Policies and Procedures

Undergraduate Academic Regulations

All students entering Lynch School Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs are to follow the Boston College Academic Regulations, a program of studies in selected majors and complete Core requirements and electives needed to fulfill degree requirements. A second major, either interdisciplinary or in a department in the College of Arts & Sciences, is also required of students in licensure programs.

Students in the Human Development program are required to complete a minor of six courses in one discipline outside the Lynch School, or an interdisciplinary minor or major, or a second major. All programs lead to the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Requirements for the Degree

Although students may satisfy Core requirements in any of their four undergraduate years, they are advised to complete most and, if possible, all Core requirements within the first two years. The remaining 24 courses are to be completed with major and elective choices.

All first year students should select EN 010 First Year Writing Seminar or a Core Literature course, APSY1030 Child Growth and Development and the course(s) designated by your major department. Major requirements are listed in the sections that follow. If you have not declared a major and are listed as Unclassified, follow the course requirements for the Applied Pscyhology and Human Development major.

The ERA seminar, a three-credit course, is also a requirement for all Lynch School students.

The bachelor's degree requires the completion, with satisfactory cumulative average (at least 1.667) of at least 38 one-semester courses (each carrying a minimum of three semester-hour credits), normally distributed over eight semesters of four academic years. Students pursuing teacher licensure programs, however, must maintain a cumulative average of at least 2.50 to enroll in the practicum (full time student teaching).

Within the 120 credits required for graduation, 45 credits comprise the Core Curriculum.

Students are advised to select Core courses very carefully, making sure they satisfy the Core requirement in each department in Arts & Sciences. APSY 1030 and APSY 1031, both required courses for all students in the Lynch School, meet the Core Social Science requirement. APSY 031 also meets the Core requirement for a course in Cultural Diversity. Identification of Core courses can be determined by contacting the appropriate department head in Arts & Sciences and by reference to each semester's Schedule of Courses.

A second major, either interdisciplinary, Applied Psychology and Human Development, or in a department of the College of Arts & Sciences subject discipline, is required of all students in licensure programs. This major should be in an area that complements the student's program in the Lynch School. These majors must have the approval of the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs (Campion 104/106).

Students in licensure programs are encouraged to declare their liberal arts majors early so that they are eligible to take courses restricted to majors in these disciplines.

Students in the Applied Psychology and Human Development program are not required to have a second major but are required to complete a minor of six courses in one subject discipline outside the Lynch School, or an interdisciplinary minor or major, or second major.

A major program of studies within the Lynch School must be declared by all students and approved by the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs before the end of the sophomore year. Applied Pscyhology and Human Development majors as well as those seeking a major leading to teacher licensure must be officially accepted into the major by the Lynch School.

Students seeking a major leading to teacher licensure must complete and submit a Declaration of a Major form, an application for admission to a Teacher Education Program, and a current transcript to the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs. That office reviews applications and accepts qualified applicants before the end of the sophomore year. Early program application is encouraged.

Applied Pscyhology and Human Development majors need to complete a Declaration of a Major form and submit a current transcript.

The remaining courses required for graduation include additional major courses, minor courses, and electives.

Standard Program

The standard course load for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors is five three-credit courses each semester; for seniors, four courses. A freshman or sophomore who wishes to take only four courses may do so only with prior approval of the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs. After the first year, a sixth course may be taken by students whose GPA is at least 3.3. A student whose average is between 2.8 and 3.2 must obtain prior approval for a sixth course from the the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

During the first two years, students are required to enroll each year in a minimum of six credits of Education courses, unless they receive prior approval from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

No more than 11 courses may be taken for credit in one year without special permission from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Full-time status for a student in any class requires enrollment in at least four three-credit courses in each semester.

Tuition shall apply each semester as published, even if the student carries the minimum full-time load or less.

Acceleration of degree programs is possible in exceptional circumstances, provided that approval is obtained from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs at least two full semesters before early graduation, and that University policies governing acceleration are followed.

The only courses that a student, after admission to Boston College, may apply toward a Lynch School degree (whether for Core, major, or total-course requirements) will be those taken at Boston College in a regular course of study during the academic year. The Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs may grant exceptions to the provisions of this regulation for the following situations:

official cross registration programs
international programs
official college exchange programs
special study programs authorized by the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs
removal of deficiencies incurred by failure, withdrawal from a course, or course underload
subject to certain restrictions, courses in the College of Advancing Studies as approved by the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs prior to enrollment in the course

Any of the above exceptions granted must be based on prior written approval from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Transfer into the Lynch School

Boston College undergraduate students may apply for transfer consideration into Lynch School Applied Psychology & Human Development or Teacher Education majors. To be eligible, students must:

have a minimum 3.0 grade point average.
have a record free of academic deficiencies.
complete at least four semesters of full-time study in the Lynch School.
transfer after completing freshman year or during either term of sophomore year.

Students must make an appointment with either Dr. Julia DeVoy, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students in the Lynch School, Maureen Raymond, Associate Director, or Jill Pickener, Assistant Director to explore the Lynch transfer process. To schedule an appointment, stop by Campion 104. Following the appointment, students may be invited to submit the following transfer application materials:

Internal Transfer Application Form
Adjust Major Form
Application for Admission to Teacher Education Programs (required for students who plan to pursue a teacher education major i.e. Elementary or Secondary Education)
Academic Integrity Form
Personal Essay: a 250-word essay that provides a thoughtful rationale for becoming an Applied Psychology or Teacher Education Major. This essay must be typed.

Pass/Fail Electives

In sophomore, junior, or senior years, a student may, with the approval of the department offering the course, take an elective course on a Pass/Fail basis. No more than one Pass/Fail course may be taken in any semester.

Pass/Fail evaluations may not be sought in Core or major courses. A student is required to complete a Pass/Fail form and obtain approval from the instructor and from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

No more than three courses for which the final grade is "Pass" will be counted toward a degree.

Students, anytime before senior year, may be relieved of a Core requirement without receiving credit by demonstrating, by means of an equivalency examination, to the chair of a department that administers courses satisfying the Core requirement, that they have mastered the content of such a course.

In certain departments there are courses in which continuation in the second semester is intrinsically dependent upon mastering the content of the first semester. A student who fails or withdraws from the first semester of such a course may, with the approval of the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs, be allowed to continue in the course and gain credit and the grade of D- for the first semester by passing the second semester satisfactorily (with a C+ or better, if graded). This regulation may be applied also to Pass/Fail electives involving a two-semester offering provided both semesters are taken Pass/Fail. The grade of Pass, rather than D-, will be awarded for the first semester in such cases. A list of departments and courses where these regulations apply is on file in the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

Requirements for Good Standing

To remain in the Lynch School, a student must maintain a cumulative average of at least 1.667 as the minimum standard of scholarship and have passed at least nine courses by the beginning of the second year, 19 by the beginning of the third year, and 29 by the beginning of the fourth year. Students must have at least a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for a practicum (full-time student teaching senior year).

Failure to maintain good standing, either through a low cumulative average or by incurring failures and/or withdrawals, or by taking an unapproved underload, will result in the student being placed on probation or being required to withdraw from the School, as the Academic Standards Committee shall determine.

Unless the student returns to good standing by an approved method (see "Course Make-up") or if the student incurs additional failures or withdrawals, or carries an unapproved underload while on probation, the student will be required to withdraw from the Lynch School at the time of the next review.

A student who has not passed 17 courses after two years or 27 after three years will be required to withdraw. If seven courses are not passed in one year, withdrawal will be required. If a student passes fewer than two courses in a semester, the Academic Standards Committee and the Dean may require immediate withdrawal.

No student may begin a given academic year in September with more than one deficiency. Three deficiencies within an academic year will mean dismissal. A deficiency is defined as a failure in a course, a withdrawal from a course, or an unapproved underload. A deficiency should be made up as soon as possible after it has been incurred.

A student who has been required to withdraw because of three or more deficiencies may be eligible to apply for readmission. To be eligible for return, a student must fulfill the conditions specified in the letter of withdrawal from the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs. This will ordinarily include the reduction of deficiencies and the attainment of a minimum grade point average. A student who fails to fulfill the specified conditions will not be allowed to return to the Lynch School, and it is at the discretion of the Dean whether to allow readmission.

Students may be reinstated once after a dismissal. A student who receives a subsequent dismissal may not be reinstated.

Course Make-Up

A student who has failed or withdrawn from a course may make up the credits by passing an additional approved course during the regular school year or in a summer session at Boston College (with a grade of at least C-) or at another accredited four-year college (with a grade of at least C-).

All make-up courses must be authorized by the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs or by the appropriate department for Core and/or A&S major courses prior to registration in them.

To make up deficiencies, not more than two approved three-credit courses or their equivalent will be accepted from any one summer session; and no more than a total of three approved three-credit courses or their equivalent will be accepted from two or more sessions in the same summer.

A student who has been or will be required to withdraw may seek approval of the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs for summer courses, and may thereby become eligible for consideration for reinstatement. A student who does not receive permission for summer courses or who fails to achieve creditable grades of C- or better in approved summer courses will not be allowed to matriculate in the Lynch School.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Students who are absent repeatedly from class or practica will be evaluated by faculty responsible for the course to ascertain their ability to achieve the course objectives and to continue in the course.

A student who is absent from class is responsible for obtaining from the professor, or other students, knowledge of what happened in class, especially information about announced tests, papers, or other assignments.

Professors will announce, reasonably well in advance, all tests and examinations based on material covered in class lectures and discussions, as well as other assigned material. A student absent from class on the day of a previously announced examination is not entitled, as a matter of right, to make up what was missed. The professor involved is free to decide whether a make-up will be allowed.

In cases of prolonged absence, due to sickness or injury, the student or a family member should communicate with the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs as soon as the prospect of extended absence becomes clear. Academic arrangements for the student's return to classes should be made with the the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs, as soon as the student's health and other circumstances permit.

