Academic Procedures and Regulations

The credit hour is the course unit of credit, representing the satisfactory completion of one class period per week for one semester. A course having three class periods a week will, therefore, earn three credit hours. Studio and laboratory class periods earn one credit hour for each two hours of attendance unless otherwise indicated.

Nine credit hours is considered a full-time student load. Students should be aware that for some state and federal Title IV financial aid programs, funding as a full-time student requires either twelve credit hours or nine credit hours plus a graduate assistantship.

Fully employed part-time students registered in the fall and spring periods are limited to two courses each semester.

Regular attendance at classes is obligatory. A student may be dropped from a course for poor achievement due to excessive absence and, if dropped after the deadline for dropping courses, will receive a final mark of E.

A graduate student may enroll in undergraduate courses, but may not receive graduate credit for those courses unless the undergraduate courses are designated as dual enrollment courses. The level of courses may be identified by the following:

 In addition to 500-level courses, which are designed specifically to meet the objectives of graduate study, a selected number of undergraduate courses (dual enrollment) may also be taken for graduate credit. It is expected that graduate students enrolled in such courses will perform more requirements and be graded more strictly than undergraduates. Moreover, under no circumstances will graduate students be permitted to earn more than half the credit requirements toward the Master’s Degree through dual enrollment courses. Graduate tuition and fees must be paid to receive graduate credit for dual enrollment courses.

Seniors who need nine hours or fewer to graduate may petition for combined enrollment if they meet the terms and conditions outlined on the Petition for Approval of Combined Enrollment Form. The student’s class load cannot exceed twelve credit hours unless permission is requested by the student’s advisor and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The total number of graduate credits an undergraduate student is allowed to enroll in prior to receiving the bachelor’s degree is six. (Students are billed the undergraduate tuition rate.) These six credits count toward the total of nine hours allowed prior to admission to a program. For further information on combined enrollment, please contact the Graduate Office, 606 Culkin Hall, 315-312-3152.

The following graduate degree programs are offered by Oswego. Their HEGIS codes are listed to allow cross references between Oswego and other institutions. These HEGIS code numbers may be requested by state and federal offices when filing for loans or awards.

The graduate programs offered by each academic component are listed below. Consult the appropriate heading in this catalog for program requirements.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

School of Business

School of Communication, Media and the Arts

School of Education

Letter grades are used for the final evaluation in all courses. The use of plus or minus grades is optional with the instructor. The grades and an interpretation of the quality of work follow:

If a course for which a C+, C, or C- or E grade was earned is to be repeated, it must be repeated at Oswego in order to have the hours and quality points reflected in the student’s cumulative index at Oswego. If, however, the student elects to repeat the course at an institution other than Oswego, then the previous semester hours and previous C or E grade earned are not lined out in the Oswego transcript record, and are used in calculating the student’s cumulative grade point average.

Prior approval for off-campus study (for any institution other than Oswego) must be obtained from the student’s academic advisor by completion of the Approval of Transfer Credit form and submission of the course description with that form. Only grades of B or better are eligible for transfer credit consideration. Upon completion of the course taken off-campus, an official transcript must be submitted to the Graduate Office.

Intellectual integrity on the part of all students is basic to individual growth and development through college course work.When academic dishonesty occurs, the teaching/learning climate is seriously undermined and student growth and development are impeded. For these reasons, any form of intellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and is therefore prohibited.

Also basic to the teaching/learning process in college course work is the authority of the course instructor to assign a grade to indicate the quality of student achievement. 

The State University of New York at Oswego is committed to maintaining rigorous intellectual standards and the highest level of academic integrity. The production of original work by all members of the College community is an essential component of the educational experience of students. Faculty and professional staff as leaders and role models must adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty in scholarship and professional practice. Students’ work must be the product of individual effort and an unambiguous reflection of the mastery of required knowledge and skills mandated within a program of study.

The College recognizes that promoting intellectual integrity in higher education is a multifaceted process. A learning climate where honest behavior is fostered by the formal and informal conventions of the institution is foundational. Students are made ready for the demands of citizenship and the assumption of roles of responsibility within the larger community by assuming personal responsibility and accepting accountability for their actions while still citizens of the more restricted, but no less demanding, community of scholars. We seek to build character not merely prescriptively but by providing students the opportunity to authentically practice intellectual honesty like the many other behaviors that are mastered here.

