Academic Policies, Regulations, and Forms

Below is an alphabetical list of academic policies and regulations.  Links to further information and appropriate forms are also included. 

Academic Calendar
The academic calendar contains information about registration deadlines, and dates for semester breaks, reading days, and final exam periods.

A.B. Degree Requirements
Degree requirements include completion of a major and minor, courses for distribution, courses in a foreign language courses, a course satisfying the multicultural perspectives requirement, and credit requirements.

Adding or Dropping a Class
You can add or drop a class within the add/drop period each semester on ISIS. After the first two weeks of the semester, you will need to petition the Academic Administrative Board to add a class. Before submitting a petition, be sure to meet with your class dean. Between the 15th and 50th class days of the semester, you may withdraw from a class by filling out the Change of Registration form and obtaining your instructor’s approval. A “W” will be recorded as the grade for the class.

Changing Advisors
A student may change her academic advisor by submitting a Request to Change Advisor form.

Class Standing
At the end of every semester, the Academic Administrative Board reviews the academic standing of all students. Students are expected to make satisfactory progress towards the completing of their degree requirements and maintain at least a 2.00 GPA.

Credit Overload
Students may take 21 or more credits (other than first-year students in their first semester), if they have approval of their academic advisor and class dean. A Request for Excess Credits form must be submitted to the Registrar. Students may take 24 or more credits, if they have approval of their academic advisor and the Dean of Studies.

Declaring or Changing a Major
A student declares or changes her major by submitting the Declaration or Change of Major form. The deadline for declaring a major or the intention to declare a special major is the end of the 8th week of classes in the second semester of the student’s sophomore year.

Declaring or Changing a Minor
A student declares or changes her minor by submitting the Declaration or Change of Minor form. The deadline for declaring a minor is the end of the 8th week of classes in the second semester of the student’s junior year.

Declaring a Special Major
A student declares a special major by submitting the Declaration of a Special Major form to the Dean of Studies (300 Mary Lyon Hall) by the end of the 8th week of the second semester of the student’s junior year. Students may discuss their plans for a special major at any stage of its development with the Dean of Studies.

Honor Code
Upon matriculation, students affirm their intention to abide by the Honor Code, “I will honor myself, my fellow students, and Mount Holyoke College by acting responsibly, honestly, and respectfully in both my words and deeds.” The Honor Code applies to both the academic and social spheres of students’ lives. It forms the foundation of the Mount Holyoke community. The Proper Use of Sources Tutorial provides information on different forms of academic dishonesty with links to helpful websites for further information. The Honor Code Council, a student judicial board, hears and resolves complaints about students’ violations of College policies of social conduct. Its mandate and procedures are described in the Student Handbook.

Honors Work
Information from the Handbook of Faculty Legislation describes the honors program and the honors thesis. Questions about honors should be directed to the Dean of Studies.

Incomplete Work and Extensions
During the semester, course instructors have full discretion with regard to the granting of extensions to complete assignments or examinations. To be allowed an extension to complete work for a course beyond the end of the semester because of a health or other emergency, students must request an Incomplete from the director of Health Services, the director of the Counseling Service, or from an academic dean, before the end of the examination period.

Leaves of Absence
There are various reasons it might be in a student’s best interest to consider some time away from Mount Holyoke, including an academic leave of absence to study abroad or at another domestic institution or a non-academic leave of absence to work, to be involved in family issues, to deal with health issues (medical leave), to travel without receiving academic credit, or simply to take a break. If you are considering a leave of absence, keep in mind that students must be in residence at Mount Holyoke for at least four semesters in their sophomore, junior, and senior years to meet graduation requirements, and must earn at least 64 Mount Holyoke (including Five-College) credits during that time. International students should consult with the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives before finalizing their plans.

Students with GPAs of 2.70 or higher may request an academic leave to study full-time at an accredited institution either in the US or study abroad. Programs with which Mount Holyoke is affiliated are the Twelve College Exchange Program, Women’s College Exchange Program (Mills College or Spelman College), American University Washington Semester Program, and the Semester in Environmental Science at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Petition to the Academic Administrative Board
Students seeking exception to the academic policies or regulations of the College may submit an online petition to the Academic Administrative Board. The Board meets bi-weekly during the semester.

Permissions Form
Students wishing to use courses taken at another institution, including Amherst, Hampshire, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts, to satisfy distribution, major or minor requirements must receive the approval of the relevant department or program chair on the Permissions form. The Dean of Studies must approve all transferred courses that will fulfill the multicultural perspectives requirement.

Privacy of Student Records
Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) students have certain rights with respect to their educational records. See the Notification of Rights under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions.

Readmission
A student who has voluntarily withdrawn from the College and subsequently decides to seek readmission must complete the Application for Readmission and submit it with the non-refundable application fee to the Dean of Studies in the Office of Academic Deans.

Transfer Credits
All transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions is subject to final evaluation and approval by the Registrar. Before enrolling in course work at other institutions, students should be sure to review the policies governing transfer credit summarized on the Registrar’s Office website. Online courses are not transferable.

Ungraded Option
A student may elect to take one course ungraded in each of four semesters during her college career, as long as the course is not being used to fulfill distribution, language, or multicultural perspectives requirements, is not counting towards the minor, and is not in the major field. To elect the ungraded option the student must submit the Ungraded Option Form.

Withdrawing from the College
A student wishing to withdraw from the College must, if she is on campus, meet with an academic dean and complete the required withdrawal notification form. If the student is off campus, she should contact the Office of Academic Deans before submitting a written notice of intent to withdraw. Any refund for the semester’s tuition and board charges will be based on the date the withdrawal request is approved by the Office of Academic Deans.