Graduate Bulletin 2011–2012 - Brooklyn College - CUNY

26 Academic Regulations and Procedures
be credited toward a second master’s degree or advanced
certificate at Brooklyn College. Furthermore, it applies only
to courses that are required by the second program; courses
taken in the first program may not be applied toward elective
credits in a second program. If a program chooses to credit a
student’s Brooklyn College coursework, as described above,
toward a second master’s degree or advanced certificate, the
department chair, graduate deputy, or program head must
specify the same in writing to the Registrar.
Attendance in courses
The instructor may consider attendance and class participation
in determining the term grade, although a student is
not denied credit for a course solely on the basis of the
attendance record. It is the student’s responsibility to turn in
all assignments on time.
A student late for class may be excluded from the classroom.
To obtain a grade for a course that was not completed due
to enlistment in the armed forces, Peace Corps, or VISTA, a
student must have been enrolled for approximately 13 weeks
during the fall or spring term or five weeks during the
summer term.
Appeal of final grade
An instructor may not raise a student’s grade in a class by
accepting additional work after the end of the semester,
except in cases of INC grades (see the section “Grades in
courses,” above) in which the student either takes a makeup
final or submits the limited number of assignments still due
at the end of the semester. In any other cases, a change of
grade can be made only if the instructor certifies that an
error was made in entering or calculating a grade. If the grade
change is less than two semesters old, the instructor may
do an electronic change of grade through the department. If
older, the instructor must complete a Change of Grade Form
that must be signed by the instructor and the department
chairperson, and the form must be approved by the Office of
the Associate Provost for Academic Programs..
A student who thinks a final grade is incorrect should consult
the instructor immediately after learning the grade. If the
instructor does not recommend a change of grade, a student
may request a review by the Departmental Grade Appeal
Committee or the department chairperson, who will convene
a review committee. If the committee and the instructor do
not come to an agreement on a grade change, the student
may make a final appeal to the Faculty Council Committee
on Graduate Admissions and Standards. Grade appeals to this
committee should be made within 30 days of the decision
of the departmental committee; they may not be initiated
later than two years from the end of the term in which the
course was taken. Appeals older than two years will not be
considered unless there are legitimate, cogent and
documented reasons for the student’s not taking action sooner.
Option One: Informal appeal. Students who believe
that they have received an unfair or inappropriate grade are
required to meet with the instructor of record to attempt
to resolve the matter informally. The student must explain
the grounds for the grade appeal to the instructor and
attempt to understand the instructor’s reasons for assigning
the grade. The purpose of the meeting is to reach a mutual
understanding of the instructor’s rationale for the grade and to
resolve differences in an informal and cooperative manner.
Option Two: Formal appeal. If the matter is not
resolved, the student has the right to appeal the grade to the
department chairperson or designee. When the department
chairperson or designee receives a formal grade appeal
following the student’s informal appeal to the instructor, the
chairperson or designee may attempt mediation and upon
failure of mediation, the chairperson or designee shall convene
a Grade Appeals Committee to investigate the appeal and to
render a decision. To assure that all departmental committees
conform to the principles of due process, the following
procedures apply:
1. The student must submit a completed form to show
that he/she has met with the instructor and that informal
resolution failed.
2. The student must submit all relevant documentation
to show that he/she has met the course requirements,
including, but not limited to, a) course syllabus, b) all
documented grades (graded tests, papers, projects, etc.),
and c) a list of all other grades that the student knows he
or she received in the course and any other factors that
may have influenced the grade.
3. The Grade Appeals Committee has the authority to screen
out appeals that do not set forth the aforementioned
ground for appeal. The convener will explain any such
finding in writing to the student, the faculty member, and
the department chairperson.
4. The department chairperson will notify the instructor that
a formal grade appeal has been initiated and the instructor
shall provide the grade distribution break down for the
student and any other relevant information.