Graduate School Policies

Graduate Programs

Mount Aloysius College offers the following graduate degrees:

• Master of Business Administration - Dr. Cathleen Golden
• Master of Science: Community Counseling - Dr. David Haschak

Students in graduate programs at Mount Aloysius College come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. A part-time graduate school student is a degree-seeking student taking fewer than nine (9) credits a semester. A full-time graduate school student is a degree-seeking student taking nine (9) credits or more a semester.

Writing Style

Graduate students should consult their program policies for the program-specific writing style to be adhered to for all classes within the program. A program-specific writing style must be a recognized published editorial style. If not otherwise noted, the use of the American Psychological Association (APA) style is required.

Submission of the Master’s Thesis to the Library

Requirements for the submission of the M.A. or M.S. thesis to the department are established by each department. Students completing Master’s thesis should discuss requirement for submitting final versions to the Library with their Program Coordinators as these requirements vary across programs. The thesis must be accepted and the Final Examination Report must be signed by the respective advisor/faculty/chair.

The completed thesis must be forwarded to the Mount Aloysius College Library where it will be inspected to see that the thesis meets the institutional  requirements (signed and approved by the appropriate department). A representative of the Library will ensure the thesis is spiral bound, cataloged and deposited in the Library reserve shelves, closed stacks.

Graduate-Level Core Learning Goals

The College developed these overarching Graduate-Level Core Learning Goals (GLCLGs) to explicitly articulate the minimum set of expectations within all graduate programs, help ensure the integrity of student experiences across the various programs, provide an organizational structure to curriculum planning and student learning assessment that is consistent with the institutional Assessment Plan, and meet the standards of relevant accrediting bodies.

The five Graduate-Level Core Learning Goals for graduate students are:

1. Knowledge: Students will demonstrate breadth and depth of advanced knowledge within a discipline.
2. Thinking: Students will demonstrate the ability to think independently, creatively, analytically, and/or critically.
3. Values: Students will demonstrate advanced comprehension of ethical guidelines and regulations in their discipline, as well as the associated underlying values.
4. Communication: Students will demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills.
5. Application: Students will demonstrate application of discipline-specific content and skills and/or career-related competence to professional settings.

Graduate Admissions Policies

General Graduate Program Admissions Policies

Applicants to all graduate programs must submit:

• A completed application form with the non-refundable application fee.
• An official transcript issued to Mount Aloysius College from every institution attended, regardless of whether or not a degree was earned. An official transcript is one that is sent or carried to the College in an envelope sealed by the granting university. Students with an overall grade point average below 3.2 on a 4.0 scale may be required to take the GRE or GMAT exam to be determined by the Program Coordinator.
• A career goal statement which includes the following:
  • a brief description of the applicant’s background, training, and experience;
  • a statement indicating the career goals of the applicant and his or her reasons for seeking admission to this program;
  • a description of the areas which the applicant considers to be his or her strengths and areas in which the applicant wishes to develop greater strengths and abilities; and
  • other personal information the applicant wishes to share.
• Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take a TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic exam. Fort he TOEFL iBT, miminum score is a 53; TOEFL Essentials is a 5.5. For the IELTS a 5.5 is required as the minimum score and the PTE Academic is 42. If the applicant has a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university, the TOEFL requirement is waived.
• Two letters of recommendation that verify professional experience, academic ability, volunteer experience, and aptitude for the proposed career path.
• A current resume.

Additional admissions requirements may apply to specific programs. See the specific graduate program section for additional admissions requirements for those programs.

Graduate School Provisional Admission

Graduate students may be admitted provisionally to the College upon approval of the program coordinator if they do not meet all the academic pre-requisites for full admission to a graduate program. Graduate students who are accepted provisionally must take six (6) credits and complete both courses with a “B” or better. Students will be informed of any specific provisional guidelines by the program coordinator. Provisional acceptance is done on a case-per-case basis. Student who are provisionally accepted will typically schedule one course per eight week sub-term of a semester.

At the completion of the graduate student’s first eight-week course, the program coordinator and student will meet to review the student’s grades. At that time, the program coordinator will determine if the student will be allowed to schedule for the next semester. If granted permission, the program coordinator will email the Registrar’s Office to schedule the student for courses in the next semester.

At the completion of the semester and/or six (6) credits, the graduate student and program coordinator will meet to review the student’s academic standing. If the student has achieved good standing and have earned a “B”/(3.0) or better both courses, then the program coordinator will issue a letter to the student and Registrar’s Office indicating the full matriculation into the program. This letter will remove the provisional status for the student record. If a graduate student has not achieved good standing by earning a “B” /3.0 in both courses then the student will be dismissed from the program. The student may choose to appeal his or her dismissal by appeal to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Directions for formally appealing a dismissal can be found under the Graduate Division Probation and Academic Dismissal policy.