Final examinations must be given in all courses at the prescribed time. A student who misses a final examination is not entitled, as a matter of right, to a make-up examination except for serious illness and/or family emergency. The illness or emergency must be confirmed by the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs preferably before the time of the final examination, but certainly within 48 hours of the examination.

Professional Practicum Experiences Leading to Teacher Licensure

Placements for pre-practica and practica leading to license are arranged by the Office of Professional Practicum Experiences, Campion 106, only for eligible students enrolled in programs in the Lynch School. The Director of Professional Practicum Experiences, for appropriate reasons, may choose not to approve a student for the practicum.

Pre-practica and practica are essential parts of the curriculum in the Lynch School. Attendance is required of all students assigned to cooperating school systems and agencies. It is the student's responsibility to inform the school or agency and the college supervisor of absences from the site.

Three semesters of pre-practicum assignments of one day per week are required before student teaching in the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education programs.

A full practicum (student teaching) is a full-time, five-days-per-week experience in the senior year for an entire semester. In the Lynch School, a full practicum is characterized by the teaching competencies required by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

The full practicum must be completed by all students seeking licensure. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and successful completion of all major courses are required prior to student teaching for all students in Early Childhood and Elementary programs. Students in Secondary Education must complete all major courses and 4/5 of A&S courses prior to student teaching. No incomplete grades may be outstanding and a minimum of 29 courses must have been completed before placement is approved.

All students will be screened for eligibility and any who fail to meet the standards (academic, health, professional) will be excluded. Those so excluded will take courses on campus during the semester to qualify for a degree from Boston College, but not for recommendation for teacher licensure.

Students will not be allowed to enroll in an overload while doing student teaching. If, for any reason, a student is unable to complete the full practicum, an extended practicum (additional time in the field) will be required by arrangement of the Director of Professional Practicum Experiences.

All pre-practica and practica for students seeking teacher licensure are arranged by the Office of Professional Practicum Experiences. Students must apply for a field assignment during the semester preceding the one in which the assignment is to be scheduled.

Application deadlines for all pre-practica are December 1 for spring placements and April 15 for fall placements. Application deadlines for all practica are October 30 for spring placements and March 15 for fall placements. The Office of Professional Practicum Experiences will not be able to arrange assignments for late applicants.

The facilities utilized for pre-practica and practica are located in Boston and neighboring communities. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from these facilities.

Leave of Absence

A student in good standing who desires to interrupt the normal progress of an academic program and to resume studies at Boston College within a year may petition for a leave of absence. The process begins at the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs.

A leave of absence will not usually be granted to students who expect to do full-time academic work at other institutions. A leave of absence will be extended for no more than one year, although petition for renewal is possible.

Academic Integrity

Students at the Lynch School are expected to have high standards of integrity. Any student who cheats or plagiarizes on examinations or assignments is subject to dismissal from the University. Cases involving academic integrity shall be referred to the Dean's Office for adjudication.

Policy and Procedures
The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and receive credit for their own work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to scholarship. Similarly, the educational process requires that individuals present their own ideas and insights for evaluation, critique, and eventual reformulation. Presentation of others' work as one's own is not only intellectual dishonesty, but it also undermines the educational process.

Standards
Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic context including, but not restricted to, the following:

Cheating is the fraudulent or dishonest presentation of work. Cheating includes but is not limited to:

the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for papers or reports, or in clinical practice, as in
reporting experiments, measurements, statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
falsification of papers, official records, or reports;
copying from another student's work;
actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
unauthorized cooperation defined by the course instructor in completing assignments or during an examination;
the use of purchased essays or term papers, or of purchased preparatory research for such papers;
submission of the same product (e.g., written work) in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructors involved;
misrepresentation in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for submitting papers, and in any other matter relating to a course.

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.

Other breaches of academic integrity include:

the misrepresentation of one's own or another's identity for academic purposes;
the misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to examinations, papers, or other evaluative activities;
the sharing or sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
the alteration or falsification of official University records;
the unauthorized use of University academic facilities or equipment, including computer accounts and files;
the unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, sharing, dissemination, or use of academic lectures, academic computer software, or other instructional materials;
the expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal University committees;
the expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying human subject data;
the unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in University libraries, media, or academic resource centers.

Collusion is defined as assistance or an attempt to assist another student in an act of academic dishonesty. Collusion is distinct from collaborative learning, which may be a valuable component of students' scholarly development. Acceptable levels of collaboration vary in different courses, and students are expected to consult with their instructor if they are uncertain whether their cooperative activities are acceptable.

Promoting Academic Integrity: Roles of Community Members

Student Roles in Maintaining Academic Integrity
Students have a responsibility to maintain high standards of academic integrity in their own work and thereby to maintain the integrity of their degree. It is their responsibility to be familiar with, and understand, the University policy on academic integrity. Students who become aware of a violation of academic integrity by a fellow student should respond in one of the following ways:

Students may discuss their concerns with the student whom they suspect of a violation. Direct contact by another student may be the best means of resolving the problem. Repeated demonstration of student concern for academic integrity will, in the long run, build a peer-regulated community.
If the incident is a major violation or part of a repeated pattern of violations, students should bring their concerns to the attention of the instructor or to the appropriate department chairperson or associate dean. The faculty or chairperson should then report credible concerns to the Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean. Suspected violations by students reported to members of the faculty or to an Associate Dean will be handled according to the formal procedures set forth below.

Students who have serious concern that a faculty member is not meeting their responsibility to safeguard and promote academic integrity in course group work or in other elements of assigned coursework and assessment should speak with the faculty member directly, or should bring their concern to the attention of the associate dean of undergraduates who will ensure the concern and correct process is followed.

Faculty Roles in Fostering Academic Integrity
Faculty members should provide students with a positive environment for learning and intellectual growth and, by their words and actions, promote conditions that foster academic integrity. Faculty should be concerned about the impact of their behavior on students. Students are sensitive to messages communicated in informal discussions and in casual faculty remarks about personal decisions and value judgments. Students are perhaps most sensitive to how responsibly faculty members fulfill their obligations to them in the careful preparation of classes, in the serious evaluation of student achievement, and in their genuine interest in and availability to students. Faculty should promote academic integrity in the following specific ways:

At the beginning of each course, instructors should discuss academic integrity in order to promote an ongoing dialogue about academic integrity and to set the tone and establish guidelines for academic integrity within the context of the course, e.g., the extent to which collaborative work is appropriate. Where relevant, instructors should discuss why, when, and how students must cite sources in their written work.
Instructors should provide students with a written syllabus that states course requirements and, when available, examination dates and times.
Instructors are encouraged to prepare new examinations and assignments where appropriate each semester in order to ensure that no student obtains an unfair advantage over his or her classmates by reviewing exams or assignments from prior semesters. If previous examinations are available to some students, faculty members should ensure that all students in the course have similar access. Course examinations should be designed to minimize the possibility of cheating, and course paper assignments should be designed to minimize the possibility of plagiarism.
Proctors should be present at all examinations, including the final examination, and should provide students with an environment that encourages honesty and prevents dishonesty.
Faculty should be careful to respect students' intellectual property and the confidentiality of student academic information.
Assignment of grades, which is the sole responsibility of the instructor, should be awarded in a manner fair to all students.

Academic Deans

Academic deans have overall responsibility for academic integrity within their schools. In particular, deans' responsibilities include the following:

Promoting an environment where academic integrity is a priority for both students and faculty,
Ensuring that students who are honest are not placed at an unfair disadvantage, and
Establishing procedures to adjudicate charges of academic dishonesty and to protect the rights of all parties.

LSEHD Procedures (Undergraduate)

The Lynch School’s Academic Integrity undergraduate policies and processes provide students accused of academic integrity violations with basic due process and procedural steps and protections, including formal notice and a formal opportunity to respond to the change(s) and provide evidence. The Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean’s Office is tasked by the University with establishing procedures to adjudicate charges of academic dishonesty and to protect the rights of all parties. The Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean’s Office works to ensure the process and decisions to impose penalties, as well as, determinations of severity of penalties are fair and consistent for all Boston College undergraduate students. The process is carefully conducted to protect the privacy and reputation of the instructor(s) and/or a student accused of an academic integrity violation, and the process and procedural steps work to ensure the case is considered free of pre-bias and/or discrimination. The Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean will then bring forward all pertinent case material to the Lynch School Academic Integrity Committee for review.

The Lynch School Academic Integrity Committee is constituted annually and comprises faculty members, a graduate and an undergraduate student representative, the undergraduate associate dean and graduate associate dean will serve as non-voting administrative resources for their respective cases.

When a faculty member determines that a student's work violates the standards of academic integrity, the faculty member is encouraged to discuss the matter with the student first. In each case though, the procedures and steps below to adjudicate charges of academic dishonesty and to protect due process and the rights of all parties involved must be followed.

The faculty member should notify the student of the substance of the violation and the action that the faculty member proposes to take.
When the faculty member indicates a grading penalty should be imposed, a letter of notification describing the incident with supporting evidence and the proposed grading penalty must first be sent to the Lynch School Undergraduate Associate Dean for all violations occurring within undergraduate level courses taught at Lynch.
On receipt of such a notification, the Undergraduate Associate Dean will formally notify the student of the violation allegation, submitted evidence, and the proposed grading penalty of the faculty member. In any cases involving final exams, final papers, and final project work, the student will receive an Incomplete (I Grade) in the Boston College course grading system until the formal review and case decision is made in alignment with Boston College governing undergraduate policy and with adherence to the Lynch School Academic Integrity timeline.
Each student accused of a violation must next be given the formal opportunity to respond in writing to the faculty member's allegation and all students accused of a violation must submit their written response to the Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean within two weeks (10 business days) of the Undergraduate Associate Dean’s dated notification regarding the alleged violation.
If the student is from another school of Boston College, the student's appropriate Undergraduate Associate Dean (CSOM, CSON,WCAS) or Associate Class Dean (MCAS) will also be notified about the allegation by the Lynch School Undergraduate Associate Dean. The University-wide Academic Officer formal process for handling of such cases will be followed.
While a case is pending, the student may not withdraw from or change status in the course.
Case materials should be submitted directly to the Lynch School Undergraduate Associate Dean who will collect and share the compiled case file materials with the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee for their review and decision. Students accused of a violation must submit their written response to the Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean within two weeks (10 business days) of the Undergraduate Associate Dean’s dated notification regarding the alleged violation. Both the student’s and faculty member’s case materials will be submitted to the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee within two weeks (10 business days) of receipt of the student’s own formal written response.

