Registar's Office

Academic Policies 

Academic Honesty

Honesty - A college is a community of students and faculty interested in the search for knowledge and understanding.  Essential to that search is a commitment to honesty and integrity.  Honesty on the part of every college student has and always shall be an integral part of the plan of higher education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  Acts of dishonesty conflict with the work and purpose of the entire College and are not merely a private matter between student and instructor.

Violations of academic honesty include but are not limited to:

• submitting the work of others as one's own 
• plagiarism (as defined below)
• communication during an examination
• using crib notes in an exam, except as allowed by the instructor
• obtaining prior knowledge of examination questions
• substitution of another student in an examination
• altering College academic records
• knowingly using false statements for academic benefit
• collaborating on material after being directed not to collaborate
• forging a signature of a College official or faculty member
• soliciting an official signature under false pretense

Plagiarism - The academic departments of the College have varying requirements for reporting the use of sources, but certain fundamental principles for the acknowledgment of sources apply to all fields and levels of work.  The use of source materials of any kind and the preparation of essays or laboratory reports must be fully and properly acknowledged.  In papers or laboratory reports, students are expected to acknowledge any expression or idea that is not their own.  Students submitting papers are implying that the form and content of the essays or reports, in whole and in part, represent their own work, except where clear and specific reference is made to other sources.  Even if there is no conscious intention to deceive, the failure to make appropriate acknowledgment may constitute plagiarism. Any quotation - even of a phrase - must be placed in quotation marks and the precise source stated in a note or in the text; any material that is paraphrased or summarized and any ideas that are borrowed must be specifically acknowledged.  A thorough reordering or rearrangement of an author's text does not release the student from these responsibilities.  All sources that have been consulted in the preparation of the essay or report should be listed in the bibliography. 

Upon an occurrence of alleged academic dishonesty instructors may exercise their discretion in imposing a sanction.  Instructors may further file charges with the Academic Appeals Committee against students if they believe that additional sanctions would be appropriate.  Instructors shall notify the Registrar in writing of any occurrence of academic dishonesty whenever they have imposed sanctions.  Such notification shall include the student's name, course title, date of occurrence, type of dishonesty, sanction(s) being imposed, and any further action requested. This notification shall be effected within fourteen days after discovery of the incident.  A copy of said notice shall be sent to the student involved, including the charges made against the student and the grounds, if proven, that would justify failure or other academic sanction. If the student involved wishes to appeal the sanction imposed by the instructor, the student must initiate an appeal within two weeks after receipt of this notification. The Academic Appeals Committee shall consider as a basis for a hearing that:  a) the student claims not to have been academically dishonest; b) the student claims the instructor imposed an inappropriate sanction; c) the nature of the offense merits further action. In academic dishonesty cases the Committee may receive requests for hearings from students, from individual faculty and staff members, and from the Registrar.   The Academic Appeals Committee reserves the right not to hear any appeal in any case where data is not sufficient, the necessary steps have not been followed, and when the committee jurisdiction is not clear.

Further information regarding instructor and student rights and responsibilities and appropriate procedures to be followed in applying this policy may be obtained from the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs or the Registrar.

Add/Drop/Withdrawl from Courses

Add/Drop Form

Addition of Courses
Students may add courses during the first seven days of each semester. 

Dropping or Withdrawing From Courses
Students have one week (five class days) to drop from a full semester course with no academic penalty and no notation that they were enrolled in the course on their records.  Courses running less than an entire semester will have varying drop dates based on the length of the course.  Note:  A course is not officially added or dropped until the appropriate form has been completed by the student and advisor and has been validated by the Registrar's Office.  Forms for this purpose are available in the Registrar's Office. 

Students who withdraw after the drop period ends and prior to the 50% completion point of the course will incur no penalty as far as the quality point average is concerned but will have a notation of "W" on their permanent record.  No student may withdraw from a course after the 50% completion point of the course.   Any student not attending a course and not officially withdrawing will be issued a grade of "F" on his/her record.  The "F" grade will be used in computing the student's grade point average. 

Attendance Policy
Class attendance is taken very seriously, and students may be penalized for unexcused absences within the grading process.  Students are expected to attend classes regularly, since this is a necessary means of learning and of attaining the educational objectives of the College.  Since course design and objectives vary, attendance policies are set forth in each instructor's course syllabus.

Audit Policy

Audit Form

A student may audit a course with the approval of the chairperson of the department and the consent of the instructor.  Auditors are subject to any conditions established by the department or the instructor.  No credit is awarded for audited courses.  Such courses are officially reported on the student's transcript with the notation "AU" (Audit-No Credit) when all course conditions are met.  Auditor status cannot be changed.

Students register for audit during the first week after the Add Period.  A student who wishes to attend class before audit registration may do so with the consent of the instructor.  Students are responsible for all course fees when auditing a course.  Students who have registered for a grade have enrollment preference over auditing students.

Class Status
Matriculated students are assigned class status according to the total number of earned credits at the conclusion of each semester.

Course Load
Fifteen (15) credit hours is the normal academic course load at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  Students may enroll for up to eighteen (18) credit hours without special permission.  Students wishing to enroll for more than eighteen (18) credit hours must secure the permission of their advisors.  The Dean of Academic Affairs must approve any request above 20 credits.  

Course Repeat Policy/Off Campus Study Approval

Course Repeat Form

A course may be repeated.  If the course is required and the student received an F, the course must be repeated.  The grade earned in a repeated course replaces the original grade in the student's quality point average even if the repeated grade is lower.  (The grade earned each time the student took the course remains on the student's transcript, but the course is marked "RX", and the originally attempted credit is not calculated into the quality point average.) 

