Policies, Procedures, Expectations and Resources for Current Students

All admitted Suffolk MBA Online students should familiarize themselves with the information below. It provides details regarding policies, procedures, expectations and resources, basically a Suffolk MBA GUIDE, to enable students to successfully complete the Suffolk MBA degree.

Pay particular attention to the forms available (IE Declaration of Concentration, Independent Study form, Graduation Application, Graduate Petition for an Exception to a Policy, etc) in the Academic Policies and Procedures section

Academic Advising	Chat Room Protocol
Suffolk Email	Semester Schedule
Registration	Academic Policies and Procedures
New Student Orientation	Resources
Access to Courses

Academic Advising

You will receive an individualized Program of Study from the MBA Programs Office that indicates waiver/transfer credit and the number of credits needed to complete your Suffolk MBA degree.

• New full-time students are required to have an academic advising appointment prior to registration.

• New part-time students are highly advised to have an academic advising appointment prior to registration.

Advising appointments are with the Assistant Director of MBA Programs and can be:

• via telephone
• via email
• or in person at the MBA Programs Office in Boston

To schedule an advising appointment telephone 617-573-8306 or email mba@suffolk.edu [have an email message box pop up here addressed to this with the subject header already in it that says Need Advising Appointment]
Only the initial advising appointment is required upon entry to the Suffolk MBA Online.

Continuing students are not required to seek advising. However, many do to insure compliance with academic policies and progress toward graduation requirements.

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Suffolk Email

It is extremely important to use Suffolk email. All correspondence from the following will come to your Suffolk email address:

• Registrar - i.e. registration information
• Student Accounts
• Online faculty
• Your MBA advisor
• MBA Online Program Assistant Director including announcements about the New Student Orientation, curriculum updates, course additions, surveys, graduation etc.

Too many email addresses? Forward Suffolk email to your personal email address.
***IMPORTANT: if you change your personal email address, be sure to change your Suffolk email forwarding information***
For more information about your email account, navigate to http://www.suffolk.edu/offices/email.html.

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Registration

Online courses are offered in Fall and Spring semesters, and in one Summer term. The Online Fall and Spring semesters is equivalent to the Boston campus calendar, however, there is only 1 summer session online.

• Full-time = 12 to 15 credits
• Part-time = less than 12 credits
• See Student Accounts for full-time and part-time tuition rates

Financial Aid Eligibility As Related to Registration:

Students must be registered for 6 credits in a semester or term to qualify for financial aid.

To Select Your Suffolk MBA Online Courses:

• Look online for the most up-to-date MBA Online course schedule. All online course sections have a W designation (for web-based)
• Look at the MBA course schedule for classes in Boston (A, AE, BE, CE section designations); Franklin (DC section designations); North Andover (MC section designations); and West Barnstable (CC section designations)
• All new MBA Online students must register for MBA 600 W1 Effective Career Planning in their first semester of MBA study

• You will receive an email at your Suffolk Email address from the Registrar indicating when registration opens

To Register:

Payment:

Go to Student Accounts for up-to-date tuition and payment information

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New Student Orientation

A New Student Orientation (NSO) is held on the Thursday prior to the start each semester and summer term, at 7:00 pm EST.

NSO is designed for students who have never taken a Suffolk MBA Online course. You will participate in chat sessions moving through different chat rooms hosted by Suffolk MBA Online faculty.

Each chat room will familiarize you with different aspects of online learning, IE threaded discussions, chat room protocol, document sharing, and drop boxes for assignments.

The NSO also insures you have a sufficient ISP (Internet Service Provider) connection. It is important you attend the NSO at the computer terminal you intend to use for your online classes.

To participate in the NSO, you must register for MBA 001 W1-NSO-First-Time Online.

Download the NSO Agenda for more information. 

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Access to Courses

Courses will be available on the start date of the semester.  For information on how to access your courses, click on the following link.

How to access your online courses
(You will need Adobe Acrobat)

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Chat Room Protocol

Chat room attendance is required. This is the “real-time” learning component of your online experience. Similar to campus-based course absences, you should contact your professor if you find you must miss a chat.

To insure an interactive and positive experience in the chat room, follow this protocol:

• Enter the chat room on time.

• Treat all class members with respect. These are working sessions. Stay focused on the subject matter.

• Typos are not a concern in chat. Because of the spontaneous nature of chat sessions, typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors are condoned. The ability to respond quickly is more important to a lively discussion than grammatical correctness.

• To insure efficient and timely posting of your comments, use short sentences.

• If you are addressing a specific individual, begin your comment with that person’s initials.

• Avoid off-topic asides: something triggered by the chat discussion which has nothing to do with the issue under discussion.

• Avoid personal conversations. If something is important to say to someone, use a private email or go online after the chat session.

• Maintain focus on one subject at a time.

• Avoid multiple simultaneous topics in a chat because many people respond at the same time and it is difficult to have several discussions going at once.

• Remember that chats are archived for later reference.

• Different faculty may approach chat sessions in different formats. Do not expect homogeneity in the manner in which faculty use or conduct chats.