Special requirements and procedures apply for provisional admission to the MBA Program. See the provisional Admission to the MBA Program section for those special requirements.

Second Master’s Degree

Students who have graduated with a master degree through Mount Aloysius College and choose to pursue a second master degree with Mount Aloysius College must complete an additional 24 credits and all the requirements for the second degree. Due to the similarity in curriculum, students who earned a Master in Community Counseling from Mount Aloysius College will be unable to pursue a Master in Psychology or a Master in Behavioral Specialist Consulting and students who earned a Master in Behavioral Specialist Consulting from Mount Aloysius College will be unable to pursue a Master in Psychology.

Non-matriculating Students

Students who have not been formally accepted into a graduate program at Mount Aloysius College are eligible to enroll in up to six credits of coursework as a non-matriculating student.

Transfer Credits

A maximum of six (6) semester credits earned prior to matriculation at Mount Aloysius College may be accepted in transfer upon the recommendation of the  Program Coordinator and with the approval of the appropriate Dean. To be considered for transfer, the credits must meet the following criteria:

• Credits must be listed on an official transcript.
• The credits must have been earned at a regionally-accredited institution.
• The credits must be clearly designated as graduate credits.
• The grade earned must be a Pass or a “B” or higher.
• The credits must have been earned within ten years preceding matriculation at Mount Aloysius College.
• Course syllabi may be required in order for the College to determine the transferability of credits.

Students should seek the transfer of credits during the first semester of graduate study at Mount Aloysius College. Transfer credits will appear on the transcript as fulfilling program requirements or as electives. Transfer credits do not affect the student’s GPA at Mount Aloysius.

Conversions and Rounding

All transfer credit awards are made in semester credits. Accepted transfer credits based upon credit systems other than semester credits will be converted to semester credits. Semester credit values are rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Duplicate Credit

If a student receives transfer credit, he or she may not receive credit for a course at Mount Aloysius College that duplicates the learning for which transfer credit was given. The Program Coordinator will judge the similarity of learning in the courses.

Graduate Level Grade Scale and Grade Policies

Grading

Instructors assign letter grades based on student performance. The manner of grading for each course, including the means by which final grades will be determined, is documented in each course syllabus.

Grade Values and Points

Mount Aloysius College uses a grade point system to evaluate the overall quality of course work. The number of grade points earned in a given course is the number of credits for that course multiplied by the quality point corresponding to the grade recorded in that course, as indicated below.

Repeating Courses

Courses for which a grade of “C” or lower has been received may be repeated. Students may repeat a course only once. Students may be required to obtain additional undergraduate preparation before repeating the graduate-level course.

Incomplete Grades

The grade of “I” (Incomplete) is used to record work that, so far as covered, is a passing grade but is incomplete due to illness or other unavoidable reason. An incomplete grade must be removed within six (6) weeks following the comprehensive testing date. Otherwise, the grade is automatically converted to an “F.” Only the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs may grant exception to this policy.

Change of Grade

Changes of grades cannot be made on the basis of work completed after the final grade has been submitted. If instructors discover errors in grades they have reported, an amended grade report must be filed with the Registrar. The same process is followed when Incompletes are resolved. Any change of grade should be filed shortly after the student’s submission of completed work and grading. (Incomplete grades being changed must be submitted within six (6) weeks of the assignment of the initial grade.) A student who is contesting a grade must do so by the end of the semester following the semester in which the grade was received.

Change of Grades Due to Withdrawal from Program

When students withdraw from the College, all grades not completed will be changed to “W” (Withdraw); grades of “I” will be changed to “F.”

Graduation and Program Limits

Program Time Limits

All degree requirements must be completed within six years. The six-year period begins with the first semester of course work. Students who cannot meet this requirement may request extensions in writing from their Program Coordinator. Extension requests must show a willingness to complete the remainder of the degree requirements on a contractual basis with specific tasks and deadlines. Students who transfer from one program to another will have six years to complete their degree, beginning with the first semester of the new program.

Participation in Commencement Exercises, Degree Conferral, and Graduation

Candidates for graduation must submit the Application for Graduation to the Registrar’s Office and pay the required graduation fee by the deadline date published by the Registrar. Students completing a thesis, as a requirement of their program, should apply for graduation at the time they preparing for their defense meeting within the department.

Graduate students may apply to participate in the commencement ceremony lacking up to a maximum of six (6) credits which will be completed by the end of the following summer term. However, the student is not awarded a degree until the semester in which all requirements are fulfilled. Commencement exercises are held each spring.

Prior to graduation, candidates must complete all financial obligations to Mount Aloysius College including the graduation fee. The Registrar’s Office will hold transcripts and diplomas for students with outstanding balances; holds will remain until all financial obligations are met. Students in graduate programs are required to have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in their graduate coursework.

