Degree Requirements & Policies

To earn a Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Science in Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, or Master of Fine Arts degree, a student must:

1. Be formally admitted to a degree program, i.e., be matriculated. (Students cannot be matriculated simultaneously in more than one master's degree program at Lehman College.)
2. Complete no fewer than 30 credits of graduate courses that are acceptable to the department of specialization.
3. Maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
4. In most programs, write a thesis based on independent research, complete an appropriate special project, and/or pass a comprehensive examination. Departmental requirements are outlined elsewhere in this bulletin.
5. Complete all requirements for the degree within five years following matriculation.
6. Complete all departmental requirements for the degree.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

In many master's degree programs at Lehman College, candidates are required to pass a comprehensive examination as part of their degree requirements. Students should consult the Graduate Program Adviser in the program in which they are enrolled to determine the precise requirements for the degree in that program.

Students not successful on the first attempt at the comprehensives are urged to discuss their examination with their Program Adviser before taking the examination a second time. Students unsuccessful after two attempts are dropped from the College. In order to take the examination a third time, students must appeal successfully to the Office of Graduate Studies and apply for readmission through the Office of Graduate Admissions (Shuster Hall, Room 150). Filing an appeal does not in itself guarantee that any student will be granted a third attempt at the comprehensive examination. No further appeals are possible after a third unsuccessful attempt to pass the comprehensives.

Graduate students planning to take the comprehensive examination must be matriculated and currently registered. Students taking no courses in the semester in which they take their comprehensives must register for maintenance of matriculation and pay the appropriate fee.

THESIS OF PROJECT REPORT

In curricula requiring a thesis or project report, the thesis or report must be presented to the department chair or adviser in sufficient time to enable the work to be evaluated, corrected, emended, and the grade to be recorded before the date on which classes for that semester end. A candidate permitted to offer a thesis or project report must consult the adviser for departmental requirements for preparation of the thesis or report. The student must file with the thesis adviser the number of approved copies of the thesis or project report required by the program in which he/she is matriculated, along with a copy of the bursar's receipt for the binding fee.

TIME LIMIT FOR EARNING A LEHMAN COLLEGE MASTER'S DEGREE

Master's degree candidates must complete their programs within five years from the time they become matriculated students. Absence from the College for one or more semesters does not alter or affect the five-year limit (see Interruption of Studies below) for earning a degree. Graduate students who, due to unusual circumstances, are unable to complete their degrees within the five-year period may apply for an extension in the Office of Graduate Studies. Extensions must be approved by the Graduate Program Adviser.

INTERRUPTION OF STUDIES

Although students are encouraged to make steady progress toward their master's degrees, absence for one or more semesters is sometimes unavoidable. In order to resume their studies following an absence of less than three years, matriculated graduate students must contact the Office of Graduate Admissions (Shuster Hall, Room 150) to complete the application for readmission and pay the readmission fee. Matriculated graduate students absent from Lehman College for three or more years must apply in the Office of Graduate Studies for an extension of the five-year time limit for completing their degree program prior to applying for readmission. In addition, they must consult with their program adviser to determine if any of their previous coursework has become out of date and to discuss their future course of study. Nonmatriculated graduate students must reapply to the College and pay the application fee following an absence from the College of any length.

GRADUATION PROCEDURE

A student who expects to graduate at the end of a semester must file a formal application for graduation in the Office of the Registrar, Shuster Hall, Room 105, by the deadline published each semester in the Schedule of Classes. If the student does not graduate, he/she must refile for graduation in any subsequent semester in which graduation is anticipated.

Any incomplete grades (INC) on the graduate student's transcript must be resolved prior to the date of graduation. To resolve incomplete grades, students must either complete and hand in the missing work or, if the courses in question are not required for the degree, indicate to the Office of the Registrar that they do not intend to complete the work. Students who choose not to make up the missing work are required to sign a statement in the Registrar's Office indicating their awareness that incomplete grades remaining on the transcript can never be changed to letter grades. This policy applies even if the course in question is not applicable toward the degree being awarded, and even if the one-year time limit for finishing incomplete grades has not expired. The transcripts of graduated students are sealed at the time of graduation, and no changes can be made after the graduation date.

