Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Academic Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Graduate Academic Requirements & Regulations


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Graduate Academic Requirements
Graduate Academic Regulations
Non-degree Academic Regulations

Academic requirements and regulations govern the relationship between the university and its students. Students must complete the general academic requirements described below as well as those listed under individual degree programs (described in the next section) in order to obtain an academic degree.

The academic regulations described in this section are effective at the time of publication. The university reserves the right to modify them, in which case changes will be announced when necessary. The student is responsible for being aware of all academic regulations. Current university regulations apply regardless of the regulations in effect at the time a student entered the university, except where current regulations specifically state the contrary.

Student Responsibility and Privacy Rights of Student Records

Please see “Undergraduate Academic Requirements and Regulations” section.

 



Graduate Academic Requirements

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The university has established the following general requirements which apply to all students working toward a graduate diploma, master’s degree or a Ph.D. Specific requirements for each degree program are described under the relevant “Fields of Study.”

The degree programs described represent the core of the university’s wide range of academic and service activities. The university also conducts significant programs in research, training, and adult education, which are briefly listed in a separate section of this catalog and in more detail in other publications. Nondegree, intensive language programs in English and Arabic are described in the “English and Arabic Language Programs” section.

Adviser

Upon starting the program of major, the student will be assigned an academic adviser who will provide counsel concerning degree requirements, course offerings, preparation for the comprehensive examination, and selection of a thesis topic and thesis supervisor. When a thesis topic and supervisor are selected and approved, the thesis supervisor then also becomes the academic adviser.

Residence

Residence is the period of study completed at AUC. For the master of arts or master of science degree, and for the PhD degree, two-thirds of the required credit hours, excluding research seminars and thesis credit hours, must be completed in residence.  An acceptable thesis is also required. Additional courses are assigned in lieu of the thesis if it is optional.

Enrollment Status and Time Limit for a Degree Completion

The normal load for a full time student is 9 credit hours per semester. Upon the recommendation of the program concerned, students may register for up to 15 credit hours per semester. In this respect, overload forms are available at the Office of University Registrar’s webpage: http://student.aucegypt.edu.

A student taking a load of less than 9 credit hours per semester is considered a part-time student. A foreign student taking a course load of 9 credit hours per semester is entitled to university certification for obtaining a student visa. Foreign students carrying less than a full load are not entitled to such certification unless they are fellows or sponsored students. In case of withdrawal, the university reports to the Egyptian authorities to cancel the student residence visa that was received through the university.

Typically, the completion of these requirements take two years of full time academic work for the master’s degree, and five years for the PhD degree. Students unable to carry a full course load may be permitted to take more time to complete their degree. However, they must complete all requirements, including the thesis, where applicable, within five years of the date of first registration as a provisional or fully admitted graduate student in a master’s degree program. Students enrolling in the M.B.A. program must complete all requirements within six years of their provisional or full admission to the program. Students enrolling in the PhD program must complete all requirements within seven years of their provisional or full admission to the program. The time limit does not include the period of enrollment in English language instruction. Any period of interrupted studies, such as an approved Planned Educational Leave of Absence, or a period of temporary withdrawal, is counted as part of the time period required for degree completion.

An academic program may grant an extension for completing the degree beyond the set limit by one semester, up to a maximum of one academic year. This requires the approvals of the dean of the degree program and the dean of Graduate Studies.

Comprehensive and Qualifying Examinations

A student may sit for a required comprehensive examination after completing 24 credit hours or while taking the final 6 credit hours. Comprehensive examinations are offered usually in mid-December and mid-April. Students not registered for courses or thesis credit hours and planning to sit for the comprehensive examination in any semester must register for comprehensives in that semester and pay tuition equivalent to one graduate credit hour.

A PhD student should sit for the PhD qualifying examination the semester immediately following the completion of the required course credit hours, but no later than the fourth semester since full or provisional admission. The exam is offered twice a year: once in each of the fall and spring semesters. Dates are announced at the beginning of each academic year. A PhD student can only sit for the PhD qualifying examination while enrolled at AUC.

Comprehensive and qualifying examinations may be repeated once. A student who fails the comprehensive or qualifying examination a second time would be dismissed from not continue the degree program after the end of the semester in which the examination was retaken.

 

Thesis Requirements

Additional to required courses, most master’s degree programs and the PhD program require a thesis. Exceptions to this requirement are noted in the descriptions of the individual programs, which may specify supplementary requirements instead of a thesis.

The student is responsible for selecting and developing a thesis topic which has program approval and for which a qualified supervisor is available. In consultation with the supervisor, the student must submit a thesis proposal, as per the specifications of the degree program, for consideration by the program. Once the proposal is approved, the student may proceed with thesis research and writing. A Copy of the proposal approval must be kept in the program of major and a copy must be forwarded to the Office of the University Registrar.

