Graduate Program Administration

Each master’s degree program is administered by a Director who is appointed by the President of the College and reports to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), the Graduate Council (GC), and the Graduate Program Directors Committee (GPDC) assists each director in maintaining a program of high quality.

The Graduate Council consists of the Program Director and one full-time faculty member from each graduate program, and three elected representatives from Faculty Assembly with 2-year terms. Its function is to determine policy related to academic standards, curriculum, new graduate programs, and other policy matters as shall be appropriate.

The Graduate Program Directors Committee is comprised of the Directors of the graduate programs. The function of the GPDC is to implement policies which cross over or affect two or more graduate programs, to develop administrative procedures where possible and desirable, and to serve as a working committee for the GC in the development of new policies related to graduate programs.

Minimum Admission Requirements for Graduate Programs

To qualify for admission, applicants must present evidence of the following: an earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college, official transcripts of all college work, a completed application form, and letters of recommendation. Additional admission requirements for specific programs are listed on the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College website. International applicants must supply official test scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Students must meet one of the following criteria:

TOEFL with minimum score of 550 (paper examination)
TOEFL with minimum score of 79 (internet-based examination)

Graduate Admission Process

Application materials are sent to the Office of Admissions.
The Office of Admissions and the Program Director review the application materials.
The applicant is notified of acceptance, refusal, or the need to fulfill preliminary requirements.

If a student’s application materials misrepresent any information, for any reason, admission or enrollment may be revoked.

Non-Matriculating Students

A student may take up to nine hours of graduate credit on a non-matriculating basis. If a student wishes to continue after nine hours of credit have been completed, she or he must apply to be admitted into a degree program. If admitted, the credits may be applied to a graduate degree program.
A student who is within nine hours of completing an undergraduate degree may take up to nine hours in a master’s degree program as a non-matriculating student. Once the undergraduate degree has been earned, the graduate credit may be applied toward a graduate degree program. Graduate credits taken on this basis may not be applied to both an undergraduate and graduate degree. If an institution has accepted SMWC credit toward an undergraduate degree, the student enrolling in an SMWC graduate degree program will be considered as having taken the graduate courses already completed, and must substitute an equivalent number of graduate credits, appropriate to the specific graduate program, toward the graduate degree. These courses may be taken at SMWC or another regionally-accredited institution.

Permission for the above courses of action must be requested in writing from the Director of the graduate program involved. The student will complete an abbreviated application process consisting of the application form and an unofficial copy of the transcript.

Degree Requirements

It is the policy of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College that a minimum of 30 credit hours (more if required by the specific program) is required for graduate degree programs. See Program Handbook for maximum timeframe for completion of each degree. Students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in his or her graduate degree program.

Transfer of Graduate Credit from Other Institutions

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College accepts transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions if the student earned a grade of “B” or better in the course. The maximum amount of graduate credit accepted for each program is listed below. All credits are subject to approval by the program’s Director.

Master of Arts in Art Therapy: 18 credit hours (9 credit hours of core courses and 9 credit hours of elective courses). See program handbook for specifics.
Master of Arts in Music Therapy: 9 credit hours
Master of Healthcare Administration: 9 credit hours
Master of Leadership Development: 9 credit hours
Master of Science in Nursing: 12 credit hours
Post-Master’s Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner: 6 credit hours
Post-Master’s Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture: 6 credit hours (research and intensive campus courses must be completed at SMWC)

Credit for Prior Learning

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College accepts prior learning credits at the graduate level; however, this does not apply to all programs. The prior learning process is based upon a rigorous assessment that may award credits for the knowledge acquired that translates into specific graduate-level courses. See specific graduate program polices found in program Handbooks.

Auditing a Course

A student may petition to audit a course by submitting a written request to the Director of the specific graduate program prior to registration. The student should state the reason(s) for the request. Courses may be audited at the discretion of the instructor and the program Director. Auditors will be provided with course materials and will be expected to participate in all of the required course meetings. The fee for auditing a graduate course is $200 per course. At the conclusion of the course, the notation of audit (AU) will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Academic Advising and Student/Faculty Communication

Academic advising in the graduate program has two dimensions. The Director/Academic Advisor is responsible for overseeing the student’s ongoing program of study and ascertains that the student is fulfilling the requirements for graduation. Any change to the program of study must be reviewed by the Director/Academic Advisor.

