken before admission.

Students entering a Graduate School program as a degree-seeking student during the Summer or Fall terms must take the placement test scheduled prior to the beginning of their first Fall term.  Students entering a Graduate School program as a degree-seeking student during the Spring term must take the placement test scheduled prior to the beginning of their first Spring term.

The ESL department will notify students of the results of the test.  Students whose score on the placement test indicates they have attained acceptable English proficiency will have fulfilled the English language requirement.  Students whose score indicates they are in need of additional English instruction will be required to complete course work.  (Please note that students who take the placement test will not subsequently be eligible for an exemption from the English language requirement.)

Course Work 

As noted above, students whose score on the placement test indicates they are in need of additional English instruction will be required to complete course work in Loyola's ESL department to improve their English reading, writing, and speaking skills.  This course work will be in addition to the courses required in the student's graduate program and must be taken immediately following the placement test.

Students are expected to attend all classes and complete all assignments.  Students must receive a grade of CR (credit) for each required course; courses for which students receive a grade of NC (no credit) will not apply toward fulfillment of the English language requirement.

If extraordinary circumstances prevent one from taking required course work in the first semester, the student may request to defer course work for one semester.  Requests for deferrals must be in writing and sent first to the student's graduate program director, who is to then send it to the Graduate School with a written recommendation regarding the request.  Requests for deferrals must be received by the Graduate School within one week of notification of placement test results.  The Graduate School will notify the student and the graduate program director of its decision.

Additional Information 

Students with questions regarding the Graduate School's English language policies should contact their graduate program director or the Graduate School.  Students with questions regarding the nature of the placement test or course work should visit the ESL department's web site: www.luc.edu/depts/esl/gstest.html.

The grades (and associated grade point values) in the Graduate School are as follows:

Grade & Value

Incomplete Grades 

The Graduate School expects students to complete all work for courses by the end of the term during which the courses were taken.  However, if a student and the instructor make arrangements in advance, a student may receive a grade of I (Incomplete) at the end of the term. The student is to complete the outstanding work and submit it to the instructor according to a schedule approved by the instructor, subject to the following Graduate School policies.

The student must complete and submit all outstanding work to the instructor within one calendar year of the assignment of the I grade.  After this one-year deadline, the instructor must petition the Graduate School for a change of grade. The Graduate School will not approve a change of grade if the student does not complete and submit the work to the instructor within two years of the assignment of an I grade.

If the student completes and submits all outstanding work to the instructor within one term of the assignment of the I grade, the I grade will be erased from the student's record and the evaluative grade entered in its place (for purposes of incomplete grades, the summer sessions are counted together as one term).  In all other cases, the I grade will remain on the student's record along with the evaluative grade (e.g., I/B).

Withdrawal from Courses 

The Graduate School assigns a grade of W in cases of authorized withdrawal and a grade of WF in cases of unauthorized withdrawal.  (See above for information on procedures regarding changes in registration.)

Credit/No Credit 

Thesis Supervision (course #595), Master's Study (#605), Dissertation Supervision (#600), Doctoral Study (#610), and certain other graduate courses are graded on a credit/no credit basis. A grade of CR (credit) indicates that the student made satisfactory progress toward completion of course or degree requirements.  A grade of NC (no credit) indicates that the student did not make satisfactory progress toward completion of course or degree requirements.

Audit 

Auditors are not required to complete course assignments, including examinations and term papers.  Class attendance is required, and auditors have a right to participate in class disscusions.  A grade of AU indicates satisfactory attendance; students who do not meet the attendance requirement will receive a grade of W.

Pass/Fail 

The Pass/Fail option is not available for courses taken for graduate credit. The Pass/Fail option is available for other courses (e.g., foreign-language courses taken to fulfill a research-tool requirement). 

