Graduate Program Policies

• Definitions and Conditions

  Appeals

  The right of a student to challenge the Graduate Disciplinary Committee’s decision to place that student on: a) Probation for GPA Deficiency or b) Departmental Academic Probation. All student appeals must follow the procedures outlined in the Student Code.

  Authority for suspensions

  The authority to levy the sanction of suspension from the MCJ program lies solely with the MCJ Disciplinary Committee.

  Concurrent sanctions

  In any case, where a student is subject to multiple sanctions according to the MCJ program policies, all sanctions will be served concurrently. Example: if a student is simultaneously suspended for one (1) term under two different policies, each one (1) term suspension will be served during the same term.

  Cumulative GPA

  Standard GPA calculated from MCJ courses taken at WSU and transfer courses from other institutions that would be used to satisfy the 36 credit hours required for graduation from the MCJ program.

  Deactivated

  A student is removed from the program and not allowed to register for additional courses in the MCJ program. Students who are deactivated will be required to go through the entire application process to be considered for readmission to the program. 10

  Dismissal

  A student is removed from the program and not allowed to register for additional courses in the MCJ program. Additionally, students who are dismissed from the program are not allowed to reapply for the MCJ program.

  Failing Grade

  • Core course: Any letter grade less than “B-”
  • Elective course: Any letter grade less than “C-” or a second “C” grade (C-, C, C+) in a separate elective course from which the student is already carrying his/her one (1) allowed “C” grade.

   

  Instructor of Record

  The instructor that taught the course during the term of concern.

  Notification of sanctions

  Upon receiving a sanction under these policies and procedures, a note will be placed in the student’s CatTracks —Notes by the MCJ Graduate Director. Additionally, the student will receive a Notice of Action, via the WSU e-mail system (student_name@weber.edu) and a copy of the Notice of Action will be placed in the student’s file.

  Term

  A unit of academic time. Currently, the WSU MCJ program operates on semesters.

  Term GPA

  Standard GPA calculated from the courses taken during the most recently completed academic term.

  Term of Suspension

  If a student is suspended under these policies and procedures, the suspension will be served during the term subsequent to which the action is related to. Example: if a student is suspended for Academic Fraud during the Spring semester, the suspension will be effective for the Summer semester.

• Program GPA Policy

  Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA within the MCJ program of 3.0. This includes all courses that would be applied to the MCJ graduation requirements. Any student whose cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 will be placed on Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency.

  Justification: A student with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 cannot graduate from the MCJ program.

  Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency Procedure

  Trigger: A student’s cumulative GPA drops below 3.0.

  Process: The student remains on Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency status until his/her cumulative GPA is above a 3.0 GPA. This sanction entails:

  • The student is ineligible for departmental graduate funding.
  • The MCJ Graduate Director will evaluate the student’s performance at the end of each term for:
    • Cumulative GPA
    • Current completed term GPA

   

  While on Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency status, the student is expected to improve each semester to remedy the deficiencies. The student must achieve a term GPA of at least 3.0. If the student’s term GPA is below 3.0, he/she will incur additional sanctions for each semester that his/her term GPA stays below a 3.0 average. The additional sanctions are specified below:

  • 1st semester with term GPA less than 3.0 – student suspended one (1) term
  • 2nd semester with term GPA less than 3.0 – student dismissed from the program
• Coursework and Graduation

  In order to ensure our graduates are currently in the field of criminal justice, any completed coursework more than six (6) years old will not count towards completion of the degree.

• Course Failure Policy

  Students are required to pass their courses in a timely manner. The number of times a student may attempt a course is limited. If a student fails a course for any reason, he/she will be subject to Departmental Academic Sanction: Course Deficiencies. Students who cannot pass courses within the specified number of attempts demonstrate they are not suited for graduate studies and are dismissed from the program.

  Justification: Students may not graduate with less than a “B-” grade in any core course. Students may not graduate if they have more than one (1) “C” type grade in their elective courses (C-, C, C+). The goal is to help remedy deficiencies so the student can succeed. However, repeated failures demonstrate there may be a greater deficiency in the student’s preparation/ability for graduate work.

  Departmental Academic Sanction: Course Deficiencies in Core and Elective Classes Procedure

  Trigger: A student receives a failing grade (see definition above) in a core or elective course.