The pursuit of academic honesty can be organized around three guiding principles. First, all members of the College community should be held to the highest standards of honesty and personal responsibility. Secondly, the expectations for intellectual integrity should be clearly articulated, as should the consequences for violation of these standards. Finally, all members of the College community are entitled to due process when the honesty of their intellectual efforts or products is called into question.

Intellectual Dishonesty - In an academic community, one critical outcome of intellectual dishonesty is that the instructor is prevented from knowing the truth with respect to the student’s level of mastery of course content. Further facilitation of learning and accurate evaluation of student achievement is thereby jeopardized. Intellectual dishonesty can take many forms. Examples of intellectual dishonesty include making up or falsifying data, etc. It may also take the form of intellectual carelessness, which, while not intentionally deceptive, has the same outcome and may be treated as academic dishonesty.

Cheating - Intellectual dishonesty may take the form of cheating when one presents as one’s own work the work of another. Some examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. copying an examination, assignment or other work to be evaluated.
2. collaboration on work to be evaluated not authorized by the instructor.
3. the use of “cheat sheets.”
4. buying/selling examinations, term papers.
5. use of “ringers:” having another student take an exam; having another student write a term paper or assignment for which the student will receive credit.
6. submitting work for which credit has already been received in another course without the express consent of the instructor.

Plagiarism - One particular form of intellectual dishonesty is plagiarism (i.e., the representation of another’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own). While it is expected that a student who is engaged in writing will utilize information from sources other than personal experience, appropriate acknowledgment of such sources is required. Some examples of plagiarism include:

1. utilizing a direct quotation without citing the source
2. paraphrasing the ideas, interpretation, expressions of an other person without giving credit; and,
3. representing the thought of others as one’s own by failing to acknowledge or document sources. Sources of information should be credited or footnoted by following an English language style guide (e.g., Modern Language Association Style Sheet, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association). 

Each student has a responsibility to assist in protecting the integrity of the degrees which this College grants by (1) not participating, either directly or indirectly, in intellectual dishonesty in any form, (2) actively discouraging intellectual dishonesty by others, and (3) reporting to the course instructor in a timely manner any known incidents of intellectual dishonesty. 

Each faculty member has a responsibility to assist in protecting the integrity of the degrees which this College grants by (1) informing students of the intellectual dishonesty policy and of any specific interpretation of that policy particular to a given course, (2) actively discouraging cheating or plagiarism, and (3) implementing recommended procedures for dealing with intellectual dishonesty in instances where substantial evidence of misconduct exists. 

Students suspected of intellectual dishonesty shall be so informed and are entitled to an opportunity to reveal their understanding of cheating/plagiarism in a private discussion with the course instructor prior to the assessment of any penalty. The instructor or the student may choose to have a witness present for the discussion without impairing the privacy of the discussion.

Instructors who determine that a student has engaged in an act of intellectual dishonesty may impose an academic penalty, including that of a failing grade for the course, on that student. The instructor may choose an alternative procedure and pursue disciplinary action through the administration of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct (refer to the Student Handbook, particularly sections 42A and 43A). Before taking action under this section, instructors shall consult with their department chairs and appropriate dean to discuss an appropriate penalty before informing the student of the decision in writing.

The instructor shall notify the student of the decision to impose an academic penalty and the basis for that decision. The instructor shall carbon-copy that notification to his/her dean along with the following information: the class and semester, a copy of the assignment, due date of the assignment, the work submitted by the student and evidence to support the charge of intellectual dishonesty.

The Dean’s Office will notify the student’s academic advisor in broad terms and ask that the advisor follow-up with a meeting with the student to discuss academic integrity.

The Dean’s Office will forward this material to the Office of the Provost who will maintain all such material for a period of time of at least one year beyond the student’s graduation or permanent separation from the college.

