General Statements of Policy
All students enrolled at William & Mary, including students of the School of Marine Science, are bound by the regulations noted within the W&M Student Handbook. The College reserves the right to make changes in the procedures and regulations contained within the Handbook at any time. The Handbook contains important information about the College’s expectations regarding student conduct, student rights and responsibilities, and relevant processes and procedures to address alleged misconduct. The Honor Code and its procedures are also included in the Handbook.
The W&M Student Handbook is available at: http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/studenthandbook/
Any SMS student seeking to raise a specific concern or discuss a problem regarding graduate studies in the School of Marine Science may contact the Associate Dean of Academic Studies at (804) 684-7105. General queries and questions about the SMS academic programs should be sent to AD-AS@vims.edu.
Academic Standing
Admission to the SMS graduate program implies a significant commitment on the part of the student, the student’s advisor and the department, as well as VIMS and the SMS. To remain in good academic standing a student must maintain a cumulative GPA of B or better (≥ 3.0) with no core course grade lower than B-, and continue to make satisfactory progress as defined by College degree requirements and regulations of the School of Marine Science.
The Academic Status and Degrees Committee, SMS Registrar, and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies regularly review student transcripts and milestone progress to ensure the timely completion of degree requirements at the individual and School of Marine Science levels. A student who fails to remain in good academic standing may lose funding or be terminated from the degree program.
Academic Probation
- A student with a cumulative grade point average less than a B will be placed on academic probation. In the case of a grade deficiency in a SMS core course, the student must make up the deficiency by retaking the course and passing with a grade of B- or better, by taking another course from the core group of Fundamentals courses (outside of specialty) or by taking an Advanced Principles core course (outside of specialty) which must also be passed with a grade of B- or better. Probation will last until a student’s cumulative average is raised to at least a B (3.0) and/or the core course requirement is satisfied, but will not exceed one calendar year. Failure to raise the cumulative grade average to B or address a core course grade deficiency within one calendar year will result in dismissal from the School of Marine Science. Reinstatement is possible only with the approval of the Academic Status and Degrees Committee and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
- A student who fails to complete the qualifying exam milestone within 6 months of the program due date for M.S. students, or 12 months of the program due date for Ph.D. students will be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation will have one year to satisfy any outstanding milestone deficiencies in order to prevent automatic termination of the degree program.
- A student who fails to adhere to degree program milestones may be placed on academic probation.
Degree Program Time Extension
A student who fails to meet the graduation milestone must apply for an extension to the Academic Status and Degrees Committee. The milestone for graduation is 36 months for a M.S. student and 48-72 months for Ph.D. students (read more ). Adequate justification for the extension is required, as is the permission of the student’s advisor and committee members. In addition, the student and student’s advisor may be required to meet with the Associate Dean of Academic Studies to discuss reasons for delay and remediation plans. If an extension is recommended by the Academic Status and Degrees Committee and approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies, the student must complete all requirements for the degree program within a maximum of one year for the M.S. or two years for the Ph.D. Students who exceed the first extension may continue in the degree program with the recommendation of the Academic Status and Degrees Committee and the approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies, but will be required to cover their own tuition costs out of pocket (i.e., grant or contract funds, or other institutional support, regardless of source, may not be used). A student who exceeds the graduation milestone by 2 years for M.S., or 3 years for Ph.D., will be terminated from the degree program. A student who exceeds the time limit for degree completion and who has not been granted a time extension will not be permitted to register in the School of Marine Science.
Leave of Absence
Under unusual circumstances, and following consultation with a student’s advisor, the Associate Dean of Academic Studies may grant a leave of absence. An approved leave of absence is limited to a maximum of one calendar year during the student’s degree program, and relieves the student of the obligation of paying tuition. It is understood that a student on leave of absence is not present on campus, not receiving financial support and not drawing upon campus resources. A student must terminate the leave of absence and be a registered student in the semester in which his/her degree requirements are completed or in which he/she graduates.
