Graduate Rules and Regulations
Degree Requirements
The degrees conferred by the graduate faculties are Master of Arts
(A.M.), Master of Science (M.S.),
and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
No student can acquire a right to a degree merely by attending
lectures, passing examinations, and formally complying with prescribed
regulations. The requirements set forth in this document are to be
viewed as minimum requirements. The school or the graduate group has
the right to establish additional requirements and to refuse to examine
any student who is not qualified according to its standards.
In all cases where a specified number of course units (c.u.) are
prescribed as the minimum requirement for a degree, these course units
may be earned in any combination of formal courses or units of
independent study as recommended by the graduate group in the area of
the student’s specialization.
There is only one commencement a year (in May), but degrees will be
granted and diplomas awarded
at the end of the summer session and at the end of the fall term.
Students who plan to obtain degrees
at any of these stated times must apply in the Graduate Division Office
by the dates listed in the degree calendar. It is important that
candidates familiarize themselves with the information contained
therein.
Candidacy
Admission as a regular student does not imply admission to candidacy
for a degree. The graduate
group in a student’s major subject will decide upon the student’s
fitness to proceed to the examinations for a higher degree. A student,
therefore, should not seek admission to candidacy until the graduate
group has had ample opportunity to observe his or her work. No student
can be considered for admission to candidacy until he or she has
satisfied all requirements for entrance.
Application for admission to candidacy for the doctor’s degree is
implied in the application to take the preliminary examination. Success
in the preliminary examination carries with it admission to candidacy.
THE A.M. AND M.S. DEGREES
The master’s degree represents the successful
completion of at least a full academic year (two terms) of graduate
work including some training in research.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A minimum of eight course units is required for the master’s degree.
Additional work may be prescribed
in individual cases. Any student registered for the full amount of four
course units may register as
auditor for one additional course with the permission of the dean of
the student’s school. No more than
four course units in any one term may be counted toward the minimum
requirement of eight course units. No course may be counted toward
degree requirements if it has been used toward the requirements for
more than one other degree.
MAJOR SUBJECT
A prospective candidate for a master’s degree must complete at least
four course units in the field of
the major, and the work as a whole shall be directed by the chairperson
of the graduate group concerned.
Research Requirement: Thesis, Seminar, or Laboratory Course
The candidate shall also:
- (1) prepare a thesis in the field of the major
subject or
- (2) complete a course of research character or engage
in supervised research, as the graduate group shall direct, which, in
either case, shall be of at least one term in duration and shall
include the preparation of at least one comprehensive scholarly or
scientific paper.
A thesis or research paper based on joint work with
other researchers is allowed provided that, in such cases, an unique
and separate document is presented by each degree candidate. The
candidate must include a concise account of his or her contribution to
the whole work. Authorship of a master’s thesis or research
paper by more than one degree candidate is not allowed.
If a thesis is required, two printed copies shall be deposited in the
Graduate Division Office by the
date specified in the degree calendar for that term. Specific
information regarding the form in which the
master’s thesis manuscripts are to be prepared must be obtained from
the Graduate Division Office.
GENERAL EXAMINATION
A general examination by the graduate group in the major subject is
required in addition to all other
examinations. The purpose of this examination is to test the
candidate’s knowledge of his or her major subject in its broader
aspects as well as proficiency in the particular courses he or she has
taken. This examination may be oral, or written, or both, as the
graduate group may decide. The mere satisfaction of minimum
requirements does not entitle the student to be admitted to this
examination.
With the approval of the Graduate Council of the Faculties, the
graduate group may substitute other
assessment procedures for the general examination as a means for
assuring that master’s students have broad knowledge of the field.
TRANSFER OF CREDIT
At least eight course units of the total program required for the
master’s degree must be completed in a graduate program at the
University of Pennsylvania or through one of the approved University of
Pennsylvania programs with the cooperative schools. Where more than
eight course units are required, graduate work done at other
universities may be accepted for the balance of the course requirements
for the master’s degree if approved by the graduate group chairperson
and the dean of the student’s school. A student may transfer courses
completed at other graduate schools of the University with the approval
of the appropriate dean. No work done as an undergraduate, whether done
at this institution or at any other, will be counted toward a higher
degree. (Graduate courses completed by an undergraduate as part of
submatriculation in a graduate group count as graduate courses and,
therefore, may be counted toward graduate degree requirements.)
