Dec 06, 2024  
2020-2022 Graduate School Catalog 
    
2020-2022 Graduate School Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Standards of Scholarship



Graduate Student Responsibilities

Admission to the School of Graduate Studies at Morgan State University indicates that the student is seeking to achieve the highest standards of scholarship. The Dean and the graduate faculty expect admitted students to successfully meet the academic challenges of graduate school and to consistently perform above average in their course work. Although each student will be assisted by an advisor and other members of the professional staff, final responsibility for compliance with the School of Graduate Studies’ policies, including the standards of scholarship, rests with the student. It is the responsibility of graduate students to satisfy all course requirements in which they are enrolled and to be knowledgeable of all school and program and/or degree requirements necessary to complete the plan of study. In addition to the policies, procedures and academic requirements found in the graduate catalog, students are encouraged to periodically check with departmental or program advisors for changes in individual departmental policies and those that occur between the editions of the graduate catalog.

Statute of Limitations (5 & 7 Years Rules)

Students, whether part time or full time, pursuing graduate degrees at the University with requirements of less than 45 credits (e.g. most Master’s programs), must satisfy all degree requirements within five (5) years from the date of admission to the School of Graduate Studies.

Students, whether part time or full time, pursuing graduate degrees at the University with requirements of 45 credits or more (e.g. Doctoral programs and a few Master’s programs), must satisfy all degree requirements within seven (7) years from the date of admission to the School of Graduate Studies.

Failure to satisfy all degree requirements within the relevant statute of limitation is evidence of failure to make satisfactory academic progress and is, therefore, grounds for dismissal from the School of Graduate Studies. Students whose statute of limitations has expired and who have been dismissed from the School of Graduate Studies will not be permitted to re-enroll in any graduate degree program at the University.

Academic Regulations

All graduate students are subject to the academic regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and the college, school, or department in which they are pursuing a degree. Students may expect to obtain a degree in accordance with the requirements set forth under regulations in force at the time they enter the University or under subse-quent regulations published in the most recent (i.e. current) catalog.

Morgan State University reserves the right to make changes in academic policies, regulations, degree require-ments, and schedules or courses offered.

Conflicting Policies

The School of Graduate Studies awards degrees in more than forty (40) disciplines. Each department may identify additional admission requirements for their graduate programs. Occasionally, departmental policies may conflict with or be inconsistent with those of the School of Graduate Studies. Where such conflicting policies exist, the policies of the School of Graduate Studies shall have precedence.

I. Regulations and Procedures Governing Student Status

Residency

A student is admitted to the School of Graduate Studies upon satisfying minimum academic criteria and any additional requirement (e.g. tests, portfolio, interview, etc.) established by the faculty in the graduate degree program in which the student seeks to matriculate. Following admission to the School of Graduate Studies, a student must complete a minimum number of credits at Morgan State University while matriculating in a graduate degree program. This minimum number of credits is referred to as a “residency requirement” and should not be confused with the concept of Maryland State residency, the status used to set tuition rates for residents and non-residents of the State of Maryland. Upon completion of the minimum credits required to be taken at Morgan, the educational residency requirement has been met. Residency requirements apply to students matriculating in master’s and/or doctoral programs.

The minimum requirement for residency in either master’s or doctoral degree programs at Morgan State University is eighteen (18) credits of graduate course work completed at MSU. Transfer credit, in-ternship, thesis, and dissertation seminar or guidance courses may not be used to satisfy residency re-quirements.

Candidacy

In contrast to residency, candidacy status applies only to students matriculating in doctoral degree programs. Candidacy refers to students who have successfully completed all course work and who have successfully passed all preliminary and/or comprehensive examinations required in the degree program. A student who has achieved candidacy status typically only has to complete the dissertation to satisfy graduation requirements. Depending on the degree program, students may be required to achieve candidacy status before enrolling in Dissertation Seminar (___998/999) and/or Dissertation Guidance (___997) courses.

General Degree Requirements

Students may pursue only one degree program at a time. All requirements for the first degree must be satisfied before one may be admitted to another master’s or doctoral (i.e. a second) degree program.

