Academic Regulations

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Academic Regulations

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Following are the general requirements governing study in Engineering and Applied Science Programs for Professionals at Johns Hopkins. Students are expected to be familiar with these requirements and with the specific regulations set forth in the sections relevant to particular programs of study.

Requirements for degree programs and certificate programs described in this catalog may change from time to time. When this occurs, students may fulfill either the requirements in force at the time of admission or those in force at the time of graduation.

Students are assigned an adviser when accepted. In addition, students in most master’s degree and certificate programs are required to submit a Program Planning form for their adviser’s approval. The Program Planning form provides students an opportunity to structure their course work according to their educational objectives and to meet degree requirements. Submission of the form confirms the student’s acceptance of admission and his or her intention to begin study. Courses that deviate from the program plan and have not been approved by an adviser may not count toward degree requirements. The Program Planning form may be accessed on the JHU-EP website by clicking “forms” from the homepage.

Students in programs that do not require Program Planning forms are urged to consult their adviser prior to registration for courses.

If a newly admitted student fails to return the Program Planning form when requested, it is assumed that the student does not wish to enter the program at that time. Even if the form is returned but the student fails to enroll within one year, it is necessary to reapply.

The University reserves the right to exclude at any time a student whose academic standing or general conduct is deemed unsatisfactory.

Master’s Degree Candidates

Only one grade of C may be counted toward the master’s degree.

Academic Probation - Any student receiving either one grade of F or two grades of C during their program of study will be placed on academic probation. Students placed on probation are permitted to retake any graduate course in which they have earned a grade of C or below. If a grade of B or above is earned in the repeated course, the probationary status will be removed. Please note that all courses are not offered every term.  Students on probation who wish to retake a course will remain on probation until the course is offered again and completed with a grade of A or B.  If an additional grade below B is received before the course is repeated and successfully completed, the student will be dismissed. 

There are circumstances described below where students will not be placed on probation but will be immediately dismissed from the program.

Academic Dismissal - The following are causes for dismissal from the program:

• Students already on probation who receive an additional grade of C or below
• Students receiving a grade of C and a subsequent F
• Students receiving three grades of C
• Students receiving two grades of F
• Students receiving grades of F and C in the same term

Applicants who have been dismissed or suspended by any college or university, including Johns Hopkins University, within the past four years are not eligible for admission.

Certificate or Advanced Certificate for Post-Master’s Study

No grade of C can be counted toward a certificate or advanced certificate for post-master’s study. The above policy for probation and dismissal will apply.

Special Students

The above policy for probation and dismissal will apply.

After receiving a master’s degree from the programs, students may continue their graduate education in a second field if the appropriate prerequisites of the new program are fulfilled.

To receive a second master’s degree, all requirements for the second program must be satisfied. If the following conditions are met, up to two courses taken as part of the first degree may be applied toward requirements of the second:

• The course(s) must satisfy the requirements of the second degree;
• The student’s adviser must approve the course(s) as appropriate to the plan of study; and
• The course(s) must fall within the five-year limit for the second degree; i.e., completion of the second degree must fall within five years from the date of the first class counted toward that degree.

To be counted toward the degree or certificate, all course work in the program must be completed within a specified period which begins with the start of the first course in the student’s program:

• Master’s degree - 5 years
• Advanced Certificate - 3 years
• Graduate Certificate - 3 years

If necessary, a request for an extension, stating the extenuating circumstances, should be submitted in writing to the relevant program committee at JHU-EP, Dorsey Student Services Center, at least one semester before the student otherwise would be expected to graduate.

Students who do not plan to enroll in classes for a period of one year or more must notify Engineering for Professionals (EP) admissions office in writing and request a leave of absence for a specified period of time. The appropriate program chair will make the decision to approve or not approve the request. Students who are granted a leave of absence must resume their studies at the end of the allotted leave time. If warranted, the time permitted to complete degree requirements will be extended by the length of time granted for the leave of absence.

Students who do not resume their studies after a leave of absence has expired, or who have not enrolled for more than one year without having requested a leave of absence, will assume the status of a student who has withdrawn from the program. Such students must reapply, pay the $75 application fee and are subject to the admission requirements in force at the date of the new application. Acceptance is not guaranteed even for students previously admitted. Courses taken prior to the interruption of studies will not count toward requirements if they are not completed within the time allowed for degree completion.