Credit towards satisfaction of the minimum course requirements for a
post-baccalaureate degree can
be given for a maximum of four course units of work completed while
registered in the College of General
Studies.
LIMITATIONS OF TIME
The minimum requirement of eight course units must be completed within
six consecutive years with the understanding that one additional year
will be allowed for the completion of a thesis if such is required.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
A student who wishes a leave of absence must submit a written request
to his or her graduate group chairperson for initial approval and then
to the appropriate dean for final approval. The granting of a leave of
absence does not automatically change the time limit. Time spent in the
military service does not count under the time limit.
THE
PH.D. DEGREE The doctor of philosophy degree is conferred in
recognition of marked ability and high attainment in
a specific branch of learning. In defining the requirements for this
degree, it is convenient to speak in terms of course units, but it
should be clearly understood that the completion of a given number of
courses does not entitle the student to this degree. The comprehensive
knowledge expected of the student in his or her major field is such
that the requirements for the degree demand not less than three years
of full-time work or the equivalent.
GRADUATE ACADEMIC RULES AND REGULATIONS
The program leading to the doctor’s degree may include work completed
for a master’s degree. The
following regulations have reference to all graduate work presented in
satisfaction of requirements for the doctor’s degree.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PH.D. PROGRAMS
Programs may be jointly administered by two or
more departments, but only one Ph.D. is earned.
Students may also create their own individually structured “ad hoc”
Ph.D. program across departments, but in such cases they will earn only
one Ph.D. Simultaneous enrollment in more than one degree program
requires prior permission of the school.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
While the experienced and exceptionally prepared
student may meet the course requirements by completing a minimum of 20
course units, graduate groups will in many cases require more extensive
preparation through additional work. Of the 20 course units, at least
12 must be completed at the University of Pennsylvania. A candidate for
the degree of Ph.D., unless he or she has a master’s degree from this
University, shall spend at least one year in residence as a graduate
student at the University of Pennsylvania. This rule is interpreted to
mean a program of at least four course units achieved within two
successive terms in courses approved for graduate credit.
The maximum load for a student shall be four course units per term,
with a proviso that any student registered for the full amount of four
course units may register as auditor for one additional course with the
permission of the dean of the student’s school. No more than four
course units in any one term may be counted toward the minimum
requirement of 20 course units.
MAJOR SUBJECT
A prospective candidate for the degree of Ph.D. shall obtain the
approval of the chairperson in his or
her major subject for the program of work leading to that degree.
TRANSFER OF CREDIT
At least 12 course units of the total program required for this degree
must be completed at the University of Pennsylvania; the balance may be
transferred from other institutions, if the transfer is approved by the
graduate group chairperson and the dean of student’s school. Such
requests for transfer of credit may be made to the graduate group
chairperson after the student has been enrolled for an academic year.
No work done as an undergraduate, whether done at this institution or
at any other, will be counted toward a higher degree. (Graduate courses
completed by undergraduates as part of submatriculation in a graduate
group count as graduate courses and, therefore, may be counted toward
graduate degree requirements.)
A graduate group may admit a student trained in the Schools of
Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, or
Dental Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania as a candidate for
the Ph.D. degree. A maximum of 14 of the needed 20 course units may be
transferred from work completed in the first two preclinical years of
these schools. Such candidates must conform to the graduate faculties
schedule and its rules regarding foreign languages, examinations, and
doctoral dissertation. If eight course units or more are allowed for
work in the Schools of Medicine, the student will operate under the
five-year rule as described below, as though
credit for a master’s degree had been given.
Credit towards satisfaction of the minimum course requirements for a
post-baccalaureate degree can
be given for a maximum of four course units of work completed while
registered in the College of General
Studies.