Transient Students

Students enrolled in graduate programs at other universities and wishing to take course work in the School of Graduate Studies at Morgan State University must present a letter of authorization from the graduate dean of the other university. Transient students will be enrolled as non-degree seeking students in the status of visiting students.

Auditing

Students admitted to the School of Graduate Studies may audit courses provided permission is obtained from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the course instructor. Students are responsible for paying the auditing fee at the time of registration.

Course Load and Full-time Status

Fall and Spring Terms

Students enrolled for 9 or more graduate credit hours are considered full-time. The maximum course load for full-time students in the Fall and Spring semesters is 15 credit hours. Enrollment in Thesis or Dissertation Guidance (___ 797 or ___ 997) or Thesis or Dissertation Seminar (___ 798/799 or ___ 998/999) course constitutes full-time enrollment. Students enrolled for less than nine (9) credits and for a minimum of six (6) credits are considered part-time. Students in non-degree status are limited to part-time course load of 8 credits or less.

Summer Sessions

The School of Graduate Studies conducts two summer sessions. The maximum course load for all graduate students during each of the Summer Sessions is 8 credit hours. A schedule of graduate courses for each session is available in the Office of the School of Graduate Studies.

Re-Admision

Former Students Returning

Former students returning to the University who have not enrolled in the School of Graduate Studies for three consecutive semesters and have not corresponded with the School of Graduate Studies during that period are no longer considered as continuing students and must first be readmitted to the School of Graduate Studies and may be required by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to repeat the admissions process. This policy does not apply to students who have been dismissed from the University.

Re-Activating Admission

Applicants admitted to a degree program or admitted as non-degree seeking in the last year (12 months) and who did not enroll in graduate studies at Morgan nor gain a deferral of admission must reapply. If no enrollment deferral was sought or was sought and not granted, there is no guarantee of admission.

Applicable Program Rules

All rules, procedures and academic standards in effect at the time of new admission will apply and will be strictly enforced. In every case, the five- or seven-year rule will apply to all previously earned credits for completed course work. (See General Degree Requirements)

Dropping Courses and Withdrawals

Students wishing to make adjustments to their course schedules must do so within the drop-add period indicated on the university’s academic calendar. Students who are not successful in dropping or adding courses via WebSIS must file the necessary online Forms with the School of Graduate Studies. 

Stopping payment on checks for registration fees and/or failing to attend class does not constitute an official drop of a course nor does stopping payments or absence from class constitute withdrawal from school. Failure to submit an official drop request for a course will result in a grade of “F” being assigned for the course. Failure to provide the official drop request for a course or for officially withdrawing from school does not relieve graduate students of their financial obligation to the University.

Students must notify the Dean of School of Graduate Studies in writing and complete and sign the necessary withdrawal form(s) to withdraw officially from the University. Depending upon the time during the semester that their course is dropped or they officially withdraw from the University, students will be subject to a pro rata amount of the tuition and fees for the semester.

Academic Probation

Graduate students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in order to remain in good academic standing. Specific graduate programs may require students to maintain higher academic standards and/or a higher minimum GPA in their programs of study.

Students whose cumulative GPAs fall below a 3.0 or whose cumulative GPA falls below the minimum required by their degree program at the end of any semester are automatically on academic probation. Students who are on academic probation for two (2) consecutive semesters and who fail to raise their G.P.A. to a satisfactory level at the conclusion of the two consecutive terms of probation will be dismissed from the School of Graduate Studies.

Grounds for Academic Dismissal

Students who accumulate two (2) consecutive semesters with a cumulative GPA of less than the minimum required in their degree program and who do not restore the GPA to a satisfactory level by the conclusion of the third semester will be dismissed from the School of Graduate Studies. Also, students who otherwise fail to make satisfactory academic progress will be dismissed from the School of Graduate Studies. Grounds for academic dismissal also include:

  • failing to meet the specific academic requirements of the degree program;
  • failing to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (i.e., “B” average);
  • exceeding the Statue of Limitations;
  • failing comprehensive or preliminary examinations;
  • earning “C” grades totaling more than 20 percent of the credits needed to satisfy degree requirements; or,
  • receipt of more than two grades of “F.”