Each violation of academic integrity reported to the Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean, including first time violation cases which are substantiated by evidence submitted from the course faculty member, will be shared with the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee.

As per the Boston College Provost’s Office, in no case should department chairs or faculty members outside of the annually constituted Academic Integrity Committee or beyond the faculty member bringing a violation allegation forward, be involved with any case.

In order to ensure fairness, anti-bias and equitable outcomes within the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee case review process, the committee will make an initial decision without reference to any previous violations. Only after an agreement is made on the validity of the academic integrity case before them and an agreement to affirm a violation penalty, will the committee be informed by the Lynch School Undergraduate Associate Dean about a recorded first violation or other violations. This process will underpin fairness in the specific case review, but also ensure the committee's final imposed penalty decision appropriately reflects the case as a second or further violation if there is a repeated instance or pattern.

For all Non-Lynch undergraduate students, in accordance with the Boston College University Policies regarding undergraduate students and Academic Integrity allegations, all Lynch Academic Integrity Committee reports will be shared and coordinated with the corresponding Undergraduate Associate Deans of the student from another school of Boston College. This established, formal centralizing process ensures that in cases involving students from more than one school, or students in joint or dual degree programs, the process and penalty will be consistent.This also ensures that for any students who may internally transfer to another school of BC, the formal record of substantiated Academic Integrity violations will be accurate.

The Lynch Academic Integrity Committee will include one of the faculty members as committee chairperson. The Undergraduate Associate Dean to whom cases are reported will receive all case materials directly and according to specified timelines, share with the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee, as well as, serve as a non-voting resource for all cases within the Lynch school involving Boston College undergraduates. For any Lynch undergraduate level summer courses offered, the process and procedures will be handled by the Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean and the Lynch Academic Integrity Committee as during the school year.

The Lynch Undergraduate Associate Dean will convey to the faculty member bringing the allegation forward and to the student of the alleged violation the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision of responsibility, approval or rejection of proposed penalty, and any other recommended sanctions in a Committee case report of findings. The Undergraduate Associate Dean will maintain a file of each case’s final decision and report. The file will be kept confidential in the Undergraduate Associate Dean's office. Files on students found not responsible or unsubstantiated will be immediately destroyed.

Final penalties for students found responsible for violations will depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and the student's previous record of substantiated academic integrity violations.

The Lynch Academic Integrity Committee may simply affirm the faculty member's proposed grade penalty from the letter of notification submitted for the case and issue a memo of confirmation of the violation, which will be kept in a confidential file in the student’s Undergraduate Dean's Office until the student graduates and will not be reportable to professional schools or outside agencies.

The Academic Integrity Committee may alternatively recommend a different grading penalty and/or impose additional administrative penalties. Such penalties may include university probation, suspension, or expulsion, all of which become part of a student's academic record and are reportable to graduate/professional schools and outside agencies.

Appeal of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision may be made by written request to the Associate Dean of Undergraduates not later than two weeks (ten business days) following the final notification date of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision. The Associate Dean of Undergraduates will forward the appeal to the Lynch School Dean and the Lynch School Dean will serve as the final arbiter not later than two weeks (ten business days) and the Lynch School Dean’s decision will be final.

Grade Change

In exceptional circumstances, a grade change may be warranted. All such grade changes must be submitted for approval by the faculty member to the Office of Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs no later than six weeks after the beginning of the semester following that in which the course was initiated. This rule applies also to those grade changes that result from the completion of course work in cases where an extension was given to a student by a professor to finish the work after the end of the semester in which the course was initiated.

Academic Honors

The Dean's List recognizes the achievement of students semester by semester. The Dean's List classifies students in three groups according to semester averages: first honors (3.700-4.000), second honors (3.500-3.699), and third honors (3.300-3.499).

Degree with Honors

Honors accompanying the degree of Bachelor of Arts are awarded in three grades

summa cum laude, with highest honors, is awarded to the top 4.5 percent of the graduating class
magna cum laude, with high honors, to the next 9.5 percent
cum laude, with honors, to the next 15 percent

These percentages are based on the students' eight-semester cumulative averages.

Master's Policies and Procedures

The following policies and procedures are specific to the Lynch School. In addition to the information contained here, please also consult the web pages for your particular program and the following Lynch School and University-wide websites for more information. (Updated July 2019)

Beginning a Master's Program

Admission to the Master’s Programs in the Lynch School

Formal admission to the master’s program occurs only when the student receives a signed letter of acceptance to a master’s program in the Lynch School from the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services.

Nondegree (Professional and Continuing Ed) Student Status

Students not seeking a degree, but interested in pursuing course work at the graduate level, may apply for admission as a nondegree student. Many individuals choose nondegree student status either to explore the seriousness of their interest in studying for an advanced degree and/or to strengthen their credentials for possible later application for degree status. Others are interested in taking graduate course work for personal enrichment or professional development.

Although there is no limit on the number of courses a nondegree student may take outside of a degree program, no more than four courses (12 semester hours), if appropriate, may be applied toward a degree program in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Courses taken as a nondegree student may be applied to a degree program in the Lynch School only after official acceptance into a degree program and with the consent of the student's advisor.

Certain restrictions apply to courses available to nondegree students. Professional course work associated with teacher licensure or counseling psychology licensure (including practicum course work) is reserved for matriculated degree students in these programs. A listing of restricted courses is available in the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services each semester. Please visit the Lynch School’s Admissions website for more information on applying for nondegree student status.

Fifth Year/Early Admit Program

The Fifth Year/Early Admit Program is an accelerated master's program (for undergraduates at Boston College) which combines the Bachelor of Arts or Sciences with the Master of Arts or Master of Education in the Lynch School. Undergraduate students may apply for admission into the Fifth Year Program during their junior year. For more information on the program and application process, please click here.

International Students

All International students who apply to the Lynch School of Education and Human Development must meet the same testing requirements as domestic students in addition to any TOEFL requirements. When making an admission decision, faculty will use TOEFL scores and other relevant information to evaluate the student, recognizing that an international candidate’s performance on the GRE may not adequately represent the candidate’s potential for graduate work.

Registration

Students can register for classes on the Agora Portal under the Academics and Courses tab.

If you are trying to gain access to a course that requires permission or is closed or restricted, you should contact the Department Office for the department in which the course is offered. The department will do one of the following: decline permission, add your name to a wait list, or provide you with a stamped override form that you should bring to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services, where the staff will add the course to your schedule. Overrides are granted on an individual basis at the discretion of the Department and Associate Dean of Graduate Students.

How to check/update your personal information in the BC UIS and the Agora Portal

Agora is where Boston College faculty, staff and students conduct campus business, perform transactions, such as registration, and gather information related to their roles at the University. Agora is a secure, web-based environment restricted to the members of the BC community. Information transmitted during an Agora session is encrypted to ensure security.

Graduate students should plan to adjust their personal preferences upon receiving an Agora account. Doing so will prevent you from missing out on valuable information later. Please follow the instructions listed below:

Please choose RELEASE information to the BC Community. You do not need to release info to the public but you if you do not release your information to the BC community we have will have a difficult time getting in touch with you by mail or phone.

Enter your pin number at the bottom and click on “Update preferences”
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UIS (University Information System) instructions for directing email to your favorite email address:

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Graduate Full-Time Enrollment Status

In the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, all students enrolled in 9 or more credits per semester (6 or more credits in summer) are considered full-time. Students completing degree requirements in their final semester may be given exceptions to the school minimum credit standard for full-time status by their academic dean. During the academic year, all students are considered half-time with six credits. However, Graduate students registered for less than a full-time course load may be considered full-time if they are Graduate Assistants for academic and administrative departments, Teaching Fellows, or Research Assistants. Graduate students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in a full-time Student Teaching Practicum or Internship. Graduate students registered for Interim Study or Thesis Direction are considered full-time.

The credit amounts listed above are used to determine a student's enrollment status for loan deferments, immunizations, medical insurance requirements, and verifications requested by other organizations.

Financial Support

Financial Aid

Financial aid for Master’s students at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development is available through a variety of both internal and external sources. The following are some helpful links to information on sources of funding:

BC Financial Aid Main Page—links students to student loan information, including various financial and administrative graduate student forms, including a FAFSA form, and information about their their financial aid application status

Financial Support for Lynch School Graduate Students—Upon admission to graduate study in the Lynch School, students are given access to information regarding financial aid, including federal loan-based aid, general graduate assistantships, and non-Boston College based aid for the current year. Additionally, the Lynch School provides many competitive awards and scholarship opportunities for students.

All financial aid recipients must maintain satisfactory progress in their course of study. Satisfactory academic progress is defined by the dean of each school at Boston College. Financial aid is not available to students with a grade of "Incomplete," and students with graduate or teaching assistantships or fellowships may not carry an "Incomplete." If a student is not maintaining satisfactory academic progress, the student should consult with the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies to determine what steps must be taken to re-establish his or her status and, thus, eligibility to receive financial aid.

*Please note: Nondegree students are not eligible for any form of financial aid. You must be enrolled in a degree program to apply or be considered for aid.

