Special Topics and Academic policies

Saint Mary's College has a continuous enrollment policy, therefore all students must be registered for at least one course in a given term. This often excludes Summer and Jan Terms unless your particular program requires that you are registered for courses in these terms.

As you near the end of your MA or EDD program, you will be required to register for In-progress (IP) courses. IP courses allow you to work with your advisor while you complete your Master's Project or Thesis. IP courses typically do not carry tuition charges but do have fees associated with them.

If you are not registered for any courses in the term, we ask that you submit a Leave of Absence request through the Registrar's Office. A Leave of Absence allows you to remain active in your program even if you are not taking courses in a term. Any matriculated student who is not on probationary status may request a leave of absence from Saint Mary's College. The leave may be for one term or for up to a full academic year. Students who do not return from leave within one academic year will be withdrawn from the College, and will be required to apply for readmission.

A leave of absence request will be accepted through the end of week 4 of the term—not including Jan Term—during which the leave takes place (please refer to your academic calendar for exact dates). The Registrar's Office will not accept any leave requests after week 4. As such, you will need to withdraw from the college. If your leave is medical-related, you will also need to fill out an additional Medical Leave Form PDF (contained within the Leave of Absence application) and submit it with the online form.

When a student goes on a leave of absence during the add/drop period (please refer to academic calendar for exact dates), all enrolled courses will be dropped from the student's schedule. If a student is taking a leave after the add/drop period, all courses will continue to be listed on the student's transcript and the designation of "W" will appear in place of a grade. A "W" grade will not affect the cumulative grade point average.

Please visit the Business Office website for information pertaining to tuition refunds.

Please remember to check for upcoming registration dates during your Leave of Absence. If you are on a Leave, the system will not let you register for the upcoming term. As you near the end of your Leave, please email the Office of the Registrar (regoff@stmarys-ca.edu) and request that they allow you to register while your Leave is in place.

Information coming soon

Saint Mary's College will allow full-time teachers, administrators, and counselors in Catholic K-12 schools, colleges, or universities a 50% allowance on tuition for up to six (6) graduate units in the Kalmanovitz School of Education per academic year (summer through spring).

This Tuition Waiver Application must be received prior to the semester start date.

Note: Dissertation courses (EDAD 629 and 630) as well as thesis, synthesis, and action research courses that are required for Master’s programs (EDUC 572, 575, 576, 577, 579, 582, 592 and MAIT 404) are excluded. In addition, anyone enrolled in an already discounted program will not be eligible for this waiver.

Change of Address form

KSOE Graduate Declaration of Counseling Specialization

Please use the Registrar's Office form above if you wish to change your major or specialization.

This form is to be used only after you have started your program and have made contact with your advisor or Program Director. It requires approval from your Program Director.

Change your Legal Name

Please check GaelXpress for the name The Registrar's Office has on file for you. If you need to change your legal name, please use the form below.

Request for a name change

Please know that in order to request a name change on your official academic record, you must present certain documents in person to the Registrar's Office.

Update your Personal Pronoun

You may also request an update to your personal pronoun through this Personal Pronoun Request Form

Request to Use Your Chosen Name

As an institution, we recognize that some of our students may use names other than their legal name to identify themselves. These may include, but are not limited to, people who use their middle name instead of their first name, people who use nicknames in place of a legal name, people who use an anglicized name, or people who use a name that affirms their gender identity.

Students may request use of their chosen first name in lieu of their legal first name in certain College systems. As long as the use of this chosen name is not for the purposes of misrepresentation, the College acknowledges that a chosen name may be used where possible. Saint Mary’s College reserves the right to remove a chosen name if it is used inappropriately. The student's legal name will still continue to be used for official transcripts, diplomas, financial aid documents, payroll, and other instances where a legal name is required by law or university policy.

Please access this link for the Chosen Name Form (Student) and to view the SMC Chosen Name Policy.

Commencement Ceremony

Please reference the SMC Commencement website for updates regarding NEW COMMENCEMENT DATES.