Appeals

Appeals concerning academic progress such as academic dismissal must be addressed in writing to the Chairperson of the department of the degree program who, in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator, will review the appeal and prepare a report and written recommendation for review by the College/School Dean. The Col-lege/School Dean shall submit a written recommendation along with the report and recommendation of the Chairperson to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies who shall make the final decision regarding a student’s appeal.

II. Policies on Grading

Grades for Graduate Students

The following grades are issued for graduate students at the University:

A Superior
B Average
C Unsatisfactory
F Failing work, must repeat course
P Pass
I Some phase of work is incomplete
AW An administrative withdrawal given for appropriately documented financial, sickness, or unusual nonacademic reason
W Official Withdrawal
S Grade for Thesis or Dissertation Guidance
CS Grade for Thesis or Dissertation Seminar until the defense of the Thesis or Dissertation is success-fully passed

NOTE: Grades of “D” are not issued to graduate students in graduate courses. Graduate students taking an undergraduate course will be subject to undergraduate grading practices, where grades of ‘D” are awarded. Graduate students earning such a grade must repeat the course.

Undergraduate Courses

Although a student may be required to enroll in an undergraduate course as a prerequisite to a graduate course (or admittance to a graduate program), undergraduate courses will not count for graduate credit.

Grading for Theses and Dissertations

Once candidates begin writing theses or dissertations they must be continuously enrolled at the University until the degree requirements are satisfied. Enrollment may be satisfied by being registered for Thesis or Dissertation Guidance until the thesis or dissertation is approved and submitted to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Enrollment in Thesis or Dissertation Guidance or Thesis or Dissertation Seminar course constitutes full-time enrollment.

Students failing to maintain continuous registration will be required to pay the costs of all previous semesters for which registration was required. Degree requirements may not be satisfied until this is done.See grade descriptions for the following courses as shown:

Upon completion of the defense of their dissertation or their thesis, students shall receive a final grade of “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) for Dissertation Seminar (i.e., ___.998 and ___.999 courses where applicable) or for Thesis Seminar (i.e., ___799).

Grade Point Average

The grade point average (GPA) is computed according to the quality points accompanying the letter grade. An “A” grade is calculated at 4 quality points, a “B” grade at 3 quality points, and a “C” grade is calculated at 2 quality points. Grades of “I” receive no quality points. After a student is matriculated as a graduate student, all courses numbered 500 and above except those graded with an I, P, CS, or S, will be used in the calculation of the GPA. Graduate credit transferred from another institution is not included in the calculation of the grade point average.

Unsatisfactory Grades “C” AND “F”

Both grades of “C” and “F” indicate unsatisfactory academic progress in graduate courses. Students may not possess “C” grades totaling more than 20 percent of the total credit hours required for satisfying degree require-ments. Students do not earn credit towards their degree for any courses where they receive a grade of F. Grades of “F” are computed, however, as part of the GPA. Once a student retakes the course for which the “F” grade was received and earned a grade of “C” or better, the higher grade will replace the “F” grade as part of the GPA computation. A course in which a grade of “C” has been earned cannot be repeated.

Change of Grade

A graduate student’s academic transcript is intended to serve as a complete and permanent history of the student’s academic progress at Morgan State University. A transcript will not, therefore, be altered except in conformance with the School of Graduate Studies’ policy governing change of grade. Grades for graduate students remain as part of the student’s permanent record. Changes in previously recorded grades may be made within one semester where the original instructor certifies that an actual mistake was made in determining or recording the grade. The faculty member must submit supporting documentation (e.g. roll book, grade sheet, etc.) to the Chairperson to justify the grade change. The change must be approved by the Department Chairperson, the College/School Dean, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the Provost/VPAA.

Incompletes (“I” Grades)

An “I” grade indicates that the requirements for a course have not been completed. An “I” grade is given only in exceptional cases where: a student’s work in a course has been satisfactory; and, due to documented illness; or, other documented emergencies beyond the student’s control, the student has been unable to complete the requirements for the course. Incompletes must be removed by the end of the next semester of enrollment following the granting of an incomplete (“I”) grade or the “I” grade is changed to “F.” Having two or more Incom-pletes that have become “F” grades is evidence of failure to make satisfactory academic progress and, therefore, is grounds for academic dismissal. Students may not graduate with an “I” grade recorded on their Morgan State University transcript.

