Academic Policy & Procedures

This webpage contains important information about the program’s academic policies & procedures, academic conduct & attendance policies. You should read it carefully before starting on the program.

Academic Conduct

Boston University’s Academic Conduct Code states: Academic misconduct is conduct by which a student misrepresents his or her academic accomplishments, or impedes other students’ opportunities of being judged fairly for their academic work. Knowingly allowing others to represent your work as their own is as serious an offense as submitting another’s work as your own.

Violations of this code comprise attempts to be dishonest or deceptive in the performance of academic work in or out of the classroom, alterations of academic records, alterations of official data on paper or electronic resumes, or unauthorized collaboration with another student or students. Violations include, but are not limited to:

Cheating on examination. Any attempt by a student to alter his or her performance on an examination in violation of that examination’s stated or commonly understood ground rules.  
Plagiarism. Representing the work of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following: copying the answers of another student on an examination, copying or restating the work or ideas of another person or persons in any oral or written work (printed or electronic) without citing the appropriate source, and collaborating with someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution. Plagiarism can consist of acts of commission- appropriating the words or ideas of another-or omission failing to acknowledge/document/credit the source or creator of words or ideas (see below for a detailed definition of plagiarism). It also includes colluding with someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution, using audio or video footage that comes from another source (including work done by another student) without permission and acknowledgement of that source.
Misrepresentation or falsification of data presented for surveys, experiments, reports, etc., which includes but is not limited to: citing authors that do not exist; citing interviews that never took place, or field work that was not completed.
Theft of an examination. Stealing or otherwise discovering and/or making known to others the contents of an examination that has not yet been administered.
Unauthorized communication during examinations. Any unauthorized communication may be considered prima facie evidence of cheating.
Knowingly allowing another student to represent your work as his or her own. This includes providing a copy of your paper or laboratory report to another student without the explicit permission of the instructor(s).
Forgery, alteration, or knowing misuse of graded examinations, quizzes, grade lists, or official records of documents, including but not limited to transcripts from any institution, letters of recommendation, degree certificates, examinations, quizzes, or other work after submission.
Theft or destruction of examinations or papers after submission.
Submitting the same work in more than one course without the consent of instructors.
Altering or destroying another student’s work or records, altering records of any kind, removing materials from libraries or offices without consent, or in any way interfering with the work of others so as to impede their academic performance.
Violation of the rules governing teamwork. Unless the instructor of a course otherwise specifically provides instructions to the contrary, the following rules apply to teamwork: 1. No team member shall intentionally restrict or inhibit another team member’s access to team meetings, team work-in-progress, or other team activities without the express authorization of the instructor. 2. All team members shall be held responsible for the content of all teamwork submitted for evaluation as if each team member had individually submitted the entire work product of their team as their own work.
Failure to sit in a specifically assigned seat during examinations.
Conduct in a professional field assignment that violates the policies and regulations of the host school or agency.
Conduct in violation of public law occurring outside the University that directly affects the academic and professional status of the student, after civil authorities have imposed sanctions.
Attempting improperly to influence the award of any credit, grade, or honor.
Intentionally making false statements to the Academic Conduct Committee or intentionally presenting false information to the committee.
Failure to comply with the sanctions imposed under the authority of this code.

For Boston University Study Abroad Geneva Program students, charges of academic misconduct such as cheating on examinations, plagiarism, the alteration of work after submission, or alteration of records and the like are referred to the program director. Charges of academic misconduct will usually be handled within BU Study Abroad Geneva Programs. Students charged with academic misconduct may have the opportunity to have their case referred back to their home campus for a review by their college’s academic conduct committee. Where a student already has a record of academic misconduct, the case will automatically be referred to his or her college dean.

All students are responsible for having read the Boston University Academic Conduct Code

http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conduct-code

Attendance Policies

The rules governing Internship Program students’ Swiss visas are strict and require, as a condition of the student’s presence in Switzerland, that the student participates fully in all classes and in the internship. If a student does not attend classes or his/her internship as required the student will be considered to be in breach of the visa. As the sponsor of our students’ visas, Boston University has the legal obligation to ensure that each student complies with visa requirements.

For that reason the Boston University Geneva Program requires full attendance in classes and internships. Any student who does not comply with this policy may be sent home from the program.

Students who expect to be absent from class or their internship must notify their lecturer or supervisor by email at the earliest opportunity. They must also copy the program director on the email.

Absence from Class

All Boston University Geneva Program students are expected to attend each and every class session, seminar, and field trip in order to fulfill the required course contact hours and receive course credit. Any student who has been absent from two class sessions (whether authorized or unauthorized) will need to meet with the program director to discuss their continued participation on the program.