Assistantships & Fellowships (General Information)

The Lynch School offers a range of assistantship opportunities and scholarships to our doctoral and master’s students. In general, teaching and research assistantships are reserved for doctoral students, but there are some research assistantships available for a limited number of master’s students. The greatest number of assistantship opportunities for master’s students are in administrative offices both in the Lynch School and across campus. Each year, the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services compiles a listing of assistantships, paid internships, and work-study positions both on campus and off-campus. There are a number of academic departments, schools and organizations with which we have partnerships. The Murray Graduate Center maintains a list of funding opportunities each year.

An assistantship with a faculty member or administrator usually requires approximately twenty hours of work each week between the months of September and May. The assistantships generally include tuition remission plus a monthly stipend. There are a number of part-time assistantships available also. The specific times that students work are negotiated with their supervisors 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. Awards are given for one year and students seeking continued funding must reapply on an annual basis. All students working in the Lynch School are required to complete a confidentiality form and return it to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services prior to beginning their assistantships.

It is important to note that the program cannot guarantee that graduate assistantships will always be available.

Information on Conference Reimbursement (GEA)

The Graduate Education Association has prepared information on funding possibilities for graduate students presenting at professional conferences. Please see their website for more information.

Academic Programs and Requirements

Role of the Academic Advisor

Following acceptance into the Lynch School, students should meet with their academic advisor prior to beginning coursework.

The advisor will assist in the initial design and, if necessary, later modification of your Program of Study (see below for an explanation of a POS). 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. Students may request a change of advisor after consulting with their current advisor and clarifying the availability of a new advisor and obtaining their approval. Requests should be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services after approval of the new advisor.

Program of Study

The approved Program of Study form is the document used to clear the student for graduation. All Master’s students must complete a Program of Study form following extensive consultation with their advisor by the second semester of enrollment in the program, prior to the opening of registration for the third semester of enrollment. Master’s students in Counseling should complete their Programs of Study during third semester of coursework, prior to opening of registration for fourth semester. Once the Program of Study receives appropriate approval signatures, the Associate Dean of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services acknowledges this in a letter sent to the student. Please consult individual program descriptions for specific requirements. The programs of study are available in PDF format on the Lynch School website. Students should be sure to keep copies of all official documents in their records.

Students who fail to submit an approved Program of Study to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services 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.

Changes to Programs of Study

Any time it is necessary to change a student's approved Program of Study, a Course Substitution or Course Waiver form should be submitted. The student is responsible for getting appropriate approval signatures.

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

Students who wish to have credits transferred from another university to their master’s program at the Lynch School must comply with the following regulations. All graduate students may request transfer of not more than six graduate credits. Only courses in which a student has received a grade of B or better, and which have not been applied to a prior degree, will be accepted. If approved, the transfer course and credit, but not the grade, will be recorded on the student's academic record. Credit received for courses completed more than ten years prior to a student's admission to his or her current degree program are not acceptable for transfer. Courses taken within the Boston-area Consortium during fall or spring semester are not considered transfer courses, since the student registers for these through Boston College. However, all summer courses taken outside of Boston College (including summer courses taken within the Consortium) are considered transfer credits and count towards the 6 credit limit for transfer credits.

A Graduate Transfer Request Form should be completed and signed by the student's academic advisor and then sent to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services.

Cross-Registration

Boston-Area Consortium (fall/spring only; not available in summer)

Graduate students in the Lynch School may cross register for one elective course each semester at Boston University, Brandeis University, Hebrew College, Pine Manor College, or Tufts University if a similar course is not available at Boston College. Students should contact their Program Directors to review the department’s special rules and regulations. Cross registration materials are available in Lyons Hall. Courses taken within the Boston-area Consortium during fall or spring semester are not considered transfer courses, since students register for these courses through Boston College. However, all summer courses taken outside of Boston College (including summer courses taken within the Consortium) are considered transfer credits and count towards the limit of 6 transfer credits per degree. Students must complete a Graduate Transfer Request Form in order to receive transfer credit.

Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies (fall/spring only; not available in summer)

The Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS) at MIT (formerly housed at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University) is an inter-institutional enterprise established to advance the field of women's studies and enlarge the scope of graduate education through new models of team teaching and interdisciplinary study. Faculty and students are drawn from six member schools: Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, MIT, and Tufts University. The Consortium offers graduate courses for credit that are open to all students at participating institutions. Graduate students enrolled in degree programs at Boston College may with the permission of their department apply to MIT to participate in this program. Course registration forms will be mailed to accepted students. Please consult the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies website for courses and procedures for registering and credit. Students should also complete the cross registration form available in Lyons Hall in order to receive course credit from Boston College.

Independent Study/Readings and Research

Students may sometimes take an Independent Study/ Readings and Research course as part of their Masters coursework. Permission must be secured from the supervising faculty member and the proposed course must be an approved part of the student’s program of study. Students must complete the Readings and Research form, get it approved by the faculty supervisor and then return it to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services who will sign them up for the appropriate Readings and Research course through Agora in order to register for an independent study. The maximum number of Readings and Research courses that are permitted within any given degree is limited by University policy to the number of electives within a student’s degree program. The Department Chairs and/or Program Coordinator may choose to further limit the number of Readings and Research courses permitted in a particular program.

Audits

Lynch School of Education and Human Development students must consult the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services before they can audit a course. An audited course cannot count toward the degree requirements. After the drop/add period, graduate students who wish to change a course from credit to audit or audit to credit must go to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services and complete a Masters Student Transaction form.

Practicum

Students in Teacher Education who plan to complete a practicum experience as part of their degree should consult the Lynch School Student Teaching website. Their site contains the official policy and procedure guide for the professional practicum experiences program for both graduate and undergraduate student teachers in all fields of licensure. Students in the MA program in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology who plan to complete a practicum experience should speak to the Coordinator their MA program.

Human Subjects Reviews

Master’s students who plan to conduct research with human subjects must have a certificate indicating that they have completed the required training course before submitting a proposal to the IRB (Please see the IRB website) for a list of courses online and at BC) Required forms should be submitted to the advisors and Department Chair for approval. Before submitting this form, students should become familiar with APA (American Psychological Association) and AERA (American Educational Research Association) ethical standards and principles. Once the application is approved within Lynch School, the student should submit it to the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Students should also visit the IRB website for further details on this process. It is the policy of the Boston College IRB that no data may be collected for research prior to the approval of the Human Subjects Review application.

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.

Academic Policies

Academic Integrity

Policy and Procedures
The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and receive credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to scholarship. Similarly, the educational process requires that individuals present their own ideas and insights for evaluation, critique, and eventual reformulation. Presentation of others' work as one's own is not only intellectual dishonesty, but it also undermines the educational process. Cases of falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism that occur in the course of research are also subject to Boston College's research misconduct policy, which can be found at https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/research/sites/vice-provost-for-research/integrity-and-%20compliance/research-misconduct.html.

Standards
Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic context including, but not restricted to the following:

Cheating is the fraudulent or dishonest presentation of work. Cheating includes but is not limited to:

the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for papers or reports, or in clinical practice, as in reporting experiments, measurements, statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
falsification of papers, official records, or reports;
copying from another student's work;
actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
unauthorized cooperation in completing assignments or during an examination;
the use of purchased essays or term papers, or of purchased preparatory research for such papers;
submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructors involved;
dishonesty in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for submitting papers, and in any other matter relating to a course.

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.

Other breaches of academic integrity include:

the misrepresentation of one's own or another's identity for academic purposes;
the misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to examinations, papers, or other evaluative activities;
the sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
the alteration or falsification of official University records;
the unauthorized use of University academic facilities or equipment, including computer accounts and files;
the unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, or use of academic lectures, academic computer software, or other instructional materials;
the expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal University committees;
the expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying human subject data;
the unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in University libraries, media, or academic resource centers.

Promoting Academic Integrity: Roles of Community Members

Student Roles in Maintaining Academic Integrity
Students have a responsibility to maintain high standards of academic integrity in their own work, and thereby to maintain the integrity of their degree. It is their responsibility to be familiar with, and understand, the University policy on academic integrity.

Students who become aware of a violation of academic integrity by a fellow student should respond in one of the following ways:

Students may discuss their concerns with the student whom they suspect of a violation. Direct contact by another student may be the best means of resolving the problem. Repeated demonstration of student concern for academic integrity will in the long run build a peer-regulated community.
If the incident is a major violation or part of a repeated pattern of violations, students should bring their concerns to the attention of the instructor or to the appropriate department chairperson or Associate Dean. Suspected violations by students reported to members of the faculty or to an Associate Dean will be handled according to the procedures set forth below.

Faculty Roles in Fostering Academic Integrity
Faculty members should provide students with a positive environment for learning and intellectual growth and, by their words and actions, promote conditions that foster academic integrity.

Faculty should be concerned about the impact of their behavior on students. Students are sensitive to messages communicated in informal discussions and in casual faculty remarks about personal decisions and value judgments. Students are perhaps most sensitive to how responsibly faculty members fulfill their obligations to them in the careful preparation of classes, in the serious evaluation of student achievement, and in their genuine interest in and availability to students.

Faculty should promote academic integrity in the following specific ways:

At the beginning of each course, instructors should discuss academic integrity in order to promote an ongoing dialogue about academic integrity and to set the tone and establish guidelines for academic integrity within the context of the course, e.g., the extent to which collaborative work is appropriate. Where relevant, instructors should discuss why, when, and how students must cite sources in their written work.
Instructors should provide students with a written syllabus that states course requirements and, when available, examination dates and times.
Instructors are encouraged to prepare new examinations and assignments where appropriate each semester in order to ensure that no student obtains an unfair advantage over his or her classmates by reviewing exams or assignments from prior semesters. If previous examinations are available to some students, faculty members should insure that all students in the course have similar access. Course examinations should be designed to minimize the possibility of cheating, and course paper assignments should be designed to minimize the possibility of plagiarism.
Proctors should be present at all examinations, including the final examination, and should provide students with an environment that encourages honesty and prevents dishonesty.
Faculty should be careful to respect students' intellectual property and the confidentiality of student academic information.
Assignment of grades, which is the sole responsibility of the instructor, should be awarded in a manner fair to all students.

