Academic Progress
Master’s Students
A minimum of 60% must be obtained in any course taken by a student enrolled in a master's program for the student to be granted Pass Standing. However, only six credits of Pass Standing may be counted towards a master's program. For all other courses, a minimum of 68% must be obtained.
On the recommendation of the Chair of the Master's Program and the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the student may repeat a course for higher standing or take an alternate course. Both marks will, however, appear on the student's transcript. If the School does not make such a recommendation, or if the recommendation is not approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the student will be required to withdraw. A student who obtains a grade of less than 68% in an excessive number of courses will normally be required to withdraw. The student will be informed of unsatisfactory academic progress in writing before any action regarding withdrawal is taken.
Appeals
To appeal a grade a student should first discuss the situation with the Instructor and then if not satisfied, with the Chair of their program or Director. A graduate student may ultimately apply to the Registrar for an official review of a course mark if this becomes necessary. Appeals based on alleged prejudice or bias or on improper or unfair procedures may be heard by the Dean of Graduate Studies, and then the Senate Committee on Academic Standing (application to the Senate Committee must be made within 10 days of the Dean's decision). The Dean and the Senate Committee on Academic Standing have no jurisdiction for appeals based on academic judgment and such appeals will be dismissed. See the General Information section of the UBC Calendar for further information.
Assignments
SCARP is, of course, a graduate school. Writing term papers, thesis and project reports, is part of your professional training and we expect that your submissions be professional in both form and content. This means that your papers should be properly structured as technical documents following a logical outline consisting of (for example): an introductory statement including your explicit focus and purpose in analysing that focus; an elaboration of the specific problem being addressed (e.g., history, context, controversies, unresolved issues, specific research objectives); brief description of methods (data sources, analytic framework); results and findings; discussion and conclusions. Most courses in the School require students to write short assignments and term papers. In addition, a major part of every student's program is his or her individual research project leading to either a Master's thesis/project or Ph.D. thesis. To facilitate all such writing assignments students should review the following style manual: The Chicago Manual of Style, new online version: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments should be less than 20 pages, typed in 12-point font and double-spaced on 8.5"x 11" paper . Double spacing is necessary to provide room for comments. All assignments should have your name, course number and course instructor on the first page. All professional papers should have full explanatory titles, meaningful sub-headingss and page numbers. Any of these lapses would be unacceptable as a professional report to an employer or client. All students should thoroughly review their papers and reports prior to submitting them to identify typing errors, redundancies, and obvious grammatical errors. In all cases, the text should be subjected to a spell-checker. Language provides the tools for thought, particularly critical thinking. A fine-grained understanding and facility in grammar and syntax, and a good vocabulary, is essential for fine-grained dissection, analysis and resolution of a problem. One cannot adequately elaborate and discuss complex social, economic and ecologicial problems with only a tenuous grasp of one's working language and word meanings any more than one can use the relatively clumsy tools of a diesel mechanic to repair a fine Swiss watch. Assignments may be retained by the School. Late assignments will not be accepted without prior approval by the instructor and penalties will apply. A student must submit a medical note to the SCARP office if they are unable to complete a course by the grade submission deadline. Assignments are not to be faxed or e-mailed to the SCARP office.
Academic Integrity
The University is an environment that fosters learning and the free exchange of ideas while maintaining responsibility and integrity. Violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to plagiarism, cheating, dishonesty, fabrication of information, submitting previously completed work and misusing or destroying school property. Any material or ideas obtained from digital or hard copy sources must be appropriately and fully referenced. Students are expected to uphold all the standards articulated in UBC's academic integrity site. If the instructor finds evidence of a violation of academic integrity the case will be investigated by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and, where appropriate, action will be taken. Disciplinary action may lead to a failing grade or suspension from the University.
Learning is continuous throughout an individual's professional life. There never seems to be enough time to learn everything one might want to know about a particular subject. Students should make meeting deadlines a professional habit. SCARP strives to help students learn quickly, to manage their time and to meet deadlines - all are important professional attributes. Students should be reflective, but should also be on time!
Attendance
SCARP Students are expected to attend every session in every course. In the event that students are unable to attend due to illness or emergency, they must notify their course instructor prior to class. Please review UBC's policy on attendance.
Course Cancellations
The School reserves the right to cancel a course if there are five or less Planning students registered or a minimum of 8 students in the case of classes taught by Adjuncts. The Instructor and the Director will determine whether to offer courses with low registration. The decision will normally be made by the end of the second week of each term.
Course Enrollment
Planning students may register in any courses offered by the School after consultation with their Program Advisors. All students must have their program of studies approved and "signed off" by their Program Advisors using a Program Record form.
