Graduate students have the right to appeal course grade decisions. This policy is intended to help students in Dedman College, Lyle School, Meadows School and Simmons School graduate programs address specific concerns that their grade has been assigned inaccurately or not based on their academic performance.
If the student feels that they have been the victim of harassment or of discrimination prohibited by law or by university policy, and that this constitutes a substantive basis for the appeal, the appeal shall first be pursued and investigated through the Office of Institutional Access and Equity (IAE). If the student feels that research misconduct has occurred, the appeal shall first be pursued through the Office of Research. If the student feels that the instructor was unprofessional in determining the grade, that concern should be brought to the attention of the department chair before filing an appeal. In such cases, the timelines listed below are paused. Following a resolution of the harassment/discrimination issues, any remaining academic issues will be addressed, at the request of the student, according to the academic appeals procedures described herein.
The student must initiate the appeal process within 20 class days after the start of the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) that immediately follows the term in which the disputed grade was assigned. If the instructor, Chair, and Dean of the School or College or their designee (individual or committee) fail to respond to the student’s appeal within the time limits, the Graduate Appeals Committee shall act on the student’s appeal. The procedure is terminated if the student and the instructor come to a mutual agreement. If the student does not appeal a decision within the appropriate time limit, the disposition of the appeal made in the previous step shall be final.
A written record of all decisions shall be kept with the file at all steps in the process. Copies of all correspondence and records shall be retained in the office in which the appeal is finally resolved. The original documents shall be forwarded to the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies for filing.
All parties must carefully adhere to the following procedure, observing the deadlines.
Step 1: Informal Consultation
A student who believes that an assigned grade is other than the grade earned must discuss the matter first with the course instructor within 10 class days after the start of the following term (Fall, Spring, or Summer), to determine if the discrepancy is caused by error or misunderstanding.
Step 2: Appeal to Department Chair
If the student feels the matter has not been satisfactorily addressed by the instructor, the student may appeal the decision in writing to the Chair of the department in which the course is offered (or, in cases pertaining to non-departmental courses, to a faculty agent designated by the Dean of the School or College). This written appeal must be made within 20 class days after the start of the following term. After discussing the matter with the student, the Chair (or faculty agent) will consult with the course instructor, then will report a decision to the student in writing within 20 class days of submission of the written appeal.
Step 3: Appeal to Dean of the School or College or Dean’s Designee
A student who does not agree with the departmental decision may appeal the decision to the Dean of the School or College within 5 class days of receipt of the Chair’s decision. The Dean or Dean’s designee will proceed as deemed appropriate. The Dean or Dean’s designee should resolve the grade appeal within 20 class days, providing a written explanation for any decision made.
Step 4: Appeal to the Graduate Appeals Committee
A student who does not agree with the decision of the Dean of the School or College may appeal that decision within 10 class days of decision notification by filing a written appeal to the Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The Dean of the Moody School will either render an opinion on the appeal or form a committee to review the appeal. If no appeal or request for extension has been made within the 10-class-day period, then the decision of the Dean of the School or College becomes final and is not subject to appeal. This appeal must be accompanied by copies of all correspondence, including the Dean of the School or College’s written decision. A request for appeal must include: 1) the graduate student’s name, address, email address, and phone number; 2) all correspondence from the steps of the process outlined above; and 3) the ground(s) upon which the request for appeal is based.
If warranted, the Dean of the Moody School will assemble a committee. The Graduate Appeals Committee should resolve the appeal within 20 class days. The Committee’s charge is to determine whether the grade has been assigned inaccurately or not based on the student’s academic performance. If a majority of the Committee believes that the grade should be changed because it was based on arbitrary or other reasons not related to academic performance, the Committee shall notify the Dean of the Moody School and make a written recommendation regarding the grade. If the committee recommends that a grade was calculated incorrectly, the grade will be corrected. In their actions, all parties involved must respect the principle that the determination of a grade rests with the course instructor.
