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Student Conduct
Student Conduct
The University is defined by tradition as a community of people dedicated to the pursuit of truth and advancement of knowledge, and as a place where there is freedom to teach, freedom to engage in research, freedom to create, freedom to learn, freedom to study, freedom to speak, freedom to associate, freedom to write and to publish. However, these freedoms come with the responsibility to respect and not infringe upon these freedoms when they are exercised by others. For these freedoms to exist, it is essential to maintain a learning environment that fosters the safety, security, and the inherent dignity of each member of the community and to ensure that students conduct themselves accordingly.
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity
The Student Academic Integrity Policy (SAIP) describes academic supports that enable students to achieve academic success in alignment with the principles of academic integrity. In addition, this policy provides alternatives to a disciplinary response where students take responsibility for their academic misconduct and hold themselves accountable to the community by participating in non-disciplinary accountability options. Where non- disciplinary accountability options are not appropriate, this policy provides a disciplinary complaint process. The SAIP replaced the Code of Student Behaviour (COSB) as of September 1, 2024.
Areas of Responsibility
Areas of Responsibility
Graduate students are ultimately responsible for their own programs. They are expected to read the Calendar and any other relevant documents to become familiar with all regulations and deadlines relating to their programs. The students' fundamental responsibilities include ensuring that their registration is accurate and does not lapse, submitting appropriate forms to the department for signature and processing, and paying all fees required by the deadline dates set out in the Calendar.
Graduate Administrators
The Graduate Program Administration team facilitates Master's and Doctoral programs in the Faculty of Education, supporting students from admission through to convocation.
Graduate Administrators uphold procedures for registration, awards, examinations and admission, provide a broad knowledge of U of A policy to students and Graduate Coordinators, and engage in thoughtful collaboration with faculty and staff to build a valuable student experience.
Graduate Administrators uphold procedures for registration, awards, examinations and admission, provide a broad knowledge of U of A policy to students and Graduate Coordinators, and engage in thoughtful collaboration with faculty and staff to build a valuable student experience.
Graduate Coordinators
The term graduate coordinator refers to an associate chair, associate dean, director, or any other individual officially designated by the head of the unit as being responsible for the unit’s graduate programs.
Graduate coordinators must be tenured or tenure-track faculty members.
Graduate coordinators have a duty to ensure that departmental and Faculty rules are administered in a fair and equitable manner.
The responsibilities of the graduate coordinator may include:
Relationships between graduate coordinators and the staff and students in their program(s) should be academic. Any personal relationships that alter or affect this academic relationship may constitute a conflict of interest (e.g. familial or intimate relationship, business relationship).
In addition, a conflict of interest may arise when graduate coordinators make decisions concerning students that they supervise. Any possible conflict of interest should be disclosed in accordance with the University of Alberta Conflict Policy – Conflict of Interest and Commitment and Institutional Conflict.
Graduate coordinators must be tenured or tenure-track faculty members.
Graduate coordinators have a duty to ensure that departmental and Faculty rules are administered in a fair and equitable manner.
The responsibilities of the graduate coordinator may include:
- ensuring that the regulations and requirements of the FGPS and the University are met;
- being the official representative of the department to its graduate students;
- admitting applicants to graduate programs;
- acting as an advisor concerning the appointment of supervisors, supervisory committees, and external examiners
- completing the Supervisor-Student Guidelines with thesis-based students in instances where a supervisor has yet to be appointed after 12 months since the start of the student’s program;
- acting as an advisor concerning any changes to a student’s status or program;
- carrying out FGPS and University policies relating to graduate students;
- acting as a liaison between the FGPS and the unit;
- coordinating financial support for graduate students, including fellowships and assistantships;
- monitoring the academic progress of graduate students;
- providing advice to graduate students on the rules and procedures of the FGPS and the department;
- keeping the FGPS informed of any changes in the student’s program, including student status, course and program changes, scheduling of examination dates; and,
- initiating and coordinating graduate student recruitment activities.
Relationships between graduate coordinators and the staff and students in their program(s) should be academic. Any personal relationships that alter or affect this academic relationship may constitute a conflict of interest (e.g. familial or intimate relationship, business relationship).
In addition, a conflict of interest may arise when graduate coordinators make decisions concerning students that they supervise. Any possible conflict of interest should be disclosed in accordance with the University of Alberta Conflict Policy – Conflict of Interest and Commitment and Institutional Conflict.
Grading System
Grading System
- The University of Alberta uses a letter grading system for most courses.
- For graduate students, a passing grade is C+.
- Some courses are offered on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis.
- All graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.7 throughout the course of the program.
Grievances & Appeals
Grievances & Appeals
Grades reflect professional judgements of student achievement made by instructors. These judgements are based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in class. The instructor should mark in terms of raw scores, rank the assignments in order of merit, and with due attention to the verbal descriptions of the various grades, assign an appropriate final letter grade. Grade grievances and appeals for course grades are within the jurisdiction of the Faculty that teaches the course.
These appeal procedures pertain only to graduate courses taught in the Faculty of Education. Students appealing grades received in courses taught outside the Faculty of Education must follow the appeal guidelines of the faculty in which the courses are taught.