A student who thinks the penalty assigned by the instructor is inappropriate may appeal the penalty using the following academic appeal process:

1. first, to the instructor involved;
2. then, to the chair of the department in which the course is offered;
3. and finally, using the Judicial Affairs Office, the student may appeal to the appropriate academic Dean. The Judicial Affairs Office will work with the student to prepare the final appeal and will submit the appeal on behalf of the student. 

An instructor may not impose an academic penalty and pursue disciplinary action against a student for the same act of academic dishonesty. However, when a student is involved in repeated breaches of academic integrity, disciplinary action may be initiated against that student by the appropriate dean.

In situations where these procedures cannot be followed, it is essential that the spirit of these procedures be met (e.g., extended email discussion in lieu of face-to-face meetings would be an appropriate response to distance learning classes here meetings between instructor and student could not take place).

The individual faculty member has the right and the responsibility to assign student grades, including academic penalties. The academic appeal process terminates in the appropriate academic dean’s office. However, if disciplinary action is initiated through the Dean of Students’ Office it is a judgmental procedure. Thus, final authority for the determination of any penalty to be invoked for cheating through the disciplinary process rests with the Dean of Students’ Office. 

A student in a graduate degree program must complete at least 24 credit hours of resident credit. In some instances, the graduate faculty advisor or the Graduate Council of the College may expect more than the required 24 hours in residence. 

1. Only grades of A or B are transferable to a degree program. This includes work taken prior-to-admission at Oswego, as well as course work taken at other accredited institutions. Transfer credit grades will not be included in the computation of  he graduate student’s average. Grades of S and P in graduate level courses are interpreted as the equivalent of B or better.
2. A student may request that a maximum of nine hours of course work, completed prior-to-admission, be transferred into the student’s degree program. Note—this total of nine hours includes any off-campus course work which was completed prior- to-admission. Since a student is to secure prior approval for off-campus study, work completed prior-to-admission at another institution is subject to evaluation by the student’s advisor, who makes a recommendation to the Graduate Office. The student is notified of the final decision by the Graduate Office.
3. No more than six hours may be transferred from other institutions into a degree program at Oswego. If, after being admitted to a degree program, a student wishes to take courses at another institution, the student must secure prior approval from the their advisor before enrolling in off-campus study. Appropriate forms to request off-campus study approval are available at the Graduate Office. Course description from the catalog of the other institution must accompany the request for the course work involved. Upon course completion, an official transcript must be sent to the Graduate Office.  

Courses completed more than seven years before the term in which the degree is awarded may not be used for credit toward the advanced degree. In the event that attendance has been interrupted by service in the Armed Forces, exceptions may be made by the Graduate Council of the College. Courses included in an earned master’s degree and/or doctoral degree which is applicable to a CAS program are exempt from the seven year limit.

A student is permitted to graduate under the program of study in effect at the time of admission provided that the student’s attendance at the College is not interrupted by an absence of more than two academic years. If a student’s attendance is interrupted by an absence of more than two academic years, the student will be required to graduate under the program of study in effect at the time of readmission to the College. Approved off-campus study in overseas academic programs, internships and the visiting student program is considered study in residence.

The maximum number of Independent Study credits permitted in a program is determined for each program by the department in which it is housed. An independent study cannot be offered for a course that is being offered in the same semester. Please consult the particular program summary for specific information. To initiate a study a student must prepare a proposal to be submitted to a prospective advisor who is a full-time instructor.

Independent studies may take one of several forms that may include but are not limited to an in-depth study through readings, independent project, a series of case studies, or a research study. The student’s proposal should include a clear statement of purpose, outcomes, number of credit hours sought, and method of study. The advisor will provide a clear statement of how the independent study will be supervised and assessed. Copies of the proposal are to be signed and held by the student, the advising professor, and the chair of the department in which the independent study occurs. Students will earn a letter grade for each independent study. Entries on the student transcript will be labeled “Independent Study in…”

A person may be permitted to audit courses without credit providing the instructor offering the course determines that the person has an acceptable reason for auditing, that the person has sufficient academic background to benefit from the course, and that there is room in the class. The extent of an auditor’s participation in class shall be determined by the instructor. A Permission to Audit Form signed by the appropriate instructor should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar. For Oswego students, audited courses are not entered on their transcripts.

