Academic Rules, Regulations, and Procedures

Student Handbooks

2006-2008 Handbook

2005-2006 Handbook

2004-2005 Handbook

Security Studies Program (SSP) students are responsible for knowing the rules, regulations, and procedures relevant to their pursuit of the Security Studies degree, including those of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Students must also adhere to other university regulations, such as the academic deadlines established by the Registrar each semester. Ignorance of these rules will not be accepted as a reason for failure to act in accordance with them.

The SSP Student Handbook details more information on the following program rules, regulations and procedures:

Students are responsible for the information in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin and the deadlines of the Registrar's Office.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is an essential value of any intellectual community, and the University regards academic dishonesty in any form as a serious offense against the academic community in general and against Georgetown University in particular.  The SSP expects its students to be fully aware of the University’s policies regarding academic integrity. Ignorance of academic policies is not considered a defense against substantiated charges of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty, including cheating and falsification of data.

The Graduate School's Academic Integrity: Policies and Procedures section on infringement of academic integrity details the offenses of dishonesty that are considered serious breaches of academic standards and will be subject to disciplinary action. All SSP students are expected to be familiar with the complete text. The abbreviated definitions below are taken from the Graduate Bulletin.  Students should be aware that what an individual may not consider to be a violation is in fact a serious one by University standards.

Plagiarism: The act of passing off as one's own the ideas, writings, or statements of another. Any quote from another source, whether written, spoken, or electronic, must be bound by quotation marks and cited. Any paraphrase (a recapitulation of another source's statement or idea in one's own words) or summary (a more concise restatement of another's ideas) must be cited.

Cheating: The use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in in-class examinations, take-home examinations, or other academic exercises.

Fabrication: The falsification or invention of data, research results, citations, or any other information used in examinations, papers, experiments, or other academic exercises.

Misuse of Academic Work: For example, submitting the same paper to satisfy requirements for two different courses, without explicit permission of both professors.

Academic penalties, including dismissal from the University and revocation of a granted degree, may be applied in case of violations.  If a student is unclear about the standards and rules that apply to academic works he or she must seek consultation with a professor, faculty advisor, the Director, or Director of Studies of the Program before submitting papers or participating in examinations.  

Academic Progress

All SSP students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to be eligible to continue enrollment in the SSP and to receive financial aid. To maintain eligibility students must:

  • Maintain a cumulative QPI of 3.00;
  • Complete all degree requirements within three years of matriculation; and
  • Enroll in a minimum of two three-credit SSP sponsored courses per semester that fulfill SSP degree requirements.

Note: Students will not be allowed to register for additional credits beyond those required for graduation for the purpose of raising an inadequate QPI.

Course Approval

During pre-registration, the SSP will post a list of pre-approved Georgetown courses which count toward your MA degree requirements. Courses not on the pre-approved list will not count toward the student's degree program. If a student would like to take a course not on the pre-approved list, they must submit a Course Approval Form along with the current syllabus for the course.  Students are required to first meet with their academic advisor for approval before submitting all paperwork to the Academic Counselor.  Students must receive approval from the Director of Studies.  SSP reserves the right to reject any course for degree credit which does not meet the standards and requirements set by the program. 

Class Attendance

Because of the rigorous nature of the Security Studies Program courses, students should not be absent from class except under extraordinary circumstances such as personal illness or family emergency.  If a student must be absent from class it is their obligation to notify the professor for approval beforehand.  Students may be withdrawn who do not attend the first class or who will be absent for two or more classes without the professor’s permission.

The SSP professors may address issues of student absence by withdrawing the student from their course, lowering the final course grade, or assigning additional coursework before assigning the final grade.

Students who expect to miss more than two classes in one course must notify the SSP Director of Studies immediately.  The Program’s course of action options include: the Program withdrawing the student from the course; the student withdrawing themselves from the course; or in the case all the student’s courses being affected by the absenteeism, the student taking a leave of absence from the Program. Students with prior obligations that require three or more classes to be missed must take a leave of absence for the semester during which the absences are expected.