III. General Program and Degree Requirements

Advisement

Students admitted to a degree program are assigned a department advisor. Students are expected to consult with their advisors for program planning, scheduling, etc., throughout their residency as graduate students.

Changes in Programs

Students wishing to transfer from one degree program to another must file a written petition with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. A change in program is not effective until the student receives written approval from the Dean of the College/School of the new program, and from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Students who are not in good academic standing may not change degree programs.

Transfer Credit

A request for transfer of credit for courses taken prior to enrollment in the School of Graduate Studies will not be considered until the student has satisfactorily completed as least 12 semester hours in his/her degree program at MSU. No more than six (6) semester hours of graduate credit taken at other accredited institutions may be applied toward the master’s degree. Transfer credit is not counted in the cumulative average or overall average of the program of study.

Once admitted to graduate work a student must obtain formal permission from the Dean of the School of Gradu-ate Studies before enrolling at another institution for a course that is to be offered in fulfillment of degree requirements at Morgan. Such permission is granted only in exceptional instances and only after the student has been admitted to candidacy and is in good standing and receives written approval of the Dean of the school in which the student’s program is located.

Transfer work must be equal in scope and content to that offered by Morgan and must represent a coherent part of the required program of study. Only courses in which grades “A” or “B” have been earned may be offered for transfer credit; grades for transfer credits are not counted in the G.P.A. Course work to be transferred must have been taken within the time period allowed for the completion of degree requirements. Credits for correspondence courses, workshops, and extension classes are not acceptable for transfer.

Application for Graduation

Students must file an Application for Graduation with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by November 1 if they expect to complete all requirements for graduation in time to participate in the May commencement ceremonies (i.e., by the end of the Spring semester of any year). Students who file an Application for Graduation by November 1 and who successfully complete all graduation requirements will receive their diploma during May commencement ceremonies. All graduates, including those who complete in December of the preceding year as well as those who complete in May, are expected to participate in the commencement ceremonies.

Students must file an Application for Graduation with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by May 31 if they expect to complete all requirements for graduation after the May commencement ceremonies but by the end of the Fall semester (i.e., December of any year). Students who file an Application for December graduation and who successfully complete all graduation requirements will receive their diploma but are expected to participate in the commencement ceremonies held the following May.

Before the Application for Graduation is filed with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, it must be signed by the Department Chairperson and stamped by the Bursar after the application fee has been paid. If a student does not complete all requirements for graduation by the end of the semester indicated on the Application for Gradua-tion, a new form must be completed for the year (and semester) in which the degree is to be awarded. Although a new Application for Graduation must be filed whenever a student does not finish in the semester indicated on the application, the application fee is paid only once. Students applying for graduation should also make arrangements with the University Bookstore for the rental of academic robes and regalia.

Degree Completion

Students must be enrolled in at least one graduate course, e.g., Thesis Guidance, Dissertation Guidance, or regular credit course the semester (including summer sessions) that they submit the thesis or dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies.

Students writing theses or dissertations must be continuously enrolled at the university, typically in either Thesis Guidance or Dissertation Guidance, and they must have satisfactorily defended their thesis or dissertation and have made all required corrections identified during the defense prior to submitting the thesis or dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies.

In summary, a student must be enrolled at the university the time the theses or dissertation is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies. Students who fail to enroll continuously after having enrolled in a thesis or disserta-tion course may be required to pay for each semester (excluding summer sessions) that they missed.

Course Cancellations

The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies reserves the right to cancel courses for insufficient enrollments; to limit enrollments in any class; and to assign students to added or split sections meeting at the same time and day.

Tuition Waiver

Students, including senior citizens, eligible to use the State College Tuition-Waiver Plan, may register only when regularly scheduled course space is available.

A Second Degree

An application for admission to a degree program from a person who already holds a graduate or professional degree will be considered on its individual merits.

Credit hours counted toward one graduate degree may not be used to satisfy credit-hour requirements for a second graduate degree. When course duplications occur, substitute courses will be approved in consultation with the faculty advisor and program coordinator. A maximum of two (2) master’s degrees may be earned at Morgan.