• All classroom codes of conduct prescribed by Suffolk University apply in the case of dysfunctional behavior in chat rooms. Disruptive activity during chat will result in serious disciplinary action. This may result in suspension, an “F” grade, or dismissal from the program.

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Semester Schedule

• Suffolk MBA Online Program Calendar and Course Schedule (pdf)
• Current semester schedule for courses in Boston, Franklin, North Andover, and West Barnstable

• Course descriptions for MBA Online courses

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Academic Policies and Procedures (in alpha order)

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

Cheating on examinations, plagiarism, and/or improper acknowledgement of  sources in essays or research papers, and the use of a single essay or paper in  more than one course, without the permission of the instructor, constitute unacceptable academic conduct.

It is dishonest to buy, borrow or lend papers or to copy materials from computer  resources.

It is unacceptable to make up or falsify data that are supposed to be collected  from survey, experimentation or other means.

Work that you represent as your own should be your own; if not, the source  should be properly identified. This applies to lab reports, computer projects and  group projects as well as to individual assignments. Each instructor should fully  explain the requirements of the course and the applicable policies regarding  academic dishonesty. Graduate faculty within the department may also be  involved in the review of alleged academic dishonesty.

Because Suffolk University holds its students strictly accountable for their adherence to the highest standards of academic honesty, it is expected that graduate students know what does and does not constitute acceptable behavior.

A student who has been found to have violated these rules after adjudication by the Dean of Students Office is subject to an automatic grade of “F” in the course and to suspension, enforced withdrawal, or expulsion from the University or appropriate lesser penalties if warranted by the circumstances.

Academic Disputes:

The process for filing a grade dispute is:

Student must contact the individual professor first

• If the student is not satisfied with results of the discussion with the professor, the student then contacts the Chair of the department in which the professor resides. Contact Ana Perez at aperez@suffolk.edu for department Chair information

• If the student is not satisfied by discussion with the Chair, the student then contacts the Dean of Students office at 617.573.8239.

• The Dean of Students Office will interview the student and the faculty member individually and then presents his objective findings to the Dean of the Sawyer Business School

• The Dean of the Sawyer Business School makes a final decision and informs both the student and the faculty member.

Other academic concerns may be taken to the Assistant Director of MBA Programs, the Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs, or the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

Add-Drop:

If you change your mind regarding registration, add-drops may be completed on the web. It is important to check with the Registrar and the Bursar’s Office regarding tuition liability, late fees, last date in a semester/term to add/drop and not receive an F etc.

Campus-Based Courses For MBA Online Students:

Suffolk MBA Online students may take a maximum of 4 courses (12 credits) at any of Suffolk University’s campuses: Boston, Franklin, North Andover, and West Barnstable

Suffolk MBA Online students may transfer a maximum of 6 credits (2 courses) from an AACSB International accredited MBA program to their Suffolk MBA degree. The courses must not be offered in the Suffolk MBA Online program.

Suffolk MBA Online students may seamlessly transfer to a Suffolk campus location by contacting Ana Perez at aperez@suffolk.edu.

Declaring Concentration:

You may complete one of five concentrations in the Suffolk MBA Online  Program:

• Accounting

• Entrepreneurship

• Finance

• Information Systems

• Marketing

Beyond the concentration, students may complete no more than two courses in any other functional area

Students may complete only one concentration. By definition, an MBA must include breadth in management skills.

Students must declare their concentration prior to taking the 4th class in their concentration. To declare a concentration, complete the Declaration of Concentration form and email it to mbaonline@suffolk.edu or fax it to the MBA Programs Office at 617.573.8653.

The concentration appears on the official transcript. It does not appear on the diploma.

Alternatively, a concentration is not required. You may select your electives from a broad range of functional areas thereby increasing the breadth of your management skills.

Electives:

• All electives must have the course designation of #800 or above

• All electives must be from Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School, unless approved in a Graduate Petition Form by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

• A maximum of 6 credits (2 courses) of electives may be transferred from an AACSB accredited MBA Program to the Suffolk MBA Online program. The course must be one not offered in the Suffolk MBA Online program.

• Independent Study must be completed with a full-time faculty member

• Students completing a concentration , must file a Declaration of Concentration form

Exception To A Policy:

Graduate petition forms are available for an exception to the policy: IE request to take more than 5 years to complete the MBA; request for a course waiver not granted.

Complete the petition form (pdf) and FAX it to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at 617.573.8653.

FULL-TIME STATUS:

Full-time status is defined as 12 to 15 credits. Full-time tuition is the same regardless of whether you take 12, 13, 14, or 15 credits.

Students taking more than 15 credits are charged additional per/credit tuition.

GRADING SYSTEM AND STANDARDS

Letter grades given to graduate students in the Sawyer Business School include the following with grade point values as assigned.

Grades considered satisfactory for graduate students include
 A 4.0
 A- 3.7
 B+ 3.3
 B 3.0

Grades considered unsatisfactory for graduate students include
  B- 2.7
 C+ 2.3
 C 2.0
 F 0.0

 The following designations may also appear on a transcript
 I    Incomplete
 L    Non-Evaluative Grade
 W    Withdrawal

Graduate students are expected to earn a B grade (3.0) or better in all courses attempted.