Applicants who are denied admission to a graduate degree program and want to appeal the decision should follow the following procedures:
• Write an appeal letter requesting that your file be reconsidered. Indicate why you should be admitted to the program and what you will bring to it.
• Submit two additional letters of recommendation. The names of the two new referrals should be included in the appeal letter.
• Submit a transcript of any graduate course work completed after the final decision. If the course work was taken at SUNY Oswego, the Graduate Studies Office will obtain the transcript.
• Include copies of materials that you believe support your case for admission.
• Provide a current resume, and
• Submit all materials including the appeal letter and accompanying materials, to the Graduate Studies Office, 606 Culkin Hall, Oswego, NY 13126.
The Graduate Studies Office will send an acknowledgment letter upon receipt of the appeal
application. Your materials will be forwarded to the appropriate program department for review by the appeals committee. Notification of the committee’s decision will be sent to the applicant via US mail. Decisions will not be given via email or telephone.

After the end of the fifteenth day of instruction through the end of the last class day of the ninth week in either the fall semester or the spring semester, a student may withdraw from a course in that semester by completing the appropriate form, obtaining the signature of the course instructor, and securing the signature of the dean of the school or college of the student’s major. The student must submit the form to the appropriate dean’s office for approval. Once the request is approved the student must submit the completed form to the registrar’s office by the published withdrawal date.

Appropriate fee(s) will be assessed and must be paid before processing course withdrawal and program adjustment forms after the published drop date.

A grade of WP will be assigned by the instructor if the student is passing the course at the time of filing of the forms; a grade of WF will be assigned by the instructor if the student is failing the course at the time of filing of the forms; a grade of WN will be assigned by the instructor if no grade has been established at the time of filing of the forms. These grades are not used to calculate a GPA, but the hours are counted as hours for which the student was enrolled that semester.

After the end of the last class day of the ninth week in either the fall semester or the spring semester through the last day of classes/instruction for the respective semester, if a student believes that the student’s circumstances are extraordinary (poor performance in a course is not an extraordinary circumstance), a student may request late withdrawal from a course for documented extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control which occurred after the end of the last class day of the ninth week in either the fall semester or the spring semester through the last day of classes/instruction for the respective semester (e.g., change of employment hours, major illness or death in immediate family, student’s own major illness, the onset of which occurred after the last class day of the ninth week in either fall semester or spring semester).

The instructor of the course must indicate approval or disapproval of the late course withdrawal by signing the Documented Late Course Withdrawal Form. Additionally, the documentation (e.g., a health care provider’s verification of student illness [physical or psychological] or of major illness of immediate family member; copy of obituary, listing relationship of deceased to student, letter from student’s employer) of the alleged extenuating circumstances must be received by the appropriate dean’s office at the time of submission of forms. The appropriate dean has final authority to approve or disapprove late course withdrawal(s).

Appropriate fee(s) will be assessed and must be paid before processing late course withdrawal and program adjustment forms after the published drop date.

A grade of WP will be assigned by the instructor if the student is passing the course at the time of filing of the forms; a grade of WF will be assigned by the instructor if the student is failing the course at the time of filing of the forms; a grade of WN will be assigned by the instructor if no grade has been established at the time of filing of the forms. These grades are not used to calculate a GPA, but the hours are counted as hours for which the student was enrolled that semester.

A student who withdraws from the College during the end of the semester should consult with the Graduate Office to ascertain the proper procedures if the student wishes to be considered for re-entrance at a later date.

A student admitted to graduate study is required to file for degree candidacy status at the midpoint of the student’s program. (Midpoint is upon completion of 12-18 hours of program course work taken at Oswego.) Hours in excess of 18 are subject to forfeiture. In order to qualify for the awarding of degree candidacy, the student must possess an overall cumulative average of 3.0 or better, and students in professional education programs with a field of concentration in any of the academic disciplines must maintain the B average in that concentration. The procedures are as follows:

1. When a degree student has completed 12 to 18 credit hours of the program, the student must request from the Graduate Office an application for candidacy. Overall cumulative average for the completed hours must be 3.0 or better. The completed application is returned to the Graduate Office, which forwards it to the appropriate department. Hours in excess of 18 are liable for forfeiture.
2. The academic department establishes the requirements for attainment of degree candidacy status and will inform the student of those requirements. In each instance, the student is expected to meet the established departmental standards through some form of review or evaluation.
3. After departmental consideration is completed, a statement regarding the student’s status of candidacy for a degree is transmitted by the department to the Graduate Office and the student.
4. Failure to meet candidacy requirements results in termination from the program.