Academic Deans
Academic deans have overall responsibility for academic integrity within their schools. In particular, deans' responsibilities include the following:

promoting an environment where academic integrity is a priority for both students and faculty,
ensuring that students who are honest are not placed at an unfair disadvantage, and
establishing procedures to adjudicate charges of academic dishonesty and to protect the rights of all parties.

Procedures

The Lynch School Academic Integrity Committee is constituted annually and comprises faculty members, a graduate and an undergraduate student representative, and the Undergraduate Associate Dean and the Graduate Associate Dean who serve as non-voting administrative resources for their respective cases. A faculty chair is appointment by the Dean’s Office and will convene the Academic Integrity Committee when a case has been received.
Each reported [*see note below] alleged violation of the Standards of Academic Integrity will be reviewed by the Academic Integrity Committee. In cases involving graduate students from more than one school, or students in joint or dual degree programs, the Committees on Academic Integrity of the pertinent schools will cooperate in their review.
If the faculty member decides to impose a grading penalty, a letter of notification describing the incident and the proposed grading penalty is to be sent to the Associate Dean for Graduate Student Services and to the Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee who will convene the Committee on Academic Integrity to review the case.
The faculty member bringing the accusation will be notified that the case is under review by the Academic Integrity Committee and asked to provide a letter in writing that explains the integrity violation and how this was detected by the faculty member. The faculty member should also provide a copy of the “evidence” of the academic integrity violation that was used in its detection.
It is recommended that the faculty member filing the academic integrity complaint should discuss the situation directly with the student; however, if this isn’t possible the Academic Integrity Committee Chair will notify the student that the complaint has been filed and is under review by the Committee.
The student is sent a copy of the faculty member’s letter that initiated the case, and is asked to respond to the complaint by providing their understanding of the behavior that led to the complaint in writing.
All of the written materials are to be submitted to the Academic Integrity Committee for their review. The Committee, at its discretion, may interview any individual with knowledge pertinent to the case.
After reviewing all of the submitted materials, the Committee will decide a case by simple majority vote, and the Associate Dean will convey to the faculty member and the student the Committee's findings as to responsibility and recommended sanctions. In their review, the Committee is asked to either support the grading penalty that has been imposed by the faculty member, or to recommend a different penalty if they determine that the one imposed by the faculty member is either too lenient or too severe. If there is a change made in the penalty for the student, the Committee provides a clear rationale (in writing) for their decision that the Associate Dean will discuss with the faculty member.
Appeal of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision may be made by written request to the Associate Dean of Graduate Students not later than two weeks (ten business days) following the final notification date of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision. The Associate Dean of Graduate Students will forward the appeal to the Lynch School Dean and the Lynch School Dean will serve as the final arbiter not later than two weeks (ten business days). The Lynch School Dean’s decision will be final.
While a case is pending, the student may not withdraw from or change status in the course.
The Associate Dean will compile a complete file of each case, to be kept confidential in the Dean's office. Files on students found not responsible will be destroyed.

*[NOTE: If a faculty member is undecided about whether an integrity violation has actually been committed and discusses this with the Associate Dean, it is possible that the case will not be officially reported. However, if the faculty member has definite evidence that a violation has occurred, but may be undecided about whether to impose a grading penalty, then the case needs to be officially reported to allow the AIC to review the information and make a determination that an integrity violation has occurred and determine a sanction for the student.]

Students are expected to be familiar with the ethical standards of their profession. See the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and the Ethical Standards of the American Educational Research Association. Students are held to the professional standards outlined in these documents.

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. 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 and Human Development 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.

Grading Policy on Incomplete Grades

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 taken in the fall or spring semester or is absent from the course examination in either semester, may, with adequate reason and at the discretion of the instructor, receive a temporary grade of Incomplete (I). All such I grades will automatically be changed to F on March 1 for the fall, August 1 for the spring, and October 1 for the summer. In extraordinary cases, the student may petition the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services 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.

Academic Standards Committee

The Academic Standards Committee is comprised of faculty members and academic administrators in the Lynch School. This committee reviews all cases in which a student's academic record is poor and it recommends to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies what action should be taken.

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.

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 Grievance Procedure.

Comprehensive Examination: Master's

Registration for the Comprehensive Examination

Students who have completed most of their coursework or are in the final semester of coursework should sit for the master’s comprehensive examination. All students must have completed any “Incompletes” and have filed an approved copy of their Program of Study before registering for the comprehensive exam.

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. Registration for comprehensive examinations will take place directly with Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services. Questions on the nature and the exact date of examinations should be directed to the department office.

The following grading scale is used: pass with distinction (PwD), pass (P), and fail (F). A candidate who fails the Master's Comprehensive Examination may take it only one more time. Students must register for APSY/EDUC/ELHE/ERME 81001 in order to take the Master’s Comprehensive Examination, but no credit is granted for the Comprehensive Examination and the student’s account is not charged but the course carries "full-time" status for the semester.

Commencement

The University awards degrees in May, August, and December of each year, although commencement ceremonies are held only in May. On the day before May Commencement, the Lynch School hosts a graduate and undergraduate Awards and Robing Ceremony for the graduating doctoral candidates. There is additionally, a toast held for the graduating Master’s Students in the week leading up to graduation.

Students who have completed all requirements for the degree before a specific graduation date are eligible to receive the degree as of that date. A diploma will not be dated before all work is completed. Students should check with the Office of Student Services in Lyons Hall to ensure no grades of "Incomplete" remain on their transcript, that they have completed all program and Lynch School requirements, all fees are paid, and they are on the graduation clearance list. These checks ensure the graduation clearance process will go smoothly. Students can also check most of this information through Agora.

In order to ensure timely clearance, all students who plan to graduate should confirm their diploma names online at http://portal.bc.edu by the following dates:

Last day of drop/add in January
August 15
November 15

Leave of Absence/Withdrawal

Master's students who do not register for courses or Interim Study (APSY/EDUC/ELHE/ERME 8101) in any given semester must file a Graduate Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Form. The request will be reviewed by the Director/Coordinator (if applicable) and the Department Chair. Once the form has been signed, it should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services for approval by the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. Approved leave frees the student from registering for courses and paying fees. A leave of absence is granted for no more than two consecutive semesters.

Maximum Duration

All requirements for the master's degree must be completed within five consecutive years from the commencement of master's studies. Master's studies commence with the first term in which a student is officially registered for a course at Boston College following admission to the program. Leave time is considered a portion of the total time limit for the degree unless an exception has been approved by the Program Director/Coordinator, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the time the form is submitted.

Readmission

Graduate students (master's and doctoral) requesting readmission from a Leave of Absence must contact their Department Chair and the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services at least six weeks prior to the semester in which they expect to enroll to insure appropriate class and field placement. The Readmission Request Form for Master's Students should initially be submitted to the student’s Program Director/Coordinator and Department Chair for approval. Once department approval has been obtained, the form should be sent to the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval.

Deferral of Admission

Graduate students (master's and doctoral) who have not begun coursework are not required to file a Leave of Absence Form. However, they are required to obtain a deferral of admission by contacting the Lynch School Director of Admission and Financial Aid at least six weeks prior to the planned start date for their program. [Please note: Not all doctoral programs allow deferral of admission.] Doctoral students should contact the Program Director/Coordinator and Department Chair of their intended program prior to requesting a deferral. Deferrals are granted for no more than one year. If a student does not take courses after one year following admission to the program, he/she is required to apply for readmission and pay a readmission fee.

Withdrawal From the University

Graduate students may choose to withdraw from the program if they are unable to complete their program of studies in a consistent and timely manner. Students who wish to withdraw must complete the Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Form and submit it to the Department Chair where the student is completing the degree. Once the form has been signed by the academic department, it should be sent to the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval.

Doctoral Policies and Procedures

The following policies and procedures are specific to the Lynch School. Please refer to University Academic Policies and Procedures for additional information. (Updated July 2019)

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 Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services.

Non-degree (Professional and Continuing Ed) Students

Students admitted as non-degree students who hope to become doctoral students must complete the normal application process expected of all doctoral applicants. Admission as a non-degree student implies nothing relative to the status of an application for a degree program.

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.

International Students

Admission to a Program vs. Candidacy for a Degree

Doctoral students are not formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree until they have been notified by the Lynch School that they have successfully completed their coursework and passed their comprehensive examination. Students must be doctoral candidates to present a doctoral dissertation proposal. This proposal must be approved by the Dissertation Committee and the Institutional Research Board (Human Subjects Review Committee) before a student can collect data for their dissertation research.

Financial Support: Loans and Scholarships

Financial Aid

Financial aid for doctoral students at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development is available through a variety of both internal and external sources.

BC Financial Aid main page

Lynch School Financial Aid page

Assistantships and Fellowships (General Information)

Each year the Lynch School makes available a limited number of graduate assistantships and teaching fellowships. Awards are given for one year and students seeking continued funding must reapply on an annual basis.

Incoming Ph.D. Students

Letters of acceptance to the Ph.D. programs at the Lynch School include information about an incoming student’s assistantship or scholarship. Accepted students are asked to respond in a timely fashion in order to facilitate the maximum support possible for all students. Department Chairs, Program Coordinators, and the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services are available to answer any questions students might have about their offer of admission or assistantship.

Types of Assistantships

Graduate research assistants are typically involved in research activities such as library searches, literature reviews, data collection, data entry and analysis, and report writing. In addition, assistants may be asked to help faculty in grading exams, keeping records, photocopying, helping with research for classes, and other tasks.

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 (10 hrs/week) and teaching two courses per semester is the requirement for receiving a full assistantship (20 hrs/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 master’s programs, or to the master’s practicum coordinator. Graduate office assistants also work in the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services, the Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs, the Office of the Dean, and the Office of the Associate Dean of Faculty and Academics. 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 of Graduate Studies, and, for Counseling Psychology students, the Director of Training.

