Academic Regulations for Graduate Studies

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5.0 Degrees and Certificates

5.0.1

The Senate may, for cause stated, deny a degree or certificate for any student.

5.0.2

In order to be granted a degree or certificate from RMC, the student must meet all academic requirements, and be in good standing with the college. In the case of a student denied a degree or certificate for cause, Senate may consider the award of a suitable degree or certificate at a later date, upon presentation of evidence permitting the student’s good standing at RMC to be restored.

5.1 Student Categories

General Information 

All policies and procedures governing sponsored graduate and postgraduate training, including selection of officer candidates, will be made by National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ). These policies are presented in Canadian Forces Administrative Order (CFAO) 9-33 and in Departmental Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD).

5.1.1 Degree Student

A degree student is one who is registered in a graduate degree programme with the Division of Graduate Studies and who is actively working toward their degree on a part-time or full-time basis.

5.1.2 Visiting Student

RMC - Queen's Graduate Student Agreement

Students from either university are permitted to take courses at the graduate level at the host university for degree credit at their home university. Courses may not be audited. Fees are paid at the home university.

Ontario Visiting Graduate Student Plan (OVGS)

This plan allows a graduate student of an Ontario University (Home University) to take graduate courses at another Ontario University (Host University) while remaining registered at his/her own university. The plan allows the student to bypass the usual application for admission procedures and resultant transfer of credit difficulties. The student pays fees to his/her Home University and is classed as a "visiting graduate student" at the Host University where he/she pays no fees. The student must make application for study under this plan by completing a Visiting Graduate Student Application form available at their Home University departmental offices. Students may not take courses under this plan which are audited courses or which are not to be credited toward their degree programme.

Visiting Students Outside Ontario

Students visiting RMC from universities outside Ontario, or RMC Students visiting a university outside Ontario are permitted to take graduate level courses at the host university for degree credit at their home university provided they have a Letter of Permission from their home university. Courses may not be audited. Fees are paid at the host university.

5.1.3 Interest Student

A graduate or equivalent student who is not enrolled in a graduate degree programme at RMC may take one or two-term courses or one full-year course, for a total of two credits, as an interest student. The interest student is required to apply for admission and will pay tuition according to the department that offers the course.

5.2 Study Status

Introduction

A graduate student may be accepted into a programme as a Regular, or Provisional student, on either a part-time or full-time basis.

5.2.1 Regular

A Regular graduate student is a student who aspires to a Master's or PhD degree and has given evidence of capacity for graduate work acceptable to the Major Department, to the Dean of Graduate Studies and to the Faculty Council.

5.2.2

Cancelled (October 2012).

5.2.3 Provisional Student

A student may be admitted to a graduate programme on a provisional basis when completion of the graduate degree is dependent upon successful completion of additional graduate or undergraduate courses beyond the usual degree requirement. Provisional status will normally be assigned when a student is admitted to a graduate programme without having competed an Honours or equivalent degree or when the undergraduate academic background is otherwise inadequate. The required additional courses will normally be specified in the letter of admission, or directed by the programme chair or departmental head. Additional courses should be taken in the early part of the programme, if the course of study permits. The additional work required will be reviewed in light of a student's evident body of knowledge based on performance in the programme. The programme chair will review provisional status in consultation with the appropriate dean. Once admission provisions are deemed to have been met and on the recommendation of a dean, the Graduate Studies Committee may remove provisional status.

5.2.4 Part-time

A part-time student is a student accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies into a graduate programme as a Regular or Provisional student, who takes a minimum of one course (either a one-credit course or a two-credit course) for the academic year in either the Fall, Winter or Summer term and a maximum of two courses (either a one-credit course or a two-credit course) in any given term (either Fall, Winter or Summer) of the academic year.

Students accepted as part-time may request a change to their enrolment status by writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Normally a change in enrolment status may be made only once during the duration of the programme.

5.2.5 Full-time

A full-time student is a student who is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies into a graduate programme as a Regular or Provisional student. The full-time status is not entirely determined by the number of courses taken in a given term.

5.2.6 Inactive Status

An inactive student is one who is given permission for a deferral in commencement of studies or is granted a leave of absence.

