Academic Policies - Organizational Leadership Graduate Program

Owned by Laura Lehman (Deactivated)
Last updated: Apr 11, 2022 by Barbara Byer (Deactivated)
3 min read

All students taking MA in Organizational Leadership courses are subject to the policies below and the overall graduate program policies. Exceptions to these policies are at the discretion of the graduate program and will be made in consultation with the academic program coordinator and the student’s academic advisor.

Review the university-wide graduate program policies found in the beginning of this graduate school catalog.

Class Participation and Absences
Class attendance and engagement is an important part of the learning process in MAOL courses. Due to the typical one-meeting-per-week schedule, each class session carries a heavy percentage of course content. Students are advised to organize their schedules to miss no more than 15% of scheduled class time, which is no more than one session per 6-week course. Refer to the MAOL program class absence policy for more details.

Graduation GPA Calculation
For the MAOL program, the program requires a 3.0 minimum GPA. Graduation GPAs are calculated from the quality points earned on all courses applied towards the completed degree or certificate.

Incomplete grades
A grade of “Incomplete” may be granted at the discretion of the instructor when two conditions are met.

  1. When an emergency or other unforeseen problem arises which prevents the student from completing coursework.

  2. When the coursework the student has submitted in the course to date has been satisfactory.

The student must request, in writing, a grade of “Incomplete” from the instructor at least one week before the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in the course. If the instructor chooses to grant an Incomplete, the student will have up to 60 days from the date of receiving an Incomplete to complete all of their coursework. A student may also request, in writing, a second extension for up to another 30 days with compelling rationale. The program director is responsible for approving the incomplete and any extension (either the initial 60 days or a subsequent 30 days).

A grade of “Incomplete” which is not resolved by the 60-day deadline (unless extended) will be changed to reflect the grade earned based on work actually submitted. If the instructor has not submitted a grade to replace the “I” within 60 days, the “I” will be changed to an “F” (unless an additional 30 days has been granted). A grade of “Incomplete” may not be extended beyond a total of 90 days (three months).

Leave of Absence
Graduate students who intend to interrupt their studies in a graduate program for more than one full semester are required to submit a written request to the program director. The written request must state the reason for the requested leave and the amount of time anticipated until studies can resume. (Acceptable reasons for requesting a leave of absence include, but are not limited to, medical circumstances, financial challenges, or a family crisis.)  A response will be given within 30 days of receipt of the written request.

If a student does not submit a written request for a leave of absence for review and approval, their admission to the graduate program may be revoked due to lack of sufficient academic progress. The student would retain the right to reapply for admission at a later date.

Transfer Credit Policy
Candidates may request to transfer up to nine hours of coursework from other regionally accredited colleges or universities. A transfer of credit request form must be completed. Requests for transfer credit approval may be directed to the program director and will be considered on a course by course basis as applicable to the particular concentration area. A candidate must submit an official transcript from the university that awarded the graduate credit.

All transfer credit must meet the following criteria:

  • The coursework was completed within five years of admission to the EMU program.

  • The credit must reflect applicability to EMU’s MAOL goals and program purposes.

  • All transfer work must have a grade of A or B from a regionally accredited college or university.

Transfer of credits completed at EMU to another institution is at the discretion of that institution. Candidates should check with the institution to which they wish to transfer regarding the transferability of EMU credits.