The faculty member conducting each course provides the second dimension of advisement in terms of the student meeting requirements and expectations of performance in the course. Schedule changes can be made only with the approval of the faculty.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Library

The Mary and Andrew Rooney Library, which is housed within Rooney Center, provides access to traditional and online library collections and services. A number of electronic databases, many containing full text articles, are available to authenticated users both on and off campus. Interlibrary loans and “purchase on demand” services allow the library to meet the changing academic needs of students and faculty, whether on campus or at a distance. The library also provides meeting and classroom spaces to campus and community groups.

Graduate students are encouraged to access library resources. They may request assistance by phone (812-535-5223) or email (library@smwc.edu). The library staff will mail books and email articles to graduate students free of charge. Students are responsible for the cost of returning books mailed to them.

Course Evaluation

Course evaluation is an important component of the learning process for both students and faculty members. Each course will be evaluated at the conclusion of the term in which it is offered.

Grading Policy

The following grading system is used:

A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.4
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.4
C	2.0
F	0.0
I	Incomplete
P	Pass
R	Repeat
W	Withdrawal

A student who receives any grade below a "C" must retake the course, with full tuition charge. The second grade will replace the first, which will remain on the transcript, but will no longer be included in the calculation of the GPA.

A 3.00 cumulative GPA is required for graduation. A course grade below “C” will not count toward the graduation requirements. A student who does not maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA is subject to probation. See your program handbook for policies related to failing and retaking courses.

Course Extensions

A course extension is only available upon approval and in the case where a student has not completed all coursework or internship hours and can do so within a month of the term ending. Student must 1) have completed at least 75% of course work, 2) be passing the course, and 3) be active in the last quarter of the course in order to request an extension. Students must submit a request form for an extension which can be approved or denied by the instructor of the course. If approved, the student will have one month to complete the remaining work or hours. The final grade will be posted at the end of the extension (replacing the “I” incomplete grade). Repeatable, if needed, up to three months and by approval of student request for each month increment. A fee of $35/fee per credit hour per month will be assessed.

Course Continuations

Course continuations are designed to be used if and when a student has not completed an extensive amount of internship hours and/or research towards finalizing their thesis. The course continuation is set up for the duration of a full term. Final grades will be posted at end of term for the continuation as well as the original course. The fee for a course continuation is equivalent to one credit hour tuition. Students will only be allowed to register for a course continuation if they are successfully passing other courses in the same term. If the student is registered for no other courses, a review of work in the course will be done to assess if the student should be complete within the one course continuation. A course continuation is a zero credit hour course and will result in a Pass/Fail grade. If the student has not completed the continuation course by the end of this term, they must sign up for the actual course again and pay full tuition.

Graduate Course Repeat Policy

SMWC students may retake any SMWC graduate course one time to improve their grade in that course. If the course is retaken at SMWC, only the grade earned in the second attempt will be counted in the hours earned and the cumulative GPA. Every grade received for a course will remain on the student’s transcript. A transfer course may be used to fulfill the degree requirement, but it cannot be used to replace a grade from a previously taken SMWC course. To increase knowledge, students may take a course at SMWC for which they have already received transfer credit; however, the hours and points from the SMWC course will not be counted toward graduation requirements.

In some cases, repeating a course may affect financial aid or military tuition benefits. Students should consult with the Financial Aid office prior to registration.

Students may not repeat a course after graduation in order to alter their final GPA at the date of graduation. A course may be repeated later, but the second grade will not affect the hours and points from the original grade.

This policy does not apply to variable content courses that are repeatable for credit, such as special topics courses, practicum, internship, etc. The College is not obligated to offer courses so that students can repeat them.

Appeal of Grade

A student who believes that a grade awarded is in error may appeal that grade through the following procedure:

The student must first exhaust all possibilities for resolution of the problem through discussion, dialogue, and written communication with the faculty member.
If the student is unable to resolve the problem by these efforts, the student may appeal to the Director of the program in which the course is offered. If the dispute involves the program Director, the student should direct the appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The appeal consists of a letter clearly describing the grounds for the appeal, together with unaltered copies of the relevant examinations or assignments. If the dispute involves a grade for an entire course, the appeal must be delivered to the program Director (or VPAA) within one month after the course grade is posted in the Office of the Registrar. If the dispute concerns a grade for work done within a course, the appeal must be delivered within one month after the student receives the grade.
The program Director (or VPAA) shall notify the faculty member of the appeal and seek to mediate the dispute.
If mediation is unsuccessful, the student may request a second reading of the examination or assignment. In this case, the program Director may ask two other faculty members who she or he deems qualified to evaluate the work in question. The selected faculty members will evaluate the materials, consult with the course faculty, and submit an evaluation to the program Director (or VPAA), who will decide the grade. The decision may be to raise the grade, let the original grade stand, or to lower the grade.
A program Director who receives a grade appeal shall notify the VPAA of the dispute and of the program Director’s decision.
If the dispute involves work done within a course, the decision of the program Director is final. If the dispute involves a grade for an entire course, the student may further appeal to the VPAA within 30 days. In this case, the decision of the VPAA is final.
In all cases, the VPAA will be responsible for notifying the Office of the Registrar of any changes in course grades resulting from the grade appeal.

