Terminations of Graduate Study
A graduate student will not be permitted to continue in the EEFE program in a degree program for any of the following reasons:
- The student's committee reports insufficient progress to the EFFE Graduate Program Chair.
- The student is in the Ph.D. program and does not pass all sections of the first-year qualifying exam within the time specified for the exam.
- The student is in the Ph.D. program and fails the Ph.D. Comprehensive or Final Examinations.
- The student is in the M.S. program and fails the Final Examination.
- A student fails to meet the English competency requirements.
When it is determined that a student is to be terminated for unsatisfactory scholarship, the student will be given written notice. The student will be advised in general terms of the reason(s)for termination.
Student Grievance Procedures
Students have the right to have grievances related to their academic program head. This right is exercised by submitting the grievance to the EEFE Graduate Program Chair, who will, in turn, appoint a Grievance Committee consisting of three (3) EEFE faculty members and one (1) student to hear the case. The Program Chair will not be a member of the Grievance Committee. Normally, one of the EEFE program’s graduate officers will be a member of the committee. The submission must be a written statement describing the grievance, which is to be addressed to the EEFE program Grievance Committee. The Grievance Committee will prepare a written report addressed to the Program Chair. The letter will be kept in the student’s permanent file and transmitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for further action.
If at any time the student presenting the grievance engages legal counsel, the EEFE program grievance procedure will cease, the Grievance Committee will be disbanded, and the case will immediately be referred to the Dean of the Graduate School.
Graduate Assistantships
Many graduate students hold research assistantships, and occasionally, graduate students receive other forms of financial support. Research Assistantships are normally provided through participating departments. Students seeking a Research Assistance should indicate this when applying to the program and should contact the EEFE Graduate Program Chair, who can assist in matching students to a source of support.
Service and Facilities
Participating departments provide office space, office equipment and supplies, computing facilities and support, and other services and resources.
Academic Integrity
According to University Faculty Senate Policy 49 20, "Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University's Code of Conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights, and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts."
Policy 49 20 continues, "Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others."
Students should bear in mind the importance of academic integrity in their course work, assistantship and wage payroll work, and work on theses and dissertations. If a student has questions about whether a particular action would be a violation of academic integrity, the student's academic advisor and the appropriate departmental Graduate Committee can provide guidance. The College of Agricultural Sciences' guidelines for implementing Policy 49-20 are available online.