LIMITATIONS OF TIME
The following University-wide policy sets maximum time limits on Ph.D.
study. In addition, each graduate group is authorized to set its own
reasonable time to degree policy, so long as it does not exceed the
maximum established by University policy. For questions regarding
expectations on time to degree for a specific program, contact the
appropriate graduate group chair. Time limit for Completion of Coursework and Preliminary
Examination
Students shall complete all course requirements, the
foreign language requirements, and all examinations preliminary to the
completion of the doctoral dissertation within a period of seven
consecutive years.
The period begins on the first day of the term when
the student starts taking classes and ends on the date when the
Graduate Group Chair signs Form 150 certifying that the student has
passed the preliminary examination and met all the requirements for the
Ph.D., except for the completion and acceptance of his or her
dissertation.
A modification of the seven-year rule is permissible
for students who have taken a master’s degree: such students may have
the credits for which the degree was awarded remain valid indefinitely
upon the recommendation of the graduate group in charge of the major
subject. When a student receives credit for six (6) or more courses
taken in a master’s degree program, he or she shall complete all
additional course requirements, the foreign language requirements, and
all examinations preliminary to the completion of the doctoral
dissertation within a period of five consecutive years. The beginning
and end of the five-year period shall be established in the same way as
described in the above paragraph.
Time Limit for Completion of the Dissertation
Students who have not completed all requirements for
the Ph.D., including the deposit of the dissertation, within five years
of the first day of the first term in which they register for
dissertation tuition, face the ever increasing risk that their
dissertation research is no longer at the frontier of current research
in their field.
Such students (who were admitted or readmitted after
July 1, 1993) cease to be candidates for the Ph. D. unless they:
- satisfy the re-certification criteria designed by
their graduate group and approved by the Graduate Council of the
Faculties or,
- in the absence of an approved re-certification
procedure, they retake and pass either the preliminary or the final
examination. Upon passing the examination, the new deadline for
completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. shall be within two years
of the original completion date.
Exceptions to the Five-Year Rule
In a field of study where the normal time to degree is
especially long (owing, for example, to a period of extended foreign
study or field work) the graduate group has the option of extending the
five-year limit for dissertation registration to six years, or, in
exceptional cases, seven years. Any graduate group that
exercises this option must notify the Graduate Council of
Faculties in writing.
Individual
Graduate Group Re-certification Procedures
Graduate group re-certification policies must be
approved by the Graduate Council of the Faculties and must conform to
the following guidelines:
If a Graduate Group develops its own re-certification procedure for
students who will exceed or have exceeded the time limit for completion
of dissertation, it shall include in the re-certification procedure the
criteria that it will use for re-certification, a schedule for the
completion of the dissertation, and the new date by which the student
will be required to complete his or her dissertation. The new deadline
for completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. shall be within two
years of the original completion date.
HALF-TIME STATUS FOR DOCTORAL
STUDENTS ENGAGED IN PREPARING DISSERTATIONS
Students enrolled for dissertation beyond ten semesters are considered
half-time students, unless they have established that they are
full-time students. Dissertation students beyond the tenth semester of
dissertation registration are full-time if:
- they are serving as a teaching assistant, a research
assistant, or research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania; or
- on approval of their dissertation supervisor and
their graduate group chair, with confirmation by their dean and the
Deputy Provost, they demonstrate that they are engaged in full-time
research on their dissertation.
The acceptance of full-time employment creates a
presumption that a student is not engaged in full-time research.
CONTINUOUS
REGISTRATION/LEAVE OF ABSENCE OR WITHDRAWAL
Continuous registration as a graduate student is
required unless a formal leave of absence is granted by the dean of the
student’s school. A student who has reached dissertation tuition status
will not be granted a leave of absence, except for military duty,
medical reasons, or when a student receives a grant for dissertation
research abroad and the grant does not include funds to pay home
institution fees. A one-year leave for the birth or adoption of a minor
child is available. A student not in dissertation status who desires a
leave of absence must submit a request to the graduate group
chairperson and to the Graduate Division Office. No language or other
degree examinations may be taken while a student is on leave of
absence. The granting of a leave of absence does not automatically
change the time limit. Time spent in the military service does not
count under the time limit.
