School of Continuing and Professional Studies: Information

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All students are subject to the academic policies specified in the section titled “University Regulations.” In addition, students enrolled through the School of Continuing & Professional Studies must follow the policies listed below.

Academic Grievance Procedure Students who have a grievance related to a course, a faculty member, or the services provided by SCPS faculty or staff should pursue the grievance as follows:

1. The grievance should be filed with the appropriate academic unit head (assistant dean or senior program director), who will adjudicate the case. If the appropriate unit head is a party to the case or is otherwise unable to serve, the grievance should be filed with the school’s appropriate associate dean or other official as designated by the dean.  
2. The SCPS unit head will initially investigate the complaint. Investigation will include but is not limited to reviewing relevant documentation and meeting with the student and the faculty member or University official who made the decision being contested. Within thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the grievance, the SCPS academic unit head will communicate in writing her/his recommendation to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services.  Once reviewed, as necessary, the unit head will communicate the decision to both the student and the faculty member or official.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities It is the policy of the University of Virginia to accommodate students with disabilities in accordance with federal and state laws. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC): 434-243-5180/Voice, 434-465-6579/Video Phone, 434-243-5188/Fax www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/sdac/sdac.html

Any School of Continuing and Professional Studies student with a disability who needs accommodation (e.g., in arrangements for seating, extended time for examinations, or note-taking, etc.), should contact the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) and provide them with appropriate medical or psychological documentation of his/her condition. Requests for reasonable variation in degree requirements to accommodate a student’s disability should be submitted in writing for the review of the SDAC. Also see University Regulations section in this Record regarding Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.

Once accommodations are approved, it is the student’s responsibility to follow up with their instructor about logistics and implementation of accommodations. All accommodations should be discussed between student and instructor as early as possible; accommodations for test-taking should be arranged at least 14 business days in advance of the date of the test(s). SCPS is also available to assist with accommodations, particularly for temporary or emergency situations. Please email SCPSaccommodation@virginia.edu

Accuracy of Student Records Students are responsible for confirming the accuracy of their transcripts.  A student must identify and seek correction of any errors by the conclusion of the term following the award of the grade in question or prior to degree conferral if they are graduating that term.  Errors not noted within these time limits will not be revised. The Office of the University Registrar provides access to SIS (Student Information System) via the Internet (www.virginia.edu/registrar). Students may access their grades and their unofficial transcripts by connecting to SIS.

Add/Drop The dates by which students may add or drop a course are established each academic year by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Students should consult the Student Portal on the School of Continuing and Professional Studies website for information: www.scps.virginia.edu

Admission Information about graduate certificate courses and programs offered by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies is in the Record and on the School’s website: www.scps.virginia.edu  Students should consult with Admission Services in SCPS if they have questions on the admission process.  See Admissions by Program on the SCPS website for further information: http://www.scps.virginia.edu/apply-for-admission

Application of SCPS Courses to Degree Programs With the approval of the student’s school of enrollment, a course taken through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies may be counted toward degree requirements. These courses would typically be included in the computation of grade point averages. Students should seek approval in advance; otherwise such courses may not apply toward a degree.

Attendance Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Instructors establish attendance and participation requirements for each of their classes.  Class requirements, regardless of delivery mode, are not waived due to a student’s absence from class. Instructors will require students to make up any missed coursework and may deny credit to any student whose absences are excessive. Poor attendance may result in the student receiving a failing grade. Instructors must keep an attendance record for each student enrolled in the class to document attendance and participation in the class.

Audit Students who wish to audit a course (enroll in credit courses without earning academic credit) may do so on a space available basis, with the permission of the instructor. Credit or audit status must be indicated at the time of registration. No change in status can be made following the drop deadline. Admission requirements are the same for auditing students as for students enrolled for credit. An AU (audit) cannot be changed to a letter grade. Auditing students are to meet the same requirements and standards of the course as those students enrolled for credit. A grade of W is recorded for any student who discontinues the audit after the drop deadline or who fails to meet the instructor’s standards. Audited courses are not applicable to degrees or certificates.  Students who audit courses are responsible for full payment of all relevant tuition and fees.