5.2.7 Leave of Absence

A student enrolled in a graduate programme may request to take a leave of absence (LOA) from their programme of study for operational commitments or personal reasons. The request should be made to the student's Department Head or Programme Chair for approval.  The Department Head or Programme Chair will notify the Associate Registrar (Graduate Studies).  A student whose request is granted is placed in "inactive" status without prejudice to his or her academic standing. A LOA does not count toward the time limit (3.1.3, 3.2.3) of the student's programme. Normally the period of inactive status due to LOA will be one year but may be extended upon written request.

Part-time students who have been granted a LOA, upon their return, will have their active status extended only by the number of academic terms of the LOA taken, subject to academic regulation 5.2.4.

If a request is denied by the Department Head or Programme Chair, the student may appeal directly to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

5.2.8 Deferral

A graduate student who has not yet begun a graduate programme may request to commence study in a term other that the one offered. A deferral request may be made to their Programme Chair for consideration. The deferral may be approved only to academic terms within the validity period stated in the letter of offer.

5.3 Registration

All full-time graduate students will register every term. Each graduate student is responsible for ensuring his or her own registration in each term. Deadlines are listed in the important dates and the forms are available through your RMC "My Services" account.

5.4 Course Coding

Courses offered by the graduate departments will either be:

• one-term courses (worth 1 credit) or,
• two-term courses (worth 2 credits) or,
• compressed courses (worth 1 credit) or,
• half-term courses (worth 0.5 credit).

Normally a one-term course consists of three contact hours per week for one term (12 weeks), a two-term course consists of three contact hours per week for two terms (24 weeks), a compressed course typically consists of six contact hours per week for a half-term (6 weeks), and a half-term course consists of three contact hours per week for a half-term (6 weeks).

Course codes at the graduate level normally consist of either two or three letters followed by three digits. The letters describe either the department or programme. The first digit describes the level of the course. Master's level and PhD level courses are normally in the (500) five hundred series. Any 500 series course in War Studies, when taken at the PhD level, will require additional work and will be assigned a corresponding 600 series code.

Example:

• EE509 (Electrical Engineering, Master's level)
• MBA539 (MBA, Master's level)
• WS602 (War Studies, PhD level)

5.5 Course Withdrawal

For one-term and two-term courses:

• Students who withdraw from a course before the start of the 5th week of the term will be deregistered from the course.
• Part-time students who withdraw from a course after the start of the 5th week of the term will forfeit their tuition fees.
• Course withdrawals between the start of the 5th and the end of the 7th week of the term will be reflected as "WD" or "Withdrawn" on the transcript, whereas after this period a mark will be assigned.
• A student will not be permitted to withdraw from a course after the end of the 7th week of the term.

For half-term and compressed courses:

• Students who withdraw from a course before the start of the 4th week of the term will be deregistered from the course.
• Part-time students who withdraw from a course before the start of the 4th week of the term will be refunded their course tuition fees.
• A student will not be permitted to withdraw after the start of the 4th week of classes.
• For compressed courses whose duration is less than 6 weeks, see the Office of the Registrar.
• Note that, unlike one-term and two-term courses, there is no time period in which a WD would appear on the transcript.

In exceptional circumstances, and prior to entering of a final grade in CISA, the Dean may authorize a student to withdraw from a course at any time without academic penalty reflected on the transcript. However once the course final mark is entered in CISA, only Faculty Council or Senate may authorize a withdrawal from the course as this involves expunging a grade.

5.6 Programme Withdrawal

A student who wishes to withdraw from their programme must submit a request in writing to their Programme Chair. The registrar’s office will inform the student that his/her file has been closed at RMC. Voluntary programme withdrawals after the 4th week of term normally result in forfeiture of tuition fees.

On recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee, the Dean of Graduate Studies may withdraw from their programme any student whose progress is deemed unsatisfactory, including by reason of course failure as described in 5.14.2.

On recommendation of the Programme Chair, the Dean of Graduate Studies may withdraw from their programme a student who incurs a second failure of a required course in a graduate programme, as described in 5.14.

On recommendation of the Programme Chair, the Dean of Graduate Studies may withdraw from their programme any full-time student who fails to register in two consecutive terms, not including the summer term.

