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Policies
and Procedures
RELATED TO DOCTORAL STUDENTS The following policies and procedures are specific to the Lynch School.
Please refer to Updated July 2005 Beginning a Doctoral Program Academic Programs and Requirements Academic Policies Dissertation Process Commencement At a Glance: Deadlines and Procedures for Students and Faculty In addition to the information contained here, please consult the web pages for your particular program and the following Lynch School and University-wide websites for additional information. Student Start Page
Beginning a Doctoral Program Admission to the Doctoral Programs in the Lynch School Formal admission to the doctoral program occurs only when the student receives a signed letter of acceptance to a doctoral program in the Lynch School from the Office of the Associate Dean. Non-degree (Special) Students No more than 12 credit hours earned as a non-degree student may be applied to a degree program, and only if considered appropriate by the advisor, Program Coordinator, and/or Department Chair. Admission to a Program vs. Candidacy for a Degree
Beginning a Doctoral Program Registration
Beginning a Doctoral Program Financial Support: Loans and Scholarships Financial Aid
Assistantships & Fellowships (General Information) Incoming Ph.D. Students Types of Assistantships Teaching assistants may teach or assist in large lecture courses. Opportunities are also available for advanced doctoral students to serve as teaching fellows, i.e., to teach courses in selected undergraduate or master’s programs. (Students should check with their specific department on graduate teaching assistant policies). One course each semester is the requirement for receiving half an assistantship (10hrs/week) and teaching two courses per semester is the requirement for receiving a full assistantship (20hrs/wk). In addition to planning class meetings, conducting classes, meeting with site supervisors and evaluating students, teaching fellows will keep regular posted office hours and have students evaluate the courses using the standardized university evaluation form. Graduate office assistants provide administrative assistance to faculty who coordinate doctoral and masters programs, or to the master’s practicum coordinator. Graduate office assistants also work in the Office of Graduate Admissions, and in the Offices of the Dean and Associate Dean. Responsibilities may include a variety of tasks such as helping to maintain program records, preparing newsletters, organizing admissions materials, meeting with students and engaging in a wide range of administrative tasks. An award of a full-time graduate assistantship carries the expectation that the student will be available for 20 hours per week for nine months, that is, September through May. Half-time graduate assistants should be available 10 hours per week for the same period of time. The specific times that students work are negotiated with the supervising faculty member so as to not conflict with any courses that the student may be taking. Persons who have graduate assistantships should be aware that vacation days during the year follow the University employee calendar, not the student class calendar. A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for the summer. Responsibilities, length of service, and stipends vary and should be clarified prior to accepting the appointment. Assistantships usually carry a stipend (service and non-service) and tuition remission. Amounts vary depending upon the program in which the student is enrolled and the type of award. Students who are awarded a graduate assistantship or a teaching fellowship must be enrolled as full-time doctoral students and may not carry any incomplete coursework. Students accepting assistantships or fellowships may not accept any additional commitment of employment without prior consultation with and permission of their advisor, the Department Chair, the Lynch School Associate Dean, and, for Counseling Psychology students, the Director of Training. Application Process for Returning Students Students may apply for full-time (20 hours per week) and part-time (10 hours per week) positions as graduate research assistants, teaching assistants or fellows, and graduate office assistants. Students should indicate on the assistantship application their preference for a research, teaching or administrative assistantship. A supplemental required form is available in the department office on which students should discuss their professional goals and research interests and their clinical/field commitments for the subsequent year. Selection and Assignment Process The Lynch School seeks to offer support to all full-time Ph.D. students for the first two years of their doctoral study. It is expected that students will support their studies through participation with faculty in externally funded research in years 3 and 4 or through teaching fellowships. Keeping in mind both sets of needs, graduate assistantships are typically assigned in the following way. Faculty review graduate student assistantship applications to identify graduate research assistants who match the needs of their research and outreach scholarship projects. For returning students, this process generally begins in February after faculty members are notified of Lynch School research assistantship allocations. Prior student experience and competencies, as well as student interests, schedule availability, and opportunities for professional development of the student, are some of the factors often considered by faculty in selecting graduate assistants. The Program Coordinators for the Doctoral and Master’s programs, the Department Chairs, and the administrative officers of the Lynch School also review applications at this time to identify possible candidates for administrative assistantships based upon student interests, skills, and schedule. The Department