Absence from Class

This policy articulates the expectations for students regarding absences from class. The policy describes excused absences due to university sponsored activities, absences due to religious observance, medical illness, and other absences. It also describes the steps to be taken during an extended absence.

Support and Accommodations

TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENTS

Students who have sustained injuries or who have had or will be undergoing surgeries may be eligible for temporary adjustments that will enable them to continue with their courses while they are recuperating.

If you have sustained an injury or will be undergoing surgery and need temporary adjustments, please log into Clockwork and fill out the online request for accommodations by clicking “Online Intake.” You can upload documentation of the injury or surgery along with your request. Once your request is received, you will be sent an email inviting you to make an appointment with Disability Resources to determine reasonable temporary adjustment(s).

Students who are scheduled for surgery should request temporary adjustments as far in advance of the surgery as possible. The temporary adjustments a student is to receive will be itemized on a letter issued by Disability Resources and distributed to the entity who will be providing the adjustments. The letter listing the temporary adjustments will effective for one term. However, under some circumstances, students can extend these adjustments.

If you have additional questions regarding temporary adjustments, please contact OEIC’s Disability Resources team by phone at 215.895.1401 or by email via disability@drexel.edu.

Learn more about registering a disability or seeking accommodations.

Absence Due to Military Service

Drexel’s academic community includes a number of veteran and military students. At times these students may be called to fulfill their duties for training or deployment. Drexel has a number of procedures in place to support such students during service related absences.

Leave of Absence

On recommendation of the student’s Graduate Advisor and Faculty Mentor, a student may take a leave of absence for up to a maximum of one year consecutively or separately for master’s candidates, for reasons of:

• military service,
• family care,
• serious illness, or
• another reason deemed adequate for interrupting graduate studies.

Financial obligations to the University for past periods of matriculation are not waived by a leave of absence. Furthermore, a leave of absence does not extend the time limits allowed for completion of degree. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas may be eligible for a leave of absence. Please see the Vacation and Leave of Absence page for more information.

Vacation Policy for PhD and Doctoral-level Students

Effective Fall 2019, the vacation policy for PhD and doctoral-level students, applies to all PhD and doctoral-level graduate students, with the exception of students enrolled in the JD and MD programs. The policy only applies to students enrolled in the MD/PhD program during their PhD years.

Academic Standing

Academic Standing is determined each term that a student is registered. Academic Standing is based on term grade point average (GPA) and cumulative GPA. The categories of Academic Standing are as follows:

• Good Academic Standing
• Good Standing with Advisor Check
• Probation
• Continued on Probation
• Dismissed and Reinstated
• Academic Dismissal
• and Permanent Dismissal.

These categories are reflected on the academic transcript. This policy sets minimum University requirements for Academic Standing; some Colleges/Schools may set more stringent requirements for these categories by program. View the policy pages on:

• Undergraduate Academic Standing
• Graduate Academic Standing

Audit Option

The Audit Option provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to register for a course for enrichment and/or exploration. No grade is recorded, and no academic credit is earned. Note that audits are only possible after your academic advisors and the faculty member teaching the course complete a form.

Credit by Examination

Undergraduate students have a one-time opportunity during their Undergraduate career to gain course credit toward graduation by taking a comprehensive examination in a course, that is, without registering for the course or attending any classes. The student must never have attended (or currently be enrolled in) the course in which credit by examination is being sought.

Cross-Calendar Registration

View policies for students to enroll in cross-calendar independent study courses. Students may only request to enroll in cross-calendar independent study courses that will progress them towards degree. Students may only take a maximum of two independent study courses.

Course Registration

Students are expected to register for courses according to the plan of study for their program. Click here for information on how to register for courses. Information for your specific program and your plan of study can be found via the course catalog.

Course Repeat

View the policy statement on repeating courses for academic credit and GPA readjustment:

• Course Repeat: Undergraduate Students
• Course Repeat: Graduate Students

Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course

Courses may only be dropped during the “drop period,” lasting from the beginning of the enrollment period through the end of the first week of the quarter. Courses are dropped via DrexelOne during Week 1. Dropping a course results in the course being removed from the student’s academic record. Dropping required courses in a given academic year may result in a student being unable to complete the program on time. For more information on dropping a course, click here.