Students cannot graduate if the indication "Z" appears in place of a grade on their transcript. The "Z" indicates that the faculty member teaching that particular course did not submit a grade to the Office of the Registrar. The student is responsible for contacting either the faculty member or the department chair to ensure that a grade is submitted.

MAINTENANCE OF MATRICULATION FEE

Students must be formally registered in any semester in which they fulfill any requirement for their program, including but not restricted to comprehensive examinations, language examinations, and completion of the thesis. They must also be registered in the semester in which they receive their master's degrees. Students who are not registered for any courses in the semester in which they plan either to fulfill a degree requirement or to graduate must pay the Maintenance of Matriculation Fee for the semester in which they file for graduation.

Registration Policies & Procedures

ACADEMIC ADVISING

For graduate students, academic advising occurs at two levels:

1. Each graduate program at Lehman College has at least one academic adviser to help in planning students' programs. Graduate students should consult frequently with their Program Adviser for information regarding their specific master's degree program, and they MUST see their program adviser before registering each semester. Frequent advisement is critical for acquiring up-to-date information and for monitoring progress toward the master's degree.

2. The Office of Graduate Studies (Shus-ter Hall, Room 275), managed by the Graduate Studies Adviser, provides information and advisement regarding College-wide academic policies and procedures. Among the matters addressed by this office are appeals (except grade appeals), changes of grade, academic retention and probation, acceptance with conditions, academic standards, and transfer credit policies.

REGISTRATION MATERIALS

Materials and detailed information for both telephone and arena registrations are mailed by the Office of the Registrar two to three weeks before registration to all continuing graduate students who were registered at Lehman the preceding semester. Telephone registration, for those eligible, takes place during the end of the current semester. New graduate students or returning students who do not receive materials should obtain them from the Office of Admissions (Shuster Hall, Room 150) before the registration period.

REGISTRATION FOR COURSES

Electronic course permission of the Graduate Program Adviser is required to register for any graduate course. Consult the department for registration advising hours.

BURSAR'S RECEIPT

The bursar's receipt is the only valid proof of registration in courses. Students are responsible for checking registration materials for any errors before submitting them to the Registrar's staff for processing. For those students who register by telephone, the system will repeat their course requests for verification. Any error on the bursar's receipt should be reported to the Business Office immediately, accompanied by a request for a corrected receipt. All bursar's receipts should be kept indefinitely in case questions regarding registration arise at a later date.

REGISTRATION IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Graduate students who are advised by their Program Adviser to register for undergraduate courses must also get permission from the Office of Graduate Studies. Upon receiving the required approval, they may register for such courses at the time of graduate registration in the arena. Graduate students may not register by telephone for undergraduate courses. Credits earned in undergraduate courses that are not part of the graduate degree requirements do not count toward the graduate degree, and graduate students pay undergraduate non-degree tuition. Graduate students who register in undergraduate courses and who receive graduate credit for the courses must pay the applicable graduate tuition according to residency. A graduate student may not register in a given semester solely for undergraduate courses unless he/she obtains permission from both the Graduate Program Adviser and the Office of Graduate Studies.

REGISTRATION IT OUT-OF-PROGRAM COURSES

A student who has been admitted to a specific graduate program, or has been given permission to take certain specific graduate courses, may not automatically register for other courses in other programs. Students may do so only if they obtain written permission from the graduate adviser in the second program and receive permission from the Graduate Studies Adviser.

REGISTRATION IN COURSES AT OTHER CUNY COLLEGES

Matriculated graduate students may take courses at other CUNY colleges with the permission of the Graduate Program Adviser or department chair and from the Office of Graduate Studies. (See page 21, Courses Taken on Permit.) Permits and details regarding their use may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar, Shuster Hall, Room 106. Students must also contact the host college to ascertain the date when they can register there.

Graduate students from other CUNY colleges who wish to register at Lehman must file a nonmatriculant application with the Office of Graduate Admissions (Shuster Hall, Room 150) and submit a permit from the registrar of the home college. The admission fee is waived for students attending Lehman College on permit.



GRADING SYSTEM

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) COMPUTATION FORMULA

1. Quality points are calculated by multiplying total number of credits earned per grade by the numerical value of the grades, 4.0 to 1.7 for grades A through C- and 0 for F.
   