Chair reviews faculty requests to assess matches between faculty choices and student preferences, and discusses these with faculty in the process of facilitating student assignments. They seek to facilitate this process in a way that ensures that all students participate in a variety of research and teaching experiences over the course of their doctoral training. Although efforts are made to meet student preferences and offer a range of experiences, there are realistic constraints to the process. For example, student opportunities to work with specific faculty are based upon allocations to faculty made by the dean’s office and upon external funding secured by individuals through faculty grants. Student opportunities to obtain desired experiences are limited by the nature of faculty projects at any point in time. To meet the funding requests/needs of students, they may be offered assistantships with faculty in their department, and, on occasion, with faculty outside their department or in administrative offices in the Lynch School. Efforts are made to announce awards for returning students by early May. Summer funds are exceptionally limited and decisions about their distribution are made by Department Chairs and the appropriate administrative officers. Letters of award are sent out from the Office of the Associate Dean and students may accept or decline the award. Students have three weeks to inform the office if they are going to decline the award. Some faculty members choose to contact identified graduate research assistants students personally before the letters are sent out to clarify responsibilities and determine the student’s willingness to accept the terms of the award. Similarly, the Department Chair typically discusses teaching opportunities with graduate students before these assignments are finalized. All students are required to complete a confidentiality form and return it to the Office of the Associate Dean prior to beginning their assistantships. It is important to note that the program cannot guarantee that graduate assistantships will always be available. Dissertation Support Internal Funding Doctoral Minority Fellowships
Special Group Funding Requests (pdf) External Funding Information on Conference Reimbursement (GEA)
Academic Programs and Requirements Designing a Doctoral Program Role of the Academic Advisor The advisor will assist in the initial design and, if necessary, later modification of your Program of Studies. The academic advisor must approve any transfers of credits from other universities and must approve, if necessary, a Petition for an Extension of Time to complete studies. Agreement to act as an academic advisor on the part of a faculty member does not imply responsibility for directing a dissertation. Students may request a change of advisor after consulting with their current advisor and clarifying the availability of a new advisor. Requests should be forwarded to the Program Coordinator and/or Department Chair, who should then notify the Office of the Associate Dean of the decision. Program of Study Students who fail to submit an approved Program of Study to the Office of the Associate Dean prior to these deadlines will not be allowed to register for courses for their following semester of study. The registrar will place a block on the student’s account until he or she files a complete Program of Study. (Effective beginning with students entering Summer/Fall 2006). Changes to Programs of Study Since the approved Program of Study form is the document used to clear the student for graduation, any changes to it should be properly approved in a timely manner. Approval for any course substitution must be obtained prior to registering for the course in question. Transfer of Credit
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Academic Programs and Requirements Year of Residence Most doctoral students in the Lynch School must spend one academic year "in residence." Doctoral students in Counseling Psychology are required to complete three years of full-time residency. Students in the Ed.D. MESPA/PSAP program fulfill their requirements by participating in all available academic and professional activities associated with the program during their three years of coursework. Residency is designed to provide each student with a combination of coursework (full-time for two consecutive semesters) and apprenticeship experience within their area of graduate studies. It is assumed that students in residence will have more time to interact with peers and faculty in formal and informal educational experiences. This combination of experiences allows students to be immersed in the intellectual community of the University with the least possible distraction. Students should consult their individual program handbooks for more specific program guidelines for fulfilling the residency requirement. While the purpose of residency is uniform across the school, the nature of the experience is shaped by the requirements of each program and the specific interests and needs of the student. Some students, for example, may have an apprenticeship experience through supervised teaching and/or research with faculty. Others may participate in a one-year colloquium. Still others may complete an off-campus research project supervised by a faculty member. Some of these options may lead to a pre-candidacy paper or other products. Students and their advisors make all arrangements relative to the year(s) of residence. This is typically noted on the student’s Program of Study. Once the residency requirement has been completed, the Program Coordinator and/or Department Chair should so certify, via email, to the Office of the Associate Dean, with a copy to the student. Students cannot be cleared for graduation unless this requirement has been met. Students who are unable to meet this requirement may want to consider a Certificate of Advanced Education Specialization (CAES).
