Academic Policies

Faculty Advisers

The primary adviser for all students is the assistant dean for graduate education. Each student is also assigned a secondary faculty adviser upon entering the two-year M.P.P. program and the one-year M.A.S. program. It is the responsibility of the student and the primary adviser to work together to select courses and monitor academic progress in collaboration with the Jackson School registrar.

The role of the faculty adviser is to help develop career plans. For a variety of reasons, students may wish to change their faculty adviser. They may request a change by writing to jackson.registrar@yale.edu.

Course Registration

Students will be given the opportunity to register for courses and confer with their academic adviser about their schedules before classes start each term. All students must complete the online registration process by the deadline listed on the academic calendar to avoid a $50 late fee. Beginning in spring 2023, there will also be an add/drop period at the start of the term. At the end of the add/drop period, all registrations are considered final.

No student may attend any class unless officially registered in the course. No credit will be given for work done in any course for which a student is not officially registered, even if the student entered the course with the approval of the instructor. Students who wish to register for courses that are offered on both the graduate and undergraduate levels must register with the graduate-level course number in order to receive credit toward their degrees. In rare instances, a student may be granted permission to register for an undergraduate course that will count toward the fulfillment of course requirements for the student’s graduate degree. In such cases, the student must file an approved Jackson School Graduate Credit Request form with the Jackson Registrar’s Office by the end of the registration period. Jackson students taking a course at the School of Management or the Law School must also obtain written permission from the respective school’s registrar to be officially enrolled. Permission must be obtained within two weeks of the close of registration at the Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Auditing Courses

An auditor is a student who attends a class to acquire knowledge but not to earn credits or a grade. Audited courses do not count toward the completion of degree requirements, enrollment certification, financial aid eligibility, or loan deferment purposes. Auditors may change their status in a course according to the course change deadlines on the academic calendar. Auditors must attend classes regularly, complete assigned reading, and participate in discussions, but they are excused from examinations and other assignments. If this requirement is not met, the Jackson School registrar may, solely upon notice from the instructor of insufficient attendance, delete the course from the student’s record. For a student who elects to audit a course, the letters “AUD” are entered on the transcript in the grade column. Auditors are admitted to a course on a space-available basis and with the approval of the instructor.

Course Changes

Once the online course selection process has closed for a given term, all subsequent changes must be made using the Jackson School add/drop form and approved by the assistant dean for graduate education and the Jackson School registrar.

The dates for changing enrollment in a course from Credit to Audit or Audit to Credit and for withdrawing from a course are listed in the Academic Calendar. If a student officially withdraws from a course by the stated deadline, the course will be removed from the student’s transcript. If a student ceases to participate in a course without officially withdrawing from that course by the stated deadline, it is at the instructor’s discretion to assign an appropriate qualitative grade or a grade of Incomplete.

Course Withdrawal

Students may withdraw from a course with the approval of their primary adviser. The course add/drop form is available on the School’s website or Yale Hub. Students may withdraw until about halfway through each term without the course appearing on the transcript; exact withdrawal deadlines may be referenced on the academic calendar for each year. From those dates at the halfway point in the term until the last day of classes, a student may still withdraw from a course; however, the course will appear on the transcript with a letter grade of W. Please note that students enrolled in an eight-week (half-term) course can withdraw from the course no later than four weeks into the class sessions without the course appearing on the transcript.

M.P.P. students are not allowed to withdraw from the following core courses: GLBL 5010, GLBL 5020, GLBL 5030, GLBL 5040

Exemption from Core Courses

Students who have previously mastered the material being presented in the required GLBL 5020 course can request a course exemption directly from the course instructor. The request for a course exemption indicates that a student is capable of excelling in all assessments in the selected course. Mastery of course content can be demonstrated by (1) excelling in a graduate-level course with equivalent content within the past five years or (2) significant life experience related to the course content. Students approved for an exemption from GLBL 5020 must take a higher level course approved by the instructor. The instructor must sign the electronic core course exemption form and indicate which approved higher level elective (course number and name) was approved in lieu of GLBL 5020.

Course exemption forms must be submitted to the registrar each term by the stated deadline. Exempt courses will be listed on the transcript with a grade of CRW (credit waived) after the term has ended. Exempt courses cannot be used to satisfy the course unit requirement for the M.P.P. degree.

The core GLBL 5010, GLBL 5030 or GLBL 5040 courses do not qualify for exemption. The unique content of these courses provides students with several of the M.P.P. core curriculum competencies and foundational knowledge topics.

Grades

*A mark of YR is assigned as a temporary grade for the first term of a full-year course and will be converted to a standard grade once both terms are completed.

The Jackson School does not calculate grade-point averages nor does it assign numerical or letter equivalents to Graduate School grades. Grades assigned according to grading scales other than those described above will be returned to the instructor for conversion.

The academic calendar indicates the dates on which grades are due for the current year. Instructors have the responsibility for assigning dates for submitting course work in order to meet grade deadlines. If a student and instructor have agreed that an extension is appropriate, the student must submit to the Jackson Registrar’s Office a request for the Temporary Incomplete (TI) with the intended completion date, signed by the instructor and the assistant dean for graduate education. Only one TI in a term is permitted. Temporary Incompletes received in an academic year must be converted to final grades normally before the start of the following academic year. If a grade is not received by the registrar by this date, the TI will be converted to a Fail (F) on the student’s record, as selected by the instructor on the TI form.