On recommendation of the Programme Chair, the Dean of Graduate Studies may withdraw from their programme any part-time student who, unless in exceptional circumstances, fails to register in a minimum of one course and complete all its requirements in three consecutive academic terms, excluding periods of Leave of Absence.

5.7 Incomplete Courses

Students are expected to complete all required course work prior to the last day of the term in which the course is offered.

Professors may agree to accept work after this date. The professor will report to the Programme Chair the agreed upon extension that cannot exceed one academic term. Under exceptional circumstances, the Programme Chair may extend this one-term maximum by one additional academic term.

Until a final course mark is submitted, the professor will submit a mark of "IN" with a numeric mark based on work completed preceding the first extension. A course record may be incomplete for a maximum period of two terms. After this time, a mark will be assigned based on the course work completed.

On recommendation of the Programme Chair, the Dean of Graduate Studies may extend this This two-term maximum when failure to complete course requirements is clearly due to exceptional operational requirements (i.e. not simply workload demands). However, when it is unlikely that a student will be able to complete a course due to these reasons, the student is encouraged to withdraw without academic penalty as described in academic regulation 5.5.

5.8 Required Courses versus Extra Courses

A “Required Course” is defined as a course required for the degree sought whether graduate or undergraduate. An “Extra Course” is a course that is not required for the degree sought.

Courses to be deemed “Extra” must be explicitly identified at the time of registration by the student and confirmed by the Programme Chair. Courses not so identified are deemed to be “Required”.

Courses that have been successfully completed may be changed from “Required” to “Extra” or from “Extra” to “Required” by the Dean of Graduate Studies on recommendation of the Programme Chair.

Courses in progress and courses that have been failed may not be changed from “Required” to “Extra” or from “Extra” to “Required”.

5.9 Course Auditing

Students may audit only one RMC course per term with the approval of the department and of the course instructor. Audit students do not submit assignments nor do they write exams for academic evaluation; they must, however, attend classes. Audited courses will appear on a student's transcript with the grade code "AU".

Part-time students who wish to audit a course will be charged one-half the current course tuition fee according to programme of enrolment.

Students who pay full-time fees will not be assessed any additional tuition fees.

5.10 Transcript Notations

In addition to numeric and letter grades, the Division of Graduate Studies of the Royal Military College of Canada uses the following entries to reflect course status:

5.11 Grading Scheme

A graduate degree student must achieve a B- (70%) or higher in each "Required Course" in the student's graduate programme. A course is considered failed if a lesser mark is obtained.

5.12 Course Results

5.12.1 RMC

Results for individual courses taken at the RMC will be recorded on the student’s transcript as percentage grades with corresponding letter grades.

5.12.2 Course Results From Other Universities

In the case of approved courses for credit toward a RMC graduate degree taken at another university while enrolled in a RMC programme, the results will be recorded as the grade provided by the host university. Where the host university provides a letter grade, the letter grade shall be the grade recorded.

5.12.3 Thesis and Project Results

No grade will be assigned to a thesis forming part of a graduate degree. An accepted thesis will be recorded on the transcript as “AC” for “Accepted”.

At the discretion of the Programme Chair, the results of project courses forming part of graduate degrees may be reported per regulation 5.12.1, or may be treated the same as theses.

5.13 Submission of Results

The results of all academic work undertaken at RMC by graduate students, including both course grades and thesis acceptances, will be reported by the instructor or supervisor directly to the Registrar, with a copy to the head of the student's major department or programme for information purposes. In the case of thesis acceptances, results must be reported to the Dean of Graduate Studies before being submitted to the Registrar.

The results of authorized academic work undertaken at other universities for credit toward an RMC degree, by students enrolled in graduate degree programmes at RMC, will be reported to the Registrar by inter-university Visiting Graduate Student procedures.

The Registrar presents marks and thesis examination results to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Academic results must be submitted to the Registrar in accordance with the deadlines set out in the list of important dates. Results for fall term courses are normally due no later than four weeks after the last day of term; results for winter and summer courses are due two weeks after the end of these terms.