Absence from the internship

Attendance is mandatory. Students are not entitled to take time off from work. As a requirement of the Swiss resident permit and in accordance with the BU Geneva Attendance policy, all students must attend every day of their scheduled internship.

Authorized Absence

Authorized absence may only be granted in cases of illness, injury, or bereavement. Absence or lateness due to other circumstances, even if these are outside of the student’s control, may not be accepted as valid justification.

If a student is going to be absent from class they must email their teacher and copy the program director. If a student is going to be absent from their internship they must email their supervisor and copy the program director and internship placement manager.

Students who are absent for illness or injury must present a doctor’s note to their lecturer or supervisor in order to get an authorized absence. The program director may also authorize a student’s absence directly with the professor. If a student requires any assistance or advice they can come to the office during hours or contact the RA on call out of hours.

For requests for absence for bereavement please see the BU academic policy

https://www.bu.edu/academics/policies/

Travel during Internship

Boston University must approve in advance any overseas travel for an internship. Internship supervisors will be asked to confirm travel details, accommodation and supervision. It is expected that all costs will be met by the internship.

Registration and grading

Geneva Internship Program. The courses taken are subject to approval by the student’s academic adviser and the program director. Students will be sent a link to an online course selection form prior to starting the program. Students will specify which two courses they intend to take during the core phase and these must be in accordance with their track. They will be automatically enrolled for the sequel track course and internship course for the 2nd phase. Boston University uses semester hour credits, equivalent to at least 40 contact hours for one semester; a one-semester course is valued at 4 credits. Therefore, students on the internship program will receive 16 credits upon successful completion of the Program.

Physics Program. The courses taken are subject to approval by the student’s academic adviser and the program director. Students participating in the Physics program will be automatically enrolled for the courses run by Boston University Study Abroad Geneva. Boston University uses semester hour credits, equivalent to at least 40 contact hours for one semester; a one-semester course is valued at 4 credits.

For courses run by Geneva University (UNIGE) students must register directly with them and communicate their course choices to the Boston University Study Abroad Geneva office. BU Students will only be given credit for UNIGE courses which carry 6 or more ECTS credits, which is equivalent to 4 BU credits. Non-BU students may petition to take other classes with the agreement of their own universities and of the program. Students must also register with Geneva University for the final exams and communicate the grades attained to the Boston University Study Abroad Geneva office.

Courses taught by the Geneva University faculty are subject to their own academic policy and procedures.

Course Change

During the first week on site, students may request permission from the program director to change their elective course. Any changes are subject to availability of spaces on the course. Because of the accelerated nature of the program, no changes are possible after the end of the first week.

Students are responsible for making sure that their course choices have been approved by their academic adviser on campus.

Grading Guidelines – program courses

Students in the Geneva Internship Program will be graded on a variety of assignments and requirements in each of their courses, including academic papers, class presentations, class participation, and examinations. Students should familiarize themselves with these guidelines and the individual course syllabus and refer to them often. The syllabus for each course contains the criteria for determining the final grade in that course.

The final grade is determined solely by the lecturer.

Please note that as the courses here are extremely compressed, it is not possible to miss any of them without falling behind. Each unauthorized absence will systematically result in a grade penalty equivalent to a flat 3% penalty deduction from the final course grade. The penalties are cumulative for each unjustified absence.

Tardiness is disrespectful and may also result in a grade penalty. This is at the discretion of the lecturer.

For more information on absence, go to the section on attendance policies.

Incomplete or I grades are not permitted because of the obvious difficulty in making up missed work once the student has left the country. All work must be completed on time. We also do not allow ‘Audits’ (AU), ‘Withdrawals’ (W), or ‘Pass/Fail’ (P) grades.

A This exceptional grade is assigned only to work that has persistently outstanding quality in both substance and presentation. The student must demonstrate a sustained capacity for independent thought and extensive study, producing rigorous and convincing analyses in well-ordered prose.

A- Awarded to work that is clearly focused and analytical, and based on wide reading. The student must cover all the principal points of a question and systematically develop a persuasive overall thesis, allowing for one or two venial omissions or inapt expressions.

B+, B, B- This range of grades indicates that the student has shown some evidence of original thought and intellectual initiative. The student has cited sources beyond the class materials, and shown a degree of originality in perception and/or approach to the subject. The work will show thoughtful management of material, and a good grasp of the issues. The differences between a B+, a straight B and a B- may reflect poor presentation of the material, or mistakes in punctuation, spelling and grammar.