Official leaves of absence are intended for students who wish to discontinue temporarily their graduate studies due to special circumstances (e.g., medical, personal, or professional reasons).  A leave of absence postpones all deadlines concerning completion of degree requirements for the duration of the leave of absence. A student requesting a leave of absence is to complete a Leave of Absence form and contact the program's graduate program director.  The graduate program director is to then make a recommendation on the student's behalf to the Graduate School.  Decisions regarding the approval of leaves of absence rest with the Graduate School; when reviewing requests for a leave of absence, the Graduate School may require additional information or documentation from the student and/or the graduate program director.  In cases where the graduate program director recommends that the leave of absence not be granted, the student may petition the Graduate School to consider her/his request.  International students admitted to the United States on temporary visas should contact the University's Office of International Programs for information regarding eligibility for a leave of absence.

Leaves of absence are limited to a period of one full academic year.  If a student is not prepared to return to active status after one year, the student may request a renewal of the leave of absence for a period of up to one year; in such cases, the graduate program director and the Graduate School will review the student's record and future plans to determine whether an additional leave is in the best interests of the student, the program, and the Graduate School.

In order to be reinstated to active status, the student must notify the Graduate School in writing upon returning from a leave of absence.  Unless the student is granted a renewal of a leave of absence, the student must return to active status in the semester following the expiration of a leave of absence; failure to do so may result in dismissal from the program.

Because of the diversity of graduate work in different branches of knowledge, individual graduate programs have varying requirements about undergraduate prerequisites, graduate course work, research tool requirements, comprehensive examinations, theses and dissertations, and other matters.  Please consult individual programs' sections in this bulletin and programs' publications for specific information.  In cases where there is a conflict between a program's publications and this bulletin, the bulletin governs.

A graduate student preparing to conduct research involving the use of human or vertebrate animal subjects, whether or not such research is pursued in connection with a thesis or dissertation, must secure approval of the university's Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) prior to undertaking the research.

In order to be certified as active students and to have access to university resources, both new and continuing students are to register before each term in which they are taking courses, working on a thesis or dissertation, completing a practicum or internship, or otherwise engaged in graduate study.  Applicants must be officially admitted to The Graduate School before they will be permitted to register.  Students are responsible for registering for courses in a timely manner through the university's registration system.

Registration for Directed Study, Directed Readings, and Independent Study

Individual programs/departments may require students to receive approval prior to registering for these types of courses.  Students may request notation on of a specific title on the transcript by submitting to the Graduate School a completed Request for Course Title form.

Cross-Registration 

Students intending to take a course outside the academic unit that includes their program must obtain approval from the course instructor and the "host" unit.  Students should contact the "host" unit for information about the necessary registration procedures.

Auditing a Course 

The decision as to whether to designate particular graduate courses as open to auditors is made by the academic unit offering the course.  In order to audit a course, a Graduate School student must (1) complete the Request to Audit a Graduate Course form, (2) receive approval from the academic unit offering the course and the Graduate School.  The completed form must be received by the Graduate School by the end of the second week of the semester or by the end of the first week of the summer or intersession term.  The Graduate School will not approve a request received after the deadline.  Once a course is converted to "audit" for a student, it will not be re-classified as a "for credit" course (i.e., a course that is being audited may not at anytime be counted as credit hours completed toward degree requirements).  Completion of the form does not constitute registration for the course; the student is responsible for registering for the course via the university's registration system and must do so prior to the late registration deadline to avoid a late registration fee.

Class attendance is required, and auditors have a right to participate in class discussions.  A grade of AU indicates satisfactory attendance; a grade of W will be assigned in cases of unsatisfactory attendance.  Auditors do not complete course papers, examinations, or other assigned projects.  A course that is audited does not count as hours attempted, and therefore is not considered in determining a student's enrollment status (i.e., whether the student is classified as full- or part-time) and is not eligible for coverage by a tuition scholarship.

Withdrawal from a Course 

Students wishing to withdraw from a course after the regular registration period must complete a Change of Registration form and obtain the approval of their graduate program director.  The form is then submitted to the Graduate School for approval.  The student will receive a grade of W in cases of authorized withdrawal and a grade of WF in cases of unauthorized withdrawal.