Academic results for students wishing to graduate at one of the three annual RMC convocation ceremonies must be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee and must be submitted to the Registrar in accordance with earlier deadlines set out in the list of important dates.

5.14 Course Failures

When a student incurs a failure in a required course in a graduate programme, and that failure is the first failure of a required course (“first failure”), one of the actions described in 5.14.2 through 5.14.5 must be taken. The decision of which action is to be taken rests with the Dean of Graduate Studies and shall be made in accordance with the process described in 5.14.1.

A student who incurs a second failure of a required course in a graduate programme will be withdrawn from their programme under regulation 5.6. A second failure is the failure of a required course either following or coincident with a first failure, or the failure of a supplemental examination in a required course.

5.14.1 Process following first failure

Within 30 days of official release of a failing mark representing a first failure, the student shall advise their Programme Chair in writing which action they wish to pursue. On receipt of the student’s request, or on expiration of the 30-day period without a request being received, the Programme Chair will recommend an action to the Graduate Studies Committee as a formal motion. The Dean of Graduate Studies will determine the action to be taken based on the results of the Committee’s deliberation.

5.14.2 Withdrawal from programme

On first failure the student may voluntarily withdraw from their programme under regulation 5.6.

On first failure, subject to the process defined in 5.14.1, the Dean of Graduate Studies may withdraw the student from their programme under regulation 5.6.

5.14.3 Supplemental evaluation

On first failure, subject to the process defined in 5.14.1, the Dean of Graduate Studies may permit a student in a thesis pattern, project pattern, or course-pattern programme to complete a supplemental evaluation in the failed course.

A supplemental evaluation may take any form appropriate to the discipline. The form of evaluation will be determined by the course instructor in consultation with the Programme Chair. A supplemental evaluation may take place at any point in the period beginning on the date of the official notification of permission to take a supplemental evaluation and ending four months after that date. The date of the supplemental evaluation shall be determined jointly by the student and the Programme Chair. The evaluation should be held as early as possible whilst permitting the student reasonable time to prepare. A student receiving a passing grade (as defined by the academic regulations) or higher on a supplemental evaluation will be granted a pass standing for the course for which the supplemental evaluation was conducted. Both the original course mark and a PASS or FAIL notation for any supplemental evaluations will be shown on the student's transcript.” 

5.14.4 Repeated course

On first failure, subject to the process defined in 5.14.1, the Dean of Graduate Studies may permit a student in a project pattern or a course-pattern programme to repeat the failed course. The failed course will remain on the student’s transcript and the second attempt will be recorded separately.

5.14.5 Substituted course

On first failure, subject to the process defined in 5.14.1, and where the course failed is not considered core to the programme in which the student is enrolled, the Dean of Graduate Studies may permit a student in a project pattern or a course-pattern programme to substitute another course acceptable in the programme of study. The failed course will remain on the student’s transcript.

5.15 Transfer Credit

Credit may be granted for university courses taken prior to enrolment into a RMC programme, if they have been assessed as equivalent to RMC courses, provided that the courses have not been credited towards another degree or diploma, marks of B- (70%) or higher have been earned, and an overall satisfactory academic record has been maintained. The maximum number of transfer credits taken at academic institutions other than RMC cannot exceed fifty percent (50%) of the required course load as specified in the letter of offer, exclud ing the thesis.

Applicants must normally make their request at the time of application to the graduate programme/degree. The academic unit/programme will confirm the suitability of the courses to the applicant's sought programme/degree and that the courses have not been used for credit towards another degree or diploma and forward their recommendation to the Dean of Graduate Studies for inclusion in the letter of offer. The marks summary and transcript will annotate these credits as “TC” or “Transfer Credit” when they are granted during the admission process.

Transfer credits for courses completed at other academic institutions while enrolled at RMC, may also be granted subject to Academic Regulation 5.1.2. The alphabetical grade obtained at the university attended will be reported in the marks summary and transcript.

5.16 Credit Granted

Credit may be granted for military courses or experience gained if the course or experience gained has been assessed as duplicating a RMC course. Students can make their request in writing to their Department Head or Chair of their Programme. The request will then be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval. If approved, the marks summary and transcript will annotate these credits as "CG" for "Credit Granted", for the RMC course which the Department or Programme Chair deems appropriate.