Comprehensive Examinations

Candidates are able to apply to take the comprehensive examination when they: 1) have met the residency requirements for their program, 2) are in good academic standing, and 3) have departmental approval. Candidates must be enrolled at the time the comprehensive examination is to be taken. Comprehensive examinations are designed, administered and scored by a department faculty committee with results reported to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by the deadline on the current academic calendar. In addition, departments are required to report results by mail to each student concerned. Students should consult the graduate calendar for examination dates and their department for additional information. Comprehensive examinations may be repeated only once.

Responsibility for Changes and Other Requests

Graduate students should be aware of the actions to be taken at various stages in their graduate career. Most of the actions described above are routinely processed through the School of Graduate Studies with an appropriate form or a written request. The student must take the responsibility to submit a written request or submit the appropriate forms. The following items are commonly resolved through a written request or form (all forms can be obtained through the office of the School of Graduate Studies):

  • Transfer of courses taken prior to or during enrollment at Morgan. Transfer of Credit form is signed by student and submitted to the program coordinator who approves (or disapproves) and forwards the re-quest to the School of Graduate Studies for approval and processing. Official transcripts are also required and must be received by the School of Graduate Studies from the Registrar of the school from which the credits are being transferred.
  • Change of Program. This form applies only to a change in program of study—not a change in degree level. Changes in degree level require an updated application.
  • Consideration of conversion from Non-Degree Seeking status to Degree-Seeking. This requires a request for the submission of appropriate application materials for the program of interest. This new application will be reviewed by the selection committee of the specified program for the admission decision. In some circumstances, if the original application was complete, it may be possible to update that application.
  • Withdrawal from courses (when not available via Web SIS). A drop/add form or its equivalent is required.
  • Withdrawal from school and program. A written request to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is required.
  • Leave of Absence. A written request to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is required.
  • Reinstatement after a Leave of Absence. A written request to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is required.
  • Reactivation after a period of non-enrollment. A written request for reactivation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies is required.
  • Extension of the Statute of Limitations. A written request to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is required. Following the request, additional information and documentation will be collected and re-viewed.
  • Reinstatement of registration (schedule). A written request for reinstatement of registration submitted to the School of Graduate Studies is required. All reasons for the cancellation of the schedule must be re-solved (failure to make satisfactory arrangements for payment, etc.). These resolutions may require ac-tion by the Bursar or the Office of Financial Aid.
  • Submission of a thesis or dissertation. An appointment is required to review the process and to authorize the submission via the ETD system (described below).

IV. Thesis and Dissertation Requirements

In general, students may register for the thesis or dissertation seminar when they: 1) have met the residency requirement for their program, 2) are in good academic standing, and 3) have their department’s approval.

Formal Process for Submission

Degree candidates who have prepared a thesis or dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the masters or doctoral degree are required to submit the final, approved manuscript in an electronic format as prescribed by the School of Graduate Studies. In a formal submission interview, the manuscript is submitted to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for review following the candidate’s oral defense. The thesis or dissertation must be signed by the Committee members and meet all other requirements prior to its submission. The candidate must provide an original, signed copy of the signature page at the time of submission.

Submisison Procedures

Procedures and regulations governing the formatting, production, and submission are published in the Morgan State University School of Graduate Studies Dissertation and Thesis Handbook, 2010 (currently available on the School of Graduate Studies Web Site). The Handbook reports the most current requirements and submission procedures and is updated regularly. Graduate students submitting a thesis or dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies will be charged a fee for publishing and copyrighting their work and pay for one print and bound copy for the Morgan State University Library. The School of Graduate Studies publishes the most current informa-tion on tuition and fees—including the current publishing fee and copyright fee—and the cost for a professionally prepared library copy in each Fall and Spring term on the School of Graduate Studies Web site. All fees are subject to change, and the candidate is responsible for paying fees in force at the time of submission. Fees are paid to the Bursar. Payment of the fees must be verified by a receipt from the cashier’s office and the cashier’s receipt must be presented at the time of formal thesis or dissertation submission. Additional copies for personal or for depart-mental library can be purchased through UMI Publishing or through an arrangement with the binder used by the School of Graduate Studies.