Academic Integrity Policy

In the rigorous pursuit of academic excellence in all formats (resident, online and graduate), all members of the SMWC community must abide by relationships based on mutual esteem, trust, sincerity, faith and responsibility. Saint Mary-of- the-Woods College embodies a spirit of student-centered academic innovation, faith and leadership to transform ourselves, our communities and our world. As an academic community we strive to advance the knowledge of our students pursing truth. This is directly related to the SMWC motto: Vitus cum Scientia translated as Virtue with Knowledge Unite. Academic honesty must be one of our most cherished values and any form of academic dishonesty or misconduct is to be considered a most serious offense.

To that end, our students will develop their intellectual, ethical and social dimensions of their character while abiding by the Academic Integrity policy. This policy is reinforced by expecting all members of SMWC to uphold the Academic Integrity Policy; refraining from any form of academic misconduct or dishonesty. This obligation applies to themselves, to their peers and to the institution to uphold all instances if integrity at SMWC.

Academic Integrity Violation Definitions

Cheating: including but not limited to, using “cheat sheets”, accessing formulas or notes that have been stored on phones or other technology, copying from peers, receiving or giving help on papers, experiments, reports, compositions, projects or examinations, looking at another student’s paper during a test, or obtaining a copy of the test prior to the test date.

Inappropriate Collaboration: working with another on an assignment without express permission from the instructor.

Fabrication: is the falsification or invention of information or data in reports, lab results, bibliographies, clinicals or any other academic undertaking.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: involves assisting someone in an act of dishonesty, such as giving someone a paper or homework to copy from or allowing someone to cheat from your test paper.

Interference includes the theft, alteration, destruction, or obstruction of another student’s work. Interference may take the form of theft, defacement or destruction of resources so as to deprive other students of information.

Multiple Submission is submitting work you have done in previous classes as if it were new and original work, without express permission of the instructor.

Plagiarism is the fraudulent misrepresentation of any part of another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism ranges from copying someone else’s work word for word, to rewriting someone else’s work with only minor word changes, to summarizing work without acknowledging the source. Any unacknowledged use of sources, misuse of sources or use of sources to which one is indebted including but not limited to, music, video, audio, theatre projects, compositions, website and computer software constitutes plagiarism.

The requirements of academic integrity also extend to academic activities involving computers and networks and unethical/unprofessional conduct specific to academic programs.

Electronic Dishonesty is using network access inappropriately, in a way that affects a class or other students’ academic work. Examples of electronic dishonesty include using someone else’s authorized computer account to send and receive messages, breaking into someone else’s files, gaining access to restricted files, disabling others’ access to network systems or files, knowingly spreading a computer virus or obtaining a computer account under false pretenses.

Sources: used with permission of Butler University and Hanover College

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of academic integrity violations. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College reserves the right to investigate and determine other infractions to the Academic Integrity Policy as they are presented.

Reporting Process

The following information must be reported to the Academic Affairs Office when an instructor is reporting an offense to the Academic Integrity Policy:

The course number, date and time of the alleged infraction.
The instructors charge against the student.
A completed Academic Integrity Violation Report.

Upon receiving the completed report and supporting documentation from the instructor, the Academic Affairs Office will review the information. The student shall be contacted to discuss the allegation and determine their position. If the student acknowledges the infringement a decision will be rendered on the charge and appropriate sanctions will be determined.

A student cannot avoid a sanction by withdrawing from the course and is not permitted to withdraw from a course while the allegation is under investigation. If a student does not wish to respond with additional information to the charge against them, the process will move forward. After reviewing all of the evidence and hearing responses from the instructor and student, a decision will be rendered on the charge and appropriate sanctions will be determined.