   
2. Then add the number of credits taken, including those with an F grade.
   
   
3. Next, divide the total number of quality points and divide by the total number of credits taken. This final figure is the grade point index.

Both matriculated and nonmatriculated graduate students must maintain a minimum index of 3.0 to remain at Lehman. Matriculants require a minimum index of 3.0 for graduation.

SAMPLE GPA COMPUTATION

Grade	Quality Points		Credits Attempted		Quality Points
A	4.0	X	6	=	24.0
A-	3.7	X	4	=	14.8
B+	3.3	X	3	=	9.9
B	3.0	X	2	=	6.0
B-	2.7	X	5	=	13.5
C+	2.3	X	3	=	6.9
C	2.0	X	2	=	4.0
C-	1.7	X	4	=	6.8
F, WU	0	X	2	=	0
			31		85.9

Number of credits taken = 31
Division of 85.9 (sum of quality points) by 31 = 2.77


Credit Policies

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

• Courses applied toward a previously awarded graduate degree.
• Courses taken at Lehman College in a nonmatriculated status.
• Courses taken at other colleges where no degree has been awarded

Students who wish to have graduate credits earned prior to matriculation at Lehman counted toward their degree should apply for this transfer of credit during their first or second semester in attendance as a matriculant, using the transfer credit form available in the Office of the Registrar (Shuster Hall, Room 106). All credit to be applied toward Lehman College master's degree requirements is subject to the approval of the graduate adviser (or department chair) of the student's particular academic program. In certain instances described below, the transfer of credit form must also be approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. Such credit must conform to the regulations for the program and the curriculum in which the student is matriculated. Grades of B or better are required in order for courses to be eligible for transfer.

The following regulations apply to all matriculated Lehman College graduate students who applied and were accepted into master's degree or advanced certificate programs in the Fall 1999 semester or later. Students who matriculated before that date should consult the Office of Graduate Studies to determine the regulations that apply to them.

With appropriate permission, matriculated graduate students may apply toward their master's programs a total of 12 credits of graduate courses completed prior to matriculation in their current master's degree program at Lehman College.

Within the total of 12 credits may be included:

a) Courses applied toward a previously awarded graduate degree at Lehman or elsewhere (maximum six (6) credits);

b) Courses taken at Lehman College in a nonmatriculated status; and

c) Courses taken at other colleges where no degree has been awarded.

Transfer credits are subject to the following limitations:

• Courses taken five years or more prior to matriculation at Lehman are not considered for transfer. Exceptions to this time limit may be made only for compelling educational reasons. In such cases, the transfer of credit must be approved by the student's Graduate Program Adviser and the Office of Graduate Studies.
• Only six (6) credits counted toward a previously awarded master's degree can be applied to the master's earned at Lehman College.
• Graduate courses previously applied toward an undergraduate degree are not acceptable toward Lehman College master's degree programs.
• Where students have taken more than 12 credits prior to matriculation, courses taken at Lehman College will be given priority in counting toward the maximum 12 credits transferable, provided they meet the College's requirements.
• Students who have earned more than the maximum allowable number of credits as a nonmatriculated graduate student must consult with their Graduate Program Adviser to determine which of those credits will count toward the degree. The program adviser will notify the Office of Graduate Studies of this decision using the transfer credit form.
• Graduate courses taken at any other institution after matriculation into a graduate program at Lehman College must receive prior approval from the Graduate Program Adviser.

Note: Students who have completed nine (9) or more credits prior to matriculation at Lehman College, as well as students seeking a second master's degree, are advised to fill out the application for matriculation at the earliest possible date.

Courses Taken on Permit

AT OTHER CUNY INSTITUTIONS

With appropriate permission, matriculated graduate students may take master's-level courses on permit at other colleges of The City University of New York and apply the credit toward the Lehman master's degree. Grades earned in these courses are treated the same as grades earned at Lehman College and are subject to the same restrictions. Grades in courses taken on permit will be recorded on the Lehman College transcript and will count in the computation of the Grade Point Average.

Permits and details regarding their use are available from the Office of the Registrar, Shuster Hall, Room 106. All courses taken on permit must be approved by the Graduate Program Adviser or the department chair.