Degree Completion

Students must be enrolled in at least one graduate course, e.g., Thesis Guidance, Dissertation Guidance, or a regular credit course during the semester, including summer sessions, that their thesis or dissertation is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies. Students must be enrolled at the University at the time their thesis or disserta-tion is accepted by the School of Graduate Studies. Students must have made all corrections identified during the defense prior to submission of their thesis or dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies.

Continuous Enrollment

Students must be continuously enrolled at the University every semester (excluding summer sessions) once they have begun writing theses or dissertations (i.e., enrolled in Thesis Seminar, Thesis Guidance, Dissertation Seminar, or Dissertation Guidance). Students who fail to be continuously enrolled after having begun writing their thesis or dissertation may be required to pay the registration of semesters they missed (excluding summer sessions) prior to the submission of their thesis or dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies.

V. Responsible Academic Conduct and Ethical Research

Overview

Morgan State University in general and the School of Graduate Studies in particular, promote responsible and ethical research among graduate students. Graduate students are cautioned to avoid practices that threaten the integrity of their academic career and their research, including, but not limited to, falsification or fabrication of data, violations of privacy and confidentiality provisions, conflicts of interest, cheating, plagiarism, and copyright infringements. Unethical research threatens the integrity of the academic and scientific enterprise and may subject graduate students to severe penalties. For example, students are required to certify that any use of copyrighted material beyond “fair use” has the written permission of the copyright owner. If the permission to use copyrighted material does not accompany the dissertation, the copyrighted material will not be reproduced.

Federal Policy on Research Misconduct

Federal policy defines research misconduct as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. According to federal policy, fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them. Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record. Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

Federal sanctions for research misconduct include, but are not limited to, letters of reprimand; the imposition of special certification or assurance requirements; suspension or termination of an active award; or suspension and debarment in accordance with applicable government-wide rules on suspension and debarment.

Graduate students are also advised that several federal agencies have promulgated policies, penalties, and procedures regarding research integrity. Typically, these policies address researcher responsibilities for data acquisition and management, authorship and publication practices, animal and human subjects, conflicts of interest, research misconduct, and compliance with agency policies. For example, see the policy concerning instruction in the responsible conduct of research promulgated by the Office of Research Integrity at the Department of Health and Human Service at https://ori.hhs.gov/

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is among the most egregious offenses a student can commit because it interferes with the University’s primary mission of educating and evaluating students.

Academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, abuse of academic/library materials, stealing and lying, in the preparation of testing, class assignments, or dissertations and theses is no less egregious. Academic dishonesty, whether in the classroom or in the preparation of the dissertation or thesis, will not be tolerated by the School of Graduate Studies. In particular, any graduate student found to have engaged in plagiarism in the writing and preparation of course work, research papers and/or in the preparation of a dissertation or thesis shall be subject to the full range of penalties at the disposal of the School of Graduate Studies.

Plagiarism is submitting, either orally or in writing, the words, ideas, drawings, or other works of another person as one’s own without appropriate citation in order to receive credit for having completed an academic assignment or exercise.

Examples: Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Submitting material or work for evaluation, in whole or in part, which has been prepared by another stu-dent, by an author of a published article or textbook, or by persons producing papers for profit;
  • Using a direct quote from another student’s papers or from an author of a publication without including the appropriate citation;
  • Paraphrasing or summarizing another’s work without including the appropriate citation; and,
  • Using information stored electronically (e.g., submission of papers and or information found on computer disks, the Internet, etc.) without including appropriate citation and/or acknowledging the source.

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty

Any graduate student at Morgan State University who is found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, in the preparation of written assignments, a dissertation or thesis, may be subjected to suspension, expulsion and/or revocation of a previously awarded degree. Such sanctions may be imposed even though the accused graduate student may never have received a lesser penalty or penalties for previous academic dishonesty.

Suspension from the University. Suspension can be imposed for a specified period, not to exceed two years.
Expulsion from the University. Expulsion is a permanent separation from the University.
Revocation. When acts of academic dishonesty are found to invalidate a major piece of work required for a degree so that the validity of the degree or certification is jeopardized, then the sanction may include a recom-mendation from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to the University’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs to:

  1. reject a dissertation, thesis or other work.
  2. revoke a certification or not grant a certification.
  3. revoke a degree.