  Process: A student who repeatedly fails a course will be given the opportunity to meet with the instructor of record to determine an action plan that will help him/her in passing the class. Failure to do so or repeatedly failing the same class will result in increased sanctions. The sanctions are specified below:

  1st time failing a core or elective course:

  • The student must meet with the Instructor of Record before the start of the next term to determine an action plan for passing the class. Meeting with the Instructor of Record is considered satisfactory and the student does not incur any additional penalties. The Instructor of Record will then write a letter to the Graduate Director (or the MCJ Disciplinary Committee if the Instructor of Record is the Graduate Director) specifying that the student has satisfactorily met with the Instructor of Record and they have collectively worked out a plan. If the student does not meet with the Instructor of Record or the Instructor of Record determines the student is being non-compliant and unwilling to do the work required to pass the course, the student will be suspended from the program for one (1) term.
  • Note: The Instructor of Record must articulate the student’s non-compliance to the MCJ Disciplinary Committee for the student to be suspended.

   

  2nd time failing a core or elective course:

  • The student will be immediately suspended from the program for one (1) term. This is a mandatory action.
  • Additionally, the student must meet with the MCJ Graduate Director and Instructor of Record (if the MCJ Graduate Director is the Instructor of Record, then the Department Chair will substitute for the MCJ Graduate Director) before the start of the next term to determine an action plan for passing the class. Meeting with the MCJ Graduate Director and Instructor of Record is considered satisfactory and the student does not incur any additional penalties. The MCJ Graduate Director will then write a letter to the MCJ Disciplinary Committee specifying that the student has satisfactorily met with the MCJ Graduate Director and the Instructor of Record, and they have collectively worked out a student success plan. If the student does not meet with the MCJ Graduate Director and Instructor or Record or the MCJ Graduate Director determine if the student is being noncompliant and unwilling to do the work required to pass the course, the student will be dismissed from the program.
  • Note: The MCJ Graduate director must articulate the student’s non-compliance to the MCJ Disciplinary Committee for the student to be dismissed. The MCJ Graduate Director makes the determination if a satisfactory plan was developed in consultation with the Instructor of record, despite disagreement with the Instructor of Record.
  • Note: If the course is an elective course, the student may elect to keep the poor grade and not retake the course so long as their cumulative GPA is above 3.0. This is the point where the student should be advised to make the decision to retake the course again or leave the grade.

   

  3rd time failing a core or elective course:

  • The student will be dismissed from the program. This is a mandatory action.
• Academic Dishonesty Policy

  As a graduate student, the general rules of acceptable academic behavior should be very clear. All forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism (www.plagiarism.org), and any other actions deemed by the Instructor of Record as specified in the assignment or syllabus are unacceptable and will be sanctioned appropriately. Any student who commits academic fraud as determined by the MCJ Disciplinary Committee in conjunction with the Instructor of Record will be sanctioned under the Departmental Academic Dishonesty procedure.

  Justification: The Instructors of Record have full academic freedom to run their courses in accordance with University policies, including course level sanctions for academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and demonstrates an inability and unwillingness to participate in the graduate academic process that the MCJ faculty wishes to deliver. Therefore, additional program level sanctions may be appropriate.

  Departmental Academic Dishonesty Procedure

  Trigger: The Instructor of Record reports to the MCJ Disciplinary Committee that an incident of academic dishonesty has occurred in their course.

  Process: After the Instructor of Record reports the incident to the MCJ Disciplinary Committee, the MCJ Disciplinary Committee will meet with the Instructor of Record to investigate the incident. The MCJ Disciplinary committee will consider the current incident, as well as any previously report incidents of academic dishonesty in any course in the MCJ program. A student, who is found to have committed academic fraud by the MCJ Disciplinary Committee, after consultation with the Instructor of Record, is subject to the sanctions specified below:

  1st time violation of academic dishonesty

  • Three (3) semesters of Departmental Academic Probation: Academic Dishonesty. This caries the same sanction as Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency except for the term of the probation is fixed at three (3) terms, regardless of cumulative GPA. The student may not receive departmental funding and must maintain a minimum term GPA of 3.0.
  • Suspension from the MCJ program for zero to one (0-1) terms as determined by the MCJ Disciplinary Committee in consultation with the Instructor of Record.

   

  2nd time violation of academic dishonesty

  • Permanent Departmental Academic Probation: Academic Dishonesty. This caries the same sanction as Departmental Academic Probation: GPA Deficiency except for the term of the probation lasts until the student graduates or is dismissed from the program, regardless of cumulative GPA. The student may not receive departmental funding and must maintain a minimum term GPA of 3.0. If a student on permanent Departmental Academic Probation: Academic Dishonesty is deactivated and readmitted to the MCJ program, he/she will remain on probation.
  • Suspension from the MCJ program for one to two (1-2) terms as determined by the MCJ Disciplinary Committee in consultation with the Instructor of Record.

   

  3rd time violation of academic dishonesty

  • The student will be dismissed from the program. This is a mandatory action.