Selection and Assignment Process

The two co-existing purposes that serve as a rationale for awarding graduate assistantships are the training needs of our doctoral students and the need to meet departmental administrative and teaching responsibilities and faculty research goals. Related to the first, assistantships are assigned to help doctoral students obtain sequential exposure to experiences involving research, teaching and administration. As such, students who have not had a particular type of assistantship experience (e.g., teaching) are usually provided with that opportunity in the course of the graduate experience. Assignments are made in an effort to best meet both sets of needs, within the constraints of available resources and opportunities.

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 Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services 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 Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services prior to beginning their assistantships. This confidentiality agreement must be renewed each year a student works at the Lynch School.

It is important to note that the program cannot guarantee that graduate assistantships will always be available.

Dissertation Support

Internal Funding

The Lynch School provides support through Dissertation Fellowships and Dissertation Development Grants funding opportunities.

Diversity Fellowships

Boston College has resources that support a number of fellowships offered to especially promising students from diverse backgrounds who are beginning their doctoral studies.

Research Funding (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)

Graduate Student Association website

External Funding

The BC Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) website provides links to external dissertation financial support, including fellowships, fellow programs, and other foundation-based support. It also links students to national and regional opportunities that emerge for graduate student support. This website is updated periodically to bring students the most current listing of grant and scholarship opportunities including external dissertation specific funding.

Information on Conference Reimbursement (GEA)

The Graduate Education Association is preparing on funding possibilities for graduate students presenting at professional conferences. Check their website for information.

Academic Programs and Requirements

Designing a Doctoral Program

Role of the Academic Advisor

Following acceptance into the Lynch School, students should meet with their academic advisor (identified in the acceptance letter or shortly thereafter by the Program Coordinator or Department Chair) at their earliest convenience.

The advisor will assist in the initial design and, if necessary, later modification of your Program of Study. 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 Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services of the decision.

Program of Study

By the fall semester of the 2nd year in the program, all Ph.D. and Ed.D. students, except for those in the Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction, should complete a Program of Study form following extensive consultation with their advisor. Ph.D. students in Curriculum and Instruction should complete their Programs of Study no later than the beginning of spring semester in the first academic year of their program. Once the Program of Study receives appropriate approval signatures, the office of the department in which the student is completing his/her degree (the “Department Office”) acknowledges this in a letter sent to the student. Please consult individual program descriptions for specific requirements. The programs of study are available in PDF format on the web pages for the specific Lynch School program. Students should be sure to keep copies of all official documents in their records.

Students who fail to submit an approved Program of Study to the office of the department in which they are completing their degree 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 4/06).

Changes to Programs of Study

Any time it is necessary to change a student's approved Program of Study, a Course Substitution Form must be completed. The student is responsible for getting appropriate approval signatures.

Transfer of Credit

Students who wish to have credits transferred from another university to their doctoral program at the Lynch School must comply with the following regulations:

completion of at least six credits at Boston College in a doctoral program
maximum of six graduate credits transferred from other accredited colleges or universities
courses used to satisfy the requirements for another degree cannot be transferred into a doctoral program
a grade of "B" or better at the graduate level
course(s) being transferred must have been completed within the past 10 years
official transcript must be sent directly to the office of the department in which they are completing their degree program

A Transfer of Credit form should be completed and signed by the student's academic advisor and then sent to the Department Office.

Cross-Registration

Boston-Area Consortium

Graduate students in the Lynch School may cross register for one elective course each semester at Boston University, Brandeis University, and Tufts University if a similar course is not available at Boston College. Students should contact their Program Directors to review the department’s special rules and regulations. Cross registration materials are available in Lyons Hall.

Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies

Independent Study/Readings and Research

Students may take an Independent Study/ Readings and Research course as part of their Doctoral coursework. Permission must be secured from the supervising faculty member and the proposed course must be an approved part of the student’s program of study. Students must complete the Doctoral Readings and Research form , have it approved by the faculty supervisor, and then return it to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services who will sign them up for the appropriate Readings and Research course through Agora. The maximum number of Readings and Research courses that are permitted within any given degree is limited by University policy to the number of electives within a student’s degree program. The Department Chairs and/or Program Coordinator may choose to further limit the number of Readings and Research courses permitted in a particular program.

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. 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 Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services, 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).

Continuation and Extension

Continuation

Doctoral candidates who have completed all coursework and comprehensive exams must register and pay the fee for Doctoral Continuation (EDUC/ELHE/ERME/APSY9911) each academic term of their candidacy.

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 beyond the eight-year time limit for the doctoral degree may be obtained only with advisor and departmental recommendation and the approval of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

Extensions are not granted routinely. They must be formally requested and the Doctoral Petition for Extension of Time form completed, after discussion with the student’s advisor and/or the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. If granted, the extension would be for a maximum of one year.

Timely completion is essential to the academic integrity of a degree program

Comprehensive Examination and Admission to Candidacy

Registration for the Comprehensive Examination

Students not taking another Boston College course for credit in the semester in which they will be taking the comprehensive exam must also register for EDUC9902 or /APSY/ERME/ELHE 9901 Doctoral Comprehensives for that semester. Students who are registered for a Boston College course for credit in the semester in which they are taking the exam still must complete this form but need not register for the 1 credit Doctoral Comprehensive course.

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:

Pass with Distinction (PWD)
Pass (P)
Fail (F)

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 Department Chair. Students are then officially notified of the results by the Department Office.

Once the student has passed the comprehensive exams, the Department Office will send a letter officially recognizing his or her admission to candidacy.

Leave of Absence/Withdrawal

Leave of Absence

Doctoral students who wish to interrupt their programs for one or more semesters must file a Graduate Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Form for that semester. The request will be reviewed by the Director/Coordinator (if applicable) and the Department Chair. Once the form has been signed, it should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid and Student Services for approval by the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. An approved leave frees the student from registering for courses and paying fees. A leave of absence is granted for no more than two consecutive semesters.

Maximum Duration

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight consecutive years from the commencement of doctoral studies. Doctoral studies commence with the first term in which the student is officially registered for a course at Boston College following admission to the doctoral program. Leave time is considered a portion of the total time limit for the degree unless an exception has been approved by the Program Director/Coordinator, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the time the form is submitted.

Readmission

Graduate students (master's and doctoral) requesting readmission from a Leave of Absence must contact their Department Chair and the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services at least six weeks prior to the semester in which they expect to enroll to ensure appropriate class and field placement. The Readmission Request Form for Doctoral Students should be submitted to the student’s Program Director/Coordinator and Department Chair for approval. Once department approval has been obtained, the form should be sent to the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval.

Doctoral students who were discontinued due to time-to-degree limits, or otherwise fail to maintain continuous matriculation and allow their matriculation to lapse, may apply for reinstatement if they wish to re-enroll. Readmission to the Lynch School, and to candidacy, requires the submission of the Lynch School Doctoral Readmission Request Form. The Request Form is approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the appropriate Department Chair. If absence from the program is beyond the eight-year time limit allowed by the University for completing the doctoral degree, the student will be required to demonstrate currency in the field by taking a qualifying examination and/or additional course work, at the discretion of the doctoral program. Approval of Requests for Readmission is extremely rare, and by exception.

Deferral of Admission

Graduate students (master's and doctoral) who have not begun coursework are not required to file a Leave of Absence form. However, they are required to obtain a deferral of admission by contacting the Lynch School Director of Admission and Financial Aid at least six weeks prior to the planned start date for their program. [Please note: Not all doctoral programs allow deferral of admission.] Doctoral students should contact the Program Director/Coordinator and Department Chair of their intended program prior to requesting a deferral. Deferrals are granted for no more than one year. If a student does not take courses after one year following admission to the program, he/she is required to apply for readmission and pay a readmission fee.

Withdrawal From the University

Academic Policies

Academic Integrity

Standards
Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic context including, but not restricted to the following:

Cheating is the fraudulent or dishonest presentation of work. Cheating includes but is not limited to:

the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for papers or reports, or in clinical practice, as in reporting experiments, measurements, statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
falsification of papers, official records, or reports;
copying from another student's work;
actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
unauthorized cooperation in completing assignments or during an examination;
the use of purchased essays or term papers, or of purchased preparatory research for such papers;
submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructors involved;
dishonesty in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for submitting papers, and in any other matter relating to a course.

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.

Other breaches of academic integrity include:

the misrepresentation of one's own or another's identity for academic purposes;
the misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to examinations, papers, or other evaluative activities;
the sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
the alteration or falsification of official University records;
the unauthorized use of University academic facilities or equipment, including computer accounts and files;
the unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, or use of academic lectures, academic computer software, or other instructional materials;
the expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal University committees;
the expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying human subject data;
the unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in University libraries, media, or academic resource centers.

Promoting Academic Integrity: Roles of Community Members

Students who become aware of a violation of academic integrity by a fellow student should respond in one of the following ways:

Students may discuss their concerns with the student whom they suspect of a violation. Direct contact by another student may be the best means of resolving the problem. Repeated demonstration of student concern for academic integrity will in the long run build a peer-regulated community.
If the incident is a major violation or part of a repeated pattern of violations, students should bring their concerns to the attention of the instructor or to the appropriate department chairperson or Associate Dean. Suspected violations by students reported to members of the faculty or to an Associate Dean will be handled according to the procedures set forth below.

Faculty should promote academic integrity in the following specific ways:

At the beginning of each course, instructors should discuss academic integrity in order to promote an ongoing dialogue about academic integrity and to set the tone and establish guidelines for academic integrity within the context of the course, e.g., the extent to which collaborative work is appropriate. Where relevant, instructors should discuss why, when, and how students must cite sources in their written work.
Instructors should provide students with a written syllabus that states course requirements and, when available, examination dates and times.
Instructors are encouraged to prepare new examinations and assignments where appropriate each semester in order to ensure that no student obtains an unfair advantage over his or her classmates by reviewing exams or assignments from prior semesters. If previous examinations are available to some students, faculty members should insure that all students in the course have similar access. Course examinations should be designed to minimize the possibility of cheating, and course paper assignments should be designed to minimize the possibility of plagiarism.
Proctors should be present at all examinations, including the final examination, and should provide students with an environment that encourages honesty and prevents dishonesty.
Faculty should be careful to respect students' intellectual property and the confidentiality of student academic information.
Assignment of grades, which is the sole responsibility of the instructor, should be awarded in a manner fair to all students.

