MAIS Course-Related Procedures
Complete the course registration form and submit it by the deadline dates to the MAIS program office. Manual registration forms are provided by the MAIS office for students who are sponsored or paying by cheque, money order, or student loan.
In exceptional circumstances, and where the course instructor concurs, students may be assigned a grade of Incomplete (INC). This allows students to take an additional two months to complete and submit course work.
Two months after the original course completion date, a grade will be assigned to the course. Students who have not submitted the required course work, are assigned a failing grade (F).
Students opting for the individualized study course have the flexibility to determine their own timelines for completing it within their six-month contract period. Should students experience time problems, they may extend the course contract by submitting a completed MAIS Extension Request Form, along with the appropriate fees, to the MAIS Office. Individualized study courses may be extended three times for a period of two months each. Contact the MAIS office for more information on extensions.
Students may re-register in a course only if they have received a final grade of 59 per cent or lower, or have withdrawn from the course in good standing. In re-registering, students must complete all course requirements and pay the full course fee. Students are permitted only one re-registration in each course. Both the initial registration and the re-registration will appear on the student’s transcript.
Students may withdraw from a course up until one month before the end of the session (refer to MAIS Academic Schedule) by submitting an MAIS Withdrawal Request Form. The date of withdrawal will be the postmark on the request, or if the notice is hand-delivered or faxed, the University date stamp.
Students who withdraw from a course within the first month of the course start date will have the record of registration deleted from their official transcript. If a student withdraws from a course after the first month of the course and before the last month of the course, the official record and transcript will show that the student withdrew without credit and without prejudice or academic penalty.
Students will receive a refund of the course fees minus the course withdrawal processing fee (refer to Section 7. Fees) if they withdraw from the course within 30 days of the course start date. Do not return the learning resources. A refund is not granted to students who withdraw 30 days after the course start date.
Students may withdraw from the program by submitting their request in writing to the Program Director. Students who withdraw may be re-enrolled in the program by following the reactivation procedures. Students requesting re-admission to the program may be competing against all other applicants. Failure in two courses will result in the automatic removal of the student from the program.
As the core courses will challenge students in areas of study that will most likely be unfamiliar to them, these two courses will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The rationale for pass/fail grading is to challenge students to risk working in integrated studies areas and to undertake assignment topics they might not consider if their performance was graded on a percentage (or Alpha) basis. All other courses will be graded using the following grade conversion alphabetic scale.
Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.
Each assignment and participation component that is to be counted towards the final grade for a course shall use the Alpha/4.0 grading scale effective September 1, 2004. Students registered in courses with start dates before September 1, 2004 will be graded according to the applicable former Alpha or percentage grade scale.
The following scale is effective for courses starting on or after September. 1, 2004. Please review the Graduate Grading Policy and Academic Records FAQ for more information:
| Alpha Grade | Percentage | Grade Point |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 95 - 100 | 4.0 |
| A | 90 - 94 | 4.0 |
| A- | 85 - 89 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 80 - 84 | 3.3 |
| B | 75 - 79 | 3.0 |
| B- | 70 - 74 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 66 - 69 | 2.3 |
| C | 63 - 65 | 2.0 |
| C- | 60 - 62 | 1.7 |
| F | 59 - 0 | 0.0 |
INC Incomplete status
W Withdrawn in good standing
WF Withdraw Fail
Some students may have completed work at other post-secondary institutions that is applicable to the MAIS program. After being admitted to the MAIS program, students may request a review of such course work. The Program Director will review such work to determine if the student should be awarded advanced standing and / or "not to takes" for specific courses in the MAIS program.
Students seeking advanced standing are required to submit to the MAIS program office, official transcripts (if these were not submitted in support of their application for admission), detailed course descriptions for such courses and the appropriate Transfer Credit Evaluation fees, and a written statement outlining a study plan and rationale for advanced standing. Failure to supply either the transcript or the detailed course description shall result in no advanced standing being awarded.
Students enrolled in the MAIS program may take up to five graduate-level courses (15 credits) from other post-secondary educational institutions in fulfilment of the program requirements, provided such courses are applicable to the Athabasca University MAIS program. Students wishing to take courses from other institutions must obtain and submit
- a Letter of Permission Request Form,
- a written statement outlining their reasons for pursuing studies elsewhere and an explanation of the course(s) relevance to the MAIS program, and
- detailed course outlines and the appropriate Letter of Permission fees to the MAIS program office for review. If approved, the Office of the Registrar will issue a Letter of Permission.
To allow for mailing time, requests for a Letter of Permission should be made at least one month before the registration deadline at the institution where the student will be taking the course. Upon completion of the course, the student must submit an official transcript to the MAIS program administrator in order to obtain credit for the course.
Information effective Sept. 1, 2010 to Aug. 31, 2011.
Updated October 20, 2011
