POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY 2005-2007

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
dents who finish course requirements on
time and to ensure that students complete
prerequisites necessary for taking advanced
courses. On no account will this date be later
than one year after completion of the semester
for which the I was awarded.
The I grade is used sparingly and only
in cases with valid reasons, not merely
because students have planned poorly or
overloaded themselves. An I signifies that
upon successful completion of the work, a
passing grade will be issued.
ONLINE LEARNING—EPOLY
Polytechnic’s online programs, ePoly, are
designed specifically for working adults
who want to remain current and advance in
their careers or for graduate students who
aspire to a Polytechnic degree but cannot
attend classes at any of the University locations.
All courses are presently designed and
instructed by Polytechnic full-time and
adjunct faculty. Some MS degrees, graduate
certificates, individual courses and continuing
education seminars are available
completely online.
An increasing number of Polytechnic’s
traditional graduate courses are available
online for convenient study. These courses
are designated with a four-digit course
number: the first three digits indicating the
classroom equivalent, and the fourth digit
always the number 4. While online courses
are considered equivalent to classroom
counterparts in terms of similar topics and
requirements, online courses introduce supplementary
topics or projects that require
additional class time and study.
CONTINUATION OF STUDIES
BEYOND THE INITIAL MASTER
OF SCIENCE
Students who plan to pursue additional
studies immediately following the award of
an advanced degree by Polytechnic should
complete a Request for Continuation of
Studies form in lieu of a new application
for admission and hand it in for review
and approval to the department in which the
new degree will be pursued. This form is
available from the Office of the Registrar.
Examples are (1) progressing from an MS
program to a PhD program or (2) seeking
a second MS degree from Polytechnic. In
the latter case, students should be aware that
New York State regulations prohibit graduate
credits applied toward the first degree
be applied towards a second MS degree.
ACADEMIC STANDING
AND PROBATION
Graduate students are expected to progress
in their studies and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
Failure to do so results in students being
placed on academic probation or disqualified
based upon the guidelines set in the
table below. For additional information,
contact the associate dean for graduate
studies in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Grade-Point Average Required to Avoid
Disqualification (All Graduate Students)
After “N” Units Matriculated or Visiting Status
Taken at
Transfer Units
Polytechnic none 3 6 9 or more
N= 6 2.00 2.00 2.50 2.50
12 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50
18 2.50 2.50 2.66 2.66
24 2.75 2.75 2.87 2.87
30 2.90 2.90 3.00 3.00
N>36, GPA>3.00 required (check every 6 units)
Notes:
1. Students with GPA below the entries
in above table are disqualified and, with
rare exception, cannot be readmitted.
2. Students with GPA equal to or above the
entries in the above table, but less than
3.0, are notified that they are on graduate
probation and informed that they
will be disqualified if the GPA falls
below the entries in the above table.
3. The entries are credits taken, not credits
earned. Courses with W grades are
excluded from the computation, as are
project/thesis grades when assigned an
S or U.
At the end of the spring semester grades,
graduate students whose cumulative GPA
is below 3.0 are notified that they are on
academic probation or disqualified. Copies
of probation/disqualification notices go to
each department, where the accuracy of
GPA determinations is checked. Students
with GPAs lower than 3.0 are notified in
August by the Office of Academic Affairs.
A major department may request that a
graduate student be placed on academic
probation at any time that it finds a student
falling below a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The
request is signed by the department head
and sent to the Office of Academic Affairs.
A graduate student on academic probation
may not register for further courses
without written permission of the department
head or designated adviser and the
concurrence of the Office of Academic
Affairs. When a student is permitted to
register, the department will provide the student
with a written statement of the academic
performance required for the next
academic year or semester to retain permission
to register in future semesters. The
statement will be kept on file in both the
Office of Academic Affairs and the major
department office. A student may be denied
permission to register by an academic
department or the Office of Academic
Affairs at any time while on academic probation.
Students are cautioned that if they
fail to maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA, they
may lose regular status and/or be refused
permission to register.
No indication of academic probation
will appear on a student’s transcript, but a
record will be kept on file.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE
UNIVERSITY
Voluntary Withdrawal
Graduate students must notify the Office of
Academic Affairs if they withdraw completely
prior to the deadline published in the
Academic Calendar and during a semester
in which they are registered. No withdrawal
is official unless a written form is approved
and submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
Mere absence from courses does not constitute
official withdrawal, but will lead to
F grades recorded for courses not completed.
To receive W grades for the semester,
the withdrawal must be completed by
the withdrawal deadline indicated in the
Academic Calendar.
Involuntary Withdrawal
Polytechnic is concerned about the health,
safety and well being of its students; students
judged to be a threat to themselves or
to others may be involuntarily withdrawn
from Polytechnic. The University seeks,
whenever possible, for such students to be
allowed to continue as active students if
they agree to involve themselves in appropriate
care of a professional. Full details
concerning this policy are available from
the Office of Student Development.
LEAVES OF ABSENCE
AND READMISSION
Leave of Absence
Graduate students taking a leave of absence
for a specified period of time, usually not
exceeding one year, must obtain permission
from the Office of Academic Affairs. Only
if part-time or full-time students have
received an approved leave of absence will
the time limitation on earning a graduate
degree be extended by the period of the
leave. Such requests, when approved by the
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