Adding a Course 

Students who would like to add a course after the regular registration period must complete a Change of Registration form and obtain the approval of their graduate program director.  The form is then submitted to the Graduate School for approval.

Number of Courses Allowed 

Registration for nine credit hours per semester is considered the normal full-time course load. The maximum course load for Graduate School students is twelve credit hours per semester and six credit hours per summer session.

Registration of Undergraduate Students in Graduate Courses 

Undergraduates who are judged capable of pursuing graduate studies may be admitted to graduate courses with the approval of the course instructor, the chairperson of the department offering the course, and the Graduate School (approval forms are available from the Graduate School). Such courses are ordinarily applicable only toward the student's undergraduate degree; however, under certain circumstances such courses may be applied towards a graduate degree (see the policy on transfer credit below).

Several programs have established a "research tool" requirement (e.g., knowledge of a foreign language, proficiency in statistics) to ensure that students are adequately prepared to conduct research in their field.  Students in these programs must meet the program's deadline for completing the requirement (i.e., prior to sitting for comprehensive examinations or prior to completing a thesis/dissertation proposal).

Academic honesty is an expression of an ethic of interpersonal justice, responsibility and care, applicable to Loyola University Chicago faculty, students, and staff, which demands that the pursuit of knowledge in the university community be carried out with integrity.

Academic dishonesty is characterized by the failure to apply this ethic; i.e., any action whereby faculty, student or staff misrepresents the ownership of academic work submit- ted in her or his name.  A student's failure to practice academic honesty will, depending upon the seriousness of the misconduct, result in a sanction ranging from the grade of F for the assignment to expulsion from the university.

Boundaries of Academic Honesty and Dishonesty 

The following sections discuss specific expressions of academic honesty and dishonesty.

Examinations. Obtaining or distributing materials prior to the scheduled examination without the intention of the teacher; providing to, or obtaining information from another student during the examination; or attempting to change answers after the examination has been submitted are violations of the examination process.

Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Plagiarism is the use of ideas, language, or work of another without sufficient public acknowledgement that the material is not one's own.  The following acts are regarded as such violations: 

• Submitting another person's work as one's own;
• Submitting a rewritten or paraphrased version of another person's work; 
• Allowing another or paying another to write a paper for one's own benefit.

Original Research. Thesis and dissertation work is guided by the expectation of making an original contribution to the field. The determination of what constitutes "original re- search" is made by the thesis/dissertation committee and the Graduate School.

Research Procedures. Data misrepresentation and/or fabrication are clearly unethical.  Ownership of data and programs and privileged information and confidentiality of data need to be clarified and respected by all those involved in the research process.

Authorship. In all cases of joint authorship, individuals working together should estab- lish ahead of time the criteria for their co-authorship. Final determination of authorship should reflect effort and contribution and not rank or status.

Copyright. Laws of the United States and the university need to be respected. Faculty and students are responsible for knowledge of and implementation of university policy in this area.

Teaching. Intellectual honesty characterizes the teaching endeavor. Teachers have the responsibility of clearly stating at the beginning of a course any and all responsibilities of the course and of specifying in percentages how the final grade is to be calculated. Furt- her, teachers will inform themselves of appropriate guidelines for the composition of course syllabi and ground rules.

Failure to Practice Academic Honesty 

A student's failure to practice academic honesty will, depending upon the seriousness of the misconduct, result in a sanction ranging from the grade of F for the assignment to expulsion from the university. Channels for resolution of matters regarding academic honesty will originate with the relevant faculty members and student and will extend to the program and Graduate School levels as necessary. All instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the director of the graduate program and the Graduate School. 

Fall and Spring Semesters 

Individuals are considered full-time students if they are either: (1) enrolled in at least eight credit hours of course work; (2) enrolled in Thesis Supervision (course #595), Master's Study (#605), Dissertation Supervision (#600), Doctoral Study (#610), or a full- time clerkship, internship, or practicum course; or (3) enrolled and hold a full graduate assistantship or fellowship.  Individuals are considered half-time students if they are enrolled in at least four but less than eight credit hours of course work.