Some programs have additional requirements for attaining degree candidacy. Please consult the program coordinator for these requirements.

 The Oswego guidelines for preparation of theses and projects are available in the departmental offices. Students are responsible for adherence to these guidelines when preparing a thesis or graduate project. 

 The graduation requirements for candidates for advanced degrees are as follows:

1. Each graduate degree student must maintain an academic average of B in all course work pertaining to the student’s degree program. Students in professional education programs with a field or concentration in any of the academic disciplines must maintain the B average in that concentration. Grades of C must be balanced by grades of A. Failure to achieve the required average will cause the student to forfeit the student’s status as a degree candidate. A student may not exceed three courses beyond the established program to achieve the necessary B average. Courses selected beyond the required program must be done with the approval of the program advisor. A student may, through the student’s advisor, submit a petition to the appropriate dean to repeat a maximum of two courses in which a C+, C, or C- grade was earned. If permission is granted, it is understood that the second grade will be used in computing the student’s grade point average. Note that the first grade remains on the student’s transcript, although it is not used in computing the grade point average.
2. A candidate for the advanced degree must culminate the program by satisfactorily accomplishing a final evaluation administered by the department in which the candidate’s graduate study has been centered. This may be a comprehensive or intensive examination. It also may be any form of oral or written examination, or combination of examinations appropriate to departmental requirements. Arrangements for the final evaluation are initiated by the department chair. A candidate for the advanced degree in professional education will be evaluated by the department associated with the professional area of study although the candidate may be expected to demonstrate competency in his or her academic concentration, if one exists. The satisfactory completion of all thesis and independent study requirements must be endorsed by the appropriate department and the Graduate Office.
3. It is the final responsibility of the student to file an application for the advanced degree and/or certificate. Students may file for graduation online at www.myOswego.oswego.edu or obtain forms for this purpose from the Graduate Office. The following schedule will apply:

Final program checkout is initiated by the filing of the diploma and/or certificate application.

4. If for any reason the student does not meet the graduation date applied for, the student must contact the Graduate Office.
5. All candidates for advanced degrees are invited to participate in the commencement ceremonies. Students who complete their programs in May and August attend the May commencement. Graduate students who are able to certify to the Graduate Office that all requirements will be completed in August may participate in the preceding May commencement. Students who complete their programs in December attend the December commencement.

*Applicants who file after the COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM Deadline Date must realize that final program processing will be conducted later for their records. Therefore transcript verification of the awarding of the degree and/or certificate may be delayed. The actual mailing of the diploma and/or certificate will be made at the earliest possible date. 

Each course listed in this catalog has a designation indicating the marking period when it is normally taught. These designations are: Fl—Fall, Sp—Spring, SS—Summer or Ir—Irregular basis. Due to the dynamic nature of the College’s academic program, these designations should be used only as guides for when any particular course will be offered. Consult the myOswego web information system for specific and up-to-date information,

Note that all of the courses listed in this catalog will not necessarily be offered during the academic year covered by the catalog. Those courses which will be offered during any particular marking period will be listed in the registration bulletin. 

The following statement regarding absence from class because of a student’s religious beliefs is taken from State Education Law, paragraph 224a.

1. No person shall be expelled from or be refused admission as a student to an institution of higher education for the reason that he is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirements on a particular day or days.
2. Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.
3. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school, because of his religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which he may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student each equivalent opportunity.
4. If classes, examinations, study or work requirements are held on Friday after four o’clock post meridian or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study or work requirements held on other days.
5. In effectuating the provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the faculty and the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his availing himself of the provisions of this section.
6. Any student, who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section, shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institution of higher education is located for the enforcement of his rights under this section.
7. As used in this section, the term “institution of higher education” shall mean schools under the control of the board of trustees of the State University of New York or of the board of higher education of the city of New York or any community college.