Academic Deans
Academic deans have overall responsibility for academic integrity within their schools. In particular, deans' responsibilities include the following:

promoting an environment where academic integrity is a priority for both students and faculty,
ensuring that students who are honest are not placed at an unfair disadvantage, and
establishing procedures to adjudicate charges of academic dishonesty and to protect the rights of all parties.

Procedures

The Lynch School Academic Integrity Committee is constituted annually and comprises faculty members, a graduate and an undergraduate student representative, and the Undergraduate Associate Dean and the Graduate Associate Dean who serve as non-voting administrative resources for their respective cases. A faculty chair is appointment by the Dean’s Office and will convene the Academic Integrity Committee when a case has been received.
Each reported [*see note below] alleged violation of the Standards of Academic Integrity will be reviewed by the Academic Integrity Committee. In cases involving graduate students from more than one school, or students in joint or dual degree programs, the Committees on Academic Integrity of the pertinent schools will cooperate in their review.
If the faculty member decides to impose a grading penalty, a letter of notification describing the incident and the proposed grading penalty is to be sent to the Associate Dean for Graduate Student Services and to the Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee who will convene the Committee on Academic Integrity to review the case.
The faculty member bringing the accusation will be notified that the case is under review by the Academic Integrity Committee and asked to provide a letter in writing that explains the integrity violation and how this was detected by the faculty member. The faculty member should also provide a copy of the “evidence” of the academic integrity violation that was used in its detection.
It is recommended that the faculty member filing the academic integrity complaint should discuss the situation directly with the student; however, if this isn’t possible the Academic Integrity Committee Chair will notify the student that the complaint has been filed and is under review by the Committee.
The student is sent a copy of the faculty member’s letter that initiated the case, and is asked to respond to the complaint by providing their understanding of the behavior that led to the complaint in writing.
All of the written materials are to be submitted to the Academic Integrity Committee for their review. The Committee, at its discretion, may interview any individual with knowledge pertinent to the case.
After reviewing all of the submitted materials, the Committee will decide a case by simple majority vote, and the Associate Dean will convey to the faculty member and the student the Committee's findings as to responsibility and recommended sanctions. In their review, the Committee is asked to either support the grading penalty that has been imposed by the faculty member, or to recommend a different penalty if they determine that the one imposed by the faculty member is either too lenient or too severe. If there is a change made in the penalty for the student, the Committee provides a clear rationale (in writing) for their decision that the Associate Dean will discuss with the faculty member.
Appeal of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision may be made by written request to the Associate Dean of Graduate Students not later than two weeks (ten business days) following the final notification date of the Academic Integrity Committee’s decision. The Associate Dean of Graduate Students will forward the appeal to the Lynch School Dean and the Lynch School Dean will serve as the final arbiter not later than two weeks (ten business days). The Lynch School Dean’s decision will be final.
While a case is pending, the student may not withdraw from or change status in the course.
The Associate Dean will compile a complete file of each case, to be kept confidential in the Dean's office. Files on students found not responsible will be destroyed.

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.

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 of Graduate Studies for reinstatement. Ordinarily, at least one semester or summer session must pass before reinstatement.

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 taken in the fall or spring semester or is absent from the course examination in either semester, may, with adequate reason and at the discretion of the instructor, receive a temporary grade of Incomplete (I). All such I grades will automatically be changed to F on March 1 for the fall, August 1 for the spring, and October 1 for the summer. In extraordinary cases, the student may petition the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies 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.

All doctoral dissertation seminars and dissertation direction courses in the Lynch School are offered only on a pass/fail basis.

Grading Policy on Incomplete Grades

Academic Standards Committee

Grievance Procedure

Dissertation Process

Pre-proposal

Overview of Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee:

Review the detailed explanation of the Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee.
Complete the Pre-proposal in accordance with above guidelines.
Complete Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee form.
Submit Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee form to Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
Meet with Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
Make any necessary adjustments to Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee; resubmit materials to Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, to be forwarded to the Department Chair for review.
Department Chair approves materials and sends a formal invitation to the proposed members of the Dissertation Committee.
Once the proposed members accept the invitation to serve on the Dissertation Committee and the student has received a letter from the Department Chair approving the Dissertation Committee, the student can proceed to the development of the Dissertation Proposal.

Dissertation Proposal

Students who have passed their doctoral comprehensive examination, submitted their Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee Form for Ph.D.or Ed.D. and have had a Dissertation Committee established and confirmed by the Department Chair must develop a dissertation proposal with the assistance of their dissertation committee. The format of the proposal should be discussed with the committee; once the proposal is completed, and accepted by the committee, the committee agrees to a hearing date.

At that point, the student gives the Dissertation Chair the Agreement to Schedule a Proposal Hearing form, which the Chair signs. The student submits this signed form to the Department Office and delivers a copy of the final draft of the proposal to all members of the committee.

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 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 Department 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:

the proposal is accepted
the proposal is accepted with stated qualifications
the proposal is rejected in its present form, but may be revised and resubmitted at a later date; another proposal hearing will be held
the proposal is rejected

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 Department Office. All members of the committee must sign the ballot before the proposal can be considered accepted.

If the student and all committee members agree, members of the University community may be invited to the proposal hearing.

Timeline for Dissertation Submission

March 31 (or April 1) is the last date a student can have an oral defense in order to be considered for May graduation. Students must submit their dissertation revisions and edits to their Dissertation Chair by the given deadline. The final dissertation, successfully incorporating the revisions of the committee members and Chair, and the signed ballots must be submitted to the Graduate Student Services Office by the given deadline. Only the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Service can approve a later deadline than the university deadline (updated: 1/1/2016).

University-wide Policy on Dissertation Submission Requirements

Management of dissertations at Boston College is online-only. The public dissemination of research fits with university social justice values supporting global access to scholarship. The University policy with regard to dissertations is as follows:

All final dissertations must be submitted and published online through ProQuest/UMI, as well as BC’s open access institutional repository, by the University required deadline.

The ProQuest ETD Administrator system is used for student submission, school administration approval, and library management of the process, as it is at the vast majority of Carnegie Tier 1 schools. BC also supports an institutional repository (IR) as its system of record, in which we are legally obligated to preserve all dissertations, and where materials are made available Open Access online according to Creative Commons licensing of the student’s choosing. For both repositories, embargoes may be placed for up to two years. Embargoes can be extended up to five years with school approval. Each system carries its own set of licenses, terms and options (e.g. ProQuest license, BC IR license.)

Exceptions to the requirement to submit digitally will be based on decisions made by individual schools or by the Provost. BC Libraries provide support, instruction, and infrastructure to enable the collection, approval, description, security, access and preservation of all Boston College dissertations and theses.

Completing a Human Subjects Review Application

After the Dissertation Proposal has been approved by the committee, students are required to complete an Application for Approval of Research Projects Involving Human Subjects and submit it to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Before submitting this form, students should become familiar with APA (American Psychological Association) and AERA (American Educational Research Association) ethical standards and principles.

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 IRB website for a list of courses online and at BC). This certificate should be secured prior to the Dissertation Proposal hearing, ensuring that the student is familiar with the Human Subjects Review process prior to the hearing.

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 IRB website for further details on this process. It is the policy of the Boston College IRB that no data may be collected for the dissertation research prior to the approval of the Human Subjects Review application.

Scheduling the Final Defense

After informal approval of the dissertation by each of the committee members, students will schedule a tentative date for their defense hearing using the Agreement to Schedule a Final Defense form. The Dissertation Chair should sign this agreement and the student should submit the completed form to the Department Office at least 14 days prior to the defense. One copy of the dissertation abstract must also be submitted electronically to the Department Office at that time.

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 April 1. If this date falls on a weekend or holiday, it will fall on the next university class day.

Students should refer to the below guidelines for submitting completed dissertations to the Lynch School before preparing final dissertation, since regulations contained in that set of guidelines do have an impact on format. The guidelines also indicate the online submission process for the final dissertation.

Candidates must complete the Doctoral Checklist and Information Sheet online form, which will be submitted to the Graduate Office in Campion 135. The Department Office 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. One of these pages will be inserted into the final dissertation and the other will be kept in the doctoral student's permanent file.

Dissertation Guidelines

Your dissertation marks the end and apex of your degree work in the Lynch School. It is both a public testimony of your scholarship and the vehicle by which you make known the contribution to knowledge which your research has made. For this reason, dissertations are preserved by the University Archives and are sent to ProQuest for sale and listing in their own and other international indices. Thus, the appearance of your dissertation is a matter of some importance to you and to Boston College, whose name it also bears. A dissertation that does not conform to the following minimum standards may be returned to the candidate and the awarding of the degree delayed.

If you have any questions about the format of your dissertation, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services at 617-552-4214 or visit us in Campion Hall 135.

Doctoral students must submit the online Doctoral Checklist and Information form to the Graduate Office once their dissertations have been successfully defended.

The Lynch School requires that you submit your dissertation online through eTD@BC. Instructions can be found under the Dissertation Submission tab.

Your dissertation must include:

Title Page: This title page must conform to the sample; if it does not, the Lynch School reserves the right to redo this page for you without notice. Make sure the title of your dissertation is concise and meaningful.

Copyright: Whether or not you opt to have ProQuest register your copyright, this page must conform to the sample; if it does not, the Lynch School reserves the right to redo this page for you without notice.

Abstract: This must be no more than 350 words. The abstract must include the title of your dissertation, your name, and that of your dissertation director as its heading. Word limit must be strictly adhered to and every word (including the title and the names) counted. If your department requires an abstract that has a larger word count than that required here, please include a shortened version. The abstract must be double-spaced in the same type font as the text of your dissertation.