The Commencement Ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievement of your degree or credential. Along with your classmates, you will be honored at a beautiful celebration when faculty, administrators, family, and friends all share this milestone in your life.

• Commencement ceremony for Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) programs are held each year in May. Depending on when your program ends, your Commencement Ceremony may take place in the following calendar year.

• Students who are in good financial standing with the College and have completed all degree requirements or have 6 or fewer semester units remaining to complete all degree requirements, may participate.

• Diplomas are mailed to students individually and are not given out at the commencement ceremonies.

Steps to Take to Apply for a Credential or Degree

Your first step is to confirm with your Program Director or advisor that you have completed all of the necessary requirements for your credential or degree. Next, please note...

FOR ALL STUDENTS:

Please complete the KSOE Commencement Registration & Credential/Degree Audit Form, linked. After registering through this form, you will automatically begin to receive emails with information about the celebrations leading up to Commencement. These emails will come from the Registrar.

FOR CREDENTIAL STUDENTS:

If you are completing a credential program, please visit the Credential Office website and find instructions about Applying for Your Credential.

FOR DEGREE STUDENTS:

If you are a degree student, please see additional steps on the Commencement Registration Form regarding the Degree Verification procedure. Some degree students do not need to submit this form; please confirm with your Program Director or advisor in advance.

KSOE Commencement Registration & Credential/Degree Audit Form

Additionally, please view the linked deadline matrix below for further information about dates for completing your master’s thesis/project within the term:

2020-2021 Master's Thesis/Project Deadline Matrix

If you are completing both a credential and a degree program, please make sure you follow through on all of the steps above.

Each department has a different process for assigning and connecting you to your faculty advisor.

The Counseling Department

Full time faculty serve as advisors for Counseling students completing degrees in their distinct specializations. Your advisor's name and email will be sent to you in a welcome email from KSOE along with your Program of Study. Please check your emails (personal and SMC email) frequently for this information.

The Leadership Department

Shortly before the start of your program, you will hear from your Program Director along with the Senior Administrative Assistant of the Leadership Department. Your Program Director will be your primary contact for any program specific questions and will explain any advising details to you.

The Senior Administrative Assistant of the Leadership Department can be reached at leadership@stmarys-ca.edu. Leadership Department Program Directors' emails are as follows:

• Dr. Heidimarie Rambo, Doctorate in Educational Leadership - hrambo@stmarys-ca.edu

• Dr. Heidimarie Rambo, M.A. in Teaching Leadership - hrambo@stmarys-ca.edu

• Dr. Tangela Blakely Reavis, Preliminary Administrative Service Credentials (PASC) - tyr1@stmarys-ca.edu

• Dr. Stacey Robbins, B.A. in Leadership & Organizational Studies (BALOS) - ser7@stmarys-ca.edu

• Dr. Marguerite Welch, M.A. in Leadership - mwelch@stmarys-ca.edu

• Dr. Marguerite Welch, M.A. in Leadership for Organizational Development - mwelch@stmarys-ca.edu

Teacher Education Department

Shortly before the start of your program, you will hear from your Program Director along with the Senior Administrative Assistant of the Teacher Education Department. Your Program Director will be your primary contact for any program specific questions and will explain any advising details to you.

The Senior Administrative Assistant of the Teacher Education Department can be reached at teachered@stmarys-ca.edu. Teacher Education Department Program Directors' emails are as follows:

Single Subject Teacher Education

• • Dr. Everett Louis ell1@stmarys-ca.edu

Multiple Subject Teacher Education

• • Dr. Ani Moughamian acm9@stmarys-ca.edu

Education Specialist Teacher Education

• • Dr. Peter Alter pja3@stmarys-ca.edu

Master of Arts in Teaching

• • Dr. Peter Alter pja3@stmarys-ca.edu

CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE

All students are expected to be continuously enrolled in their program unless otherwise stipulated in program materials. Students who wish to leave the College temporarily must request such a leave in writing from their program director. Students may take leave for one academic term unless otherwise specified by the program. Normally, students who are not enrolled in classes for two academic terms will be considered withdrawn and must reapply to the program (and must pay an application fee). Programs are not required to accept such applications for readmission. If students are readmitted, they are held to the catalog requirements of the term in which they are readmitted. Students may file a petition with the program to extend their leave for more than one semester for medical reasons or for active military service. Students may also file to extend their leave on educational grounds. The rationale for this planned leave must document the intention to pursue other activities that clarify educational goals or enrich educational programs. These activities might include travel for educational purposes or on-the-job experience in an area related to the student’s field of academic study. The College does not permit leaves based on the lack of funds to pay tuition and other fees.

The Credentials Office in the Kalmanovitz School of Education at SMC is dedicated to giving support to students, staff, and faculty about the credentialing process and related requirements. We welcome you to visit this the Credential Office website to learn more of the diverse range of resources available to you.

Please also access this link below for Information on Basic Skills Requirements, Subject Matter Competence and Reading Instruction Competence Assessment:

Resources for State Credential Exams

Use this Change Request Form prior to attempting to make changes to your Program of Study or "Plan." This includes adding, dropping, or adjusting units for your Counseling courses.

This is to be used if an action is required after the add/drop period has ended. Please select the Late Request option found under the Registrar's Office Special Action Petition.

The Application for Readmission form is for students who have withdrawn from the College. Students who have filed a Leave of Absence form do not need to fill out this form in order to return to the College.

This process requires approvals from many different offices, including your program and Program Director. Please initiate this process well in advance of your intended date of return. If your time away from the College has exceeded 5 years , you may be asked to submit a new application for admission.

Please use this Application for Readmission form to begin the process and the Registrar's Office will be in contact with you.

Matriculated Students Petition to Audit a Course Form

Current graduate students with a 3.0 grade point average may audit one course each term in addition to the regular class load. Courses audited will not fulfill major/minor or core requirements.

Courses must have adequate space and facilities to accommodate them and have permission of the instructor. An auditor is not required to participate actively in course work nor take examinations and does not receive credit. Audited courses are included on the student’s permanent record with the mark of “Z” for audit.

Students who have enrolled in a course as an audit will not be able to enroll in the same course again for credit.

Please fill out and submit the form linked above.

It is expected that students will make steady progress toward the completion of their degree. Therefore, students receiving the bachelor's, credential or master's degree have five years to complete their program; students receiving the doctoral degree have eight years.

Extensions may be granted for extraordinary circumstances by each school's Dean, but students may be held to new standards and/or asked to verify currency in any coursework taken more than five years prior.

To request an extension, please submit this form:

Graduate Degree or Program Time Extension Petition

Graduate/Professional Independent Study Petition

Please be sure to work with your advisor or Program Director before filling out the form above.

• New Graduate Independent Studies courses should have the course number 397.

• This petition is to be filed with the Office of the Registrar no later than the Friday of the second week of the term for B.A. in Leadership and Organizational Studies, M.A. Leadership, and KSOE.

Graduate Open Enrollment is limited to students not matriculated in a Graduate program. Students may register as open enrollment students at the discretion of the program.

Programs will determine the admissions criteria for open enrollment and the related costs. The Office of the Registrar will seek approval of the relevant academic dean and Program Director to finalize registration.

No more than one-third of overall program credits may be accrued through open enrollment in the event of entry into the graduate program.

Cost: There is a $35 registration fee in addition to the tuition rate per unit. For more information on the tuition rate per unit, please contact the Program for which you are taking the course.

During the registration period, if you find that your course is full, please put yourself on the waitlist. If there are enough people on a waitlist for a course, then KSOE will create a new section. If you are on the waitlist, you will eventually be enrolled in the new section when it opens. If there aren't enough students to form a new section, then you may be added to one of the previously closed sections.