Academic Programs and Requirements Comprehensive Examination and Admission to Candidacy Registration for the Comprehensive Examination During the semester in which students are taking the comprehensive examination, they should register for Doctoral Comprehensives, ED/PY 998.01 if not registered for other coursework. One course credit is granted for Doctoral Comprehensives and students must pay for this credit. Specific requirements for the exam are set by the program faculty, and students should make inquiries regarding format, length, and scheduling of the exam to the appropriate program faculty. Grades assigned to Comprehensive examinations are:
A student who fails the PhD Comprehensive examination may take it once again, no sooner than the following semester, and at a time designated by the Department. Ed.D. students should confirm with their Department Chair about the timing of a second administration of the Comprehensive Examination. In the case of a second failure, no further attempt is allowed. Following oral and written components of the exam, the Chair of the comprehensive committee submits an official ballot, graded and signed by each member, to the Associate Dean. Students are then officially notified of the results by the Associate Dean. Once the student has passed the comprehensive exams, the Office of the Deans will send a letter officially recognizing his or her admission to candidacy.
Academic Programs and Requirements Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Leave of Absence Leaves of absence are usually not granted for more than two semesters at a time. The written approval of the Associate Dean must accompany the form. A Leave of Absence frees the student from registering and paying fees. Leave time does count, however, toward the total time allowed to complete a degree program. Students will be obliged to apply for readmission on return from a Leave of Absence. Students who have not begun coursework are not required to file a Leave of Absence form if they do not begin their studies in the designated semester. However, students are required to obtain a deferral of admission through the Director of Admissions. Students will be required to apply for readmission and pay the readmission fee if they have not taken courses within one academic year following admission into the program, and have not obtained a deferral of admission. Maximum Duration Readmission Withdrawal from the University
Academic Programs and Requirements Continuation and Extension Continuation This registration entitles the candidate to use of University facilities (e.g., library and computers) and the privilege of informally (without record) auditing courses that may be helpful with research. Students will not usually be allowed to take leaves of absence once they have become candidates. Extensions Extensions are not granted routinely. They must be formally requested and the Timely completion is essential to the academic integrity of a degree program.
Academic Programs and Requirements Independent Study/Readings and Research
Academic Programs and Requirements Cross-Registration Boston-Area Consortium Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies
Academic Policies Academic Integrity Cheating is the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in any exam or other academic exercise submitted for evaluation. This includes
Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrative material, or statements of someone else, without full and proper acknowledgment, and presenting them as one's own. Collusion is assisting or attempting to assist another student in an act of academic dishonesty. Doctoral students ought to already know how to work cooperatively in a community of scholars and fruitfully utilize the work of others without violating the norms of intellectual honesty. Students have a responsibility to know the parameters of collaboration and the proper forms for quoting, attributing, summarizing, and paraphrasing. If a student has any questions or doubts about the parameters of cooperative intellectual activity, they should consult their academic advisor, the coordinator of their Ph.D. / Ed.D. program, or the Office of the Associate Dean. Faculty members who detect any form of academic dishonesty have the responsibility to take appropriate action. The faculty member also has the responsibility to report the incident and penalty to the Associate Dean. Such reports will remain in students' files until they graduate. Students are expected to be familiar with the ethical standards of their profession. See the
Academic Policies Academic Standing A student must earn an average of "B" in all graduate courses and credit hours applicable to the degree except those that are listed as pass/fail (e.g. Dissertation Direction, Dissertation Seminar). Only courses completed with grades of "C" or above may be applied to credit hour requirements for the degree. In the Lynch School of Education Graduate Programs, a student who receives a grade of "C" or "I" in two courses (six semester hours) or a grade of "F" in an elective course (three semester hours) may be reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee and put on academic probation. A subsequent grade of "C" or "F" in an elective course may be grounds for dismissal from the Lynch School. A grade of "F" in a required course is grounds for review by the Academic Standards Committee and possible dismissal from the Lynch School. A student who has been dismissed may not register for further study unless reinstated by a majority vote of the faculty in her or his department. Under certain conditions, and