5. Academic Regulations

Graduate Studies Calendar 2012-2013

Academic regulation 5.2.3 was amended on 07 November 2012 as a result of a decision by Faculty Council.

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 Research and who is actively working toward their degree on a part-time or full-time basis.

5.1.2 Visiting Student

i) RMCC - 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.
ii) 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 audit courses or which are not to be credited toward their degree programme.
iii) Visiting Students Outside Ontario
Students visiting RMCC from universities outside Ontario, or RMCC 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 RMCC 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, Provisional or Probationary 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 Research and to the Faculty Council.

5.2.2 Probationary Student (Rescinded)

This section of Academic Regulation 5.2 will no longer be applied to future students. A decision of Faculty Council on 10 October 2012. The decision takes effect immediately.

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 and Research into a graduate programme as a Regular, Probationary 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.

Please note that part-time PhD students are required to pay full-time fees for two academic years or for four terms.

5.2.5 Full-time

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

Full-time PhD students are required to pay full-time fees for two academic years or for four terms.

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 for duty or illness. This term also applies to a full-time student who fails to register in two consecutive terms (not including summer). These students will be withdrawn and must reapply to the graduate school. A part-time student who fails to register in a minimum of one course in any given academic year is considered inactive and will be withdrawn. 

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 and be approved by the Dean of 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.

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 or in a subsequent academic year. A deferral request may be made to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for consideration.

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. Deadline dates are listed in the Important Dates section.

Registration forms may be downloaded at:

Graduate Studies and Research Division Forms

5.4 Course Coding

Courses offered by the graduate departments will either be:

  • two-term courses (two terms in length, worth 2 credits) or;
  • one-term courses (one term in length, worth 1 credit).

Normally the term course consists of three one-hour periods per week for one term (12 weeks) while the two-term course consists of three one-hour periods per week for two terms (24 weeks).

Example:

  • EE509 (electrical engineering, master's level)
  • MBA539 (MBA, master's level)

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. Doctoral level courses in the War Studies Programme are in the (600) series.

5.5 Course Withdrawal

Students who withdraw from a course before the 4th week of the term start date will be deregistered from the course.

Courses dropped after the 4th week of the term start date will result in forfeiture of tuition fees.

Withdrawals between the 4th and 7th week of the term start date will be reflected as "WD" or "Withdrawn" on the transcript, whereas after this period a mark will be assigned.

Normally a student will not be permitted to withdraw from a course after the 7th week of the term start date.

Students are reminded that changes to their academic programme (adding or dropping courses) must be completed by the registration change deadline by submitting a request through the Portal or an Academic Change Form to the Office of the Registrar. Neither notifying the instructor nor discontinuing class attendance will suffice.

The responsibility for initiating course changes or withdrawal rests solely with the student.

5.6 Programme Withdrawal

Students who wish to withdraw from the University must submit a request in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

Voluntary programme withdrawals after the 4th week of term normally result in forfeiture of tuition fees.

Departments have the right to ask students to withdraw from the programme if progress is not satisfactory or if they have failed a course required for their programme.

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.

Under exceptional circumstances, professors may agree to accept work after this date. In such cases, until a final course mark is submitted, the professor will submit a mark of "IN" with a numeric mark based on work completed to date.

The student's record will reflect the grade code of "IN" with the remark "incomplete." A course record may be incomplete for a maximum period of one term. After this time, a mark will be assigned based on the course work completed.

This one-term maximum may be extended 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.

5.8 Required Courses versus Extra Courses

A "Required Course" is defined as a course required for the degree sought. This definition is intended to include all courses required for the degree, whether in fields considered major or minor to the degree sought, and whether graduate or undergraduate.

An "Extra Course" is a course that is not required for the degree sought. The decision as to whether each course taken is "Required" or "Extra" is made by the student's major department at the time of registration, but may be changed at a later date upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee and approval by Faculty Council.

5.9 Course Auditing

Students may audit only one RMCC 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.

Visiting students may not audit courses.

5.10 Transcript Notations

5.10 Transcript Notations

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

Transcript Notation Meaning
AC Accepted (refers to thesis or project)
AU Audit
CG Credit Granted
EX Extra Course (in excess of normal degree requirements)
IN Incomplete
IP In progress
TC Transfer Credit
WD Withdrawn
WDS Withdrawn  (military service commitment)

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.

