Academic Regulations exist to maintain the standards of the EMBA Program, and to ensure the candidates of the Program have the mandatory knowledge and experience to merit receiving the Degree. Degrees are awarded according to the requirements and processes set out in the Academic Regulations. 

Every student is responsible for knowing and meeting or upholding the Academic Regulations of the Program in order to progress through the Program and ultimately be eligible for the Degree. The Academic Regulations below are currently in effect. Regulations are consistently reviewed and may change from time to time. Any changes that take place during the academic year will be communicated to students; it remains the student’s responsibility to be aware of any such changes.

Academic Regulations

Each candidate for the Degree must successfully meet or achieve the Regulations below in order to be in Good Academic Standing, to progress through the Program, and to be eligible for graduation from the Program. In a case where a student violates any one of the Regulations, that student is normally required to withdraw from the Program (see section 4.2 for further information).

Every student must achieve the following:

Complete Program Curriculum

The student must complete all components of the curriculum as outlined in Section 3.

Overall Minimum GPA

The student must achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 (B-) including all courses taken in the Program.

No Failures

The student must obtain a final grade of at least 0.7 (D-) in each course.

Pass Individual Performance

The student must obtain a grade of at least 0.7 (D-) in the assessment of individual performance of any course. Course professors will determine how individual performance is assessed in their course.

Pass Team Performance

The student must obtain a grade of at least 0.7 (D-) on the assessment of team performance of any course. Course professors will determine how team performance is assessed in their course.

Function in Learning Team

The student must function effectively and supportively in the Learning Team throughout the duration of the Program.

Attendance

The student may not miss more than 25% of class sessions of any course.

Class attendance is monitored and concerns related to attendance will be addressed with the student. Note that repeated unexcused absences from class may also impact the assessment of performance in the Learning Team.

Academic Standing

The following Academic Standings may apply, depending on individual circumstances:

Good Academic Standing

In order to progress through the Program and to be eligible for the Degree, a student must be in Good Academic Standing. A student is considered to be in Good Academic Standing when they uphold the Academic Regulations set out in Section 4.1 above.
 
A student who fails to uphold any one of the Academic Regulations is no longer in Good Academic Standing, and is normally required to withdraw from the Program. The student is considered to be in Academic Jeopardy until a decision is made by the appropriate body.

Academic Jeopardy

A student who fails to meet any one or more of the Academic Regulations is deemed to be in Academic Jeopardy until a decision is made about their situation.

Students in this situation will first be reviewed by the Program Director. In some cases an informal resolution may be possible (for example, an opportunity to re-take an exam if the student has official evidence of being gravely ill on the day of the exam) and, if successful, the student may return to Good Academic Standing.

In cases where an informal resolution is not possible, the Program Director will inform the student in writing of the requirement to withdraw from the Program, subject to the student’s right of appeal.

Academic Jeopardy Resulting From Failure to Function in the Learning Team

As established in the Academic Regulations, section 4.1.7, a student must function effectively and supportively in the Learning Team throughout the duration of the Program. Effective and supportive behaviour as a team member includes meeting the standards of performance and behaviour determined by the Team in conjunction with the Team Coach, as well as full cooperation and responsive communication with the Team Coach.

When significant concerns regarding a student’s Learning Team performance is brought to a Team Coach, the Team Coach will investigate the situation fully and fairly. The Team Coach will:

1. Discuss the situation with each student on the Learning Team, including the student whose performance is in question
2. Identify the Learning Team’s established performance, operational and behavioural norms and expectations
3. Discuss with the student in question any failure to meet the team norms or expectations, and, if necessary:
4. Establish a set of formal expectations (in the form of a Performance Improvement Plan) that must be achieved by the student within a specified period in order to fulfill the obligation to perform as an effective and supportive team member.

A student operating under a formal set of performance expectations (a Performance Improvement Plan - PIP) is considered to be in Academic Jeopardy. If the student successfully completes the PIP, the student is once again considered to be in Good Academic Standing.

If, after a thorough investigation, the Director of Team Coaching determines that the student has not successfully completed the PIP, the Director of Team Coaching will refer the matter to the Program Director for review. If the student is deemed to have violated Regulation 4.1.7, the student will be required to withdraw from the Program, subject to their right of appeal.

Academic Probation

A student who has failed to meet one or more of the Academic Regulations and who has successfully appealed to the Academic Progress Committee may be permitted to continue in the Program, on Academic Probation, subject to specific terms, conditions, standards and timeframes tailored to the situation.

A student who successfully completes the conditions of their Academic Probation will be released from Academic Probation and return to Good Academic Standing. A student who fails to meet the conditions of their Academic Probation will normally be required to withdraw from the Program, subject to their right of appeal.

Requirement to Withdraw

A student who has failed to meet any one or more of the Academic Regulations is normally required to withdraw from the Program, subject to their right of appeal (see section 6). Further, a student who fails to meet the conditions of their Academic Probation will normally be required to withdraw from the Program.

Effective Date of Sanctions

Sanctions or adverse academic decisions, such as Academic Probation (and its terms and conditions) or a requirement to withdraw, shall take effect as soon as the student accepts the sanction OR exhausts (or allows to lapse) their right to appeal to the next level in accordance with Section 20 of Queen’s University Student Academic Appeals Policy:

1. Ordinarily, no sanction, penalty or requirement to withdraw shall be put into effect until the student affected has either exhausted all channels of appeal or has allowed the time for appeal to lapse. For the purpose of this provision, the University will normally consider an adverse academic decision to be a sanction.
2. Notwithstanding subsection (a), where an academic unit determines that the interests of third parties may be prejudiced by the continued enrolment of a student in a course or program, the unit may decide that, pending an appeal from an adverse academic decision, the student should not be permitted to continue in the course or program, or may be precluded from progressing to the next academic stage.
3. A student who is subject to an immediate sanction under this subsection may request that the Chair of the appellate body with jurisdiction over the matter expedite the hearing of the appeal. This request may result in a direction abridging the time for filing of documents, or other interim or preliminary procedural directions from the Chair of the appellate body.

The Commentary to s.20 reads in part:

Some academic experiences involve student interaction with third parties, or may be subject to laws and regulations such as those governing professions such as the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Medicine Act. For example, and without limiting other circumstances, there are placement requirements in Education and mandated clinical placements in Medicine, Nursing, and Rehabilitative Therapy, where the interests of third parties would justify immediate suspension of a student from a course or portion of a program. In programs involving intensive group work, the interests of other students might justify such a suspension…

Effective Date of Sanctions for Failure to Function in the Learning Team

The Program Director may determine that an adverse academic decision (e.g. requirement to withdraw) as a result of the violation of Regulation 4.1.7 (Function in the Learning Team) requires that a student’s participation in the team be halted during the appeal process to ensure that the interests of third parties (i.e. the learning experience and academic evaluation of the other members of the Learning Team) are not adversely affected. The student may be permitted to continue in the Program to the extent feasible until all levels of appeal are exhausted. However, in certain circumstances, the student will not be permitted to continue in the Program in accordance with SARD s.20.