If the student disagrees with the charges against them, the Academic Integrity Committee will review documentation, interview the student/s and the instructor before rendering a decision. If the decision finds the student has violated the Academic Integrity Policy, appropriate sanctions will be determined by the committee. The following documents will be required by the instructor for The Committee to review:

A copy of the course syllabus.
Include any supporting documentation for the charge (Turnitin.com report or others).
Statements from other students should be included if applicable.
Copies of any written communications between the instructor and student that would pertain to the incident.

If a student chooses to appeal the decision of the Academic Integrity Committee, the Vice President of Academic Affairs must receive the appeal in writing within 5 days of the original decision. The final decision of the institution is with the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Sanctions

The first offense of a violation to the Academic Integrity Policy is usually a zero for the assignment, but could be more severe depending on the circumstances. A subsequent violation could be a zero on an assignments or failure of a course. Any additional infractions could easily result in suspension or dismissal from the college.

Probation Policy

Probation status may be imposed for the following reasons: serious deficiencies in academic work and/or failure to follow program procedures, including the prompt submission of work and/or payment for past due accounts. The following requirements may be imposed on probationary students to influence serious and persistent efforts to restore compliance with the program standards: achievement of a specified grade in each course, use of specific remedial aids, payment of bills by the due date or negotiated arrangement with the Chief Financial Officer, maintenance of regular communications with program personnel and observance of program procedures. Failure to comply with requirements within one month after notification may result in dismissal from the program.

Probation, Suspension and Academic Dismissal

Students will be placed on academic probation when their semester GPA or cumulative GPA is less than 3.0. Prior to the start of the next term, the student will be notified in writing of the probationary status and of the conditions of the probation. Occasionally the resolution of an incomplete grade may change a student’s academic status. A student may remain on academic probation for no more than two consecutive terms.

Prior to the start of the next term, a student who is suspended will be notified in writing of the suspension, its duration and the conditions for eligibility to apply for readmission. Generally, dismissal from the College is the result of unsatisfactory performance following a student’s return from a prior suspension. However, a student may be dismissed from the College without previous probation or suspension if the student’s academic performance in a given semester is deemed sufficiently unsatisfactory as to warrant dismissal.

Dismissal for Social Cause

A student may be dismissed for social cause. Unsatisfactory conduct or influence will result in dismissal from the College. If, in the judgment of the administration, a student is exerting a harmful influence, the student may be dismissed without any special act of insubordination. It is understood that students, parents and sponsors of all students accept these conditions.

Harassment Free Environment

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College maintains a harassment free environment. Policies addressing the three different aspects of inappropriate conduct or behavior: Discriminatory Harassment, Sexual Harassment/Sexual Assault and Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships in the Workplace and Educational Setting can be found on the College web site. Collectively, the policies apply to all students, faculty, staff, and others who participate in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s programs and activities.

Student Complaints

In the course of admission or enrollment, a student may have a formal problem, complaint, grievance or issue that needs resolution. The definition of a formal complaint is a complaint directed to senior administrative representatives of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College about the institution and/or its operation that students wish to have formally resolved. Faculty, staff and administrators are committed to helping resolve such situations. The student should first bring any problem directly to the person(s) involved to communicate concerns and attempt to find an acceptable solution. If a resolution cannot be reached, the student should proceed to the student consumer complaint section of the College website: http://www.smwc.edu/student-consumer-information/student-consumer-feedback.

By filing electronically, the student is assured that the issue will be acknowledged, tracked and directed to a, department chair, and/or director of the program in which the student is enrolled. If the outcome is still not satisfactory, the student may appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), using the online complaint process. If a resolution is still reached, the student may petition the President of the College for a hearing before a special board.

Proceeding through these steps is likely to resolve the problem. If not, the student may address complaints to College’s accreditor (Higher Learning Commission), to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (for students living in Indiana or in states that belong to SARA), to the department of higher education in the student’s home state, and if using military-related Tuition Assistance (TA)the DoD Postsecondary Education Complaint System. Additional information and links are provided on the College website.

This complaint policy is not a substitute for the College’s policies on harassment, academic freedom, FERPA or academic policies and standards (such as grade appeals).

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Ring Eligibility

Graduate students are eligible to order a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Ring if they have met the following requirements:

Minimum GPA of 3.00
Successfully completed 75% of coursework to order and receive a Ring
Ring balance paid in full (by March 1st) to receive a Ring

Graduation

Degrees are awarded in March, May, July, September and December. The College conducts one official commencement ceremony in May.

Graduation with Honors

Master’s degrees are conferred “With Honors” upon those students who attain academic distinction. To be eligible for graduation with honors, a student must have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.95 or above in all graduate level coursework completed at SMWC.