Withdrawal from the College

Students who wish to voluntarily withdraw from Mount Aloysius College must do so in writing to the Program Coordinator and Registrar. Since all degree requirements must be completed within the degree completion time limit, students who exceed this time limit will be administratively withdrawn. Students who have not registered for one year will be administratively withdrawn.

Graduate School Academic Standing Policies

Graduate Division Good Academic Standing

Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. in order to maintain good academic standing. Students whose cumulative GPA is below a 3.0 are placed on academic probation.

Graduate Division Probation and Academic Dismissal

Graduate Council conducts an academic review at the end of each fall and spring semester and recommends whether graduate students should (a) continue their studies taking up to a maximum of 15 credits a semester, (b) be placed on academic probation taking up to a maximum of 6 credits a semester, or (c) be dismissed from the College.

Probation

Graduate students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress in their coursework by maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. A CGPA below 3.0 constitutes a designation of academic probation for the upcoming semester.

Academic Probation is a period of restricted enrollment. Students should meet regularly with their advisors to monitor their academic progress during the probation period and to discuss what remediation is needed to ensure that the student has had the opportunity to demonstrate his or her ability to benefit from instruction at Mount Aloysius College. It is the desire of the College to provide early intervention so that all students might achieve academic success as they pursue their educational goals. At a minimum, each student on academic probation will receive advisement and referral as appropriate. Specific methods of remediation will be prescribed to meet the needs of the individual student.

To be removed from academic probation, students must raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 or above with the next two courses (six credits). Failure to do so will result in academic dismissal.

Dismissal

Graduate students whose cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls a 3.0 after one semester of academic probation will be dismissed from the College.

Students who have been academically dismissed from the College may appeal that decision in writing to the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs within five (5) days of receipt of their dismissal letter. As stated in the dismissal letter, the appeal letter must include:

• a statement with supporting documentation indicating why the academic performance was poor;
• a statement indicating how the student expects to improve his or her academic performance; and
• a statement concerning the projected course of study.

Dismissed students and dismissed students whose appeals were not granted are not eligible to enroll in any session (fall, spring, or summer) for at least one (1) calendar year following their dismissal. Thirty (30) days before the beginning of the semester for which they wish to seek readmission, the student must write a letter to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs requesting a review of their dismissal and petitioning readmission to the College. The letter of request for readmission must document extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control (e.g., personal, medical, or a serious family emergency) that significantly interfered with his or her ability to successfully complete the required academic work. The letter of request for readmission must address the same areas as listed above. Permission to return is not automatic but is based upon the merits of each individual case.

If the request for readmission is granted by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, application for readmission must be made through the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions and students must follow the Readmission Policy as stated in the College Catalog. That is, they must place their intent in writing with the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions. Once a letter is received, the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions will process all requests through the Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice President for Finance, Registrar, and appropriate Division and Department Chairs. If granted readmission, students will follow the rules and policies listed in the College Catalog that are in effect at the time of their re-entrance to the institution.

Financial Aid for Graduate School

Many federal and state aid programs available to undergraduate students are not available to graduate students (e.g., Pell and FSEOG Grants as well as many State programs.) Much of the aid received by graduate students is in the form of loans.

Graduate School Loans

To apply for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, students must submit a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) to the Department of Education.

Students wishing to receive Direct Unsubsidized Loan monies to finance their graduate education must be enrolled in a degree program and are required to comply with all federal regulations regarding the verification of their FAFSA, satisfactory academic progress and withdrawal policies/procedures.

Academic progress for graduate students will require the student to receive a grade of A, B, C, or P. Any graduate student who receives a grade of F, I or W is considered to have NOT successfully completed credits attempted. Graduate students must earn all credits attempted. Examples: A full-time graduate student attempts 12 credits per semester for a total of 24 credits for the academic year. That student must pass with an A, B, C, or P all 24 credits. A full-time graduate student attempts 9 credits per semester for a total of 18 credits for the academic year. That student must pass with an A, B, C, or P all 18 credits. A part-time graduate student attempts 6 credits per semester for a total of 12 credits for the academic year. The student must pass with an A, B,C, or P all 12 credits.

The following government loans are available to graduate students:

• Direct Loans - low interest rate federal loans available to most students, even at half-time status. These loans are unsubsidized (you pay the interest quarterly while you are in school).
• Direct Grad Plus Loan - federally sponsored, non-need, credit-based loan for students attending graduate school. Students must be enrolled at least half-time and can borrow up to the full cost of their education, less other financial aid received. Students must first  exhaust their Direct Loan eligibility before applying for a Grad PLUS loan.

Student Loan Limits

The total debt students may have outstanding from all Direct Loans combined is $138,500 as a graduate student. Only $65,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. The graduate debt limit includes any loans received for undergraduate study.

Enrollment Classification