5.17 Academic Integrity

5.17.1

Integrity is when you do the right thing even though no one is watching. Integrity is essential to the academic enterprise, and its foundations in the open, independent, and free exchange of ideas. The core values of integrity, both academic and otherwise include: honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trust. Academic Integrity demands that all members of the RMC act in accordance with these values in the conduct of their academic work, and that they shall follow the regulations concerning the legitimate and accepted conduct, practices and procedures of academic research and writing. Academic Integrity violations are defined as Cheating, Plagiarism or other violations of academic ethics. (It is important to note that, while the list below is comprehensive, it should not be considered exhaustive.)

Cheating includes:

1. An act or attempt to give, receive, share, or utilize unauthorized information or unauthorized assistance at any time for assignments, tests or examinations. Unauthorized assistance includes generative artificial intelligence (AI) help beyond 5.17.a.1 below and/or instructors’ permissions. Students are permitted to mentor or assist other students with assignments and laboratory reports, but, students will not permit other students to copy their work, nor will students copy other students’ work, and they must acknowledge when they have received assistance from others, including generative AI assistance, as outlined below:
   1. Students may use AI tools for the same tasks they accomplish with tools such as internet search engines, library database searches, online dictionaries, and online thesauruses, unless any of these uses go against a specific instructor’s and/or thesis supervisor’s direction;
   2. Unless specifically authorized by instructors and/or supervisor(s), any use of generative AI tools beyond 5.17.a.1 above is prohibited;
   3. In any case in which an instructor allows the use of generative AI beyond what is stated in 5.17.a.1 above (e.g., to go through the process of generating content or to study AI), AI-generated content must be fully disclosed, cited, and described in any work or presentation.
2. Failure to follow rules on assignments, presentations, exercises, tests, or examinations as detailed by the respective professor or test/exam invigilator;
3. Unauthorized co-operation or collaboration;
4. Tampering with official documents, including electronic records;
5. Falsifying research, experimental data, or citations;
6. The inclusion of sources that were not used in the writing of the paper or report; and
7. The impersonation of a candidate at presentations, exercises, tests or an examination. This includes logging onto any electronic course management tool or program (e.g. Moodle, Black Board, etc.) using someone else’s login and password.

Plagiarism includes:

1. Using the work of others including generative AI content, and attempting to present it as an original thought, prose or work. This includes failure to appropriately acknowledge a source, (including AI content and the use of generative AI to generate content), misrepresentation of cited work, and misuse of quotation marks or attribution;
2. Failure to acknowledge adequately collaboration or outside assistance and;
3. Copying.

Other violations of academic ethics include:

1. Not following ethical norms or guidelines in research;
2. Failure to acknowledge that work or any part thereof has been submitted for credit elsewhere;
3. Misleading or false statements regarding work completed; and
4. Knowingly aiding or abetting anyone in committing any form of an Academic Integrity violation.

5.17.2

All cases of suspected Academic Integrity violations must be reported to the Programme Chair responsible for the course in which the alleged Academic Integrity violation took place. The Programme Chair must coordinate with the appropriate Department Head and must inform the Dean of Graduate Studies and the appropriate Faculty Dean of the suspected Academic Integrity violation. All allegations of an Academic Integrity violation will be investigated. Investigations of alleged incidents of Academic Integrity violations shall be under the control of the Dean of Graduate Studies, who will coordinate with the Faculty Dean to delegate a faculty member to carry out the investigation. The results of all such investigations are reviewed at a regular meeting of the Academic Integrity Council. If the Academic Integrity Council determines that an Academic Integrity violation has taken place, the Academic Integrity Council may award one or more Academic Sanctions listed in Regulation 5.17.3. All cases involving expulsion will generate an automatic appeal to Senate. The Senate has the authority to require a student to withdraw. Faculty Council will be informed on a regular basis of any Academic Sanctions that are awarded. The findings with respect to Academic Integrity violations will be published in a public forum without names or other identifiers, such as student numbers on a periodic basis.