At the program’s discretion, and in order for a master’s student to embark on his/her thesis work, the student may register for 599 Research Guidance and Thesis credits, and pay tuition equivalent to 3 credit hours each semester until completion of the thesis. For a PhD student, he/she may register for up to 9 credit hours of Research Guidance and Thesis credits each semester. A student who does not complete the thesis requirement within the period of two semesters for master’s degrees, and within the assigned total number of thesis credits for a PhD degree, will be charged a fee equivalent to one graduate credit hour for each additional semester of thesis registration.

The thesis must be written in English. It will be judged on content, organization, documentation, and presentation. Guidelines on thesis writing and format are available at the graduate studies website.

Approvals from the Institutional Review Board and CAPMAS

All research involving human subjects requires in-advance approval from AUC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Each student’s thesis supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the student has obtained IRB approval, where applicable, before embarking on thesis work. Thesis work involving human subjects and conducted without obtaining prior IRB approval cannot be used. Without proper IRB approval, the thesis cannot be accepted nor be posted on DAR, and the student is not eligible to graduate. For more information, please refer to the IRB webpage www.aucegypt.edu/research/ReviewBoard/Pages/Home.aspx

For some research, approval from the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) is required for data collection. Where applicable, a student must secure this approval prior to his/her data collection.

Submission of Thesis

If the degree is expected at the end of the fall semester, an acceptable (supervisor -approved) thesis must be presented by November 15. If graduation is expected at the end of the spring semester, the deadline for submitting the thesis is April 15. Each student is advised to submit the thesis early to allow time for the revisions which may be required. Otherwise, awarding of the degree may be delayed.

Within three weeks of submission of the thesis, the candidate will meet with the committee appointed by the program for an examination of the thesis. The committee may include members from outside the department or outside the university.

All revisions required by the committee must be incorporated in the final copy. The committee members may consider the revised thesis individually or schedule another meeting with the candidate.

The top copy of the accepted and signed thesis is submitted to the office of the dean of the degree program at least two weeks before commencement. The Office of the University Registrar will announce the deadline for thesis submission for every semester. If the thesis is submitted late, the degree will not be conferred that semester. In addition to submitting a hard copy of the thesis, students are required to submit an electronic version of the thesis directly to the AUC Digital Archive and Research Repository (AUC DAR) dar@aucegypt.edu


Graduate Academic Regulations

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Registration

Students must register during the official registration period at the times announced in the university calendar. They should plan their courses with their advisers prior to registration and follow the instructions contained in bulletins issued by the Office of the University Registrar or on the Registrar’s web site. Planning forms are available on the Registrar’s webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu. For foreign students, registration must be completed before a student visa can be issued.

Change of Courses

With careful attention to the degree requirements and course offerings, there should be minimal need for course changes after registration has been completed. Any student who desires a change must follow the instructions contained in the bulletin issued by the Office of the University Registrar. Change of courses can only take place during the start of a semester during the drop/add period determined by the Office of the University Registrar.

  • No other course may be substituted for a required course unless university action requires that the change be made.
  • A course may not be added to the student’s schedule after the registration deadline.
  • Students may drop and/or add courses without penalty during the formal “Late Registration and Course Changes Period” specified in the bulletin issued by the Office of the University Registrar.
  • A course may not be added to the student’s schedule after the end of the period of Late Registration and Course Changes.
  • Students may drop a course and receive a “W” grade during the seven weeks following the conclusion of any period of Late Registration and Course Changes associated with a fall or spring semester (that is, up to eight weeks after the beginning of a semester).
  • Students are not permitted to drop classes after the seventh week of the closing date of Late Registration and Drop/Add operations.
  • Students will receive a grade of “F” if they stop attending classes without officially dropping the course.
  • Students may petition their dean for permission to drop a class and receive a “W” grade after the seventh week of the closing date of Late Registration and Drop/Add operations. However, such petitions will be approved only in special cases, which in most extraordinary circumstances will mean documented health or family crises. Petitions will be neither accepted nor approved for the purpose of avoiding a low or failing grade.
  • Fulltime international transfer students may petition for permission to drop a class and receive a “W” grade after the seventh week of the closing date of Late Registration and Drop/Add operations by seeking the approval of the concerned program director and dean. In general, such petitions will be approved only in special cases, which in most circumstances will mean documented health or family crises. Petitions will be neither accepted nor approved for the purpose of avoiding a low or failing grade.

Credit Hours

Coursework is counted in credit hours. In general, a credit hour represents a one-hour class period and at least two hours of individual study each week for one semester.

Academic Load

The normal load for a full-time graduate student is 9 credit hours per semester. Upon the recommendation of the program concerned, students may register for up to 15 credit hours per semester, at an extra tuition charge. In this respect, overload forms are available at the Office of University Registrar’s webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu.

