Academic Policies

Rider University has a number of academic policies that graduate students must be aware of as they study. Grading policies, proficiency exams, and withdrawal policies are all issues that a student may have questions about during his or her tenure at Rider. Please utilize the following information to answer questions or contact the Norm Brodsky College of Business at (609) 895-5557.

Attendance

It is the policy of Rider University that students shall regularly attend all scheduled class meetings. Failure to comply with this policy will be considered justifiable cause for imposing penalties (e.g., reduction of grade, failure, etc.) at the discretion of the professor teaching the course. Each professor is expected to exercise judgment in determining the validity of any absence and the nature of the penalty to be assessed. All registration and financial arrangements for graduate courses must be completed and the student must be in attendance no later than the second meeting of each course.

Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawing from Courses

A student may add a course through the first week of the semester provided the course is still open for registration. Dropping a course may occur through the second week of the semester. After the second week of the semester, a withdrawal from the course is necessary and a W is recorded on the transcript.

A graduate student who wishes to withdraw officially from one or more graduate or undergraduate courses must submit a written request and must obtain the approval of the associate dean or department chair of graduate studies, or dean of the respective school. Withdrawals are not permitted during the last two weeks of class except for reasons of validated physical or psychological incapacitation as approved by the dean of the college. Students who do not withdraw officially from courses they fail to complete will receive a grade of F for those courses.

Grades and Transcript Notations

A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better must be achieved in all graduate course work attempted at Rider. The letter designations used to grade the quality of achievement in graduate courses and the quality points assigned to these letter designations to complete grade point averages are:

Other designations are as follows:
I ...Incomplete
P ...Passing
S ...Satisfactory progress
U ...Unsatisfactory
W ...Withdrew
X ...Audit

Policy for Grade of Incomplete

Students who, as a result of extenuating circumstances, are unable to complete the required work of a course within the normal time limits for the term may request an extension of time from the faculty member. Such extensions of time should be granted only in cases in which illness or other serious emergency has prevented the student from completing the course requirements or from taking a final examination. The request for extension of time must be made prior to the last scheduled class meeting except in those unusual situations in which prior notification is not possible. The faculty member shall determine whether or not to grant the request for a time extension and the type of verification (if any) required to support the request. The faculty member shall specify the time, up to four weeks from the last date of the term, by which work must be completed by the student. If the faculty member agrees to the request, the notation "I" (incomplete) is submitted on the grade roll. In those situations where the faculty member has not received a request for an extension of time, the notation "I" (incomplete) may be submitted on the grade roll by the faculty member when, in his or her judgment, such a determination appears justified. Upon submission of completed required work, the faculty member will submit a change-of-grade form to the registrar.

Students who, as a result of extenuating circumstances, are unable to submit the required work at the end of the four-week period may request an extension of the incomplete grade. The request for an extension of the incomplete must be made prior to the expiration of the four-week period. If the faculty member agrees to the request for an extension, the faculty member shall specify the time, up to a maximum of two weeks from the date of expiration of the four-week period (i.e., six weeks from the last date of the term) by which work must be completed by the student and shall submit an extension-of-incomplete form to the registrar. Upon submission of completed required work, the faculty member shall submit a change-of-grade form to the registrar.

Failure of the registrar to receive from the faculty member a change-of-grade form or an extension-of-incomplete form at the end of the four-week period, or a change-of-grade form at the end of the six-week period, shall result in the automatic assignment of the grade F.

Interruption of Studies

Students who interrupt their studies must notify the appropriate graduate program office. If studies are interrupted for up to one year, students may return with the approval of the advisor. However, if two calendar years elapse between the last date of attendance and the next registration, students must submit an application for readmission together with a nonrefundable readmission fee. Students will be responsible for the application and degree requirements in force at the time of readmission.

For students to remain in good standing with the division, they must file a notification of non-attendance form announcing their intention to not attend any semester prior to the beginning of that semester. The form may be procured from the approved graduate office.

Proficiency Exams

With the approval of the Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs, students may be eligible to show proficiency in the PMBA prerequisite class by taking an online proficiency assessment course. This does not apply to ACC courses. Eligibility for this option will be communicated to the student when they are admitted into their graduate business program. Click here for more information on prerequisite course waivers and the proficiency course process.