Students may withdraw from a course during the “withdrawal period,” lasting from the beginning of Week 2 through the Friday of Week 7 of the quarter, or Week 11 of the semester. Withdrawing from a course causes both the name of the course and the grade of “W” to appear on the student’s transcript. For more information on withdrawing from courses, click here.

Before withdrawing from a course, students should consult with the instructor. All students must obtain their Graduate Advisor’s and Instructor’s signature on the withdrawal form (form will be generated by the graduate advisor). Withdrawing from required courses in a given academic year may result in a student being unable to complete the program on time.

If a student is receiving Financial Aid assistance, they should discuss the implications of withdrawing from a course with Drexel Central. Please refer to the Tuition Refund/Credit Schedule on the Bursar’s Office website for more information.

Enrollment and Eligibility to Register

Enrollment at Drexel University is determined by admission into a program and attendance of courses or other official program activities. View policies on enrollment from the Office of the Provost and the Graduate College.

Independent Study

Independent study offers students an important opportunity to engage in research, to pursue areas of inquiry not regularly offered through courses, and to participate in supervised projects. Typically, the topic is focused rather than general and is not usually pursued in scheduled courses. Students who undertake independent study are expected to be self-motivated and largely self-directed. Students may only take a maximum of two independent study courses.

Registering for Classes during Co-op

In an effort to better integrate academic coursework with a student’s cooperative education experience, undergraduate students enrolled in a Co-op education program may register for up to six (6) credits during each term for which they are on a Co-op assignment; of the six, four (4) may be taken without additional charge.

Students Without Co-op Assignments

Students must submit a Blue Form (generated by the Banner system, or hand-written) by the start of the first term of the Co-op cycle. Students can petition the SCDC for Co-op credit by the end of the second week of the first term of the Co-op cycle.

Transfer of Credit

Drexel may grant credit for courses completed at a college or university that is either regionally accredited or a recognized candidate for accreditation according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In addition, credits from a foreign post-secondary institution that is recognized and approved by the local Ministry of Education as a degree-granting institution may be accepted.

Students who are interested in transferring credits into their Masters or Doctoral program need to complete the Application for Credit Transfer [PDF] form and submit it to dsphadvising@drexel.edu. Requests must be received at least three weeks prior to the start of the student’s program. See here for more information on the graduate student transfer credit policy.

Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses

Full time, academically qualified undergraduate students may take up to 9 credits of graduate coursework with departmental permission. The graduate coursework may be counted to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements with departmental permission. Graduate coursework taken that exceeds the minimum requirements for the bachelor’s degree may be used towards an advanced degree.

Accelerated and Dual Degrees

View policies on accelerated and multiple degree programs, including:

• Accelerated, Combined and Bridge Degree Programs
• Dual Undergraduate Degrees
• Dual Master’s Degrees

Graduation Requirements

View policies on requirements for graduating:

• Graduation Requirements: Undergraduate Students
• Graduate Degree Requirements
  • Additionally, view the Graduate College’s Graduation Requirements page for graduate program completion deadlines, Commencement information and the graduation requirements checklist.

Granting of Degrees

Undergraduate and graduate students can complete the requirements for their degree(s) at the end of each respective quarter throughout an academic year, and that the date of completion of all requirements should be recognized by the degree conferral deadlines for each quarter.

University Catalog and Student Degree Requirements

The Drexel University Catalog serves as the official source of all University-approved academic programs. Students enrolled in specific programs will find academic requirements for completion of their academic programs in the Catalog. View the Dornsife School of Public Health Undergraduate Catalog and the Dornsife School of Public Health Graduate Catalog.