A student taking a load of less than 9 credit hours per semester is considered a part-time student. A foreign student taking a course load of 9 credit hours per semester is entitled to university certification for obtaining a student visa. Foreign students carrying less than a full load are not entitled to such certification unless they are fellows or sponsored students. In case of withdrawal, the university reports to the Egyptian authorities to cancel the student residence visa that was received through the university.

Grades

At the close of the semester students receive a final grade in each course. The grade is the course instructor’s official evaluation of the student’s achievement as reflected in course work. This final grade is recorded by the course instructor on Banner, and becomes part of the permanent academic record maintained by the Office of the University Registrar. The grade may not be changed or removed from the record.

The following grading system is used at the American University in Cairo:

Grade   Points   Description
A   4.0   Excellent
A-   3.7    
B+   3.3   Very good
B   3.0   Good
B-   2.7    
C+   2.3   Conditionally passing
C   2.0    
F   0.0   Failing
Grades not included in the Grade Point Average:
I   Incomplete
S   Satisfactory
U   Unsatisfactory
W   Withdrew
AU   Audit
IP   In progress
NR   Deferred Grade
P   Pass

 

The grade point average is calculated by multiplying the grade point value by the number of credit hours the course represents. The result is listed as quality points. The total quality points are then divided by the total credit hours. The results in courses for no credit are not included in the computation of a grade point average. Grades of “I”, “S”, “U”, “W”, “AU”, “IP”, “NR” and “P” are not assigned grade point values and are not used in the computation of the grade point average. Decimals beyond two places are truncated, not rounded up, in computing the grade point average.

Dual Graduate Degrees

Graduate students may pursue two distinct graduate degrees (diploma and MA/MS or Two MA’s/MS’s) in different majors, either simultaneously or consecutively. In either case, the student must apply to and be accepted by each program involved. “Dual Graduate Degree” forms are available on at the Office of the University Registrar’s webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu.

The student may have up to a maximum of 12 credit hours accepted for credit in both degree programs contingent on the approvals of the concerned programs and school deans. A maximum of 9 credit hours may be accepted for the case of dual diploma degrees or the case of a dual master’s and diploma degrees.

In the case of simultaneous programs, the student must obtain prior approval of the courses to be counted towards both degrees from the concerned programs and deans. In the case of sequential degrees, a period of up to five years is allowed between the dates of finishing one degree and starting the second degree for possibly having credit hours from the first degree accepted for credit in the second degree. This is contingent on the approval of the second degree program and the concerned school dean.

In the case of simultaneous programs, students who have completed all the requirements for one of the degrees and who decide to withdraw from the second degree, will receive the appropriate single degree. Students who have withdrawn from the second degree and later decide to complete this second degree, must apply for readmission, be readmitted and then fulfill the requirements for this second degree. This must be carried out within the period of the time limit for completing a degree (please refer to section of “Enrollment Status and Time Limit for a Degree Completion”).

Dual Undergraduate/Graduate Programs

A dual undergraduate/graduate degree program is an approved program in which a student pursues a graduate degree with an undergraduate degree in a related field. The total time for the two degrees could be decreased through the acceptance of up to 12 credit hours of required courses in both degrees. A student enrolled in a such a program must complete all requirements for the two degrees and is awarded both degrees at the end of the program. In this regard, this student is admitted to the graduate program before he/she have earned a bachelor’s degree. The student is typically able to take both undergraduate and graduate courses for the program during his/her senior year.

A student who decides to withdraw from this dual degree program, will receive his/her appropriate undergraduate degree contingent on having completed all requirements for this undergraduate degree.

Incomplete Work

In very rare cases, graduate students who are unable to complete a course may be permitted to continue and complete it in the following semester. In the meantime, a grade of “I” is assigned to the course. Any course instructor submitting an incomplete grade must supplement this submission with an incomplete form to the Office of the University Registrar (with copies to the program director, and the student) giving the following information:

  1. Reason for the incomplete.
  2. The material which is lacking.
  3. Action necessary for removal of the incomplete.

Incomplete forms are available at the Office of the University Registrar webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu.  

The student must make the necessary arrangements with the course instructor to complete the outstanding course work before the start of the examination period of the following semester, whether the student is enrolled at university or not. In completing the outstanding work, the student need not register again for the incomplete course. Failure to complete the course work within this time period will result in the grade to change to “F”, signifying failure for the course. No extension of this time period is allowed.

Students, in good academic standing, with an incomplete grade are not allowed to register for more than 9 credit hours during the semester in which they need to complete the required course work for the incomplete grade. Students with an incomplete grade and who are on probation will not be allowed to register for any credits during the semester in which they need to complete the course work for the incomplete grade. No overload is permitted as long as a student  has not completed the outstanding course work for an incomplete grade.

Only the final grade, received upon completion of the outstanding work, is kept on the student’s record.