with the recommendation of the student's Department Chair, a student may apply to the Associate Dean for reinstatement. Ordinarily, at least one semester or summer session must pass before reinstatement. The program faculty will review a student's progress each academic year and will notify a student of any deficiencies that require correction. All required work in any course must be completed by the date set for the course examination. A student who has not completed the research or written work for a course may, with adequate reason and at the discretion of the professor teaching the course, receive an "I" (Incomplete). Except for extraordinary cases, the grade of "I" for any course shall not stand for more than four months from the last class day of the semester or summer session in which the course was offered. In extraordinary cases, the student may petition the Associate Dean for an exception. A “J” grade is used for a course that continues across two semesters, in which participation in both semesters is required for full credit to be granted. A “J” grade may not be used in place of an “I” grade for uncompleted work. Financial aid is not available to students with an "Incomplete." Students with graduate or teaching assistantships or fellowships may not carry an "Incomplete." Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize financial aid or result in a failing grade or dismissal from the program. All doctoral dissertation seminars and dissertation direction courses in the Lynch School are offered only on a pass/fail basis. Academic Standards Committee As a result of this review, the committee may recommend the student
be placed on academic probation or dismissed from the program, depending
on the severity of the academic problem. Students who have been placed
on Academic Probation must complete the terms specified by the Committee
before they can be considered for readmission to their program.
Academic Policies Grievance Procedure Students who believe they have a grievance should meet as soon as possible with the faculty member(s) or administrator(s) immediately involved. If such a meeting results in a mutually agreeable solution, the matter shall be considered closed. If a mutually acceptable disposition cannot be achieved, the student may pursue the complaint under the guidelines set forth in the Lynch School’s Procedure for Student Grievances This grievance procedure provides a process for constructively resolving serious academic, supervisory or administrative grievances that students may have with faculty, supervisors, staff or administrators. Its purpose is to resolve in a fair manner particular grievances arising from grading, other evaluation or supervisory practices. To that end, all concerned should display a cooperative manner, resolutions should be attempted between the parties involved, mediated rather than directed outcomes are to be sought, and are to be sought at the lowest possible administrative level. Confidentiality of the student(s) and faculty members(s) involved should be maintained at all times. If a student believes that he or she has been evaluated unfairly, the student should discuss the matter with the faculty member or supervisor involved as soon as possible after the evaluation in question has been received. This discussion should provide an opportunity for further dialogue and clarification between faculty and student about how the evaluation was determined, what criteria were used, and any related issues. If such a discussion results in a mutually acceptable resolution, the matter will be considered closed. If either party wishes to have a written statement of the outcome, the parties will put the resolution in writing, sign it, and each retain a copy. [If the student anticipates that discussing the matter directly with the faculty member would be hostile, the student may request an ombudsperson. In this case, the Chair or appropriate Dean will make a reasonable effort to assure an assignment agreeable to the student.] If the student continues to have serious reasons for believing that the faculty member, supervisor or program staff has treated him or her arbitrarily, unethically or based on error, he/she may submit to the faculty member or supervisor a written statement of his/her concerns, including the facts and circumstances and the reasons that the outcome of the initial contact (described in paragraph above) is unsatisfactory to him/her. The faculty member will respond in writing to the student within ten school days after receipt of the student's written statement. Upon the student's request, a copy of the student's statement may also be filed in the student's academic folder. The faculty member may also submit his or her views in writing to the student's academic folder. If such communication results in a mutually acceptable resolution, the matter will be considered closed. If either party wishes to have a written statement of the outcome, the parties will put the resolution in writing, sign it, and each retain a copy. If, however, a mutually acceptable disposition cannot be achieved, the student may present the matter in writing to the Chairperson of the department in which the faculty member or supervisor is located administratively. The student's written statement to the Chair must clearly specify the nature of the complaint and the remedy requested. The Chairperson should meet formally with the faculty member and the student involved and may review the previously written faculty and student responses to the grievance. The Chairperson should meet again with the faculty member and student