University Policies on Rights, Integrity, and Conduct

HILS Academic Policies

Accessibility and Accommodations

HILS is committed to the academic success, professional development and general well-being of all students. Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations from HILS to assist them in meeting the requirements of their degree program are strongly encouraged to register with the Office for Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) and to meet with the HILS program director.

You must seek a reasonable accommodation for each course for which an accommodation is needed, and you should communicate with the faculty member within the first two weeks of the term. We do not assume that an accommodation provided in one course is appropriate or desired in another situation. Therefore, do not assume that because one faculty or staff member is aware of your need for an accommodation that others are also aware.

If you have a concern regarding disability accommodations in terms of fairness and equity, contact the HILS program director, and/or refer to the dispute resolution and grievance policy sections of this handbook.

Academic Probation and Dismissal Policy for PhD Students

Rackham Graduate School Academic Policies, specifically Sections 3.4 Good Academic Standing and 3.5 Deficiencies in Academic Progress, Academic Probation and Dismissal, provide the basis for HILS Academic Probation and Dismissal Policy. The HILS policy outlines additional HILS requirements that may impact your academic standing and lead to probation and dismissal. It also describes the procedures HILS will follow to place you on academic probation, dismiss you, return you to good academic standing, and handle your appeal of a HILS decision.

Good Academic Standing

Rackham defines good academic standing (Rackham Academic Policy, Section 3.4) as:

• making satisfactory academic progress* toward the completion of degree requirements and is within the time limits of the degree program, including approved extensions;
• demonstrating an ability to succeed in the degree program; a
• having a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better.

*Satisfactory academic progress and PhD milestones are described below.

In addition, HILS will review a late withdrawal (W) from one or more class or an incomplete (I) received for one or more class in terms of how either mark affects satisfactory academic progress.

Unsatisfactory academic performance may result in the following actions by Rackham (Rackham Academic Policy, Section 3.5):

• placing a continuing student on academic probation;
• requiring a student to withdraw from the University; or
• not conferring a degree or certificate.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

The HILS PhD program is designed to be completed in four years – two (2) years of coursework and two (2) years of dissertation work (Figure 1). We anticipate you should be able to finish in five (5) years or less. Rackham allows you seven (7) years total to complete your PhD program; once candidacy is achieved you have five (5) years to complete the degree. You should regularly meet with your advisor to discuss your academic progress and any challenges you may have to meeting the HILS PhD milestones on the prescribed timeline. Your progress will also be evaluated in annual meetings between each you, your advisor, the associate director, the director and the program manager.

PhD Milestones

HILS expects you to achieve candidacy by the fall term of your third year. In order to achieve candidacy a you must be in good academic standing and have successfully completed the following milestones. Failure to meet a milestone may result in academic probation and subsequent dismissal if conditions to return to good academic standing are not met.

Qualifying Exam

The qualifying exam asks you to apply the knowledge you learned in your first-year courses. Thus, in order to take the qualifying exam you must successfully complete or receive a waiver for each first year class as listed in Figure 1. You will be allowed to retake the qualifying exam one time if you do not pass on your first attempt.

Learning Cycle Project

The summer learning project is an eight-week experience usually completed during the summer between your first and second year. You prepare for the project in LHS 621 Implementation Science 1 and evaluate the project in LHS 721 Implementation Science 2.

Literature Review

After passing the qualifying exam, you begin working on the literature review for your dissertation. The literature review will be assessed by a faculty committee and is considered complete when the committee approves a final product.

Academic Probation

If you do not maintain good academic standing, including satisfactory academic progress as described above, you may be placed on academic probation. The decision to recommend academic probation will be made by a committee of at least three faculty members consisting of the Program Director (or delegate), your faculty advisor, and one or more additional faculty members as needed. The committee will meet with you as part of their review of your case and before rendering a decision. If the committee decides to recommend academic probation, the Director will communicate to Rackham the committee’s decision and the conditions to be met for you to return to good academic standing, including the timeline in which you must meet the conditions, and you will be notified of the same by email sent to your University of Michigan (umich.edu or med.umich.edu) email address and by letter mailed to your local address as listed in Wolverine Access.

The standard length of the probationary period is one semester, after which you may be returned to good standing, given an extended probationary period, or asked to leave the PhD program.

Funding During Probationary Period

If placed on academic probation, you will maintain your HILS funding package as prior to probation for one semester.

Return to Good Academic Standing or Dismissal

When a faculty committee recommends a student be placed on probation, they will also decide the conditions to be met to return to good academic standing. If the student meets these terms, they will be returned to good academic standing.

Appeal Procedures for Probation and Dismissal

To appeal either academic probation or dismissal, you may put the reasons for your appeal in writing and deliver to the Associate Chair for Educational Programs or assigned designee (e.g. the HILS Associate Program Director) within two weeks of the probation or dismissal notice. The Associate Chair will then appoint a committee of DLHS faculty to review the appeal. Per Rackham’s Academic Dispute Resolution Process, if the concern is not resolved, the student may seek a formal resolution conference with the Medical School’s Rackham Resolution Officer (see http://www.rackham.umich.edu/policies/academic-dispute-resolution for full policy and the contact information for the current resolution officer).