The appeals procedure is not complete until all appropriate records are forwarded to the Dean of the Moody School. At this time, the Dean of the Moody School shall notify the Office of the Registrar of any grade change. A copy of the Graduate Appeals Form shall become a part of the student’s file. A permanent record of all grade appeals reviewed by the Appeals Committee shall be maintained in the Moody School.
Composition of the Graduate Appeals Committee:
The Dean of the Moody School will convene a meeting of an ad hoc academic Graduate Appeals Committee, composed of:
- Three members of the full-time graduate faculty chosen by the Dean of the Moody School.
- Two of the three faculty members on the appeals committee shall be from the student’s school or college, and
- One shall be from outside the student’s school or college.
- One non-voting graduate student selected from a pool of students identified by the Graduate Student Advisory board. The pool may include members of the Graduate Student Advisory board.
- The Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, who does not vote, will chair the committee.
At the student’s request or by request of the committee, this appeals committee will also meet with the student. The committee may also meet with other individuals involved.
Graduate students have the right to appeal termination or suspension decisions. This is intended to help students in Dedman College, Lyle School, Meadows School and Simmons School graduate programs address specific concerns that program decision that terminate or impede progress toward the degree, such as dismissal from the graduate standing, placement on probationary status, and denial of readmission to the same program (if the student was previously in good standing).
If the student feels that they have been the victim of harassment or of discrimination prohibited by law or by university policy, and that this constitutes a substantive basis for the appeal, the appeal shall first be pursued and investigated through the Office of Institutional Access and Equity (IAE). If the student feels that research misconduct has occurred, the appeal shall first be pursued through the Office of Research. If the student feels that the program was unprofessional in determining the termination, that concern should be brought to the attention of the department chair before filing an appeal. In such cases, the timelines listed below are paused. Following a resolution of the harassment/discrimination issues, any remaining academic issues will be addressed, at the request of the student, according to the academic appeals procedures described herein.
The student must initiate the appeal process within 20 class days after the start of the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) that immediately follows the term in which the disputed termination was assigned. If the instructor, Chair, and Dean of the School or College or their designee (individual or committee) fail to respond to the student’s appeal within the time limits, the Graduate Appeals Committee shall act on the student’s appeal. The procedure is discontinued if the student and the program come to a mutual agreement. If the student does not appeal a decision within the appropriate time limit, the disposition of the appeal made in the previous step shall be final.
A written record of all decisions shall be kept with the file at all steps in the process. Copies of all correspondence and records shall be retained in the office in which the appeal is finally resolved. The original documents shall be forwarded to the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies for filing.
All parties must carefully adhere to the following procedure, observing the deadlines. International Students going through the appeal process should consult with the ISSS office regarding their immigration status and SEVIS record termination.
Step 1: Appeal to Dean of the School or College or Dean’s Designee
If a graduate student decides to formally appeal a program’s decision, the student must submit a written request for appeal to the Dean of their College. The only grounds upon which an appeal may be based are: 1. new evidence that becomes available which reasonably may have impacted the fairness or outcomes of the program’s decision, or 2. An inappropriate sanction which is grossly disproportionate to the conduct initiating the sanction, considering the relevant aggravating and/or mitigating factors.
Thus, a student who does not agree with the program’s decision may appeal the decision to the Dean of the School or College within 5 class days of receipt of the decision. The Dean or Dean’s designee will proceed as deemed appropriate. The Dean or Dean’s designee should resolve the appeal within 20 class days, providing a written explanation for any decision made.
Step 2: Appeal to the Graduate Appeals Committee
A student who does not agree with the decision of the Dean of the School or College may appeal that decision within 10 class days of decision notification by filing a written appeal to the Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The Dean of the Moody School will either render an opinion on the appeal or form a committee to review the appeal. If no appeal or request for extension has been made within the 10-class-day period, then the decision of the Dean of the School or College becomes final and is not subject to appeal.