CREDIT LOADS

A full-time program of coursework for graduate students is 12 credits in any semester. Students may take no more than 15 credits of graduate work in any semester and no more than six (6) credits of graduate work during summer sessions. Exceptions to these limits must be approved by the Graduate Program Adviser and the Office of Graduate Studies. The Office of Graduate Studies will not approve credit loads of more than 15 credits in the first semester of graduate studies. Students admitted to the United States on a student visa are required to carry a full-time program of study each semester.

WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES

The grade of W (withdrawal without penalty) is assigned only when a graduate student officially withdraws from a course. Students must complete the withdrawal process themselves, since the procedure requires a signature. No faculty member or program adviser can withdraw a student from a course. Graduate students can officially withdraw by reporting with their bursar's receipt to the Office of the Registrar (Shuster Hall, Room 114) before the deadline published each semester in the Schedule of Classes. If in-person withdrawal is impossible, students can mail a signed letter to the registrar including their name, Social Security number, the department that teaches the course(s) from which they wish to withdraw, the course number(s), and the section number(s). This letter must be accompanied by a photocopy of their bursar's receipt. The postmark determines whether or not the student has met the deadline. This procedure applies to courses taught on- and off-campus.

After the published deadline, students wishing to withdraw from a course without penalty can do so only by appealing successfully to the Office of Graduate Studies, Shuster Hall, Room 275 (see Appeals on page 22). When students withdraw unofficially, i.e., the student simply stops attending class without completing the withdrawal procedure, the grade of WU is assigned for the course. This grade counts as a failure in computing the cumulative Grade Point Average.

GRADING POLICIES

Grades as submitted to and recorded in the Office of the Registrar are the sole judgment of the instructor. Grade changes resulting from personal appeals to the instructor and hardship claims are never honored. Students may not raise their grades by completing extra work after the final grade has been recorded. Occasional grading errors do occur, and these are always corrected promptly when properly certified to the Office of Graduate Studies. Students who believe a grade is unfair may file a departmental grade appeal (see Appeals on page 22).

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Instructors, as well as departments or degree programs, may establish specific attendance requirements. It is the student's responsibility to ascertain the effect attendance may have on the grade in a course. Students receiving financial aid must be certified as attending classes regularly in order to maintain their eligibility.

INC GRADES

A graduate student who receives a grade of INC (incomplete coursework) has one year from the time the grade was entered on the transcript to make up the work and have a change of grade submitted by the instructor. An INC grade entered in a Fall semester, for example, must be completed before the end of the next Fall semester. INC grades that are not made up within one year remain permanently on the record as INCs. They may not be made up at any later date unless the student successfully appeals for permission to do so. Permanent incompletes do not count in the grade point average. INC grades cannot be made up after the student graduates (see also Graduation Procedure on page 19).

CUMULATIVE INDEX

In order to be awarded a master's degree, a graduate student must finish his/her program with a cumulative index of 3.0 (B) or better.

The cumulative index is computed on the basis of grades earned in graduate courses that satisfy the requirements of the program in which the student is currently matriculated. Grades counted in the cumulative index must be earned at Lehman College or in courses taken on permit at other CUNY institutions.

Excluded from the computation of the cumulative index are:

1. Grades earned in courses given by departments or programs other than the one in which the student is currently matriculated, unless such courses are approved by the program adviser for use toward the degree.

2. Grades earned in courses taken more than five years prior to the current matriculation, unless such courses are approved by the program adviser and the Office of Graduate Studies for use toward the degree.

3. Grades earned in courses given by other institutions for which transfer credit has been allowed.

4. Grades earned in undergraduate courses.


All grades earned as a graduate student at Lehman at any time will be included on the graduate transcript and may be considered in making admission and matriculation decisions, even if the grades are excluded from the computation of the cumulative index that is used to determine eligibility for the master's degree.

ACADEMIC PROBATION

Graduate students whose cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation have one semester in which to raise their GPA to 3.0. During this probationary period, students who make satisfactory progress maintain both their academic standing with the College and their eligibility for financial aid. Any student whose Grade Point Average remains below 3.0 at the end of the probationary semester will be dropped from the College. To be allowed to continue, graduate students dropped from the College following a semester of probation must file a successful appeal with the Office of Graduate Studies.