Requests to transfer courses from another institution toward the master’s degree will be considered on an individual basis. A maximum of two courses may be accepted for transfer to a master’s degree or one course to a graduate or advanced certificate with prior approval of the appropriate program chair. No request will be considered for courses taken more than five years prior to the start of the program. Courses must be graduate level, not previously applied toward an awarded degree, and directly applicable to the student’s program of study in the Engineering and Applied Science Programs for Professionals. Requests should be submitted in writing to the admissions office at the Dorsey Student Services Center. Please include a course description. An official transcript showing the course to be transferred is required. To be official, the transcript must be received by the admissions office at the Dorsey Student Services Center in an institution’s sealed envelope. Requests to transfer courses cannot be processed if the transcript is not official. The fee for transfer is $275 per course.

After being accepted to a JHU-EP program of study, students may not take classes at another institution for transfer back to their JHU-EP program.

Students who expect to receive a degree or certificate must submit an Application for Graduation. The graduation application should be submitted prior to the final term in which degree requirements will be completed. The graduation application is available at www.ep.jhu.edu/graduation-application.

Students who are planning to graduate should complete all coursework on time and should not request to receive the grade of I  (Incomplete) during their final semester.

Approximately two months after the semester begins, students who have submitted the Application for Graduation receive a preliminary letter stating their names have been placed on the tentative graduation list for the semester in which they anticipate completing their degree requirements.

The WSE Graduate Committee meets three times each year to review candidates for graduation and to make recommendations to the University president for commencement. Students completing all requirements at the end of the summer term are reviewed by the committee in late October; those finishing at the end of the fall semester are reviewed in late February; and those finishing at the end of the spring semester are reviewed in May. After the WSE Graduate Committee meets, students on the graduation list receive a letter confirming the committee’s action.  Degrees are conferred three times a year, after spring, summer, and fall semesters. 

Commencement information is sent the first week in March. To receive their diploma, students must pay all student accounts in full and resolve all outstanding charges of misconduct and violations of academic integrity. Students will receive an e-bill notification in the spring from Student Accounts. The e-bill will be sent to the student’s preferred email account. For graduation fees, see the Tuition and Fees page.

Johns Hopkins diplomas indicate the degree and major (e.g., Master of Science-Computer Science) without identifying the student’s concentration or option.

A student will graduate with honors if they have earned an A in all courses taken between admission to the degree program and graduation from the degree program. Any other grade except a withdrawal or audit will disqualify a student from receiving honors. The designation “Honors” will appear on the student’s transcripts.

The following grades are used for the courses: A-excellent, B-good, C-unsatisfactory, F-failure, I-incomplete, W-official withdrawal, and AU-audit (the last two are not assigned by instructor).

A grade of F indicates the student’s failure to complete or comprehend the course work. A course for which an unsatisfactory grade (C or F) has been received may be retaken. The original grade is replaced with an R. If the failed course includes a laboratory, both the lecture and laboratory work must be retaken unless the instructor indicates otherwise.

The transcript is part of the student’s permanent record at the University. No grade may be changed except to correct an error, to replace an incomplete with a grade, or to replace a grade with an R.

The Whiting School assumes that students possess acceptable written command of the English language. It is proper for faculty to consider writing quality when assigning grades.

 A grade of Incomplete (I) is assigned when a student fails to complete a course on time for valid reasons, usually under circumstances beyond his/her control. A $60 change of grade fee must be mailed to the JHU-EP Dorsey Student Services Center office before the final grade will be posted on the student’s transcript (except for grades of F).

Conditions for resolving an incomplete are established by the instructor. A final grade must be submitted to the Registrar within four weeks after the start of the following term. A grade of “F” will be assigned if the incomplete work is not submitted by the deadline. For academic year 2009-2010, the dates by which final grades for incomplete work must be resolved are:

Students who expect to complete degree requirements, but have an incomplete, are not certified for graduation until the end of the following term.

At the midpoint of each term, instructors are requested to provide a list of students whose work at that time is unsatisfactory. Students are notified by the JHU-EP Student Services staff if their names are reported so they can take corrective action. These early reports are for the benefit of students and their advisers and are not part of the permanent record.