The practice of waitlisting yourself for your preferred section and registering for another section is not encouraged. However, you may check back during the Add/Drop period to see if a space has opened up. We suggest you drop the old section only after you have secured your spot in your preferred section.

Please review the instructions and notes for the linked Petition to Withdraw from a Course Form.

The Petition to Withdraw from a Course Form is used to withdraw from a single course, or two, after the add/drop period and up to the 10th week of instruction during the Fall and Spring semesters. If you plan on dropping your entire schedule during a semester (i.e. Fall, Jan Term, Spring) you need to either complete a Leave of Absence request, or a Withdrawal from the College request instead. Students taking courses during summer session(s) are not required to fill out one of these two forms since summer sessions are considered optional terms.

For Jan Term and Summer Session(s), please refer to the Academic Calendar for the deadline to withdraw from a course—typically, the end of week 2—without Academic Penalty.

An enrolled student may request to withdraw from Saint Mary's College at any point prior to the end of the semester in which they are enrolled. When a student withdraws from the college during the add/drop period, all enrolled courses will be dropped from the student's schedule.

Please read the complete set of instructions on the Withdrawal from the College form linked above.

Please note: you must login on the bottom right hand side of the page in order to fill out any information and submit the form. This form requires you to use your SMC username to log in and have an active SMC email account. If you have any trouble accessing the form, please contact IT Services at (925) 631-4266 or servicedesk@stmarys-ca.edu.

a. Please use the KSOE Special Action Petition and select the KSOE Transfer Credit Approval Form.

b. This form is to be used before you register for a course outside of Saint Mary's College but only after you have been accepted into a program and have made contact with your advisor or Program Director.

c. Please submit a separate form for each course that needs approval.

d. This request requires a course description and approval by the Program Director or Chair of Core Curriculum if applying to take a Core Curriculum course that is not found on the Articulation Agreement or if an Articulation Agreement does not exist.

e. If approved, you may register for the course(s).

f. An official transcript is required after the course has been completed and a grade has been posted. The grade and units earned at the external organization will appear on your SMC transcript or academic evaluation when the course is transferred.

h. There is no fee for this action.

a. Please use the KSOE Special Action Petition and select the Competency Evaluation option.

b. This form is to be used for courses already taken only at SMC, to have a previously taken course(s) from another SMC program or major count for a course in the current program or pulled from a second major.

c. This form requires approval from your Program Director and may require you to submit additional materials. It may also require conditions you must meet for successful completion of this Competency Evaluation.

d. The course grade and units for the challenges course will match what is found on your academic evaluation for the original course.

c. There is no fee for Competency Evaluations.

a. First, speak with your Program Director.

b. Then, please use the KSOE Special Action Petition and select the Challenge for Credit option.

c. Select course option from the drop down menu. This option allows you to bundle courses together for credit.

d. This form is to be used for courses already taken at another institution.

e. Your Program Director will ask you you to take an exam or submit an essay demonstrating that you have met the requirements for successful completion of the challenge.

f. The Program Director must approve your challenge as well as determine the grade for the challenged course that will appear on your academic evaluation.

g. The fee for each Challenge is $100.

a. First, speak with your Program Director.

b. Then, please use the KSOE Special Action Petition and select the Challenge for Credit option.

c. Select experience from the drop down menu. This option allows you to bundle experiences together for credit.

d. This form is to be used for experience gained outside of SMC.

e. Your Program Director will ask you you to take an exam or submit an essay demonstrating that you have met the requirements for successful completion of the challenge.

f. The Program Director must approve your challenge as well as determine the grade for the challenged course that will appear on your academic evaluation.

g. The fee for each Challenge is $100.

a. Please use the KSOE Special Action Petition and select the KSOE Course for Course Transfer option.

b. This form requires approval from your Program Director and may require you to submit additional materials.

c. This form is to be used for courses already taken at another institution and requires that we have an official transcript on file from this institution.

d. The course grade and units will match what is found on transcript

d. Some BA programs do not qualify for this option.

e. There is no fee for a Course for Course Transfer.