This appeal must be accompanied by copies of all correspondence, including the Dean of the School or College’s written decision. A request for appeal must include: 1) the graduate student’s name, address, email address, and phone number; 2) all correspondence from the steps of the process outlined above; and 3) the ground(s) upon which the request for appeal is based.
If warranted, the Dean of the Moody School will assemble a committee. The Graduate Appeals Committee should resolve the appeal within 20 class days. The Committee’s charge is to determine whether the termination or suspension has been assigned inaccurately or not based on the student’s academic performance. If a majority of the Committee believes that the termination should be changed because it was based on arbitrary or other reasons not related to academic performance, the Committee shall notify the Dean of the Moody School and make a written recommendation. In their actions, all parties involved must respect the principle that the determination of an academic progress rests with the faculty of the program involved.
The appeals procedure is not complete until all appropriate records are forwarded to the Dean of the Moody School. A copy of the Graduate Appeals Form shall become a part of the student’s file. A permanent record of termination or suspension appeals reviewed by the Appeals Committee shall be maintained in the Moody School.
Composition of the Graduate Appeals Committee:
The Dean of the Moody School will convene a meeting of an ad hoc academic Graduate Appeals Committee, composed of:
- Three members of the full-time graduate faculty chosen by the Dean of the Moody School.
- Two of the three faculty members on the appeals committee shall be from the student’s school or college, and
- One shall be from outside the student’s school or college.
- One non-voting graduate student selected from a pool of students identified by the Graduate Student Advisory board. The pool may include members of the Graduate Student Advisory board.
- The Dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, who does not vote, will chair the committee.
At the student’s request or by request of the committee, this appeals committee will also meet with the student. The committee may also meet with other individuals involved.
Eligibility:
All PhD, D.Eng. and MFA students who are fully funded through SMU, with tuition and living expense support either from internal funds or from external sources (such as faculty research grants), are covered by these procedures. This includes PhD, D.Eng. and MFA students funded through fellowships, research or teaching assistantships, graduate student instructorships, or other graduate assistantships. Students who receive support directly from an external source (for example, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship) should check with that source to ensure that they are following and taking advantage of any applicable parental leave policies the organization may have. Students who meet the criteria above are eligible to apply for up to six (6) weeks of paid parental leave due to (1) birth of a child, (2) adoption of a child five years of age or younger, or (3) placement of a foster child five years of age or younger. During this period, the student’s current stipend or pay and, if applicable, funding for health insurance and tuition, will be continued without interruption. The student’s enrollment status will be continued during this period as well. Parental leave is available to both parents if both are SMU graduate students who meet the eligibility criteria.
Request Process:
Requests for parental leave should be submitted to the Moody School through the online form at least six (6) weeks prior to the expected start date of the leave. However, students are encouraged to submit the leave request as early as possible, to allow ample time for planning and coordination. The Moody School will consult with the graduate program director and/or the faculty adviser as appropriate in reviewing the request. Students are not expected to perform research or teaching responsibilities while on parental leave. This leave does not impact the student’s academic obligations or program requirements: students are expected to coordinate with their adviser, instructors and graduate program director in order to fulfill academic obligations and to meet deadlines for their program requirements, or to seek extensions where allowed.
Extension of Leave:
If a student is unable to return after six weeks of parental leave, they may apply for an additional unpaid parental leave of up to six weeks. Requests for the additional unpaid parental leave should be submitted to the Moody School through the same online form at least four (4) weeks before the conclusion of the original paid parental leave. The Moody School will consult with the graduate program director and/or the faculty adviser as appropriate in reviewing the request. During the additional leave, the student’s enrollment status will be continued but their stipend or pay will be paused.
Relationship to Other Leave Procedures:
An academic department may have their own parental leave procedures, provided that those procedures are less restrictive than the Moody School procedures. Students should consult with their graduate program director and adviser to determine which procedures apply to them.
Funding:
The original source of the student’s funding should continue to fund the student during their leave. In cases where this is not possible, and where funding is not available from the faculty adviser, department, or school/college dean’s office, the department may request support from the Moody School to partially or fully fund the student during their leave.
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