Course and Teaching Evaluations
Course Instructors are expected to allot time in class for students to complete standard course evaluations. Course Evaluation forms are distributed in class at the end of each course and are collected by a designated SCARP student. The designated student then returns them in a sealed envelope to the SCARP Office in Lasserre Building, Room 433, 6333 Memorial Road, UBC. A compilation of course evaluation results will be given to the instructor, to the College for Interdisciplinary Studies, and placed in the instructor's file at SCARP. Comments will also be used for curriculum development and in faculty tenure and promotion reviews.
Course Withdrawal
The last day for withdrawal from Term 1 3-credit courses without "W" appearing on the academic record is September 27th. The deadline for Term 2 courses without "W" is January 16th.
The last date for withdrawal from Term 1 courses with a standing of "W" noted on the academic record is October 21th. The deadline for Term 2 courses with "W" standing is February 10th. After this date withdrawal is not permitted. Students who stop attending but neglect to withdraw will receive a grade based on whatever work was completed - usually this results in "F" appearing on the academic record. Students should ensure that their records are accurate by checking the Student Service Centre regularly. Students should inform Patti Toporowski, Graduate Records, and the relevant instructor(s) of any discrepancies.
Ethical Review
Ethical Review forms must be completed in advance of undertaking research involving human subjects including routine survey and questionnaire based research. An online tutorial and forms are available online through the Office of Research Services. Website: www.ors.ubc.ca
Grades
UBC uses a percentage grading systems as follows:
90-100% | A+ | First Class - Clearly outstanding work |
85-89% | A | |
80-84% | A- | Normal standing for graduate students |
76-79% | B+ | Second Class |
72-75% | B | Some deficiencies |
68-71% | B- | |
64-67% | C+ | Pass - Serious deficiencies |
60-63% | C | |
59% or less | F | Fail |
No more than six credits of Pass standing may be credited towards a graduate program. Students failing a course (below 60%) may be required to withdraw from the program.
Students who fail to complete the course requirements within the term in which they register must provide the instructor with a written request for an extension before the date on which grades are due in the SCARP Office. Requests must give reasons and indicate a proposed completion date. If the request for an extension is approved by the instructor, it should be endorsed by him or her and forwarded to the Director for approval.
Students who fail to complete the requirements of a course (except Directed Studies, Internship or Thesis) within the academic year in which they registered for it will receive an "F" grade.
A student obtaining at least 60% in a credit course may, with the Director's approval, repeat the course to improve his or her grade. Both marks will, however, appear on a student's transcript.
Any student suffering from medical or emotional problems that affect his or her performance should advise the Director immediately. This must be done before attempting examinations or other critical assignments to avoid a negative effect on grades.
Students should also visit UBC’s Access & Diversity Services at www.students.ubc.ca/access/index.cfm.
Leaves of Absence
Leaves-of-absence (LOA) may be granted once during a student's graduate program. Leaves may be requested for one term, one session or a maximum of one year (4, 8 or 12 months) and will begin on the first day of a term. Requests for a LOA should be made in writing to the Chair of your program. The student must indicate why he or she requires time completely away from his or her academic responsibilities. There is a broad scope permitted including personal, health, or other reasons such as financial need. Work, holiday, or travel during a single term is considered a normal part of a student's schedule and is not an acceptable justification for a formal LOA. The student's progress in the program and the anticipated time for completion of all requirements will be considered (the student should include this information in his or her request for LOA to the Chair). The final decision rests with the Associate Dean - Records, in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Leaves are rarely granted retroactively. The student must not pursue graduate academic work during an approved LOA. On-leave tuition fees are assessed and charged to the student during a LOA.
Policy on Supervising SCARP Masters students extending beyond two years
Masters students and their research supervision committee must be informed that SCARP has a two-year masters program.
The following policies apply to Masters students who under extenuating and exceptional circumstances extend their program beyond two years:
1. Masters students entering their third year in the program must meet every four months (i.e. at least once every regular term and once during the spring/summer session) with their research committee members. A copy of the meeting minutes taken by the student and approved by the committee members must be submitted to the SCARP office for the student’s file.
2. Masters students entering their fourth year in the program must meet every month with their research committee members. A copy of the meeting minutes taken by the student and approved by the committee members must be submitted to the SCARP office for the student’s file. If the student is doing a thesis (Plan 549C) and there is no substantial progress, a student must switch to a professional project (Plan 547C) at the start of the fourth year of the program.
3. Twice a year, in year three to five, the student must meet with the Chair of the Masters Program (in September and January) to discuss their progress in the program.
4. At the end of the fifth year in the program, an extension will not be approved if there is no significant progress in the thesis or project research.