If a student withdraws from the Ph.D. program after reaching
dissertation status and subsequently
applies for re-admission, the student must pay the dissertation fees
that would have been due during the withdrawal period.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
REQUIREMENT
Some graduate groups may require competency in
foreign language(s). Foreign language competency
is certified by the candidate’s graduate group chairperson to the
Graduate Division Office. Standard examinations are offered in Germanic
languages and Russian. Applications for admission to these examinations
must be filed in the Graduate Division Office approximately one week in
advance of the examination. Registration for these examinations
requires prior approval of the student’s graduate group chairperson.
Courses (without credit) in French and German designed to assist
candidates in acquiring a reading knowledge are offered in the Summer
Sessions. Arrangements to take these courses must be made in the
Graduate Division Office. There is no tuition or fee.
EVALUATIONS AND EXAMINATIONS
There are three evaluations/examinations required for all doctoral
students:
Qualifications Evaluation: An evaluation designed by the
graduate group, which may be based on an
examination or on a review by the faculty of a student’s overall
academic progress, that is conducted in the first two years of a
graduate student’s studies.
Preliminary Examination:
An examination on the major subject area and such subordinate subjects
as have been approved by the graduate group in the major subject area.
This examination may not be taken until the student has completed at
least six course units at the University and is normally held after the
candidate has completed all required courses and may include a
dissertation proposal. It may be oral or written, or both, at the
discretion of the graduate group.
Dissertation Examination: An oral
examination on the contents of the doctoral dissertation.
QUALIFICATIONS
EVALUATION
A student must pass an evaluation process normally conducted no later
than the end of the fourth semester of registration, to continue in the
graduate program. (Exceptions to the four-semester rule are granted to
graduate groups by the Graduate Council of the Faculties.) The form of
the evaluation process shall be determined by the graduate group. The
School’s graduate office and the student must be notified of the
outcome of the evaluation. With the approval of the graduate group
concerned, if the evaluation process entails an examination, that
examination may be considered as the final examination for the master’s
degree and/or the preliminary examination for the Ph.D. In such cases,
the School’s graduate office is notified.
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
To become a candidate for the doctor’s degree, a student must pass a
preliminary examination in the
field of his or her major subject. In most cases, this examination may
not be taken until the student has
completed at least six course units of work at this University. The
form of the examination shall be determined in each instance by the
graduate group. With the approval of the graduate group concerned, the
final examination of the master’s degree may be considered as the
preliminary examination for the doctor’s degree. In such cases, the
School’s graduate office is notified.
CERTIFICATION
Any student who has completed the other requirements for the Ph.D.
degree may, upon recommendation of the graduate group, receive a
certificate to that effect while the completion and acceptance of his
or her dissertation are pending.
DISSERTATION
A dissertation showing high attainment and power of independent
research must be written upon some topic in the field of the major
subject. This study must represent a definite contribution to human
knowledge; it may be either positive or negative in character.
Dissertations based on joint work with other researchers are allowed
provided that in such cases an unique and separate dissertation is
presented by each degree candidate. The candidate must include a
concise account of his or her contribution to the whole work.
Authorship of a dissertation by more than one degree candidate is not
allowed. The dissertation shall be presented to the graduate group in
complete form by the dates specified in the Degree Calendar. Some
groups require presentation of the dissertation at earlier dates.
DISSERTATION
EXAMINATION
A public, oral presentation of the dissertation is required. The
presentation may take the form of a workshop based on a draft of the
dissertation, or it may be based on the final version of the
dissertation, depending on the rules of the graduate group. In either
case, the presentation must either include or be followed by an oral
examination. This examination may be private if specified by the rules
of the graduate group. (Note: Students who matriculated prior to Fall
1995 are “grandfathered” and may satisfy this requirement with a final
examination as determined by their graduate group.)
ACCEPTANCE OF THE DISSERTATION
The graduate groups shall report to the Graduate Division Office
regarding acceptance of the dissertation and its suitability for
immediate publication by the prescribed deadline. See the Degree
Calendar online at www.sas.upenn.edu/GAS/degree/index.html.
