Graduate School Manual

Purpose of This Manual

This manual has been designed to provide information and guidance to graduate faculty as they advise graduate students and interact with the Graduate School. This document also represents current Graduate School policies and procedures.

Graduate School Roles and Responsibilities

The Graduate School

Under the direction of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, the Binghamton University Graduate School provides administrative coordination for graduate education and programs and is responsible for academic, financial and institutional matters of concern to graduate students. The Graduate School Office (Couper Administration Building 108; 607-777-2077; graduate@binghamton.edu) answers general questions concerning the University and interprets Graduate School policies and procedures. Information regarding funding, fees, incomplete grades, add/drop procedures, degree completion, and academic deadlines can be obtained from the Graduate School Office or from the graduate director or faculty advisor of the student's program.

Graduate Council

The governing body of the Graduate School is the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council, chaired by the Dean of the Graduate School, consists of 21 faculty members (elected from among designated graduate faculty) and four graduate students (designated annually by the Graduate Student Organization). The Graduate Council's functions include establishing regulations for the Graduate School, reviewing and approving proposed graduate courses and programs, developing standards for the admission and matriculation of graduate students, and recommending priorities for the allocation of graduate support resources.

Directors of Graduate Studies

Directors of Graduate Studies (DGS) are responsible to the graduate faculty of their program and to the Dean of the Graduate School for the recruitment, admission, advising, and monitoring of progress of students in their programs. Consequently, they have an important effect on the quality of graduate programs at Binghamton University.

Directors of Graduate Studies are appointed by the graduate faculty within a program. The DGS is normally a tenured faculty member, holding the rank of associate professor or above, and must be a full member of the graduate faculty as defined in Article II of the By Laws of the Graduate School.

The DGS of a graduate program reports directly to the Dean of the Graduate School or to the Dean's designee on all matters relating to graduate education in the program. The DGS is responsible to the Dean of the Graduate School for the administration of the specific graduate program, including record keeping, administration of graduate program funds, admission decisions, appointment of TA/GA/RPA/fellowship recipients, program requirement changes and new programs, advising and registration, appointment of advisory and examination committees, and other degree requirements related to the graduate program. Additionally, the DGS serves as the focal point for dissemination of information from the Graduate School and for the gathering of information.

Directors of Graduate Studies serve as program advisors to each student until the student has a thesis or dissertation director. The DGS then recommends that the thesis or dissertation director be appointed the student's advisor or committee chair. In areas where theses are not required, the DGS is the advisor of all students not writing theses unless the graduate program stipulates otherwise. All student schedules must be endorsed by the student's advisor. If it is desirable, a DGS may recommend that additional advisors in the program be appointed. A DGS who will be absent from the University for a significant portion of a semester must inform the faculty within the unit and the Dean of the Graduate School so that a substitute may be appointed.

Admission

See policies in related sections of the Binghamton Univeristy Academic Guide.

Deferral of Admissions

An offer of admission applies to a particular starting semester. This is specified in the acceptance letter. An applicant who wishes to defer admission should contact their graduate program. If the applicant has completed additional coursework since submitting their graduate application, they must submit a new transcript for review.

If the graduate program approves an applicant's deferral, the program should submit an admission deferral request to the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions, who will process the request.

Exclusively Online Program Applicants: Applicants who wish to defer admission should contact their program. Deferral requests will be processed once approved by the program. The program should submit the request to onlineadmit@binghamton.edu.
Note: Programs administered in partnership with external organizations (e.g., third-party providers) may follow a different process. Students in these programs should work directly with their program office regarding options for future terms, which may include reapplying.

International Students: If difficulty in obtaining a visa prevents an international applicant from enrolling in the semester specified in the acceptance letter, the applicant should contact the graduate program directly. The graduate program will then advise the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions of the applicant's status.

Accelerated Degree Deferral of Admission: Accelerated graduate degree programs are designed to begin the semester following graduation with an undergraduate degree. If an accelerated degree student wishes to begin studies at a later semester, the student should contact their graduate program to request a deferral of admission for up to one year.  If the graduate program approves the student’s deferral, the program submits an admission deferral request to The Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions (OGRA).

Accelerated degree students who wish to defer for more than one year or who do not have prior OGRA approval to defer must reapply for admission to a non-accelerated graduate program. It is not possible to reapply to an accelerated program. Readmitted students lose the ability to apply courses taken during their undergraduate degree toward their graduate degree and must meet the 24 credit residency requirement.

Enrollment and Registration

See policies in related sections of the Binghamton Univeristy Academic Guide.

Academic Policies: Master's Degree

See policies in related sections of the Binghamton Univeristy Academic Guide.

Academic Policies: Doctoral Degrees

See policies in related sections of the Binghamton Univeristy Academic Guide.

Academic Policies: Certificate

See policies in related section of the Binghamton University Academic Guide.

Processes and Procedures: Doctoral Students

Guidelines for Preparing or Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation

Funding Policies and Guidelines

Guidelines on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities

Monitoring/Modification of Guidelines on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities

Grievance Appeal Procedures

Academic Honesty