5.17.3

Academic Sanctions imposed upon students found guilty of an Academic Integrity violation will consist of one or more of:

1. Recorded Caution;
2. Reduction in mark for the work involved;
3. Reduction in mark of the course for which the work involved was submitted;
4. Suspension for a fixed period of time; and
5. Expulsion.

When determining the appropriate Academic Sanction mitigating or aggravating circumstances may be considered. In addition to the sanctions described above, a student found guilty of an Academic Integrity violation may be required to re-submit any work that was deemed to constitute an Academic Integrity violation. If work is required to be resubmitted, the student will be informed in writing by the appropriate Department Head or Programme Chair within seven (7) calendar days of the decision being made of the nature of the required submitted work, the maximum mark it will be eligible to receive and the date by which it must be submitted. Work that is resubmitted may be awarded a reduced mark or zero. If a student fails to re-submit the required work to a satisfactory standard by the required date, a mark of zero will be awarded for the course. Academic sanctions imposed may also include exclusion from or suspension, cancellation, or forfeiture of any scholarships, bursaries, or awards with any academic component.

5.17.4

When it is determined that a member of the Canadian Armed Forces has committed an academic integrity violation(s), the Academic Integrity Council, through the Registrar, will notify the respective Commanding Officer (CO) of the findings and the sanction(s) imposed by the Academic Integrity Council. In any instance of an Academic Integrity violation by a Canadian Armed Forces member further administrative or disciplinary action may be taken, as deemed appropriate by the member's Commanding Officer.

5.17.5

Students who are found guilty of repeated or aggravated academic misconduct and, as a consequence, are expelled from the RMC will not be considered for admission or readmission to any degree programme or course offered by or through the RMC. After a period of not less than five years from the date of expulsion, the Senate may, upon receipt of a written request, review an expelled student's case and consider an application for
admission or readmission.

5.17.6

All-Academic Sanctions will become part of a student's permanent academic record. For serious cases of Academic Integrity violations, and upon specific direction by the Academic Integrity Council, a student's Official Transcript may be annotated so as to indicate that an Academic Integrity violation took place and that an Academic Sanction was awarded.

5.17.7

The RMC and its faculty members reserve the right to employ originality checking and plagiarism detection instruments or services to protect, preserve, and promote the academic integrity of the credits and degrees it grants. Students enrolled in a RMC course may, as part of the requirements to receive credit for that course, be required to submit their work to such originality checking and plagiarism detection instruments or services.

5.17.8

Students must be provided with the investigation report and any other documents or evidence that may be used in determining their culpability. In addition they have a right to provide a written response to the investigation and any other evidence that may be used by the Academic Integrity Council in determining culpability. Students have the right to appeal any decision of an Academic Integrity violation or any sanction awarded as a result of a finding of an Academic Integrity violation. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Academic Integrity Council, an appeal may be made to the Deans’ Council. The final authority to hear any appeals arising from decisions made by the Academic Integrity Council will be Deans’ Council, except for sanctions that involve expulsion; all cases involving expulsion will generate an automatic appeal to Senate. The student must submit the appeal in writing within twenty-one (21) calendar days of receiving the decision of the Academic Integrity Council. The student must submit the appeal in writing to the Deans’ Council through the Registrar, and should attach to the appeal copies of all relevant documents including a statement describing the basis of the appeal. Appeals will only be heard by Deans’ Council if they are based on new information or an abuse of process. Merely disagreeing with the decision of the Academic Integrity Council will not be considered a legitimate basis for an Appeal. Deans’ Council may decline to hear an appeal if it finds that there is no legitimate basis for the appeal. Appeals to Deans’ Council or Senate will normally be heard at the next scheduled meeting of Deans’ Council or the Senate. Normally, appeals to Deans’ Council or Senate will be on a paper basis only. At the request of the student, Deans’ Council or Senate may agree to hear the appeal in viva voce but this is at the discretion of Deans’ Council or Senate. The Registrar will notify the student in writing of Deans’ Council’s or the Senate’s decision concerning the appeal within seven (7) calendar days of the decision being made. In cases not involving expulsion, the decision of Deans’ Council is final and may not be appealed further. In cases involving a sanction of expulsion, the decision by Senate is final and may not be appealed further.