involved, either separately or jointly or both, in order to work out a resolution of the problem. The Chairperson will provide a written response within two weeks of the meeting with the student and the faculty member. If a settlement is reached, it is to be put in writing and signed by the Chairperson and each of the parties, with each to retain a copy. If no resolution is reached, the Chairperson will prepare a written summary of events relevant to the grievance and provide a copy of it to the student and the faculty member involved. In the event that the grievance concerned treatment or evaluation in the practicum, the student would follow this same procedure. Specifically, he or she should discuss the matter first with his or her field supervisor. If this discussion did not lead to resolution, the matter would be brought to the appropriate Director of Field Placements who will follow the guidelines described above for Department Chairs. [Certain field site grievances involving persons not affiliated with Boston College should be pursued through that organization's grievance procedures. In this case, the student is advised to inform his or her university supervisor of the grievance.] Formal Appeal Procedures Initiation of the formal appeal procedure should be done as early as possible, but not later than the first two weeks of the semester following the semester in which the evaluation, incident or complaint was filed with the Chair. Following the formal grievance, the student may then appeal directly to the Dean's office for further consultation and mediation. If the undergraduate or graduate student is dissatisfied by the outcome of the discussions and process by the ad hoc committee, she/he may initiate a formal grievance procedure with the Dean. The decision of the Dean is final, and it will be communicated to the student in writing. If a faculty member believes the outcome of the grievance process is unfair, she or he may appeal to the University Grievance Committee. There are several situations in which the Lynch School Undergraduate and Graduate Student Grievance Procedure should be superceded. If the student believes that he or she has experienced discriminatory harassment, the student should follow the discriminatory harassment policies described in the
Dissertation Process Pre-proposal Overview of Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee
Dissertation Process Dissertation Proposal At that point, the student gives the Dissertation Chair the Copies of the final dissertation proposal and the completed Agreement to Schedule a Proposal Hearing form should be submitted at least two weeks before the planned proposal hearing. Students are strongly encouraged to submit the dissertation proposals a full month before their hearings so that faculty members have sufficient time to study and reflect upon them. A final decision regarding approval of the dissertation proposal will be made at this hearing. The Associate Dean's office will send an email announcing the date and inviting the members to the hearing. (Please note that proposal hearings are not held during July and August). Failure to comply with these procedures usually results in the delay of the proposal hearing. For the proposal hearing, doctoral candidates will meet with members of their dissertation committee at the scheduled time to answer questions related to the dissertation proposal. The committee will make one of four decisions:
When the members of the committee are satisfied with a proposal, they will sign a ballot that approves the proposal, and this ballot will be filed in the Office of the Associate Dean. All members of the committee must sign the ballot before the proposal can be considered accepted.
Dissertation Process Completing a Human Subjects Review Application Doctoral students must have a certificate indicating that they have completed the required training course before submitting a proposal to the IRB (Please see the The Human Subjects Review application must be approved by the Dissertation Chair and the student’s Department Chair before it is submitted. Students should also visit the Lynch School Human Subjects Review website and the Students should be advised that if their proposed studied is “high risk” it must be reviewed by the full Human Subjects Review committee and that this committee is not required to meet regularly during July and August.
Dissertation Process Scheduling the Final Defense The defense is posted as a public hearing, and copies of the abstract will be given to interested parties upon request. A final draft of the dissertation must be submitted to each of the committee members at least 14 days before the defense. This final draft must be complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval at the time of the defense. Failure to comply with this procedure will result in the defense being delayed. Final defenses may not be held in July and August. For doctoral students to participate in May graduation ceremonies they must have defended their dissertations and have all of their materials prepared for the submission of their dissertations by March 31. Students should refer to the Candidates must also obtain a doctoral packet from the Office of the Associate Dean before the defense or download the relevant forms posted on the Doctoral Student Forms web page. The Office of the Associate Dean will send the Committee Chair the title pages to be signed by members of the Dissertation Committee indicating their official approval of the dissertation after the final defense. These pages should be included with the final copies of the dissertation.
