Policies for students

Academic honesty is considered a central responsibility of all students at the University of Rochester, and cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with seriously. You may read the entire policy online on page 20 of the Regulations and University Policies Concerning Graduate Studies:

• You must guard against plagiarism. Plagiarism can involve:
  • Using, whether deliberately or unintentionally, an idea or quotation from another source without providing citation of that source. Anything that was not your original idea must be acknowledged in your footnotes or in your paper.
  • Using another student’s work, even if not a whole paper, and submitting it as your own.
     
• You should speak with your instructor before drawing heavily even from a paper you yourself wrote for another class; if you use the same paper for more than one class without permission to do so, this could be considered academic dishonesty.
   
• Obtaining an exam or other similar confidential information and either using it yourself or sharing it with others or using unauthorized notes during a test would constitute academic dishonesty.
   
• Should you falsify data or results to help yourself or someone else, this would be considered academic dishonesty.
   
• A more obscure form of academic dishonesty the University notes relates to the misuse of resource materials: “Any act that maliciously hinders the use of or access to library materials is academically dishonest and falls under the terms of this policy.” (see online Policy on page 36 of Regulations and University Policies Concerning Graduate Studies) Tearing pages from a journal or book, removing books from the library without checking them out, failing to return reserve readings, etc. could all be considered academically dishonest.

The University of Rochester enforces a Continuous Enrollment Policy that requires that all students enrolled in a degree-bearing program be registered each fall and spring until they graduate (this policy does not mandate that you register during the summer term, unless your degree program requires it):

• If you need to take a fall or spring off you should apply for a leave of absence or register for:
  • ED895~Continuation of Master’s Enrollment 
  • ED995~Continuation of Doctoral Enrollment 

Be aware that these registrations do not qualify you for student loans or loan deferment and do come with a fee; see the Tuition, Fee & Refund Schedule for details.

• If you are at the end of your program and no longer need hours to complete your degree, you may register for one of the following each fall and spring until you complete your degree:
  • ED898~Master’s Thesis: Half-Time 
  • ED899~Master’s Thesis: Full-Time 
  • ED899B~Master’s Thesis: Abroad 
  • ED998~Doctoral Dissertation: Half-Time 
  • ED999~Doctoral Dissertation: Full-Time 
  • ED999B~Doctoral Dissertation: Abroad 
  • ED895~Continuation of Master’s Enrollment 
  • ED995~Continuation of Doctoral Enrollment 

Note 1: these registrations can be used an unlimited number of times before you graduate.
Note 2: these registrations can also be combined with research hours or other courses to bring you up to either half-time or full-time enrollment, allowing you to take out and/or defer student loans.
Note 3: these registrations require that you pay the Mandatory Health Fee charged all full-time students; you will also be required to either enroll in the UR Student Health Insurance or provide proof of equivalent private insurance.
Note 4: these registrations can be used twice all by themselves before you graduate OR up to a total of four (4) times in combination with other credit bearing registrations.
Note 5: these registrations can be used four (4) times all by themselves before you graduate OR up to a total of eight (8) times in combination with other credit bearing registrations.

• Be aware that even if you are finished with all your coursework and need no more hours, you must still be continuously enrolled each fall and spring until you graduate.
• If you are unsure which of the above options to choose and which might be the least expensive option for you in your situation, you may contact the Warner School of Education Registrar for assistance.
• Audits and 0-hour Dissertation Seminars do not meet requirements for Continuous Enrollment.

Full-time and part-time PhD students are required to meet a residency requirement.

• Defined: A student is defined as being in residence at the University of Rochester if they are registered and engaging with the University (laboratories, consultations with faculty members, or course attendance) with sufficient frequency and regularity to establish this status clearly.
• Full-time PhD: A minimum of one-year (two consecutive semesters) in residence while enrolled as a full-time student is required. Doctoral Dissertation (“999”) may not be used to meet the one-year residency requirement. Full-time residence requirements may be completed either during the academic year or during the summer.
• Part-time PhD: A minimum of two years (four consecutive semesters) in residence while enrolled as a part-time student is required. The minimum registration will be two courses, each carrying at least three credit hours, per semester, for four consecutive semesters. A student receiving grades lower than B (or S) in more than one-quarter of the courses for a given academic year may not be permitted to continue in the part-time program. Part-time residence requirements may be completed either during the academic year or during the summer.

A student may initiate an appeal within six weeks following the recording of a grade by the registrar. The student begins the appeal process by writing to the instructor, program chair, and the associate dean of graduate studies the specific and substantial reasons for the appeal. The instructor has the option of resolving the appeal with the student, or advising the student to continue the appeal. The instructor is required to justify his or her decision in writing to the student, program chair and associate dean of graduate studies. 
 
If the student chooses to pursue his or her appeal, the documents prepared for the instructor, along with any new information (in writing), is forwarded by the student to the program chair and associate dean of graduate studies. The program chair has the option of resolving the appeal in consultation with the instructor and student. 
 
If this process is not satisfactory from the student’s perspective, the student updates any documentation with new information, including the instructor’s justification and the program chair’s evaluation and recommendation, and forwards all information to the associate dean of graduate studies. The associate dean has the option of making an administrative decision or continuing the investigation of the case. The associate dean o may make the decision to change the student’s grade at this point. If the associate dean decides to change the student’s grade, the instructor in the course must be consulted before the formal grade change is made. If associate dean determines further investigation is necessary, he or she will call all parties together, individually or as a group. 
 
If the student is not satisfied with the associate dean’s decision, he or she has the option of continuing the appeal, by forwarding all relevant materials collected to the dean of the Warner School of Education. The appeal process ends with the dean's decision. 
 
The outcome of this process may be an upward grade change or no change; the student cannot be awarded a lower grade than initially given by the instructor. Students who appeal a grade that has led to their involuntary withdrawal cannot register for or attend classes until the appeal process concludes.  

A student who withdraws voluntarily is eligible for rematriculation if the request is made within two calendar years of the date of withdrawal. A written request must be forwarded to the associate dean. The request will be reviewed by the program area in which the student was formerly matriculated. With the approval of the chair and the associate dean, the student will be eligible to register for courses. The student must meet with an advisor (assigned by the chair) and formulate a new program of study. A student may lose credit towards the degree program, even if continuing with the same degree program.
 
Students who have withdrawn voluntarily and seek to continue a degree program must reapply if more than two years have passed since the date of voluntary withdrawal.

Students who have been withdrawn involuntarily (i.e., dropped) from a degree program will not be readmitted to any degree program, nor can they reapply. 

The school follows due process in cases of complaints, grievances and petitions. First, the aggrieved candidate contacts his or her advisor for consultation and possible resolution. Second, if unsatisfied, the candidate contacts his or her chair, who can make an administrative decision to resolve the matter if it is within his or her purview. Third, if the candidate is dissatisfied with the chair’s decision or if the issue is outside of the chair’s purview, the candidate contacts the associate dean of graduate studies. The associate dean has the option of making an administrative decision to resolve the matter if it is within his or her purview. Lastly, if the candidate is dissatisfied with the associate dean’s decision or if the issue is outside of the associate dean’s purview, the candidate contacts the dean of the school. Due process ends with the decision of the dean. Candidates whose grievance is with an individual charged with stewarding the process (e.g., the program chair) shall proceed to the next level of appeal (i.e., the associate dean of graduate studies). At any given level, grievances will be addressed within two calendar weeks.