Academic Policies & Regulations

The university policies and regulations generally apply to all undergraduate students and provide a framework within which schools and colleges may specify further conditions or variations appropriate to students in their courses or programs. Policies specific to Tyler School of Art are as follows: 

Academic Credit

A credit hour is a measure of the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. A credit hour is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates: (1) not less than one hour of classroom instruction or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester of credit or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work for other academic activities such as studio work. For example, a three-credit studio course allows for not less than nine hours of work which can include five hours of in-class studio and at least four hours of out-of-class student work.

Additional academic credit policies may be found in the Academic Policies section of this Bulletin: www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_policies/policies_part1/policies_part1.shtm#acad_credit.

Courses Inapplicable to Graduation

Credits earned in Mathematics 0015 (formerly Math 0001) and lower-level courses in Military Science are not included in the minimum number of credits required for graduation. A maximum of 4 courses or up to 12 semester hours for upper-level Military Science (Army ROTC), Naval Science (Navy ROTC), or Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC) courses will be applicable toward graduation credits. Courses transferred from other institutions or taken at Temple University that do not satisfy studio, art history, College or General Education requirements are elective and applicable toward degree completion as long as university and major requirements are met. Please see your advisor if you have questions regarding credits towards graduation.

Dean's List

Each fall and spring semester, those undergraduates who have met the credit hour and academic criteria for their school or college are placed on the Dean's List. See the Dean's List policy for specific GPA and credit-hour requirements.

Double Major within Tyler

Some undergraduate students may be interested in pursuing a double major within Tyler.  Generally, two separate writing intensive courses are required for each major - they can not overlap. Tyler is currently creating a new policy regarding double majors and requirements.  Please see the academic advising staff for updated information.

Grievances

Please refer to the University grievance policy, located in the Responsibilities & Rights section of this Bulletin: www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/rights/rights.shtm#grievance.

Student Academic Grievance Policy and Procedure

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 requires that each college or university establish due process for the resolution of academic grievances. Students enrolled at Temple University have the right to appeal academic decisions that they dispute. Each school and college at Temple University has established and adheres to its own grievance procedure. The following procedures are specifically applicable to all degree programs of Tyler School of Art.

Students should be advised that filing a formal grievance beyond the level of the instructor is serious and should be avoided until all informal methods of adjudication have been employed.

Step 1 – Faculty Member:   A student with an academic grievance must first attempt to discuss the problem with the faculty member. In most cases, the grievance can be settled in this manner.

Step 2 – Chairperson:  If the grievance cannot be resolved in Step 1, the student may submit a letter of grievance to the chairperson of the faculty member’s department stating the following: course reference number, course number and section, faculty member teaching the course, and specific reason(s) for the grievance. The chairperson shall review with the student his/her reasons for the grievance. The chairperson, with letter of grievance, shall meet with the faculty member to discuss the problem. The chairperson shall transmit, in writing, the outcome of this meeting and his/her decision to the student and faculty member.  Note: If the faculty member in the grievance is the department chairperson, the letter of grievance should be submitted directly to the Associate Dean’s Office.

Step 3 - Assistant Dean: If the student remains dissatisfied, he/she may appeal to the Assistant Dean’s Office. The Assistant Dean shall schedule a meeting first with the faculty member and the chairperson to discuss the grievance. Following this discussion, the student is invited to join the meeting to discuss the matter further and hear the decision. A report regarding the outcome of the meeting is written by the Assistant Dean and forwarded to the Dean’s Office.

Step 4 - Student Appeal and Grievance Committee: If the student decides to pursue the matter further, he/she may appeal the case to the Dean’s Office. The Dean shall call a meeting of the Student Appeal and Grievance Committee which consists of the four at-large members of the Tyler Executive Council. The Dean shall appoint one of these members as Chair without vote. The committee shall also consist of two undergraduate students and one graduate student provided by the Tyler Student Alliance (see Tyler School of Art By-Laws, Article III, Section B., No. 1). The Student Appeal and Grievance Committee shall make recommendations to the Dean on each appeal or grievance.  All recommendations to the Dean shall reasonably summarize the student’s claim, provide the basis for the committee’s recommendation, and state clearly the committee’s recommended disposition of the student’s claim.

Step 5 - Dean of Tyler: The Dean of Tyler shall investigate the matter thoroughly and, if necessary, discuss the case with all those involved.  The Dean’s decision shall be forwarded, in writing, to the student and committee.
   
