Graduate Academic Policies

For an explanation of all academic policies of the Christendom Graduate School, please refer to the Bulletin.

Grades of “Incomplete”

If for a grave reason a student is unable to complete the requirements for a course by the end of the semester, he may apply in writing to the professor for a temporary grade of “Incomplete,” either by filling out the “Incomplete Request Form” or by emailing the professor. If the professor approves the request, the student has until the following extension deadline to complete the course requirements: July 31 for the spring semester, October 31 for the summer semester, or March 31 for the fall semester. Incompletes are granted at the discretion of the professor, and only for grave reasons such as illness, unexpected job-related or family obligations or other serious incapacity. However, because of the intensity of the Christendom Summer Program, full-time summer students (registered for at least 6 hours) may automatically have the extension without having to establish a grave reason: they may have until October 31 to submit any research paper, project, or written assignment other than an exam. This policy applies to all courses offered within a regular semester, whether onsite or online; it does not apply to continuous-enrollment courses (such as “Teaching the Faith” courses and the prerequisite “Introduction to Theology” course), nor to independent study courses. Online students must finish their regular course assignments by the end of the semester, and may have an extension only for their research papers and/or final exams.

If a student who has been granted a temporary grade of “incomplete” (permission from the professor to complete course requirements beyond the due date and up to the end of the extension period) fails to complete the requirements by the extension deadline, the only way he may complete the course (to avoid having to re-register for and re-take the course) is to fill out the Course Reactivation Request form and submit it to the Registrar along with the $100 course reactivation fee. If the Dean of the Graduate School approves the request, the Registrar will then reactivate the course and notify the professor that he may accept the remaining required course work. If the Dean does not approve the request, the $100 fee will be returned to the student. A student may reactivate each incomplete course only once, and only within a year of the original due date (the end of the semester in which the course was taken) by which time all course requirements must be submitted; otherwise, the student must re-register for and re-take the course if he wants credit for it.

Any course taken outside of a regular semester, such as continuous-enrollment online courses (THEO 590, EDUC 630 & 631) and directed independent study courses, have a deadline of four months from registration; an extension may be approved by the professor for up to three months, with no possibility of extension beyond this time. Such courses may not be reactivated.

Students are not permitted to register for an upcoming semester if they have more than two incompletes from the previous semester.