   

  Note: Notwithstanding the foregoing, in certain circumstances, the MCJ Disciplinary Committee may find that a single event of academic fraud is so egregious that immediate suspension or dismissal from the program is warranted.

• Student Activity in the Program

  Students in the Master of Criminal Justice Program is expected to make consistent progress towards the completion of their degree. To this end, students must finish their degree requirements within nine (9) semesters from the semester of acceptance (for example, if you were accepted into the program starting in the Fall semester, 2015, you must complete your degree requirements by the end of the Summer semester, 2018). A student may request a one (1) semester extension by submitting an official written and signed “Request for Extension” to the Graduate Director. This written and signed request must be accompanied by all official documentation verifying the extenuating circumstance and its impact on the student’s ability to successfully complete his/her degree in the required time frame (Note: a “Request for Extension” that does not contain supporting documentation will not be considered).

  The graduate program also realizes there may be circumstances that prevent a student from taking courses in a given semester. Should that be the case, please be aware of the following restrictions and requirements:

  1. Students who do not take courses for one semester, but take courses the following semester, do not need to contact the graduate program.
  2. Students who do not take courses for two sequential semesters must contact the Graduate Director in writing prior to the beginning of the second missed semester and request an “Official Leave of Absence.” In this written and signed “Official Leave of Absence” request, the student must explain the reason(s) for the leave and provide an official date of return (time spent on an “Official Leave of Absence” does not suspend the nine semester graduation requirement). The Graduate Director may approve or disapprove the absence request, or forward the request to the Graduate Admissions Committee. If the Graduate Director disapproves an absence request, the Graduate Admissions Committee must also review the request. Decisions on the absence request made by the Graduate Admissions Committee are final.
  3. Students who miss two sequential semesters and either do not request an “Official Leave of Absence” or have had such a request denied, will be referred to the Graduate Admissions Committee for deactivation from the graduate program. This action will take place during the fourth week of the second semester of absence from the program. Appeals to this action must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Director prior to referral to the Graduate Admissions Committee.
  4. Students who miss three sequential semesters regardless of having received a leave of absence for the previous two semesters will be referred to the Graduate Admissions Committee for deactivation from the graduate program. This action will take place during the fourth week of the third semester of absence from the program. Appeals to this action must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Director prior to referral to the Graduate Admissions Committee.
  5. Students who have been deactivated from the graduate program for lack of participation may apply for readmission to the graduate program by submitting a new application, with associated required materials and fees. Transcripts from the WSU MCJ program must be submitted with the new application and past performance in the program will be considered as part of the readmissions process.
  6. Students who have re-applied, and been accepted for re-admission, will be considered new students, subject to the program catalog in effect for the semester of their readmission. Students have nine (9) semesters from the semester of readmission to complete the program. Courses taken previously in the WSU MCJ program will count toward completion of the degree after re-admittance as long as such courses comply with the stipulation outlined in Section 8, subsection c.
• MCJ 6260: Graduate Readings

  MCJ 6260: Graduate readings is designed to allow tenured and tenure track faculty opportunities to collaboratively mentor graduate students in an in-depth, academic investigation of a topic in the faculty member’s area(s) of scholarly interest. In order to qualify for MCJ 6260, a student must have completed all of the following:

  1. have a tenured or tenure track faculty member from the Master of Criminal Justice Program submit a request to the Graduate Director of the Master of Criminal Program, inviting the student to collaborate on a Graduate Readings project
  2. sign an agreement between the student, the faculty mentor, and the Graduate Director outlining the requirements and expectations of the approved graduate readings
  3. be fully admitted to the Master of Criminal Justice Program
  4. have an overall graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher
  5. have successfully completed a minimum of 27 graduate credits

   

  Once a student has been permitted to register for MCJ 6260, he/she must accomplish all of the following:

  1. a minimum of 750 pages must be read on a topic agreed upon by the student and the faculty mentor (Note: the faculty mentor may require more than 750 pages, but cannot approve less than 750 pages)
  2. the readings should encompass a broad range of academic material, ranging from sources such as academic journal articles, textbooks, government publications, etc. (the faculty mentor will have final approval of all required reading materials)
  3. an academic research paper must be submitted by the student to the faculty mentor detailing what has been learned during the course of his/her readings – this academic paper must be a minimum of 30 pages long (excluding the cover page, abstract, charts/tables/diagrams/figures, references, and appendices), be empirically based, and focus on established fact - not personal opinion (Note: the faculty advisor may impose additional requirements and expectations to the academic paper as he/she sees fit)

   

  MCJ 6260 Graduate Readings can only be taken once and is limited to three (3) credits.