Summer Sessions 

Individuals are considered full-time students if they are either: (1) enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work; (2) enrolled in Thesis Supervision (course #S59), Master's Study (#S65), Dissertation Supervision (#S60), Doctoral Study (#S61), or a full-time clerkship, internship, or practicum course; or (3) enrolled and hold a full graduate assistantship or fellowship.  Individuals are considered half-time students if they are enrolled in at least three but less than six credit hours of course work.

For students entering a Ph.D. program with prior graduate work completed in another Loyola program or at another institution, up to one-half of the total number of semester hours required by the doctoral program at Loyola may be applied toward the Ph.D.  degree.

It is ordinarily expected that all work in a master's degree program will be completed in the program at Loyola University Chicago.  However, up to six semester hours of graduate work completed in another Loyola program or at another institution may be applied toward a master's degree.  Students are to request transfer credit, and the program is to make its recommendation to the Graduate School during the student's first semester in the Graduate School.  The Graduate School maintains responsibility for approving transfer credit.  To ensure that each student is well prepared for undertaking scholarship in the student's current field of study, the Graduate School's decision regarding transfer credit will be based on the quality of the student's work, the time interval since its completion, and its relevance to the student's program of study at Loyola.

Quality of work 

The Graduate School will accept only those courses for which the student received a grade of B (or its equivalent) or better.

Time Interval 

Given the continuous creation of new knowledge and new technologies within academic disciplines and the importance of knowledge of the current state of the discipline, The Graduate School expects that courses to be used for transfer credit meet standards of recency relative to matriculation in the Graduate School. Accordingly, the Graduate School expects that all transfer requests include courses no older thatn eight years before the date of matriculation in the Graduate School program. In cases where the time interval between prior course work and matriculation in the Graduate School is extraordinary, the program's recommendation to the Graduate School is to include information indicating that the theoretical basis and content of the courses meet the current standards of the field and/or that the student's professional experience makes a significant contribution toward preparing the student for undertaking scholarship in her/his current field of study.

Relevance 

For the same reasons stated above, the courses to be used for transfer credit must be relevant to the student's program of study in the Graduate School.  In cases where the relevance of a student's prior graduate work to the current program of study is not clear, the program is to provide the Graduate School with appropriate documentation to support its recommendation.

Ph.D. Degree 

Students must complete all Ph.D. degree requirements, including the dissertation, within eight years of beginning the first course at Loyola University Chicago applicable toward the doctoral degree. However, students who completed a relevant master's degree (or a significant amount of relevant graduate course work) at another institution prior to entering the doctoral program must complete all Ph.D. requirements, including the dissertation, within six years of beginning the first course at Loyola University Chicago applicable toward the doctoral degree

Master's Degree 

Students must complete all master's degree requirements within five years of beginning the first course at Loyola University Chicago applicable toward the master's degree.

Extensions of Time Limits 

A student may request an extension of the time limit for completion of degree requirements due to special circumstances (e.g., medical, personal, professional, or research related reasons). A student requesting an extension shall complete an Extension of Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements form, attach required information, and contact the dissertation/thesis director (if applicable) and the graduate program director.  These faculty members are to then make a recommendation on the student's behalf to the Graduate School.  Decisions regarding the approval of extensions rest with the Graduate School; when reviewing requests for an extension, the Graduate School may require additional information or documentation from the student and/or the graduate program.  In cases where the graduate program recommends that the extension not be granted, the student may petition the Graduate School to consider her/his request.

Extensions are ordinarily limited in duration to one full academic year.  If a student has not completed all degree requirements by the extended deadline, the student may request an additional extension for a period of up to one year; in such cases, the graduate program and the Graduate School will review the student's record and future plans to determine whether an additional extension is in the best interests of the student, the program, and the Graduate School.  Students who do not complete all degree requirements within the required time limit are subject to dismissal from the program.