Conduct Students who enroll in degrees, courses, seminars, certificate programs and other lifelong learning activities delivered by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, whether at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville or elsewhere, agree to conduct themselves in a manner that honors the learning process and the University’s function as an educational institution. Students must agree to abide by the Honor Code and all University Regulations (as detailed in the University Regulations section of this Record).

In a community of learning, willful disruption of the educational process, destruction of property, interference with the orderly process of the University and/or with the rights of the other members of the University community will not be tolerated. The Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies has the authority to exclude those who are disruptive of the educational process, including those whose behavior would present a threat to the health and safety of others.

Continuing Education Unit A limited number of non-credit activities are designated as Continuing Education Unit (CEU) programs. One CEU is defined as 10 contact hours of participation in an organized educational experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. The Office of the University Registrar (UREG) permanently records successful participation in programs that have been authorized to award CEU’s. A certificate typically is awarded at the conclusion of the program.

Duty to Report Students enrolling in School of Continuing and Professional Studies courses or programs are to follow University policy for duty to report arrests and convictions.  Please see policy information at www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/announcements/2011/02/  Additional information may be found on the Student portal of the SCPS website at www.scps.virginia.edu/audience/students/duty-to-report-arrests-convictions

Grades Courses carrying a School of Continuing and Professional Studies subject area (mnemonic) use the following grading system: A+, A, A-; B+, B, B-; C+, C, C-; D+, D, D-; F.   S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) are used for some class offerings. For non-credit courses, the grade notation is N (no credit) which indicates successful completion of the class offering. Students who audit courses receive the designation AU (audit). The symbol W is used when a student officially drops a course before its completion, or if the student withdraws from an academic program of the University.

When the School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers courses in collaboration with other schools of the University, these courses follow the grading system of their associated schools, as outlined in each school’s section of this Record.

Credit/No Credit Students enrolled in graduate degree programs should consult with the appropriate school before selecting the credit/no credit (CR/NC) grading option. Students enrolled in certain courses for professional development may select the CR/NC option if available. Courses taken with this grading option may not be transferred into a degree program. The use of CR/NC in certificate programs is governed by the academic policies of the individual program.

Grade Changes No grade for a course may be changed after it has been submitted to the Office of the University Registrar (UREG) without the course instructor certifying in writing that, because of an error in calculation or transcription, an incorrect grade was submitted.

Incompletes A grade of incomplete (IN) should be a rare occurrence. If late in the term, circumstances arise beyond a student’s control and all other coursework is complete, the student and instructional faculty may negotiate an extension for submission of final coursework. Prior to the final class, the student must request an IN from the instructional faculty in writing; the instructional faculty must initiate the SCPS Request for a Grade of Incomplete Form and submit the signed form to the SCPS Registrar. The student must complete all course requirements and submit the completed work to the instructional faculty by the instructional faculty’s imposed deadline, at which time the instructional faculty replaces the IN with a letter grade. Typical extensions are for no more than 30 to 60 days beyond the final class meeting.  If the work is not completed by the designated agreed upon deadline and a letter grade is not entered, the IN automatically defaults to an ‘F’. Only in extreme cases will this deadline be extended; additional extensions require approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. A degree or certificate will not be awarded while an Incomplete grade remains on the transcript. A student may not request an Incomplete in an attempt to raise his or her grade.

Grade Appeal Policy  Students who wish to appeal a grade must first attempt to resolve the issue with the instructor of the class.  Absent a satisfactory outcome, the student consults with the program’s senior program director.  If this path proves unsuccessful in the resolution of the matter, the student may appeal to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services.  The associate dean’s decision is final.  At each stage of their appeal, students should provide any supporting documentation they believe is important to their appeal.  Appeals must be initiated within one month of the final date by which grades are posted for the term in question.