Probation, Dismissal Course Repeat and Retake

If the student’s grade point average falls below “B” either in graduate work or in prerequisite course requirements, he/she will be placed on probation for one semester, during which time he/she must regain a “B” average.

A graduate student who receives an “F” in any course will normally be dismissed and not be allowed to continue in the university (please refer to the course repeat policy in the following paragraph); a student may also be dismissed from the university if he/she does not complete all program requirements within the period specified under ‘Residence’.

With the recommendation of the program and the approval of the school dean, a graduate student may be allowed to repeat one course, except if the grade is received for breaching academic integrity (please refer to the following paragraph for “F” grades due to a breach of academic integrity). With the recommendation of the program and approval of the school dean, substitution is allowed for an elective or an infrequently offered course. Both the original grade and the new grade will appear on the transcript but only the new grade will be used in calculating the GPA. Repeat forms are available at the Office of the University Registrar’s webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu. A student dismissed because of an “F”, and allowed to repeat the course, will need to petition for a readmission to the program.

 

A graduate student receiving an “F” grade in any course because of a breach of academic integrity will be dismissed from the university. Upon the recommendation of the program and the approvals of the school dean and the dean of graduate studies a student may be allowed to retake the course when it is next offered, unless otherwise stipulated by the academic integrity sanctions. Both the original grade and the new grade will appear in the transcript and both will be used in calculating the GPA. Until the student retakes the course, he/she is not allowed to register in any other courses.  A student dismissed because of an “F” due to a breach of academic integrity and allowed to retake the course, will need to petition for a readmission to the program.

 

This privilege of repeating and/or retaking a course may be exercised only once.

Planned Educational Leave of Absence

A degree-seeking student may apply for a Planned Educational Leave of Absence. A Planned Educational Leave of Absence is defined as a planned interruption of a student’s regular education during which the student temporarily ceases his or her formal studies at AUC, and after which he/she resumes his/her studies without the need to apply for readmission. A student who is approved for a Planned Educational Leave will be considered as maintaining his or her status as a continuing student.

  1. A student requesting a Planned Educational Leave of Absence must be in good academic standing at the time of request. The leave is conditional on the approval of the concerned program, and school dean. The leave application must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar no later than two week before the start of the semester by when the leave is requested. The Office of the University Registrar will notify the leave applicant of the status of the request before the start of the semester when the leave is requested.

Planned Educational Leave requests should:

  • Specify the purpose of the leave, which must be relevant to the student’s overall educational objectives.
  • Not exceed a maximum of 2 regular semesters.
  • Include the student’s confirmation of  returning to AUC at the conclusion of the leave.
  1. The Planned Educational Leave of Absence form is available at the Office of the University Registrar’s webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu
  2. The student may cancel a leave of absence as late as the first day of classes of the term for which the leave has been requested and approved.

A degree-seeking student shall be considered as having withdrawn from the university if he/she discontinues active enrollment in his/her program without being granted an approved leave of absence, if he/she does not return to active study at the close of the period of approved leave absence. This student must apply for readmission and be subject to the regulations and requirements then in force.

The right to use university facilities is suspended while the approved leave of absence is in effect, with the exception of library privileges subject to the approval of the program of major and the concerned school dean.

A Planned Educational Leave of Absence is counted as part of the time period for the completion of the degree. A student returning from an approved leave remains under the requirements of the catalog that he or she was following upon his/her first registration into the program.

Any academic credits accrued during a Planned Educational Leave of Absence is accepted by AUC only if prior permission is granted by the Office of the University Registrar and the department program of major.

Withdrawal from the University

Degree-seeking students who wish to withdraw from the university for one semester or more due to illness or other emergency circumstances are requested to fill in a withdrawal form available at the Office of the University Registrar webpage http://student.aucegypt.edu

A “W” grade will be recorded for each course from which the student withdrew, unless the withdrawal has taken place during the drop and add period in a semester and no academic credit is given for these courses.

Withdrawn students who wish to return after an absence of one or more semesters must apply for readmission. Readmission is not granted automatically. (See the “Admissions” section of the catalog.)

Transcripts

Students who have graduated or who withdrew from the University can apply for official or student transcripts of their academic record. There will be a charge for this service. No transcript of academic record will be issued during the examination, registration, or graduation periods. Academic transcripts will not be issued when unsatisfied financial obligations to the university exist.

Non-degree Academic Regulations

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Since non-degree students are usually seeking credit for transfer to other institutions, not all of the academic regulations in this section are applicable to them. They will be primarily concerned about the academic regulations of their home institutions to ensure that they receive maximum possible credit for their work at AUC. Non-degree students who wish to transfer credits to their home universities should check these universities policies before coming to Cairo.

Non-degree students should note the regulations pertaining to registration, change of courses, academic load, grades, probation, incomplete work, class attendance, and transcripts in the graduate section, as appropriate.

 

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