Step 6 - University Administration: Should the student decide to appeal further, he/she will be directed to the appropriate University administrator: the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Students or the University Dean of the Graduate School. All materials will be forwarded to the appropriate office for further consideration.

Step 7 - Provost:  Appeals for contesting a grade or any academic matter are directed from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Students or the University Dean of the Graduate School to the Provost’s Office. This is the final step and highest level for student academic appeals.

Fall and Spring Semester Time Limit For Academic Appeals
The time limit within which a grade grievance can be entered is one (1) semester after the grade has been made a part of the student’s transcript.

Summer Session Time Limit For Academic Appeals
Due to the condensed schedule of the summer sessions, the limit within which summer grade grievances can be entered is two (2) weeks after the grade has been made a part of the student’s transcript.
 
For further information on academic grievance procedures, please inquire in the Associate Dean’s Office.

Grievances Other Than Academic Appeals:
• Students who believe they have been discriminated against or harassed because of age, color, disability, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and gender identity, veteran status or genetic information should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance, 2nd Floor Mezzanine, Sullivan Hall. Phone: 215-204-8890; web site: www.temple.edu/eoc.

• Students who have other non-academic complaints about a faculty member’s conduct (without regard to grading), should refer those concerns in writing to the Chair of the Department or, if the faculty member is also the chair, to Vice Dean Hester Stinnett.

Students who have sexual harassment complaints should contact the Tyler Sexual Harassment ombudsperson, Kari Scott at miss.kari@temple.edu.

Students are welcome to contact Assistant Dean Carmina Cianciulli, at carmina@temple.edu or 215-777-9199 to discuss grievance policies and procedures.

Incomplete Coursework Policy

An instructor will file an "I" (Incomplete) only if the student has completed the majority (51% or more) of the work of the course at a passing level, and only for reasons beyond the student's control. This may include severe illness, broken limbs, family situation, etc. An incomplete may not be used to give students extra time to improve their grades.  There must be a compelling reason behind each incomplete grade assigned. An instructor may file an "I" when a student has not completed the work of a course by the time grades must be submitted but has completed the majority of the work at a passing level and has a written agreement with the instructor and the department regarding completion of the work, including the nature of the work to be completed.  The completion date may be no later than one year from the end of the semester in which the student took the course.  The agreement shall also specify a default grade to be received if the work is not completed by the date indicated.  Four copies of the agreement must be made:  One copy shall be retained by the instructor, one shall be given to the student, one shall be filed with the department office and one shall be filed in the Tyler Academic Advising office in the student's record file (note that the University form states that one copy goes to the Dean's office - Tyler holds those copies in the student's file in Advising).

When reporting the grade of "I" for a student, the instructor shall also file a report of the default grade.  If the instructor does not change the grade of "I", pursuant to the agreement with the student, by the end of one year from the time the grade of "I" was awarded, the appropriate University official shall automatically change the grade of "I" to the reported default grade and the default grade shall appear on the transcript and be used for all other grading purposes as the actual grade received in the course.  Faculty advisors and staff advisors have the option of not permitting a student to register for an "overload" if the student is carrying one or more active incomplete courses, or for a "full load" if the student is carrying two or more active incompletes.

Independent Study Policy

The following are the guidelines and standards for "Independent Study" Undergraduate credit in Studio, Art History and Art Education for students and faculty at Tyler School of Art:

There will be a maximum of 1 student in Independent Study per full-time faculty per fall and spring semester.

The intended area of study must supplement, not supplant, existing studio, art history and art education courses, and curriculum.

An Independent Study course shall count for 1-3 credits, with a maximum of 6 credits applicable toward the degree. You may not take more than two Independent Study courses in your career.

Independent Study courses shall carry upper level numbers. Students must be classified as Juniors or Seniors. Students should have prior experience with the faculty member teaching the Independent Study course.

A written proposal must be developed and agreed upon in advance of the beginning of the semester, describing the intended area of the investigation. At the end of the Independent Study, a paper must be submitted describing the outcome of the learning experience.

Only after the student receives written permission from the faculty member and the department chair may they register for the class.

Installation Policy

Students or faculty who wish to have art work or performances installed outside the studio must complete an Installation form, and have it approved by the appropriate University personnel.  Students or faculty must also have an approved installation form to place work outside the building, anywhere on campus. The Assistant Dean's office requires 7 business days to ensure enough time to get the appropriate approvals.  In many cases extra time is needed to revise a proposal due to safety issues or otherwise unavailable space. Forms filed less than seven (7) days will risk being denied. The Assistant Dean will work with the student and faculty and University personnel to locate appropriate space for student installations. Please note that approvals are not automatic, and can be denied on the basis of non-compliance with University policies.