The report shall include the date and location of the oral presentation
or the date of the meeting of
the dissertation committee, the names of the dissertation committee
members, and whether they individually approve the dissertation.
THE PH.D. DEGREE
Dissertations must follow the format prescribed in the Dissertation
Manual online at www.upenn.edu/grad/DissManual.html.
Dissertations may be submitted in a multimedia or “compound” format.
PUBLICATION OF THE
DISSERTATION
All dissertations will be microfilmed according to
the plan provided by Pro Quest. The publication requirement will not be
satisfied by any other form of publication, although microfilming does
not preclude later publication by other methods.
The following is a brief summary of dissertation regulations. Printed
copies of the Dissertation Manual may be obtained from the Graduate
Division of Arts and Sciences or viewed online at
www.upenn.edu/grad/DissManual.html.
Students interested in submitting the dissertation in electronic format
(using floppy disc or CD ROM) should obtain special instructions from
the Graduate Division Office. Candidates also should familiarize
themselves with any special requirements imposed by the graduate
groups under which they are working.
A candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy must comply with the
following requirements:
- Submit to the Graduate Division Office at the
designated times two printed unbound copies of the dissertation and a
certificate (Form 153) from the chairperson of the group stating that
they are complete and correct copies in satisfactory form for
microfilming. These copies will not be returned to the author.
- Submit to the Graduate Division Office an abstract
of 350 words or less. (Any text beyond the 350- word limit will be cut
off during microfilming.)This abstract will be published in
Dissertation Abstracts, a bimonthly publication that receives wide
distribution. A copy of the abstract should accompany the original copy
of the dissertation.
- Submit to the Graduate Division Office a microfilm
contract.
- Pay a fee of $80* to cover the cost of microfilm
publication. If a registered copyright is desired, an additional fee of
$45* will be required.
- Submit the completed questionnaire entitled, “Survey
of Earned Doctorates,” and a Microfilm
Agreement Form. Students are asked to fill out the “Survey of Ph.D.
Recipient’s Opinion.”
The dissertation is not available for distribution until it has been
microfilmed.
*Subject to change.
EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH
If graduate credit is sought for research work pursued at laboratories
not officially a part of the
University of Pennsylvania, the student must file, in advance, in the
school’s graduate office, a statement specifying the work desired and
the laboratory at which it is to be pursued and bearing also the
written approval of the graduate chairperson and of that member of the
faculty in whose field the proposed research lies. Work thus authorized
may be credited toward a degree in an amount not exceeding two course
units for a single term, upon the payment of the proper fees. Upon the
satisfactory completion of such extramural research, the student shall
file in the school’s graduate office a statement from the appropriate
authority at such a laboratory testifying to the quality of the work
achieved.
COPYRIGHT AND PATENT POLICY
RELATING TO RESEARCH
A dissertation submitted as a part of the requirements for a degree is
the property of the University, and any copyright or patent rights
arising there from shall be governed by the copyright/patent policy of
the University of Pennsylvania.
An invention or discovery resulting from research carried out in
University laboratories as a part of a
postdoctoral or other non-degree program is the property of the
University, and any patent rights arising there from shall be governed
by the patent policy of the University of Pennsylvania.
SPECIAL GRADUATE REGISTRATION
AND FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS
Registration is required of all students before
the beginning of each term. Students should consult each semester with
the advisor designated by their graduate group. Continuous registration
as a graduate student is required unless a formal leave of absence has
been approved by the student’s school.
Four course units constitute a full-time program. This is the maximum
load permitted per term.
Students registered for three or four course units in a term are
classified as full-time. Students registered for one or two course
units in a term are classified as part-time, unless only the one or two
course units are necessary to complete the degree requirements, in
which case the full-time classification applies.
Registration will not be valid until the student’s bill has been paid.
AUDITORS
A student who desires to attend a course without performing the work of
the course must first secure
the consent of the instructor. He or she must register as an auditor.
Auditors pay the regular charges, but receive no credit for the course.
A teaching fellow registered for three course units may register as
auditor for one additional course
without additional payment, with permission of the dean of the
student’s school.