Grades are available online at https://isis.jhu.edu/sswf. These reports CANNOT be requested by telephone or personal inquiry. Students with questions regarding their grade reports or who want their transcripts sent to other institutions should make arrangements with the Office of the Registrar, 75 Garland Hall, 410-516-7088.

Student concerns regarding grades must be first discussed thoroughly with the instructor. If the student and the instructor are unable to reach agreement, the student may appeal in writing the instructor’s decision to the appropriate program chair, and, finally, to the associate dean. At each review level, evaluation criteria will be limited to: (1) verification that there was not an error in recording the grade and (2) verification that the grade was determined on the basis of considered academic judgment. Grade appeals must be initiated within one semester after completing the course in question.

Students are expected to regularly attend all courses in which they are enrolled. Although JHU-EP and the University have no specific rules governing absences, the course instructor may announce certain attendance requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of those requirements. Students who know they will be absent from class, especially for an extended period of time, should notify the instructor as far in advance as possible. It is the student’s responsibility to discuss missed assignments and exams with the instructor. If an instructor is unavoidably late for class, the site office will attempt to notify students and tell them to wait, if it is practical. If an instructor is unable to meet a class, every attempt will be made by JHU-EP staff to inform students of the cancellation, a makeup time for the class (if available), and information regarding assignments. If an instructor informs the JHU-EP office of a class cancellation, with enough lead time, phone calls will be made to students.

This section summarizes the policy on academic misconduct described at
www.engineering.jhu.edu/include/content/pdf-word/misconduct-policy.pdf

The Roles of Students and Faculty

Johns Hopkins faculty and students have a joint responsibility to maintain the academic integrity of the University in all respects. Students must conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the University’s mission as an institution of higher education. Students are obligated to refrain from acts that they know, or under the circumstances have reason to know, impair the academic integrity of the University. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, unapproved multiple submissions, knowingly furnishing false information to any agent of the University for inclusion in academic records, and falsification, forgery, alteration, destruction, or misuse of official University documents. Members of the faculty are responsible for announcing the academic requirements of each course, for the conduct of examinations, and for the security of examination papers and teaching laboratories. It is the duty of faculty to report suspected violations of academic integrity to the appropriate program chair. It is the responsibility of each student to report to the instructor any suspected violations of academic integrity.

After reviewing the circumstances of any suspected violation of academic integrity to determine if a violation may have occurred, a program chair will promptly report (in writing) the suspected violation to the associate dean of Engineering  for Professionals (EP). Supporting evidence (e.g., copies of examination papers) should accompany the report. The associate dean will resolve the issues following the procedures set forth on the web site noted above.

Copying, downloading or distributing music, videos, software, games or other copyrighted materials without permission of the owner is a violation of University policy, which will be submitted for disciplinary action, and is a serious violation of federal law.

Original works fixed in any tangible medium of expression, which includes storage within computers, are copyrighted to the author from the moment of creation. No notice of copyright is required. Except under limited circumstances for limited purposes, you may not make or distribute copies of material belonging to others without their permission. Unless a site specifically grants you permission to download and copy material from the site, you should assume that you cannot do so. You should also assume that all person to person sharing of music, programs, videos and software is a violation of copyright. Copyright violations will be submitted for disciplinary action.

Because JHU’s Office of Information Technology updates its policies frequently, please visit the JHU IT website at www.it.jhu.edu/ for the latest information on usage, security, as well as the “Jumpstart” guide for student policies at  http://jumpstart.jhu.edu.  The following includes key elements of the policy, which is posted in all JHU-EP computer labs:

Acceptable use of IT resources is use that is consistent with Johns Hopkins’ missions of education, research, service, and patient care, and is legal, ethical, and honest; it must respect intellectual property, ownership of data, system security mechanisms, and individuals’ rights to privacy and freedom from intimidation, harassment, and annoyance; it must show consideration in the consumption and utilization of IT resources; and it must not jeopardize Johns Hopkins’ not-for-profit status. Incidental personal use of IT resources is permitted if consistent with applicable JH and divisional policy, and if such use is reasonable, not excessive, and does not impair work performance or productivity.

Please visit the JHU IT link above for additional information on unacceptable use of IT resources.