Grade Lapse Procedure An incomplete that is not removed by the assigned date will be converted to a grade of F (failure). Only the appropriate instructor may authorize removal of an IN designation.  Degree-seeking students who receive an IN (incomplete) or an F (failure) in any course cannot enroll in another course unless the Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies grants permission.

Honor System The Honor System is one of the University’s oldest and most venerated traditions. Based on the fundamental assumption that anyone who enrolls at the University subscribes to a code of ethics forbidding lying, cheating, and stealing, the Honor System allows students the kind of personal freedom possible only in an environment where respect and trust are assumed. For nearly 160 years, students have administered this system at the University.

While the Honor System applies to students enrolled on- and off-Grounds through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, some procedures for administration of the system to continuing and professional studies students differ from those governing on-Grounds full time students. Off-Grounds students should consult the School of Continuing and Professional Studies website: www.scps.virginia.edu or visit The Honor Committee website for a copy of the By-laws under Governing Documents: www.virginia.edu/honor/

Refunds Programs offered by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies have varying policies regarding refunds. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the policy associated with the program or courses in which they are enrolled. Please refer to the school’s website for detailed information: www.scps.virginia.edu

Repeated Courses Students may repeat courses for credit only after receiving permission from their academic program director. When a course is allowed to be repeated, that course may count toward degree credit only once. The original course continues to appear on the official academic record and counts in the calculation of the grade point average.

Student Rights and Responsibilities The University of Virginia is a community of scholars in which the ideals of freedom of inquiry, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of the individual are sustained. The University is committed to supporting the exercise of any right guaranteed to individuals by the Constitution and the Code of Virginia and to educating students relative to their responsibilities.  Please see University policy regarding rights and responsibilities of students at www.virginia.edu/vpsa/rights.html

Suspended Students Individuals who have been suspended from the University of Virginia or from any other college or university are not eligible to enroll through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies as long as the suspension remains in force.

Transcripts The Office of the University Registrar (UREG) records credits, grades and CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for University courses taught in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Transcripts are available from the Office of the University Registrar www.virginia.edu/registrar  Current students may view their unofficial transcripts by logging into their student center in the Student Information System (SIS): www.virginia.edu/sis/

Transfer of School of Continuing and Professional Studies Course Credits to Other Academic Programs Students wishing to transfer credit from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies to another program or educational institution should consult that program or institution as to the acceptability of the courses and their credit prior to registering with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Withdrawal A term which refers to the student’s decision to end his/her programmatic relationship with an SCPS program and, therefore, the University. Normally, withdrawal is associated with permanent discontinuation. Discontinued participation in a class does not constitute a withdrawal from the class or the program. 
Specific information related to Class Add/Drop/Withdrawal may be found at: http://www.scps.virginia.edu/audience/students/add-drop-withdrawal 

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers programs in specialized fields such as business, education, and other professions that lead to the award of certificates. Generally, certificate programs require 12 to 24 credits of instruction. Admission requirements for graduate certificate programs include an on-line application, transcripts, a resume, a letter of recommendation, a statement of purpose, an application for Virginia In-State Education Privileges, and payment of the application fee. Only courses completed with a grade of B- or better will count towards meeting the requirements of a certificate.

Persons interested in specific information about certificate programs should consult the School of Continuing and Professional Studies website: www.scps.virginia.edu

Graduate degree programs offered through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies address the needs of adult students at convenient locations throughout the state. Faculty at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, work with their counterparts in other schools of the University to design and deliver degree programs through on-site courses and the use of distance learning technologies. The degree-granting school or college determines its program admission criteria, course content, and degree requirements.

Degree-seeking students should consult the appropriate school’s section in this Record to determine admission requirements and other policies and regulations applicable to degree programs. Students who seek to transfer graduate credits earned through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies must get approval from the school in which enrollment is sought.

When the School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers courses in collaboration with other schools of the University, these courses follow the grading system of their associated schools, as outlined in each school’s section of this Record.

For a complete list of current tuition and fees for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies please consult the school’s website at www.scps.virginia.edu