Back to 2006-2008 Graduate & Doctoral Catalog Index

Alvernia College
Graduate and Doctoral Catalog

Registration


Registration

The College reserves the right to change its admission, registration, graduation or financial requirements as necessary. Every effort will be made to provide advance information regarding such changes. Attendance at Alvernia is a privilege, not a right. By registering, the student concedes to the College the right to require his or her withdrawal. Request for
withdrawal can be made at any time it is deemed necessary to safeguard the ideals of character and scholarship and to secure compliance with regulations.

Effective Catalog
Graduate students are subject to the course requirements contained in the catalog that is in effect when they are accepted by Alvernia College. Students may request to follow the course requirements in the most recent catalog. Students who interrupt their schooling for more than one calendar year must reapply to the College and are subject to the requirements in the most recent catalog.

Academic Calendar
The current Academic Calendar is available via the College website: www.alvernia.edu/academics/calendar.htm. This key resource should be consulted for important dates and deadlines.

Course Schedule
The Graduate and Continuing Studies Division publishes a two-year schedule (projections of course offerings) for Main Campus graduate courses. The College reserves the right to revise schedules in response to changes in student interest, enrollment demand, and faculty availability. The College also reserves the right to cancel any scheduled course for which there is insufficient enrollment. The current schedule may be found on the College’s website via IQ Web. Additionally, the full two-year schedule for Main Campus is available by calling or visiting the Graduate Center.

Enrollment
To enroll in courses, all students must complete the registration process. No student can register for another student or allow another person to register on the student’s behalf. If a student registers during advance registration and then decides not to return to the College, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Graduate and Continuing Studies Office in writing prior to the beginning of classes to avoid charges. Registration dates can be found on the Academic Calendar. Information regarding tuition and course offerings is available from the Graduate Office.

Credits/Overloads
Graduate students may register for a maximum of nine credits per academic semester. Overloads require the approval of the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies. Items considered for approval are the student’s academic progress, cumulative grade point average, and plan of study. Students are officially registered when tuition and charges for the semester have been paid or arrangements for payment have been made with the Billing Office.

Registration Changes
Each of the following constitutes a registration change: adding or dropping a course or changing a course section; withdrawing from a course after the add/drop period; or auditing a course. Schedule Change Forms are obtained from the Graduate and Continuing Studies Office and must be filed with that office to complete the process.

Change of Major
A student may change his or her major by obtaining written approval from his or her academic adviser. The Change of Major Form, obtained from the Graduate and Continuing Studies Office, is completed as directed and returned to the Graduate and Continuing Studies Office.

Repeat/Delete Option
The repeat/delete option may be used when students have a grade of less than ‘C’ or have failed to meet the minimum grade required by a specific program. When a course is repeated for credit, the earlier grade remains on the student’s permanent record and appears on all transcripts. The higher grade is used in computing the cumulative grade point average. The repeat/delete option may only be used in cases where both the original and repeated courses were earned at Alvernia; neither may be by correspondence or by study at another institution. Students may be required to use the repeat/delete option to fulfill the specific requirements found in the catalog descriptions for some programs. The repeat/delete option can only be utilized twice during the graduate program. Students pursuing the MSOT degree are only permitted to utilize the repeat/delete option on one occasion.

Transfer of Credit
Students who have been accepted into any Alvernia College Master’s program may transfer a maximum of two graduate courses (six graduate credits). Transfer courses must be from an accredited university or college and the student must have earned a minimum grade of ‘B’ to receive transfer credit. The courses must be equivalent to appropriate courses in the graduate program at Alvernia College. Transferred credits do not count towards the cumulative grade point average at Alvernia College.

An official transcript indicating the grade received and a complete course description or syllabus must be forwarded to the Coordinator of Graduate Admissions and Student Services. After all the required information has been forwarded, transfer credits are reviewed and approved by the relevant Program Coordinator.

Life Experience Credit
The College does not award graduate level course credit or academic forgiveness based on life experience.

Semester Grades
At the end of each semester, grade reports are sent to students by the Registrar’s Office. Students with outstanding financial obligations do not receive their grades until their accounts are cleared. The responsibility for identifying errors on the grade report is that of the student. Any correction must be made by the instructor and filed in the Registrar’s
Office. The deadline for corrections is 21 calendar days after the grade reports are mailed. After that time, no changes will be made on the student’s record.

Graduate Program Grading Scale
At the completion of a course, each student is assigned one of the following letter symbols: A = 4.0; A- = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3.0; B- = 2.7; C = 2.0: F = 0.0; Less than 2.7 = probation. The grade point average is obtained by dividing the total number of quality points achieved by the total number of credit hours attempted.

Incomplete Standing
A student who has received an incomplete in the traditional scheduling format must finish the incomplete work within four weeks following the final examination period of the semester or the grade is recorded as an ‘F’. In each instance the instructor may file a request for an extension with the Registrar within four weeks following the end of the academic term.

Academic Grievance Policy
The Graduate Student Grievance Committee attends to grievances of an academic nature. The Committee is comprised of all the Graduate Program Coordinators and a graduate student representative appointed by the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies. The Committee is involved in a student grievance only if the proper steps have been followed by the student. Procedures can be found in the Graduate and Continuing Studies Student Handbook. The student must discuss the situation/grade with the instructor within 20 calendar days of occurrence/disagreement.


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Graduate Program Course Descriptions | Administration, Trustees, and Graduate Faculty

Graduate and Certification Programs
Master of Arts
Program in Community Counseling
Program in Liberal Studies
Master of Business Adminstration
Master of Education
School Health (M.Ed.) & School Nurse Certification
Principal Certification Programs
Teaching Certification Curriculum
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
Doctor of Philosophy