Failure to maintain a 3.0 average can lead to academic dismissal.

It is the student’s responsibility to monitor his/her academic progress. Formal guidelines for academic performance in graduate courses are as follows:

A graduate warning is issued

• if the student’s grade point average falls below a 3.0 (“B”) for the first time or

• a student receives a cumulative total of two “C” grades with a grade point average above 3.0

A graduate student is subject to dismissal when

• A graduate warning has previously been issued and the student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 (B)

• A first F grade is received but the student still has a 3.0 or above gpa

• A first F grade is received with a GPA of below 3.0

• A student may retake one graduate course where an F grade has been received. The new grade will be included in his/her GPA. The original F will remain on the transcript, but will not be included in the GPA. Only ONE course with an F grade may be retaken during the student’s graduate program. If a second F is received, the grade will remain on the transcript and be included in the GPA.

A graduate student is dismissed when:

Two F grades are received

“I” Incomplete grade

• Incomplete indicates failure to complete the course requirements. The “I” grade is given at the instructor’s discretion, only if the student has completed at least half of the course requirements successfully at the end of the semester and there is a reasonable expectation that all course requirements can be completed in one academic year.

• The “I” grade in the Sawyer Business School converts automatically to an “F” grade after one calendar year, unless the instructor submits a grade or officially extends the incomplete

• The Sawyer Business School requires an Incomplete Form to be completed by the student and the instructor of the course. Upon completion, the form is returned to the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation:

Degree requirements are stated on the individualized Program of Study each Suffolk MBA Online student receives at admission. In addition, graduation requirements are stipulated in the Suffolk University Academic Catalogue.

• Students must complete an Application for Graduation during their final semester. Contact the Registrar to receive an Application and check on deadline dates for application.

• Although diplomas are issued in Fall, Spring and Summer, commencement exercises occur only once per year in May

• Students may participate in commencement exercises if they have successfully completed their program of study, or if they have 9 or less credits remaining to complete in their program of study

• Students with 9 or less credits left to complete in their program of study must be registered for those credits in the Summer term(s) to participate in commencement

• Students must be in good academic and financial standing with the University and have no incompletes

• Suffolk MBA Online students are invited to participate in commencement exercises in Boston
  

Leave of Absence:

You should request an official Leave of Absence if you plan to miss two consecutive semesters. A Leave of Absence is not required if you do not take courses in the Summer term. To take a Leave of Absence from the University,

• Contact the Dean of Students’ Office and request a Leave of Absence form be sent to you via fax, post, or email

• An official Leave of Absence insures a seamless readmission and registration process when you return

• Time away from the University, if documented by an official Leave of Absence, does not count in the 5-year completion deadline for the MBA.

Part-Time Status:

Students who take less than 12 credits are considered part-time. Part-time students are charged tuition per credit.

Re-entry To The Suffolk MBA Online:

Students who leave the Suffolk MBA Online prior to completion of their degree may apply for re-entry to the Suffolk MBA Online Program. This applies to campus-based students and MBA Online students.

Complete the Re-Entry form and Fax it to the Graduate Admission Office at 617.305.1733. Indicate you prefer to re-enter the MBA Online program.

Students who took an official Leave of Absence and are returning to the Suffolk MBA as scheduled, do not need a re-entry form.

Time to Limit to Complete the Suffolk MBA:

Students must complete their Suffolk MBA within five years from official entry to the program.

The 5 year time period does not include time spent in the MAPS program

The 5 year time period does not include time spent in an official Leave of Absence

Students may petition the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for an additional 6th year by explaining extenuating circumstances

Transfer Credit:

See Transfer Credit explanation.

Waivers:

See Course Waiver explanation.

Withdrawal:

To withdraw from the University:

• Contact the Office of the Registrar and

• Contact the Office of the Bursar in terms of tuition liability, payment and refund information.

Resources

Many resources are available to Suffolk MBA Online students to insure an efficient path to their degree.

MBA Programs Office
Morris McInnes, PhD
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
evaluates petitions for exceptions to a policy
Tel:  617-573-8088
Fax:  617-573-8653
Email: mmcinnes@suffolk.edu

Lillian Hallberg, PhD
Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and
Director of MBA Programs
for academic disputes/grievances
Tel: 617-573-8306
Fax:  617-573-8653
Email: lhallber@suffolk.edu

Christine Maher
Assistant Director of MBA Programs
for academic advising and curriculum related questions
Tel:  617-573-8306
Fax: 617-573-8653
Email: cmaher@suffolk.edu

Ana Perez
Assistant Director of Suffolk MBA Online
for questions regarding operational issues in the Suffolk MBA Online Program
Tel:  617-573-8334
Fax:  617-573-8653
Email: aperez@suffolk.edu

Blackboard Online Support

Students and faculty may access the Help Desk toll-free at: 1.866.886.4861

BOOK STORE
Ridgeway Building, 148 Cambridge Street
Tel: 617-227-4085