Student Accident Insurance
Insurance coverage is available to a UBC student performing course work in environments where the risk of injury is greater than in the classroom (e.g., certain field work, practicums, and laboratories). Students must also have the basic BC Medical Plan or its equivalent from another province in place as the insurance plan provides only a measure of excess medical coverage. The plan does not provide 24-hour coverage; it applies only during the involvement of the student in course work. Course work taking place outside of Canada and involving travel in chartered aircraft are excluded from the plan. The cost is $7.00/year/student (subject to change). See the SCARP Administrator for further information. Note that the School does not automatically take out Insurance policies on behalf of the students.
Time Limitations
General information on the Faculty of Graduate Studies' regulations can be found in the UBC Calendar or at www.grad.ubc.ca. All students are encouraged to be familiar with these regulations. These regulations stipulate that full-time students must complete their Master's Program within two years with the possibility of extending the program only under extenuating and exceptional circumstances.
SCARP's program is designed to be completed within two academic years and "on time" completion by students is considered to be part of their professional education.
Permission to register in a third academic year will be granted by the Director to students who are able demonstrate significant progress on their theses/projects, or who can provide an acceptable reason for slow progress. Only in the most exceptional circumstances will registration be permitted beyond the third year. Signed Research Progress forms are due in the SCARP office by the middle of August.
Waitlist Policy
A waitlist will be opened for all courses that are designated for 2nd year SCARP students. SCARP students in 1st year and non-SCARP students will be asked to register on the waitlist (a note will be put on the online registration system). The Masters graduate secretary will monitor registration. If the course reaches maximum enrollment the Administrator will block further registration. If a student drops out of the course no one else can register directly in the course. If a student manages to jump the queue they will be moved to the waitlist. Enrollment will be reviewed periodically and if there is any space in the course 2nd year students will be moved from the waitlist. This will be based on the date and time they registered. Second year students should register within seven days of registration opening. A timeline is required for faculty to prepare their courses and for other students to be able to confirm their course schedule. If 2nd year students have not registered within this timeline all other students will be given an equal chance of registering for SCARP courses. Please note that registration cannot be blocked for 1st year Master’s students. We can only block non-SCARP students from registering in Planning courses. Several SCARP Faculty members prefer to have a class with a mix of students from other departments.
Work Study Program
UBC Work Study is an employment program that provides domestic students with the opportunity to work on campus in a variety of jobs and earn additional income to help finance their education. Students can work a maximum of 10 hours/week and earn up to $3,000 for the Winter Session (September - April). Please read the eligibility information carefully and apply early! No application form or student loan is necessary to be eligible for the program. Work Study is now open to all academic programs for domestic undergraduate students who are enrolled in at least 9 credits per term or domestic graduate students paying full-time tuition. The following link has additional information and the work-study authorization form http://www.careers.ubc.ca/opportunities.cfm
Graduate Student Travel Award
The Graduate Student Travel Award provides travel support once to graduate students who present a paper or poster at an official conference or symposium (student workshops are excluded). Applications
may be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at any time, and forms can be found on their website.
Equipment for Student Use
The following office equipment is available for student use:
- Fax machine: LASR 433 - Available to students on an urgent basis for local outgoing faxes. Long distance transmissions are not permitted; however, this service is available for a fee at "AMS Copy Centre" in the basement of the Student Union Building. Office staff do not notify students of incoming faxes. They will be sent to WMAX student mailboxes. Assignments or thesis chapters may not be submitted by fax.
- Photocopier: LASR 423 - Ask office staff to assign you a code. The charge is 10 cents per copy.
- Laser printer: Student Office Space, WMAX 142 – the printer is operated by cards ($10 or 20) which can be purchased at the SCARP office. A $1 refundable deposit is charged per card.
- A/V Equipment: The following equipment is permanently stored in:
· WMAX 150: ceiling mounted digital projector, overhead projector, flip chart, TV
· WMAX 140: overhead projector, flip chart.
Other A/V Equipment is available (including DVD player, VCR, LCD Multimedia projector, laptop and flip chart). To book, email Sherli Mah: sherli [at] exchange [dot] ubc [dot] ca or phone (604) 822-3276. Please book at least 24 hours in advance.
- Video cameras and related equipment (microphones, etc) are available only to students who have completed PLAN 548R (Multimedia for Planners) or who can demonstrate and have evidence of prior training with this equipment.
Please note: there is no computer lab for general use. Students are expected to supply their own computers, preferably laptops. A printer will be available in the Student Office Space, Room 142, for general use.
Supplemental Materials
UBC has numerous research, pedagogical and health resources available to students. These include The centre for Teaching and Academic Growth (TAG), the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, the Writing Centre, Student Health Services and student Counselling Services. Please make use of these resources or contact the instructor if you have any questions. Students new to UBC are especially encouraged to become familiar with the broad spectrum of resources that UBC provides.