In the following table, * (the asterix) signifies failure in a RMCC graduate level "required course".

Letter Grade Percentage Grade Relationship
A+ 94-100
A 87-93
A- 80-86
B+ 76-79
B 73-75
B- 70-72
C+ *66-69
C *63-65
C- *60-62
D+ *56-59
D *53-55
D- *50-52
FAIL *Below 50

5.12 Course Results

The Graduate Studies Committee will review the progress of graduate students at regular intervals. The Committee will recommend students who fail to maintain satisfactory levels of performance to Faculty Council for withdrawal from their respective programmes of graduate studies.

Courses recorded on the student's summary or transcripts are assumed to be "Required Courses".

The Office of the Registrar should be advised if a student wishes to take "Extra Courses" which are not counted toward their degree, in order to annotate this on the transcript or summary.

"Extra Courses" are graded on the pass standard applied to undergraduate courses, as are undergraduate courses taken by those students who are required to undertake one or more terms of probationary, undergraduate work prerequisite to their admission to graduate study.

No grades, whether numerical or letter, will be assigned to a thesis or most projects credited toward graduate degrees. An accepted thesis or project will be recorded on the transcript only as "AC" for "Accepted". For some programmes, a mark will be recorded for the project.

5.12.1 RMCC Course Results

Results for individual courses taken at RMCC 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 RMCC graduate degree taken at another university while enrolled in a RMCC programme, the results will be recorded as the letter grade provided by the host university. In this circumstance the host university determines the grade.

5.13 Submission of Results

The results of all academic work undertaken at RMCC 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 and Research before being submitted to the Registrar.

The results of authorized academic work undertaken at other universities for credit toward an RMCC degree, by students enrolled in graduate degree programmes at RMCC, 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 at the front of the Graduate Calendar.  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 RMCC 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 at the front of the Graduate Calendar.

5.14 Supplemental Exams

In the case of a student who has failed a required course (i.e. received a grade of less than 70%), the department may petition Faculty Council through the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for permission to assign a supplemental examination in the failed required course.

Normally a total of only one (1) supplemental examination will be permitted in each student's entire programme of required courses for a graduate degree.

If this supplemental examination is failed, achievement of less than B- (70%), the student will be required to withdraw from the graduate programme in which he or she is registered.

A supplemental examination may not be written until at least one (1) month after the date of the final examination in the course failed, and in no event before the date of the official notification of permission to write a supplemental.

The supplemental examination must be written within four (4) months of the date of official notification to the student of permission to write a supplemental.

5.15 Transfer Credit

Credit may be granted for university courses taken prior to enrolment into a RMCC programme, if they have been assessed as duplicating RMCC courses, provided that marks of B- (70%) or higher have been earned and an overall satisfactory academic record has been maintained.

Students may 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.

The marks summary and transcript will annotate these credits as "TC" or "Transfer Credit" and will include the mark provided by the university attended.

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 RMCC 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 RMCC course which the Department or Programme Chair deems appropriate.

5.17 Academic Misconduct

5.17.1

Plagiarism is the presentation or submission of work as one's own, which originates from some other, unacknowledged source. In term papers, assignments and examinations, the verbatim or almost verbatim presentation of someone else's work without attribution constitutes an example of plagiarism.

5.17.2

Cheating is the act or attempt to give, receive, share or utilize unauthorized information or assistance before or during a test or examination. The presentation of a single work to more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved; the improper acquisition through theft, bribery, collusion or otherwise of an examination paper prior to the examination; the impersonation of a candidate at an examination: all constitute examples of cheating.

5.17.3

Penalties are imposed upon students found guilty of cheating or plagiarism. Academic sanctions for such misconduct may range from the award of a zero grade for the work involved, to a recommendation for expulsion from the College.

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 and/or Dean of the division 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, who will decide how the re-read will be conducted. The result of the final exam re-read will be used to determine the student's final course grade. To ensure that such matters are addressed with due diligence, a request for re-read must normally be submitted not later that 30 days after the student has been made aware of the result. Requests for re-reads 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.

Formal petitions to the Faculty Council 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.