DISSERTATION TUITION
The student who has completed all the course requirements for the
degree, but who lacks successful completion of language requirements,
or preliminary examination, or is currently working on the
dissertation, either on- or off-campus, must register and pay a
dissertation tuition. This registration is required in each succeeding
semester until all degree requirements are met. After having registered
for five terms of
dissertation tuition, a student in the School of Arts and Sciences, the
Wharton School, the School of Design, the School of Social Work, the
biomedical groups of the School of Medicine, and the Annenberg School
for Communication may be eligible to transfer to a lower doctoral
registration tuition.
A student without an approved leave of absence who fails to register
each semester will be considered to have withdrawn from candidacy for
the degree.
DISSERTATION RESEARCH
ABROAD STATUS
A student who receives outside funding for
dissertation research abroad may, with the permission of the dean of
the student’s school, register for Dissertation Research Abroad status
instead of applying for a leave of absence. This special status allows
the student to remain registered, but does not incur tuition charges.
RE-REGISTRATION
Students terminating an approved leave of absence or students, who have
not maintained continuous
registration with the graduate faculties, must obtain a re-registration
permit at the graduate office before submitting registration.
INTERDISCIPLINE COURSE
REGISTRATION POLICY
In accordance with the University of
Pennsylvania’s concept of “One University,” connoting the spirit
of cooperation and high degree of academic interaction promoted by all
of its schools, graduate student interschool activity is encouraged
through interdisciplinary programs, research opportunities, and
coursework.
While individual schools and graduate groups determine specific course
registration procedures, the University supports the intellectual
enhancement of individual student programs through cross-departmental
and cross-school course enrollments. Graduate groups have ultimate
authority for approving interdiscipline course registrations. Courses
that satisfy requirements for professional degrees do not count toward
graduate degrees (i.e., Ph.D., A.M., and M.S.), unless they have also
been approved for graduate (Ph.D.) credit.
INSTITUTIONAL
COURTESY/EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
The Exchange Scholar Program
allows Penn doctoral students to apply to study for a term or academic
year at one of ten other participating institutions: University of
California Berkeley, Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT,
Princeton, Stanford, and Yale universities.
Through cooperative arrangements with Bryn Mawr College, Haverford
College, and Swarthmore
College, University of Pennsylvania students may, upon presentation of
the proper credentials and with the permission of the instructor
concerned, enroll for courses in these institutions. The University of
Pennsylvania will accept toward a master’s or a Ph.D. degree up to the
equivalent of three course units for work completed under this
arrangement.
Under a separate agreement involving the Graduate Group in Earth and
Environmental Science at the
University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Geology at Bryn Mawr
College, up to six course units taken at Bryn Mawr will be accepted
toward the M.S. or Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Through a cooperative arrangement between The Annenberg School and
Johns Hopkins University,
students selected as exchange scholars from the Annenberg School may
count up to one academic year of study at John Hopkins (taken while
registered at Penn), subject to the approval of the graduate group,
toward the Ph.D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
Students enrolled in the Graduate Groups in Anthropology, Historic
Preservation, or History of Art, may, subject to the approval of their
graduate group and the instructor concerned, enroll for a maximum of
two courses in the Department of Art Conservation at the University of
Delaware. The University of Pennsylvania will accept credits completed
under this agreement for a master’s or a Ph.D. degree.
Doctoral students enrolled for at least one full academic year in the
Graduate Groups in Ancient
History, Classical Studies, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean
World, History of Art, Religious
Studies, German, Political Science or History may, subject to the
approval of their graduate group and the instructor concerned, enroll
for a maximum of four courses at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS).
For students in residence at JTS, participation may be extended to a
full year. The University of Pennsylvania will accept credits completed
under this agreement for a Ph.D. degree.
POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES
Postdoctoral fellows are ordinarily recruited to
work with individual faculty. Those interested in postdoctoral work at
the University of Pennsylvania are advised to explore research
opportunities through the Penn website, to identify potential faculty
sponsors within specific schools, centers, and institutes.
Arrangements are generally made directly between faculty sponsors and
individual postdoctoral applicants.