Students matriculated with conditions may be subject to more stringent academic requirements, including (but not limited to) the denial of the probationary period and the need to maintain a Grade Point Average higher than 3.0. Applicable conditions are set forth in the student's acceptance letter.

Appeals

Appeals at Lehman College fall into two categories. A General Appeal is submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies (Shuster Hall, Room 275) and applies to any of the College-wide Academic Policies and Procedures as outlined in this bulletin. A Grade Appeal is made to the academic department when a student challenges a grade received in a particular course.

GENERAL APPEALS

For a waiver of any of the College's regulations pertaining to graduate study, a student may petition the Office of Graduate Studies. Appeals are granted only for compelling reasons. To launch an appeal, students must submit a completed appeal form, available from the Office of Graduate Studies, including a complete explanation of the issues involved and any relevant supporting documents. Supporting documents may include birth certificates, death certificates, letters from physicians, letters of support from faculty, and any documents that bear upon the case in question.

GRADE APPEALS

A graduate student dissatisfied with a grade received in a course should first discuss the situation with the instructor who assigned the grade. If the student is still not satisfied that the grade is fair, he/she should then consult the Graduate Program Adviser for the department in which the course was offered. The Graduate Program Adviser will then attempt to resolve the disagreement.

If the student is still dissatisfied, or if the program adviser was the instructor who assigned the grade originally, the student should appeal in writing to the department chair. If the chair is the instructor of the course in question, the senior member of the department Personnel and Budget Committee will act for the chair.

The chair will appoint a Graduate Grade Appeal Committee consisting of three faculty members from the department, all of whom have taught graduate courses. The Graduate Program Adviser may not serve on this committee.

The committee will examine all materials relevant to the appeal, submitted by both the instructor and the student, and will prepare a written report of its findings, either sustaining the original grade or recommending a change.

The chair will notify the student, the instructor, and the Office of Graduate Studies of the committee's decision. If the committee recommends a grade change, the chair will forward that recommendation (A-1) with the decision.

Grade appeals must be initiated in the semester following the entry of a permanent grade, and no grades can be changed after the date of graduation. The decision of the Graduate Grade Appeal Committee is binding on all parties.

Academic Integrity

The most common but not the only forms of academic dishonesty are cheating on examinations and plagiarism, which is the appropriation of the words or ideas of another person, whether taken from print or electronic media, which are then passed off as one's own.

When academic dishonesty is suspected, the instructor will inform the student of his suspicions and the student's rights:

• to receive any charges in writing;
• to remain silent without assumption of guilt;
• to receive from the instructor a copy of the Academic Integrity Statement; and
• to be advised of the instructor's intended sanction.

The instructor and student may resolve the situation, either by agreeing that the suspicions are unfounded or agreeing upon a sanction. Any sanction agreed upon at this point must be reported, together with the charges, to the department chair and to the Office of Graduate Studies. The instructor must report these facts in writing.

If no agreement is reached between the student and the instructor, the instructor must report in writing his intended sanction to the department chair and to the student as soon as possible. Then:

• The student may appeal in writing to the department chair within three weeks of receiving notice of the intended sanction. If the chair is the instructor in question, the senior member of the depart-ment's Personnel and Budget Committee will act for the chair.
• The chair will appoint a committee of three Lehman College faculty members from his/her department to adjudicate the matter within three weeks by majority vote.
• The Committee will send a written notification of its decision to the department chair, the student, the instructor, and the Office of Graduate Studies.
• Either the instructor or the student has the right, within three weeks of receipt of notification, to appeal the department decision in writing to the Senate Committee on Graduate Studies. The decision of this committee is final. No further appeals are permitted. The committee will notify the department chair, the student, the instructor, and the Office of Graduate Studies of its decision. If any part of the three-week period falls outside the regular semester, the first three weeks of the next regular semester shall apply.
• The Office of Graduate Studies will keep all records of such proceedings on file until the student's graduation, at which time the records will be destroyed.

If the charge of academic dishonesty is upheld, disciplinary penalties may be recommended by the Vice President of Student Affairs to the hearing panel composed of members of the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee, pursuant to the due process provisions of the Board of Trustees' Bylaws (Article 15.3). Such penalties, which may be imposed only through the Bylaws process, include but are not limited to: 1) suspension from the College or 2) expulsion from the College.