C+, C, C- Work in this grade range is satisfactory, but uninspiring. If the work is simply a recitation of the class materials or discussions, and shows no sign of genuine intellectual engagement with the issues, it cannot deserve a higher grade. Should an essay fail to provide a clear answer to the question as set, or argue a position coherently, the grade will fall within this range.

Quality of presentation can lift such work into the upper levels of this grade range. Work of this quality which is poorly presented, and riddled with errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation, will fall into the lower end of the range. To earn a C grade, the work must demonstrate that the student is familiar with the primary course material, be written well enough to be readily understood, be relevant to the assignment, and, of course, be the student’s own work except where properly cited.

D A marginal pass can be given where some but not all the elements of the course have been completed satisfactorily.

F The failing grade indicates the work is seriously flawed in one or more ways:

Obvious lack of familiarity with the material
So poorly written as to defy understanding
So brief and insubstantial that it fails to properly address the subject
Material presented is not relevant to the assignment
Demonstrates evidence of plagiarism (see following section in Academic Conduct Code)

Physics classes at UNIGE

Direct enroll Physics classes at UNIGE will be marked out of 6, with no letter grades. The following table gives a conversion from UNIGE to BU letter grades. The Boston University Study Abroad Geneva office will convert the UNIGE grade into a letter grade and communicate this back to the student.

UNIGE Grade	BU Letter Grade
2	F
2.25	D
2.5	D
2.75	D
3	C-
3.25	C
3.5	C
3.75	C+
4	B-
4.25	B
4.5	B
4.75	B+
5	A-
5.25	A-
5.5	A
5.75	A
6	A

Examinations

Students are required to sit their examinations on the dates, at the times, and in the same classroom as the other students in their class unless they have appropriately documented special academic accommodations. If a student is ill or has another extenuating circumstance which causes the student to be absent from a scheduled examination, she or he must provide a doctor’s note. Please contact the faculty member and program director with any concerns about examinations.

Late Submission of Papers

Late submission of papers, particularly those that may delay the processing of final grades for a course, is not permitted except for medical or emergency reasons. All other late submissions will not be accepted unless they have been authorized in advance and will always incur a penalty. The penalty incurred will increase with the lateness of the submission. An extension must be petitioned for at least 24 hours in advance of the submission deadline.

Requesting an extension does not necessarily mean it will be granted.

Extension petitions should be addressed to the faculty member and the program director, by email with supporting evidence. Any delay may warrant a reduction in the final grade. If the extension will delay the posting of a grade, the instructor should award a grade of ‘MG’ (Missing Grade) with a specific due date.

Final Grades and Grading

Please bear in mind that our faculty is part-time, with many other academic commitments to fulfill. Students should expect to receive their grades from the faculty within two weeks. At the end of the semester, if students wish to have their coursework returned to them, they must leave a self-addressed envelope with the Boston University Study Abroad Geneva office who will forward materials on once they are received from faculty.

Students are not able to take an ‘Incomplete’ for any course. An F grade will be issued for incomplete coursework. All course work must be completed before the end of the semester.

Transcripts/Grade Reports

BU Students can see their grades over the BU Student Link about 3-4 weeks after the end of the program. Grade reports will be sent to BU students by the Office of the University Registrar. Please note that the Study Abroad Office cannot release any student’s grade information over the telephone.

Non-BU Students

Transcripts are released about six weeks after the end of the program. Students should have completed a transcript release form as part of their general Pre-Departure materials. This releases the individual student’s transcript to the home institution (students must provide BU Study Abroad with the correct address on the release form). At the end of the semester BU Study Abroad will automatically send the official transcript out based on the release form.

If a student did not complete a transcript release then two copies of their transcript are mailed out to the visiting student’s permanent address – one unofficial transcript for personal use and a sealed stamped official transcript that should be sent or delivered to the appropriate individual at the student’s home institution (the student is responsible for doing this). Transcripts are only mailed to those students whose accounts are paid in full.

Special requests for transcripts to be sent directly to non-BU Academic Registrar’s, Graduate Schools, etc. can be made. Requests can be made on BU’s website:

http://www.bu.edu/reg/academics/transcripts

Please note there is a fee for this service.

Academic Advice

Students’ first line of academic advising for courses is with their course lecturers. The program director serves as the head of the faculty and as senior academic adviser. The program director is available on an appointment basis to assist students with advice on academic issues. For academic advice regarding students’ home institutions’ policies and transfer credit information, non-Boston students should contact their school’s academic advisers.