Those interested in postdoctoral positions in the area of biomedical
research at the University of
Pennsylvania may obtain information from Biomedical Postdoctoral
Programs online at
http://www.med.upenn.edu/postdoc/.
This site provides much useful information for potential applicants,
including University policies regarding postdoctoral fellows, stipend
levels, and the like.
GRADUATE GRADES AND ACADEMIC
STANDING
The grading system is as follows: A, distinguished; B, good; C,
unsatisfactory; D, poor; and F, failure.
Except for students enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied
Science, each of these letter grades may be modified by a plus (+) or
minus (-) sign. The minimum standard for satisfactory work for the
graduate faculties is a B average in each academic year. A student
whose record falls below the B average may be required to withdraw.
The mark of S is used to indicate satisfactory “progress”. It may be
used as a permanent grade for 999 courses only. It is a temporary grade
for all other courses.
The mark of I is used to designate “incomplete.” See Credit and Course
Changes section below.
CREDIT AND COURSE CHANGES
Unless otherwise noted, a course unit represents one term of study in
any approved course listed in the course register. A two-term course
shall be credited at two course units. A student may request permission
to withdraw from a course during the first two weeks of the semester
with the approval of the graduate group chairperson and the instructor
giving the course. After the first two-week period, all changes in
courses must be approved by the dean of the school as well as the
graduate group chairperson and the instructor giving the course.
Refund of tuition and fees is automatic only during the first two weeks
of the term. This applies only
to changes in registration, not complete withdrawals. Complete
withdrawals entitle one to a refund prorated at 75 percent for one to
two weeks, or 50 percent for three to four weeks.
A student may request that the school graduate office change his or her
status in a course to auditor, provided that the request is endorsed by
the chairperson of his or her graduate group and the instructor giving
the course and is submitted to the graduate office no later than the
end of the second week of the term.
A student who fails to complete a course and within the prescribed
period does not withdraw or change his or her status to auditor shall
receive at the instructor’s discretion either a grade of I (incomplete)
or F (failure). It is expected, in general, that a student shall
complete the work of a course during the term in which that course is
taken. The instructor may permit an extension of time up to one year
for the completion of the course. In such cases, any course which is
still incomplete after one calendar year from its official ending must
remain as incomplete on the student’s record and shall not be credited
toward a degree.
CHANGE OF GRADUATE GROUP
A student who wishes to change his or her graduate group must submit an
application for admission.
CHANGE OF NAME/ADDRESS
Those students who have a change of address or
change of name, either by court order or marriage,
must notify the Graduate Division Office and the Registrar.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
In addition to the policies reproduced below,
other University-wide policies are published in The Pennbook, available
online at www.upenn.edu/osl/pennbook.html
including:
Code of Academic Integrity
Acquaintance Rape and Sexual Violence Policy
Affirmative Action Policy Statement
Alcohol and Drug Policy
Antihazing Policy
Bicycle Policy
Canvassing
Classroom Guidelines
Charter of the University of Pennsylvania Student Disciplinary System
Code of Student Conduct
Confidentiality
Confiscation of Publications
Contracts
Guidelines for Addressing Academic Issues for Students with Disabilities
University and Mandatory Safety Training for Drivers
Drug-Free Workplace
Electronic Information, Ethical Behavior with Respect to the Environment
Eligibility, Academic
Emergency Closing
Rules Governing Final Examinations
Use of Facilities
Faculty Authority to Assign Grades and Academic Integrity
Fraternity and Sorority Board Judicial Charter
Funding Policies and Guidelines for Student Groups
Fundraising Events within University Buildings
Use of the University’s Name
Non-Discrimination Policy Statement
Guidelines on Open Expression
Parking Regulations
Patent Policy
Photocopying for Educational Use
Political Candidates
Poster Policy
Privacy in the Electronic Environment
Procedures for the Evaluation and Certification of the English Fluency
of Undergraduate Instructional
Personnel Policy
Recognition and Governance of Undergraduate Social Fraternities and
Sororities
Resnet Acceptable Use Policy
Research, Guidelines for Student Protection in Sponsored Research
Projects and Student Access to Information Regarding Sources of
Financial Support
Secular and Religious Holidays
Smoking in Nonresidential Buildings
Software, Unauthorized Copying or Use of Licensed
Vending Policy
FAIRNESS OF AUTHORSHIP CREDIT IN COLLABORATIVE
FACULTY-STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
The policy on Fairness of Authorship Credit in
Collaborative Faculty-Student Publications was established in 1998. The
intent of the policy is to avoid situations in which graduate students
or faculty feel that their contribution to published work has not been
fairly recognized and to make authorship discussions a routine part of
conversations about intellectual collaboration.