The Faculty of Education encourages students to seek early support and guidance from the appropriate graduate coordinator or equivalent, appropriate program advisors, as well as the Office of the Student Ombuds. If the matter is not resolved through informal measures, the Graduate Student Grade Appeals Policies and Procedures document outlines the formal regulations by which academic decisions may be appealed. Key information is provided below.
These appeal procedures pertain only to graduate courses taught in the Faculty of Education. Students appealing grades received in courses taught outside the Faculty of Education must follow the appeal guidelines of the faculty in which the courses are taught.
The Faculty of Education encourages students to seek early support and guidance from the appropriate graduate coordinator or equivalent, appropriate program advisors, as well as the Office of the Student Ombuds. If the matter is not resolved through informal measures, the Graduate Student Grade Appeals Policies and Procedures document outlines the formal regulations by which academic decisions may be appealed. Key information is provided below.
Note: The FGPS Academic Appeals Committee has no jurisdiction over grades in individual courses, or examination decisions and admission decisions
The Office of the Student Ombuds is a confidential service that strives to ensure that university processes related to students operate as fairly as possible. We offer information, advice, and support to students, faculty, and staff as they deal with academic, discipline, interpersonal, and financial issues related to student programs.
Grounds for Informal & Formal Faculty Appeals
The grounds for an appeal include:
- procedural errors on the part of a department/school/unit of the faculty;
- failure on the part of a department/school/unit or faculty official to make a decision in a fair and equitable manner in light of the procedures, standards and circumstances applicable in the case of a student;
- failure of the faculty to consider all factors relevant to the decision being appealed.
Informal and Formal Appeals Procedures
Grade appeals on faculty courses should first be directed to the instructor concerned or to the course coordinator if the instructor is unavailable.
If, after students have made a reasonable effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, the matter cannot be resolved or if it involves a program in a department, students shall then discuss their concerns with the graduate coordinator or equivalent of the department/school/unit in which the course is offered and follow those internal procedures and timelines.
If the matter is not resolved at the department/school/unit level, students may appeal to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies. Grade appeals, with supporting documentation, must be submitted to:
Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (or Delegate)845 Education South11210 – 87 AveFaculty of EducationUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G5, by:
If, after students have made a reasonable effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, the matter cannot be resolved or if it involves a program in a department, students shall then discuss their concerns with the graduate coordinator or equivalent of the department/school/unit in which the course is offered and follow those internal procedures and timelines.
If the matter is not resolved at the department/school/unit level, students may appeal to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies. Grade appeals, with supporting documentation, must be submitted to:
Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (or Delegate)845 Education South11210 – 87 AveFaculty of EducationUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2G5, by:
- March 1st for fall-term courses
- June 30th for full-year and winter-term courses
- September 30th for intersession term courses.
Minimum Academic Requirements
Minimum Academic Requirements
The GPS minimum cumulative grade point average required to remain in satisfactory academic standing is 2.7 on a scale of 4.0. Students must achieve, at minimum, a passing grade of C+ in any course taken in their degree program.
Students who fail to maintain these minimum academic standing requirements as outlined by GPS and/or their graduate program will normally be required to withdraw unless the academic unit recommends a plan of remediation for the student to complete within a specified time period. Any such plan must be approved by the Dean of GPS.
Students may also choose to voluntarily withdraw. However, there may be academic record and fee implications for withdrawing from a program and from courses. Students should discuss this option with their supervisor/advisor, academic unit, and GPS, and should consult Changes to Registration, Registration, and Tuition and Fees.
Students in thesis-based programs must ensure they complete, with their supervisor and/or supervisory committee, a Progress Report and submit it to GPS at least once annually.
Required to Withdraw
Required to Withdraw
Departments may recommend to GPS that students be required to withdraw on academic grounds. Reasons for the recommendation include:
Failure to maintain adequate academic standing; failure to meet the requirements set out in a conditional admission; candidacy or final oral examination failure; or expiry of program time limit. Requests to require to withdraw for these reasons must be documented in the academic record or student’s file: for example, grades, exam reports, etc;
Failure to make satisfactory academic progress in other aspects of the program, such as adequate progress in research. Requests to require to withdraw for these reasons should be supported by evidence that the process of feedback, assessments and warnings has been followed;
Failure to complete the practicum component of a graduate program, if that practicum component is an integral part of the program;
Failure of the department to secure alternate supervision for a thesis-based student following dissolution of a supervisory relationship (see Resolving Conflicts in Supervisor-Student Relationships) as it is an academic requirement that thesis-based students have a supervisor (see Appointment of the Supervisor(s)); and,
For students in thesis-based programs, two consecutive student ratings of ‘In Need of Improvement’ or one rating of ‘Unsatisfactory’ on their Progress Report will normally result in a recommendation to withdraw from their program.
The following considerations apply:
Students cannot be required to withdraw except for just cause;
Students shall be given adequate warning, feedback and timelines related to what is the nature of the inadequate progress, what special performance would be required to rectify the inadequacy, and what is the timeline for demonstration of the required improved performance;
Student should be given an opportunity to respond in writing to any warning given;
Meetings with appropriate advisors (members of supervisory committee; Chair’s designate, etc.) may assist the process of providing adequate warning and advice.
The decision to require a student to withdraw rests with the Associate Deans, GPS. Students may appeal to the GPS Academic Appeals Committee. For details, see Appeals and Grievances.
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