Students who place projects without approval, or who abandon or incompletely de-install projects, or who do not properly restore sites, buildings, or other university property will be subject to fine and, potentially, disciplinary action.  Installation forms are available in the Assistant Dean's office, 210G, Tyler. Please refer any questions or concerns to Assistant Dean Carmina Cianciulli via e-mail  - carmina@temple.edu - or by stopping by the office, room 210G in the Tyler building.

Loss or Damage

Temple University is not responsible for loss of property of any student or other individual due to fire, theft, or other cause. The university may require residence hall students to present proof of insurance against loss by fire, theft, or other cause before assignment to any university housing.

Program Performance

Matriculated BA in Art History, BA in Art, BA in Visual Studies and BFA students (with the exception of those seeking the Art Education concentration) in the Tyler School of Art must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0* or may be subject to academic action including academic warning, probation, and dismissal from the university. Higher minimum GPAs are required by the Bachelor of Architecture Program (2.5)**, the BFA with Art Education Concentration (3.0), and the BS in Art Education program (3.0).

*Please contact the academic advisor for updates to this policy.

**Please contact the Architecture program office for updates to this policy.

Re-Enrollment Policy

All students who have attended Tyler School of Art of Temple University and wish to be considered for readmission (re-enrollment) to Tyler must fill out the request to re-enroll form available at Temple University's Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies web site: www.temple.edu/vpus/documents/request_to_reenroll.pdf.

For those students who have left Tyler in academic good standing and apply for re-enrollment into a semester within three years of the last completed semester, no portfolio review or interview is required. A portfolio uploaded to temple.slideroom.com is required for those BFA, BA in Art, BA in Visual Studies, or BS in Art Education students who have not attended Tyler for more than three years from the semester in which they intend to apply for re-enrollment.  SlideRoom charges a fee for this service. Please note: We are no longer accepting students for re-enrollment into the BA in Art on the Main campus; the BA in Art will only be available at the Japan campus. Students previously enrolled in that program may seek admission into the BA in Visual Studies. Students who seek re-enrollment will be considered for matriculation into the current catalog year.

Students who are dismissed from Tyler or who left on academic probation must review the academic standing policy located in the Academic Policies section of this Bulletin: www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_policies/policies_part1/policies_part1.shtm#acad_stand.

A portfolio uploaded to temple.slideroom.com is also required of all BFA, BA in Art, BA in Visual Studies, or BS in Art Education students who were dismissed or who left Tyler on academic probation. It must include twenty (20) images of your studio work, ten (10) completed at Tyler, and ten (10) after leaving Tyler that demonstrate studio progress.

Any student who attends another college or university and has taken studio art credits must submit a portfolio uploaded to temple.slideroom.com to represent completed studio coursework in order to have those credits considered for transfer credit into the Tyler BFA, BA in Visual Studies, or BS in Art Education programs or one of the Architecture programs. Academic credits will be accepted into the Tyler degree programs as determined by Temple University policy for the semester in which the student is applying for readmission.

The final decision regarding readmission will depend both on the recommendation of the transfer committee as well as the review of academic credentials by the Assistant Dean. Please note well: Any student applying for readmission must be aware that Tyler may not accept studio credits that are more than 10 years old into any Tyler curriculum from transfer or readmission applicants regardless of where those credits were completed.

Student Art Work

The school reserves the right to keep art work submitted for course credit. In practice, this privilege is exercised sparingly but, in certain studio areas, the selection of one piece by each graduating student contributes to an important instructional collection. When the student art work is reproduced in Tyler publications, either in print form or electronic form, every effort will be made to give credit to the student artist.

Tyler School of Art records images of student work for use in Tyler publications and web sites. Tyler reserves the right to reproduce without notification such images of any artwork produced by students while attending Tyler for promotional or other purposes, including in print publications, institutional web sites, e-communications, multimedia presentations, and documents about Tyler or Temple University for admission recruitment, fundraising, or institutional informational purposes.

No compensation is provided to students for such uses of images of student work.

Please see the Installation Policy above regarding placing student art work in the public spaces at Tyler and in any Temple building or on Temple grounds.