Graduate Academic Policies

For an explanation of all academic policies of the Christendom Graduate School, please refer to the Bulletin.

Course Extensions & Course Re-activation

If for a grave reason a student is unable to complete the requirements for a course by the end of the semester, he may apply in writing to the professor for an extension either by filling out the “Incomplete Request Form” or by emailing the professor. If the professor approves the request, he will submit a temporary grade of “incomplete” and the student will have an extended period in which to submit the remaining work, as determined by the professor; however, the deadline may not extend beyond July 31 for the spring semester, October 31 for the summer semester, or March 31 for the fall semester. Extensions/incompletes are granted at the discretion of the professor, and only for grave reasons such as illness, unexpected job-related or family obligations or other serious incapacity. However, because of the intensity of the Christendom Summer Program, full-time summer students (registered for at least 6 hours) may automatically have the extension without having to establish a grave reason: they may have until October 31 to submit any research paper, project, or written assignment other than an exam. This policy applies to all courses offered within a regular semester, whether onsite or online. Introduction to Theology, a continuous-enrollment course, has a course limit of four months from registration, with the possibility of a two-month extension, but no possibility of a course reactivation after that.

For online courses, the extension permission is intended for research papers and essay exams, not for regular weekly course work such as viewing videos, taking quizzes and submitting weekly assignments; professors cannot be expected to continue monitoring the e-classroom after the regular course period is over, and we cannot guarantee access to the e-classroom after the end of the semester.

If a student (after having been granted an extension) fails to submit the required work by the extension deadline, the only way he may complete the course (to avoid having to re-register for and re-take the course) is to fill out the Course Reactivation Request form and submit it to the Registrar along with the $100 course reactivation fee. If the Dean of the Graduate School approves the request, the Registrar will then reactivate the course and notify the professor that he may accept the remaining required course work. If the Dean does not approve the request, the $100 fee will be returned to the student. A student may reactivate each incomplete course only once, and only within a year of the original due date (the end of the semester in which the course was taken) by which time all course requirements must be submitted; otherwise, the student must re-register for and re-take the course if he wants credit for it. Continuous registration courses may not be reactivated.

Students are not permitted to register for an upcoming semester if they have more than two incompletes from the previous semester.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and is not tolerated at Christendom. Remember that you must give proper attribution to every idea that you get from anyplace, even the internet. Proper attribution means a footnote – they are not just for direct quotes, but also for ideas. Also remember that you may never use someone else’s words without putting them in quotation marks and giving a footnote – again, this includes stuff you find on the internet. For more information, please see “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Avoid It” on the Graduate Student Resource Center. If in doubt, please check with your professor or with Dr. Burns.