The milestone timeline and time limit for degree completion requirements will be stopped for a student with an approved leave of absence. Upon return from approved leave, the student’s milestone timeline and time limit to degree completion will resume.
Registration
Full-time students: All continuing full-time degree-seeking students who have not been granted leave must register for a minimum of nine credit hours each semester, and a minimum of two credit hours during the summer session. Full-time enrollment during the summer is defined as three credit hours in any combination of summer terms, and enrollment at the level of two credit hours is considered half-time. A student must be registered in the semester during which he or she intends to graduate. After having achieved candidacy, a student may be eligible for one semester (M.S. students) or two semesters (Ph.D. students) of Research Graduate Status , depending on availability of funds and approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
Note: Only full-time students are eligible for the college-endorsed Student Health Plan (see www.wm.edu/offices/healthcenter/studentinsurance). Full-time students are eligible to access services at the health center during the fall and spring semester. The Student Health Center fee for the summer sessions is optional; you must pay it separately to use the health center over the summer (see www.wm.edu/offices/healthcenter/fees-and-charges).
Off-site students: Off-site degree-seeking students are defined as those who do not receive any funding (assistantship, fellowship, workship) or make use of on-site resources of VIMS or SMS. Students who have achieved candidacy and completed course and research requirements are allowed to finish their degree programs in a special part-time registration status. An off-site student pays for one credit at the out-of-state rate or three credits at the in-state rate during fall and spring semesters, based on his/her domicile status. Students enrolled for the summer are required to register for a minimum of two credit hours during the summer session. Students who leave VIMS to take outside employment are required to meet milestones and complete all requirements for graduation within the same time limits as listed above for M.S and Ph.D. students. The same degree program milestones and SMS rules and regulations apply unless permission to change degree program milestones has been recommended by the Academic Status and Degrees Committee and approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
Changes in Registration
All changes in student schedules must be done in accordance with relevant deadlines as indicated in the Academic Calendar . Any changes requested after the close of registration require approval of the instructor(s) involved and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies. Students may not add courses after the last day for changes in registration. If a student drops a course or courses before add/drop ends, the course or courses dropped will be removed from the student’s record. If the student drops a course or courses after the add/drop period ends through the last day of classes, the grade of “W” or “F” will be awarded by the instructor in the course depending upon whether or not the student was passing at the time the course was dropped. A student may not drop a course after the last day of classes. If a student does not complete a course, the grade of “W” or “F” will be awarded by the instructor in the course, and with the approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies and the appropriate authorities at the College, depending upon whether or not the student was passing at the time the course ended.
A student wishing to withdraw from a course (or courses) because of medical reasons after the add/drop period ends may apply to the Associate Dean of Academic Studies for approval. If approved, a grade of “W” will appear on the transcript for each course.
Withdrawal from the Program
Withdrawal from the program constitutes termination of the student’s program of study in the School of Marine Science. Withdrawal may be voluntary on the part of the student or be imposed by the SMS for reasons of academic deficiency, failure to make satisfactory progress in research, or other reasons pursuant to the W&M Student Handbook and the W&M Honor Code (see section General Statements of Policy above). The Associate Dean of Academic Studies will place a student on a leave of absence for one semester if they fail to register for a regular semester (Fall or Spring) and have not requested a leave of absence or permission to withdraw. If the student has not applied for a leave of absence prior to the end of registration for the next regular semester, or if the Associate Dean of Academic Studies is not able to justify continuing the leave of absence, the student’s record will be marked “withdrawn unofficially.”
A student who withdraws from the College after the add/drop period, will be awarded a “W” or “F” by the faculty member teaching each course in progress at the time of withdrawal.
A student who withdraws from the program after the beginning of the school year should obtain appropriate faculty signatures on a Change in Graduate Student’s Registration form, a Withdrawal form and a Student Check-out Sheet. All forms should be returned to the Associate Dean of Academic Studies.
Reinstatement after Withdrawal
A student wishing to be considered for reinstatement after withdrawal must reapply to the School of Marine Science under the procedures in effect at the time of reapplication. |