In certain extraordinary circumstances, such as serious illness or a family emergency, and on the recommendation of the assistant dean for graduate education, a student may be granted an additional extension. A written request for such an extension must be made by the assistant dean for student affairs on the student’s behalf within two weeks of the grade submission deadline. The request should indicate the special circumstances and suggest a date by which the student will complete the work. If the request is approved, the assistant dean for graduate education will inform the student and instructor. If the grade is submitted to the registrar by the new deadline approved by the assistant dean for graduate education, it will replace the TI. If a grade is not received by the registrar by this date, the Temporary Incomplete (TI) will be converted to a Fail (F) on the student’s record, as selected by the instructor on the TI form.

“Provisional” or “temporary” grades (as opposed to Incompletes) are not permitted. Once submitted to the Registrar’s Office, a grade may be changed only in cases of arithmetical or clerical error on the part of the instructor. If the registrar has not received a given grade from an instructor within two weeks of the stated deadline for the submission of grades, the student will be assigned a grade of Incomplete for that course.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grade Policy

Students pursuing an M.P.P. or an M.A.S. may elect to have a one-credit course or two 0.5-credit courses be graded on SAT/UNSAT basis and to count toward their degree requirement. Students may elect to use courses currently offered as SAT/UNSAT to count toward their degree requirement, or they may submit a request to convert a graded course to a SAT/UNSAT course. The form to convert a graded course to SAT/UNSAT can be found on the School website and must be submitted to the registrar on or before the last day of classes. Students should consult the academic calendar and submit the form as early as possible. Late requests will not be processed.

Tutorial Support

Students experiencing academic difficulty should seek prompt assistance. Students should first discuss the problem with the course instructor, who can suggest that a student’s academic difficulties be addressed by a course’s teaching assistant (TA). If, after working with the TA, the student continues to experience difficulty in any of the core M.P.P. courses, the course instructor can recommend that specific tutorial assistance be provided to the student. The instructor should contact the assistant dean for graduate education to arrange tutorial assistance. The assistant dean for graduate education has access to each advisee’s transcript both as an early warning of academic difficulty and as an aid to planning course load and selection.

The Committee on Academic Progress

The Committee on Academic Progress reviews the academic performance of students to determine suitability for continued advancement in the curriculum and for graduation. This review includes decisions about graduation, leaves of absence, special study, remediation, academic probation, breach, suspension, and dismissal.

The Academic Progress Committee is a standing committee appointed by the dean and chaired by the deputy dean. Additional members include the assistant dean for graduate education, the assistant dean for student affairs, and the associate director of academic services and registrar.

Academic Standards

Students in the M.P.P. program must pass all core requirements. Any student who fails a required course must retake it and pass it. The Committee on Academic Progress will review the academic performance of a student whose record in any term shows significant decline or if there is a reason for concern about the overall quality of a student’s work.

Academic Probation

The Committee on Academic Progress will place students whose academic work is unsatisfactory on academic probation. The committee will consider the personal situation of the student, but a failing grade in any course will normally result in academic probation. Students who receive failing grades in two or more courses during a term, or who receive a second failing grade after being placed on academic probation, will be withdrawn from the M.P.P. program and will be required to reapply to the program if they wish to be considered for readmission. Academic dismissal will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Program Completion

Federal regulations require institutions to monitor each student’s progress toward earning a degree within the maximum time frame permitted for the student’s degree or course of study. Failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) jeopardizes a student’s eligibility to receive University or federal financial aid.

All required course work for the M.P.P. program must be completed within five years of the date of matriculation. If the degree program has not been completed within five years, the student may request an extension from the Committee on Academic Progress. Extensions will be granted only in rare circumstances, and only for a period of one year for the two-year regular M.P.P. program, and only for a period of one term for the one-year M.A.S. program.

In addition, if a student withdraws from courses, resulting in the pursuit of fewer than 4 credits in a single term, the student’s total estimated costs and eligibility for financial aid will be recalculated.

Other Changes and Appeals in Educational Program

Other significant changes in a student’s educational program should be discussed with the student’s faculty adviser and requested in writing from the Committee on Academic Progress. Appeals resulting from decisions made by the Committee on Academic Progress must be addressed to the dean of the Jackson School of Global Affairs, with the description of the basis for appeal. Appeals are heard by the Board of Permanent Officers, whose decision is final.

Academic Integrity Standards

The Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs is an academic community dedicated to the advancement of learning. Its members freely associate themselves with the University and in doing so affirm their commitment to a philosophy of tolerance and respect for all members of the community. They pledge to help sustain the intellectual integrity of the University and to uphold its standards of honesty, free expression, and inquiry. They are expected to abide by the regulations of the School and University, including these Jackson School Personal Conduct and Academic Integrity Standards. They are also expected to obey local, state, and federal laws, and violations of these may be cause for discipline by the Jackson School.

The Jackson School prohibits academic dishonesty, a term that encompasses making any claim within or about your research or scholarship that is untrue. The following are some forms of academic dishonesty:

1. Plagiarism, that is, the failure to acknowledge ideas, research, or language taken from others, whether intentional or unintentional. The Jackson School requires citations whenever students either directly quote or indirectly draw upon and benefit from the work or scholarship of others. This requirement applies equally to all academic work by students, including a paper or an examination for a course, a presentation in class or at a conference, a prospectus or dissertation, or a manuscript for publication.
2. The unauthorized collaboration with others on graded course work (including problem sets, lab reports, take-home examination questions, and papers) without expressed permission from the instructor.
3. Cheating on examinations, problem sets, or any other form of assessment.
4. The falsification, fabrication, or misuse of data.
5. Submitting work from one course for a grade or credit in another, without first obtaining expressed written permission from both course instructors.