Current Students

What is the Senate?

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Senate is the student representative body for the Lynch School. An ever-growing group of undergraduate students, we hope to serve as a connection for the members of the Lynch School community, strengthening that bond that makes our school so special. We plan several events each semester that bring the members of the community together to celebrate the spirit of education. The Senate also works to keep students informed of events and important news within the school.  We hope that through our commitment to the Lynch School we are furthering our mission statement of improving the human condition through education.

How Can I Get Involved?

If you would like to get involved with the Lynch School of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Senate, please e-mail us.

Procedure for Declaring / Adding / Changing a Major or Minor

All Lynch School undergraduate students must ‘officially’ declare their majors via completing two forms and submitting them to the Office for Undergraduate Student Services, Campion Hall 104.  Majors indicated upon admission to Boston College are not considered ‘official.’

To declare a Lynch major or minor please submit the following form(s) to the Office of Undergraduate Students in Campion 104:

• Adjust Major/Program of Study Form - Students will indicate their Lynch School Major, interdisciplinary major or MCAS major, in addition to any minors. 
  
  
• Application for Admission to Teacher Education Programs Form - required by students pursuing a teacher education major or minor. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required to officially declare a teacher education major.

Declaring MCAS majors or minors:

Students who plan to declare any MCAS major or minor, should list the major on the Lynch School declaration form.

Lynch students are encouraged to persue study abroad options, to arrange please follow the steps below:

1. Visit the Office of International Programs website to view the various OIP Partnerships, learn about study abroad policies and procedures, how to take next steps in the process.

2. Schedule an appointment with Maureen Raymond in Campion 104 to review your academic plan and to obtain preliminary approval to apply to study abroad. Students should be ready to declare their majors/minors at that time.

3. Students may participate in a teaching or a service learning opportunity while abroad.

4. Meet with the Practicum International Coordinator in Campion 102 to discuss the details of the international pre-practicum program. Make an appointment by sending an email to International.prac@bc.edu.

For Boston College Juniors

The Fifth Year Program and Early Admit Program offer academically outstanding Boston College Juniors a unique opportunity to begin graduate study during their undergraduate senior year, allowing them to graduate with a bachelor's and master's degree in a shortened amount of time.

Upon admission to the program, students have the ability to take up to two graduate-level courses in their senior year. In addition to the time advantage, there is a considerable savings involved. The two graduate-level courses taken in the senior year are covered by undergraduate tuition, so the amount saved at current graduate tuition rates could potentially be more than $9,000.

All undergraduate juniors in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Connell School of Nursing, and Carroll School of Management are eligible to apply for these programs. 

To learn more and view the list of eligible programs, please visit the Fifth Year and Early Admit webpage.

Students may be excused from class for reasons including, but not limited to, illness, death/critical illness of a family member, personal emergency, or religious observance according to Boston College policy.

Students will not be excused from classes for non-emergency absences that have not been authorized in advance and/or for reasons including but not limited to medical/dental appointments, job interviews or employment obligations, and personal or family events or celebrations. Please schedule these and other non-emergency appointments around your course responsibilities.

Students who will be absent from class because of illness or any other circumstances must first notify their respective faculty member(s) immediately. Students must carefully review the attendance and absence policies set by each of their faculty members for each course of each term. The Undergraduate Office of LSEHD does not provide medical or illness excuses to faculty for any documented medical/illness related absences falling under a two week time-frame. Agreements, negotiations, and any supporting documentation for course specific arrangements (i.e. illness/medical under two weeks) are the sole responsibility of the student and are made between the student and a given faculty member.

At Boston College, the undergraduate student’s Associate Dean may, as necessary, serve as an intermediary between students and faculty (inside and outside their school) regarding absences specifically related to serious illness or medical issues to ensure fairness, consistency, and protect student privacy regarding the illness and related absence when these issues exceed a two-week time frame. Students may contact and/or disclose information to their professors individually as they see fit for illness/medical concerns; however, students should note that some of their professors both inside and outside of LSEHD may insist on formal confirmation from the Associate Dean’s office for serious illness and absence exceeding the two-week time frame.   

Students should also carefully note a prolonged absence (those exceeding 2 weeks once during a term) may ultimately necessitate the student going on a Leave of Absence (LOA) from Boston College for the full semester. Course Withdrawals and Leave of Absence (medical and non-medical) requests require approval by the Associate Dean.

Providing formal documentation and information to the Undergraduate Office allows the Associate Dean or Associate Dean’s Office Directors to communicate with a student’s professors inside and outside the Lynch School to request considerations to enable the student to potentially complete course requirements in an appropriate and specifically determined time frame. Please note that it is ultimately the student’s full responsibility to make any/all arrangements for any make-up assignments/tests/exams with individual professors. The Associate Dean’s Office does not serve as an intermediary or administrator for specific make-up assignments or coursework arrangements.

The Undergraduate Dean’s Office will need confirmation/documentation from a healthcare provider that the student was seen, and (if relevant) the time period that was judged as appropriate for the student’s return to class. The office may additionally request corroboration of information regarding any personal circumstances for which an excused absence (beyond a faculty member’s course policy) has been requested.  The onus is on the student to arrange for this and/or any other documentation, verification and information to be transmitted to the Undergraduate Dean’s Office before any communication to faculty may occur.