Different traditions of joint authorship exist in different disciplines
and departments. In some fields, the Principal Investigator of the lab
is first author of all publications; in others, faculty members rarely
or never receive authorship credit on student publications, no matter
what their contribution to the project or the product. In some fields,
authorship depends on intellectual leadership and actual contribution
to the ideas for the project and the written product. In some fields,
authorship rules are clear; in others they are subject to negotiation.
In some fields, research assistants and research fellows are
automatically included
as authors when the outcome results from paid work. In other fields,
these students are automatically excluded as authors when the outcome
results from paid work.
In light of the variability, ambiguity, and uncertainty regarding
faculty-student authorship of published
work, the University policy mandates a set of processes within each
graduate group that will clarify expectations concerning authorship for
each student and faculty member. Graduate groups must publish and
publicize general guidelines concerning authorship and make them
available to all graduate students.
These individual policies are published online at www.upenn.edu/grad/authorpolicy_alpha.html.
Individual mentors should conform to the graduate group policy on
authorship credit. Mentors are responsible for anticipating possible
disagreements concerning authorship credit regarding specific
collaborative projects and should initiate clarifying discussions
before students have invested substantial time on such projects. These
discussions should be reopened if relative contributions change.
No policy can prevent the occurrence of all instances of actual or
perceived unfair treatment. Although inequities can occur to either
faculty or graduate students, we believe that graduate students are
usually more vulnerable to faculty practices and less able to take
action when they feel that fairness has been violated. In cases of
disagreements about authorship, the following steps should be taken: 1)
Students who feel that they have been mistreated should raise the issue
with their mentor and their graduate chair; and
2) If the disagreement is not resolved to all participants’
satisfaction, an appeal can be made to the dean of the school, who
should convene a committee of faculty and graduate students to hear the
disagreement and attempt to resolve it. Cases will be decided in the
context of the published norms and guidelines of the graduate group.
POLICY ON CONSENSUAL SEXUAL RELATIONS
The relationship between teacher and student is
central to the academic mission of the University. No non-academic or
personal ties should be allowed to interfere with the integrity of the
teacher-student relationship.
Consensual sexual relations between teacher and student can adversely
affect the academic enterprise, distorting judgments or appearing to do
so in the minds of others, and providing incentives or disincentives
for student-faculty contact that are equally inappropriate.
For these reasons, any sexual relations between a teacher and a student
during the period of the
teacher/student relationship are prohibited. The prohibition extends to
sexual relations between a graduate or professional student and an
undergraduate, when the graduate or professional student has some
supervisory academic responsibility for the undergraduate to sexual
relations between department chairs and students in that department and
to sexual relations between graduate group chairs and students in that
graduate group. In addition, it includes sexual relations between
academic advisors, program directors, and
all others who have supervisory academic responsibility for a student,
and that student only.
Teachers and academic supervisors who are sexually involved with
students must decline to participate in any evaluative or supervisory
academic activity with respect to those students.
The Provost, Deans, department chairs, and other administrators should
respond to reports of prohibited sexual relations that are brought to
them by inquiring further, and if such reports appear to be accurate,
initiating appropriate disciplinary action or remedial measures against
the teacher or supervisor involved.
This policy supplements the University’s policy on Sexual Harassment.
In addition, although this policy prohibits consensual sexual relations
only between a teacher/supervisor and that individual’s student, the
University strongly discourages any sexual relations between members of
the faculty (or administration) and undergraduates.
See also: University Policies |
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