Grade Contestation

Students who believe professors have graded them unfairly may appeal their grade. Students contesting a grade they received as part of the course work must take following steps:

1 - The student should first seek an acceptable resolution through a discussion with the instructor of the course. This discussion must be initiated no later than thirty days after the start of the next semester following the one in which the disputed grade was assigned.

2 - If a satisfactory resolution is not reached, the student should then discuss the matter with the Director of Studies or Program Director under whose aegis the course is offered.  Students must initiate this second discussion no later than sixty days after the start of the next semester following the one in which the disputed grade was assigned.

3 - If a satisfactory resolution is still not reached, the Program will send the material in question to a faculty committee established by the department or program in which the course is offered (either a standing committee or an ad hoc committee). This must be initiated no later than ninety days after the start of the next semester following the one in which the disputed grade was assigned. That committee's decision (to raise, lower, or sustain the grade) shall be final.

In the case of a student pursuing an interdisciplinary graduate degree who is enrolled in a departmental course that is part of the degree program's curriculum, the Directors of Studies for that program and the department which offers the course will establish a mutually agreed upon faculty committee on an ad hoc basis. The program will not review requests for a change of grade if the student is requesting a new grade resulting from additional work performed after the professor assigns the initial grade.

Incompletes

The SSP expects that students will complete all coursework by the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in the course. In special circumstances a student may request an instructor to grant permission to delay submission of work to complete all course requirements. Instructors are not bound to grant such requests. The instructor will assign the student a grade of “Incomplete” (“I”) for the course. This grade will appear on the student’s transcript until the instructor reports a final grade. The instructor will determine the due date by which the student needs to complete the assignments. This date is not to exceed the final day of classes in the following semester. The student must submit the completed work to the instructor in a timely manner, sufficient to enable the instructor to review the work and to send a final grade to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by the last day of classes.

Leave of Absence

Students who must interrupt their studies for personal or professional reasons may apply in writing to the SSP and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for a personal leave of absence.  It is defined as any leave of absence other than one granted for medical reasons or for military service.

Students requesting a leave of absence must submit a Student Petition for Change to Program form to the Academic Counselor for approval by the Director of Studies and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  Student Petition forms are available on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences web site at  http://grad.georgetown.edu/pages/current_student_forms.cfm.  Students may submit a paper form as outlined above or submit the webform.

Students must request leave at least one week prior to Registration for the semester in which the student plans to take leave, and must submit the form no later than the last day of the Add/Drop period.  A $25 fee will be charged for each semester of approved leave of absence.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences allows graduate students a total of no more than four semesters cumulative leave of absence.  It grants a maximum of two consecutive semesters of leave.  The University extends the students time to complete the program by one semester for every semester approved for leave.  After two years, students must either return to active status in the SSP or withdraw from it.  Students who withdraw are eligible to apply for reinstatement within two years of withdrawal; after that time period they must formally reapply for admission to the SSP.

Military Leave: The University permits leave to students called to active military duty. The student to whom this applies should report his or her obligation for military service in writing to the SSP Coordinator of Academic Programs as soon as reasonably possible after the student receives his or her orders.  If a new semester has begun, the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may authorize a 100 percent refund of tuition through the 50 percent refund period (weeks 7 or 8).  The student’s courses will be marked with a “W” grade and the Registrar will explain the military withdrawal on the transcript.  The University does not attribute military leave to the four semester limit for leaves of absence.

Medical Leave: The University grants medical leave of absence to students whose ill health is impeding normal academic progress. Medical leaves will be administered according to the Guidelines for Medical Leave of Absences, found in the University’s Department of Student Affairs Policies Handbook
(see: http://www.georgetown.edu/student-affairs/policies.html#MedicalLeaveofAbsence).

Students returning on schedule from an approved leave of absence should notify the program and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of their return as soon as they know it will occur, and in advance of their arrival on campus.  

The SSP and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences do not require students to submit any paperwork to resume studies.  Once the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences knows the student will be returning, it will contact the returning students with registration instructions via Georgetown email.  To facilitate registration, it is important for those returning students to check their Georgetown email accounts regularly for notices from the SSP or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.