You must use embedded fonts as you convert your dissertation to PDF for electronic submission. For more information on embedding fonts, see the ETD website at www.bc.edu/etd. The processing of all textual material must be letter-quality, clear, dark black, and double-spaced; notes, bibliographic references, and long quotations may be single-spaced. The font size must be at least 12 point. While only one font style and size should be used throughout your text, the notes, bibliographic references, and long quotations may be in a type size smaller than your text, but must still be at least 10 point. Margins must be symmetrical and 1 1/4 inches at the left and right and 1 inch on the top and bottom. These margins must be strictly maintained throughout your work. Page numbers should be 1 inch from the edge of the paper.

Pagination

The traditional title page, copyright page, and abstract require no page numbers and should be submitted in this order. Acknowledgments, table of contents, list of tables, etc. are considered the introductory material of the manuscript and page numbers are expressed in lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, etc.). Every page of your dissertation, after the abstract, including all material in Appendices, must be sequentially numbered. The Lynch School does not insist on the use of one particular style manual, but leaves this decision to the student and advisor. Make sure that you follow one method of reference and bibliographic notation throughout your dissertation. Counseling Psychology students normally follow APA style.

Charts, graphs, tables and other illustrative material can be produced in black or color ink. Photographs should be embedded as jpeg files with clear resolution.

ProQuest and the Copyright of Your Dissertation

Doctoral students are required to submit their dissertations to ProQuest. The agreement you sign with ProQuest allows them to include your work in their dissertation services, primarily the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database. You retain the copyright of your dissertation. If you wish, you may register your copyright yourself with the Library of Congress Copyright Office, or you may pay a fee to have ProQuest register copyright for you. More information about copyright is available on the eTD website at www.bc.edu/etd.

Please review your document for the inclusion of any third-party copyrighted materials, including survey and test instruments. Certain copyrighted works may be included under the fair use exception to the exclusive rights of copyright holders. If fair use does not apply, you may need to ask for permission from the copyright holder. If you have obtained permission to include third-party copyrighted materials in your thesis/dissertation, these permissions can be included as supplemental files as part of your submission. Please note that any pages that include signatures (e.g., signature pages, copyright permissions, IRB forms, etc.) should not be included in the main dissertation itself.

Dissertation Submission

eTD@BC (Electronic Thesis and Dissertations at Boston College)

Pre-submission checklist

Attend an eTD@BC workshop offered by the Boston College Libraries, which includes an overview of the submission process and information about important decisions and issues, such as eScholarship@BC, embargoes, copyright, etc. For information/dates of workshops and a copy of the handout from the latest workshop, please check the eTD@BC website at www.bc.edu/etd or contact etd-support@bc.edu,
Submit the Doctoral Checklist and Information Form online.
Assess fair use of any third-party-copyrighted materials and request permissions if needed.
Review the eTD@BC website and finalize decisions regarding eScholarship@BC, embargoes, etc.

Dissertation Embargo

Upon submission of a completed doctoral dissertation in the Graduate School of Education, a student may request an embargo for not more than two years without special permission. To request an extension beyond two years, but for no more than five years, a student must submit a written rationale to the Lynch School Educational Policy Committee (EPC). Requests for more than five years will be granted by the EPC of the Lynch School only for extraordinary reasons.

Submission Process

Dissertations are submitted using Boston College’s online submission system, eTD@BC (electronic Theses & Dissertations at Boston College). Submission of your dissertation is entirely online and free of charge. After successfully defending your thesis (committee signed off, and all requested edits were completed), begin your online submission at the following website: www.bc.edu/etd

For further assistance with the submission process, please contact etd-support@bc.edu.

Doctoral Checklist and Information Form

Dissertation Deadlines

Spring graduation: Defend and submit the final dissertation no later than April 1. Final deadline for revisions by April 16.

Summer graduation: Defend no later than June 30 and submit the final dissertation no later than August 5.

Fall graduation: Defend and submit the final dissertation no late than December 5.

Summer defense hearings in July can only be scheduled with permission from the Associate Dean. Defenses must take place prior to July 22nd. Students must submit their dissertation no later than August 5th.

Student Grievances

Summary

This grievance procedure provides a process for constructively resolving serious academic, supervisory or administrative grievances that undergraduate and graduate students may have with faculty, supervisors, staff or administrators. Its purpose is to resolve in a fair manner any grievances arising from grading, other evaluation or supervisory practices, and appeals that students may want to initiate if they are dissatisfied with decisions made by the committees that direct their degree program or the Academic Standards Committee of the Lynch School. To that end, all concerned should display a cooperative manner. Resolutions should be attempted between the parties involved and mediated rather than directed outcomes should be sought, and should be sought at the lowest possible administrative level. Confidentiality of the student(s) and faculty members(s) involved should be maintained at all times. In the event that the student’s Chairperson, advisor, supervisor, Dean or Associate Dean is a party to the grievance that person should recuse him/herself from considering the matter, and the appropriate administrator at the next highest administrative level will replace that person

If at any time in these procedures the student anticipates that discussing the matter directly with the faculty member, supervisor, committee or program staff would be uncomfortable, the student may request an ombudsperson. In this case, the Chair or appropriate Associate Dean will make a reasonable effort to assign an ombudsperson who is acceptable to the student.

If a student believes that he or she has been evaluated unfairly or has another serious grievance, the student should discuss the matter with the faculty member, supervisor or committee involved as soon as possible after the evaluation has been received or the grievance arises. This discussion should provide an opportunity for further dialogue and clarification between faculty and student about how the matter 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. This written statement must be completed no later than two weeks after the mutually acceptable resolution has been reached.

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, supervisor, or committee is located administratively. The student's written statement to the Chair must be submitted no later than two weeks from the date of the final meeting with the faculty member, supervisor, committee or program staff and clearly specify the nature of the complaint and the remedy requested.

The Chairperson will review the matter by meeting individually with each individual involved and reviewing any written materials related to the grievance. The Chairperson will meet again with the individuals involved, either separately or jointly or both, in an attempt to resolve the matter. The Chairperson will provide a written response within two weeks of this meeting. 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 or other individuals involved.

In the event that the grievance concerns treatment or evaluation in the practicum, the student should follow this same procedure, discussing the matter first with his or her field supervisor. If this discussion does not lead to resolution, the matter should be brought to the appropriate Director of Field Placements who will follow the guidelines described above for Department Chairs. If a field site grievance involves an organization other than Boston College, the student should pursue the grievance through that organization's applicable procedures. In such a case, the student is advised to inform his or her Lynch School supervisor of the grievance.

Formal Appeal Procedures

If an undergraduate or graduate student is dissatisfied by the outcome of the discussions and process at the Chairperson level, the student may initiate a formal appeal. The student must initiate the appeal as early as possible, but not later than thirty (30) days after receiving the Chair’s resolution. A formal appeal consists of a written explanation of the grievance sent to the relevant Associate Dean of Graduate or Lynch Office of Undergraduate Programs, which should include the reasons the student believes the faculty member's, supervisor's, or committee’s evaluation was arbitrary, unethical, or based on extrinsic error, and the reasons why previous discussions were not satisfactory. The Associate Dean may request that the faculty member, the Chair and any other individual involved provide the Associate Dean with a written evaluation of the merit of the appeal and a summary of the attempts to resolve the grievance.
The Associate Dean will then convene an ad hoc committee composed of three members. Two members will be members of the Academics Standards Committee and will be appointed by the co-chairs of that committee. A third member will be appointed by the Associate Dean. If a student is appealing a decision of the Academic Standards Committee, no member of the Academic Standards Committee would be included in the ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee will conduct an independent review of the grievance, which will include discussing the grievance with the Chair, the student, and other individuals involved. Within thirty (30) days of receiving the formal appeal, the ad hoc committee will provide a statement of the committee’s resolution of the matter to the student, the Department Chair involved in the earlier level of the process, the person(s) against whom the grievance was brought, and the Associate Dean.
If the student is dissatisfied with the conclusions of the ad hoc committee, the student may submit a written appeal to the Dean. The appeal must be submitted as soon as possible but no later than thirty (30) days after the student has received the conclusions of the ad hoc committee. A formal appeal to the Dean consists of a written explanation of the appeal which should include the reasons the student believes the faculty member's, supervisor's, or committee’s evaluation was arbitrary, unethical, or based on extrinsic error, and the reasons why previous discussions were not satisfactory. Copies of decisions made by the Department Chair and the ad hoc committee will be forwarded to the Dean for the Dean’s consideration in this review of the student’s appeal. Within thirty (30) days of receipt of the student’s appeal, the Dean will render a decision. The decision of the Dean is final, and will be communicated to the student in writing, with copies to the person(s) against whom the grievance was brought, and the relevant Department Chair and Associate Dean.
If a student’s grievance relates to the student’s legal rights under any law or regulation, the grievance will be addressed in accordance with the applicable legal requirements. In such cases, the faculty member or administrator responding to the grievance should consult with the Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs who will facilitate communication with the Office of the General Counsel.
In some cases, a student’s grievance may be more appropriately addressed by another University grievance procedure. Students should pursue the matter through that procedure. For example, students who wish to grieve treatment or evaluation related to their second major outside the Lynch School should follow the policies of the relevant department. If the student believes that he or she has experienced discriminatory harassment, the student should follow the discriminatory harassment policies described in the University Policy against Discriminatory Harassment in the Boston College Policies and Procedure Manual.

Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures

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Requirements for the Degree

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Transfer into the Lynch School

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International Students

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Financial Aid

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Information on Conference Reimbursement (GEA)

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Cross-Registration

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Academic Integrity

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Pre-proposal

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Completing a Human Subjects Review Application

Scheduling the Final Defense

Pre-submission checklist

Student Grievances

Summary

Formal Appeal Procedures

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