Withdrawal of Degree

The University reserves the right to withdraw a degree even though it has been granted should there be discovery that the work upon which it was based or the academic records in support of it had been falsified. In such a case the degree will be withdrawn promptly upon discovery of the falsification.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, cheating, forgery, or other forms of academic misconduct are not tolerated at Drexel. If allegations of misconduct related to academic integrity are upheld, a student may be expelled from the School. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that their study and participation in the academic process is so conducted that there can be no question concerning their integrity.

All assignments, unless clearly designated group projects, are expected to be the work of the individual student. Any use of ideas, data or wording of another person must include explicit acknowledgement of the source. Failure to give such credit is plagiarism. Any alteration/fabrication of data or inaccurate reporting of actual participation in an assignment are examples of academic misconduct. Any violations of the above will be addressed utilizing the procedures outlined here.

Dean’s List 

(Note: The page is currently under review. Please check back later. 08/30/22)

The Dean’s List recognizes undergraduate students who are performing in an exemplary fashion. There is no Dean’s List for graduate students, for whom we instead have School and University Awards nominations each year.

Final Examinations

A formal final mode of evaluation, which may be assessed in the form of a final examination is required in all courses. Final Examinations must be administered during final examinations week. Only in-class final exams will be scheduled by the Office of the University Registrar. Take home final examinations are to be submitted during final examinations week, due at a time designated by the instructor; these examinations do not require an in-class scheduled exam.

Additionally, view the policy page for Final Examinations for Graduating Seniors in the Spring Quarter.

Grades

A student’s level of performance is expected to increase throughout the program, with a concomitant expectation of steadily increasing ability to integrate and apply the critical elements from all preceding classes. Students are graded on their performance in all aspects of the curriculum:

• Students are expected to comply with the University Attendance Policy.
• It is expected that all assignments are submitted on time. Failure to do so may result in a lower grade.
• If a graduate student receives a grade below C in any class, they must retake that course. The course remains on their transcript and is averaged in with all other courses.

View the policy statement on grading scale, Grade Point Average (GPA), Grade of Incomplete, and Grade Not Submitted. Additionally, view the policy pages for:

• Undergraduate Grades Policy
• Graduate Grades Policy
• Undergraduate Incomplete Grades Policy
• Graduate Incomplete Grades Policy

Grade Appeals

Grades may be appealed by contacting the instructor of the course. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome, the grade can be appealed in writing to the Department Head or Program Director in which the course is located. If the appeal is not resolved, the student may appeal in writing to the Dean of the College in which the course was taken.

Senior Privilege

Senior Privilege affords undergraduate seniors a one-time opportunity to take an additional final examination to make up a failing grade in a course required for graduation. Senior Privilege does not exempt students from attending class and/or taking final examinations.

Course Evaluations

Course evaluations are distributed to students at the end of every semester/quarter through AEFIS (accessible via Drexel One). Course evaluations are essential for Dornsife’s faculty and professional staff to understand the student educational experiences and should be completed. Information collected will be used to improve the overall quality of courses. An evaluation takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and the process is anonymous.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Higher Education Opportunity Act: Consumer Information and Student Right to Know

(Note: The page is currently under review. Please check back later. 08/30/22)

In accordance with federal regulations set forth by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1965, as amended, linked is a summary of consumer information that must be made available to all prospective and enrolled students at Drexel University. Additional information is also provided on this page.

Official Learning Management System

This policy designates the approved University LMS (currently Blackboard Learn, also known as Bb Learn, Blackboard) as the Official Learning Management System (LMS) of Drexel University, and this LMS is intended to be compliant with requirements of various federal, state, and accreditation agencies in support of all courses.

Preferred Name

It is the practice of Drexel University that any student, faculty, or professional staff may choose to be identified within the University Community with a preferred name which may differ from the individual’s legal first name.

Religious Observances

Embodying a culturally and spiritually diverse community, Drexel University recognizes that on the occasion of important or solemn religious days, certain of its members will observe practices that preclude them from attending to their regular duties whether as faculty members or students. On the occasion of such days, it is equally important for all who do not share in these same practices to accommodate their colleagues and peers.