Students must complete a Repeat Course Form for each course they repeat. Repeat course work taken off campus must be approved prior to the course being taken.

Declaring a Minor
Declaration of Minor Form
Students who are completing the requirements of a minor program must complete a Declaration of Minor form.  

Declaring/Changing of Major
Change of Major Form
Students wishing to change their major must secure a Change of Major form from Advising  Services.  This form requires the approval of the chairperson of the new department and must be filed with the Registrar's Office before the change of major takes effect.

Grade Appeal

Undergraduate Grade Appeal Form

In cases involving appeals of a course grade, a student has one month into the following semester to initiate an appeal relating to grades earned in the regular Fall or Spring semester.  In all other cases (e.g. summer) the student has one month after receipt of the grade to initiate an appeal.  No grade appeals can be made after these deadlines.

Leave of Absence
A student whose personal, family, or medical circumstances require a temporary interruption of college study may apply for a leave of absence for up to two semesters.  To apply for a leave of absence a student must complete an application through Advising Services.  Recommendations regarding requests will be made by Advising Services to the Dean of Academic Affairs.  The Dean will make the final decision on the request.

A leave of absence may only be granted to students who are matriculated and in good academic and financial standing.  All students returning from a leave of absence must contact the Registrar's Office no later than December 1 for reactivation in the spring semester and August 1 for reactivation for the fall semester.  Students who are granted a leave of absence before the end of the drop/add period will have no notation on their record for that semester.  Students granted a leave after the add/drop period and through the last day of classes will have a grade of "WX" on their record for that semester.

*Students are advised to contact Student Accounts and Financial Aid regarding refunds, loan deferment/repayment and eligibility for further aid.

Off-Campus Study for Currently Enrolled Students
Off Campus Study Form
Matriculated students who wish to enroll in coursework at another accredited institution while still enrolled at MCLA must receive approval from MCLA prior to enrolling in such courses.  Approval is granted through the Registrar's Office in consultation with the department chair.  Coursework in which the student received a grade of C- or above is transferable, provided that the student's overall grade point average is a 2.0 or higher (based on a 4.0 scale) at the other institution.

Probation/Suspension
Academic Standing at MCLA - A student's cumulative MCLA GPA, combined with credits earned, will determine the academic standing category at the end of each semester according to the following standards:

Earned credits    GOOD STANDING     PROBATION       SUSPENSION   

0 - 30                  2.000 or above      1.500 -1.999       under 1.500
31-75                  2.000 or above      1.750 - 1.999      under 1.750
76 and above     2.000 or above       no probation      under 2.000

Earned credits include transfer credits and MCLA credits (at the 100 level and higher) in which a passing grade was earned.

Students who are suspended and successfully appeal their suspension will be so designated by a separate category of academic standing that reflects academic probation following a successful appeal of an academic suspension.  The following designations reflect MCLA's Policy on Academic Standing in accordance with a student's cumulative MCLA GPA:

  Academic Good Standing - cumulative GPA of 2.00  
  Academic Probation - student on academic probation
  Academic Probation following Appeal - appeal of suspension approved
  Academic Suspension - student academically suspended
  Academic Dismissal - student dismissed (permanently) from MCLA

Academic Warning
A student with a semester GPA less than 2.0 but a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater will be issued an Academic Warning.  A letter of Academic Warning will be sent to the student and copied to the student's advisor explaining the potential consequences of poor academic performance (including successive semesters of Academic Warning or future Academic Probation or Academic Suspension).  For each semester in which an Academic Warning is received, the student must meet with his or her academic advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan, which will be submitted to Advising Services for review and appropriate referrals.

Academic Probation
A student who fails to achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA, while achieving a GPA higher than the Academic Suspension cutoff will be placed on Academic Probation.  A student on Academic Probation or Academic Probation Following Appeal must adhere to certain conditions designed to promote academic success.  These conditions may include: (1) course load of not more than 15 credits; (2) academic schedule changes to allow repeat courses; (3) meetings with an academic advisor, learning services, and/or advising services to complete an Academic Success Plan that will monitor student progress;(4) attendance at academic success workshops (e.g. study skills, time management, etc.); and (5) restrictions on certain extracurricular activities as determined by the Office of Academic Affairs or its designate (for the first semester on Academic Probation, a student will remain eligible for participation in extracurricular activities unless individual departments or activities have higher standards).

Academic Suspension

Students suspended under this policy may appeal their suspension.  The Registrar notifies students of their suspension and of their right of recourse to the appeal process.  Suspended students may not enroll at the College for one semester.  They may then apply to the Admissions Office for readmission.  The College requires that they complete a minimum of 6 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0 at another institution before reapplication.     Students must complete an off-campus readmission form available from the Registrar. Approval is  required prior to enrollment in courses.  Students re-applying after sitting out one semester on suspension will be evaluated on an individual basis based on the entire Massachusetts College academic experience and coursework completed at another college.  Students suspended at the end of the spring term may not take courses at MCLA in the summer or fall, and must re-apply through admissions.

Withdrawal from College
Students leaving the College must complete a Withdrawal from College form obtained from Advising Services.  Students officially withdrawing before the first day of final examinations will receive a notation of WX in all courses.  After this time students will receive a final grade in all courses.

Note: A student is not officially withdrawn from the College until the appropriate form has been completed and has been validated by the Registrar's Office.