5.17.9

Academic Policy Directive No 1 – "Academic Integrity" amplifies this academic regulation, describes the process to be followed in greater detail, and provides sample documentation.

Academic Integrity Course Description

AI500 Academic Integrity

This course is intended to enhance graduate student awareness of the principles of academic integrity and to provide them with the necessary knowledge to recognize potential academic integrity violations and avoid them in their own work.  This course requires graduate students to complete online modules “Academic and Research Integrity” and “Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism”.  Successful completion of the Moodle modules will constitute a pass in the course.

5.18 Appeals, Re-reads and Petitions

A student with a complaint or grievance that is academic in nature should communicate that concern to the instructor, Head of Department/Programme Chair and/or Dean of the division/faculty involved. If the matter remains unresolved in this informal process, a formal petition to the Faculty Council may be initiated.

If the complaint or grievance pertains to the mark awarded on a final exam, the student may make a formal request to have the exam re-evaluated. This request is to be made in writing to the Registrar. The Registrar will forward the request for re-read to the head of the appropriate department or Programme Chair as applicable, who will decide how the reread will be conducted. The result of the final exam reread will be used in the student's final course grade. To ensure that such matters are addressed with due diligence, a request for reread must normally be submitted not later than 30 days after the student has been made aware of the result. Requests for rereads will address only one exam, and normally will not be entertained for assignments, tests, or any other work that has been removed from the custody of the instructor after being marked and recorded.

If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the re-read, a formal petition to the Faculty Council may be made. The petition must be made in writing and be submitted through the Registrar for consideration by the Council. Normally, petitions will be heard only if submitted within 90 days of the event or academic decision, giving rise to the appeal. For more specific information and other principles governing student appeals, the Registrar, as Secretary to the Faculty Council, should be consulted.

If the student is not satisfied with the decision of Faculty Council an appeal may be made to the Senate. The student must submit the Appeal in writing within 30 days of receiving the decision of Faculty Council. The student must submit the Appeal in writing to the Senate through the Registrar, and should attach to the appeal copies of all relevant documents including a statement describing the basis of the appeal. Appeals will only be heard by Senate if they are based on new information or an abuse of process. The Registrar will notify the student in writing of the Senate’s decision concerning the Appeal within seven (7) calendar days of the decision being made. The decision of Senate is final and may not be appealed further.

5.19 Language of Instruction, Course Work and Examination, and Supervision

Given the need to provide a suitable pedagogical environment and level of demand, the primary language of graduate course instruction at the College is English. However, where sufficient demand exists, programmes may offer courses and supervision in French. Further where a course is taught in one official language, a student may ask to have their assignment completed in the other official language, if possible. This policy is in accordance with the findings of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

A student whose graduate programme is either a thesis pattern or project pattern programme, and who prefers to be supervised in French, must inform the Programme Chair to confirm the availability of a faculty member who has both the expertise in the field of interest and the ability to act as the student’s supervisor in French.

A student who registers in a graduate course (language courses excepted) and who intends to submit the course work, including exams, in an official language other than the official language of instruction, must inform the instructor within seven days of the course registration or by the first day of the course. If the instructor is unable to evaluate the course work in that official language, the instructor must immediately inform the Programme Chair responsible for the course of the student's request. The Programme Chair will assess the availability of resources for supporting the instructor in the evaluation of the course work. Permission to submit course work in an official language other than the official language of instruction will be withheld only if the programme does not have qualified experts capable of properly evaluating the course work in that language.

5.20 Exchange of Degrees

5.20.1

The holder of a Graduate Degree from RMC may apply to change their previously earned degree, subject to the agreement of the Dean of Graduate Studies, if they have met the requirements for admission into the chosen Programme of Study, as determined by the Programmes involved

5.20.2

To exchange a Graduate Degree from RMC, the holder of the Degree from RMC must meet all the requirements of the proposed Programme of Study as specified in RMC’s current Graduate Studies Calendar, and they must surrender the previously earned degree.

5.20.3

The Dean of Graduate Studies, with advice from the gaining programme chair, will identify what credits from the previous degree programme can be applied to the chosen degree programme. This may vary from a subset to the full number of credits.