Dissertation Process Public Dissertation Defense The public defense provides a formal opportunity for the dissertation committee to question candidates about the work they have completed and to vote on the quality of that work. The Dissertation Committee should meet before the scheduled defense in another location to discuss the dissertation and procedures for the defense. Technically, the event is also an oral examination, which means that the committee may choose to question the candidate about issues relevant to, but not directly part of, the dissertation. For example, the committee may question the candidate about the use of a particular statistic or about a body of literature that is pertinent to the dissertation but not cited therein. The defense is public, meaning that it can be attended by other members of the School and University community and, where reasonable in the eyes of the committee, by others from outside the University. Whenever possible, the defense should be scheduled in a room that can accommodate visitors comfortably. Any faculty member, whether on the Dissertation Committee or not, may ask questions of the candidate at the defense. Usually the Committee will complete its questioning and the Chair will then ask if any one else has questions. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, visitors shall have an opportunity to pose question appropriate to the defense. Faculty who are visiting are requested to defer to the Chair’s judgment concerning matters of protocol. The Educational Policy Committee of the Lynch School approved the following Guidelines for Doctoral Defenses in the Lynch School of Education on Dec. 10, 1999. The dissertation committees shall have the freedom to depart from the guidelines under extenuating circumstances. Except in highly unusual circumstances, dissertation defenses will not exceed two hours in duration. The committee’s deliberations after the defense are to take place in Executive Session, with only the Dissertation Committee present. Faculty on the Dissertation Committee are the only faculty who may vote. The Committee will vote on whether the candidate passed or failed the final oral examination and will provide a list of required and recommend changes in the dissertation. The decision will include a vote of pass or fail on the final oral exam, as well as a list of recommendations for changes in the dissertation. The candidate is the only person who returns to the room after the Committee’s deliberations. Feedback from the Committee is to the candidate only. The signed official ballot signifying successful completion of the dissertation, should that be the committee's decision, will not be submitted to the Associate Dean until the necessary changes in the dissertation have been made. It is not unusual for the committee to require some degree of modification to the dissertation after the defense; therefore, it is recommended that candidates reserve time and resources for making these changes after the final defense. The candidate will not be considered to have completed the dissertation until all of the changes required by the Dissertation Committee have been addressed and submitted to the Associate Dean. Candidates may choose to copyright their dissertation when submitting their final copy to the Associate Dean. Regardless of whether or not a student copyrights the dissertation, the candidate is responsible for complying with all current copyright laws and regulations governing inclusion of another's work in his or her work. Candidates are cautioned to pay special attention to these regulations when reproducing tests or other instruments, in whole or in part, that are published elsewhere. Graduate students are expected to submit a paper summarizing the results of their dissertation research to a professional journal for publication. Faculty members who have made substantive contributions to the study frequently collaborate on writing the paper for publication. In all cases, however, the author of the dissertation is the first author listed on any paper based on the dissertation submitted for publication (see Concerns about Protocol or Standards at the Doctoral Defense Faculty are requested to refrain from public criticisms of colleagues who serve as Chairs or Readers on Dissertation Committees, particularly in the presence of students. Dissertation Process Summary of Facutulty Roles & Responsibilities Dissertation Committee Responsibilities:
Dissertation Chair Responsibilities:
Concerns about Protocol or Standards at the Doctoral Defense
Any faculty member with concerns about protocol or standards at Doctoral Defenses are requested to share those concerns with their colleagues and the Associate Dean. Faculty are requested to defer from public criticisms of colleagues who serve as Chairs or Readers on Dissertation Committees, particularly in the presence of students. Disputes
In the event that a dispute or disagreement arises between a student and a member of the committee or between members of the committee at any point during the Dissertation Process, the student should follow the Lynch School Grievance Procedures (see http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/p&p/grad_p&p/doctoral/default.html#grievance)
Commencement Awards and Robing On the day before May Commencement, the Lynch School hosts a graduate and undergraduate Awards and Robing Ceremony. Following the presentation of awards, the Associate Dean announces the names of Doctoral candidates and dissertation directors, along with the titles of dissertations. Each candidate and Dissertation Director comes on stage, where the Dissertation Director places a doctoral robe on the candidate.
Commencement Graduation Procedures Student Responsibilities between Defense and Graduation Procedural Checks Doctoral Packet Items to be Submitted and Deadlines Students must register to graduate online by Feb. 1. All materials in the Doctoral Packet (with the exception of the Exit Interview) must be submitted to the Associate Dean by March 31. Materials submitted after the University's deadline will be reviewed for the subsequent graduation date, that is, either August or December, depending upon the date of submission. Exit Interview Dissertation Access
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University Academic Policies and Procedures