How do I plan for courses in upcoming semesters?
Most of the required courses in Reading are offered each semester, including the summer. Although you can wait until the official course schedule is printed, a better way to find out which Reading courses are being offered each semester is to look on our website. All Reading courses offered each semester are posted on the website as soon as they are finalized, often several months ahead of the printed university schedules. You may also want to visit the websites of other departments in the School of Education, to see if and when their courses are being offered.

Use the program planning worksheets to plot out the courses you have to or want to take, and then revisit this plan once the upcoming semesters' courses are listed on our website (and then finalized in the Course Schedule). This way, you'll be all set to register when the registration period begins.

May I enroll in the MS program as a full-time or part-time student?
You may enroll in our on-campus MS programs as a part-time or full-time student. Our online programs are part-time only (i.e., one or two courses per semester). Full-time is defined as continuous enrollment in 12 credits of courses; part-time is anything less than that. If you are admitted to full-time study, we will do our best to ensure that you can get into courses you need in order to complete your studies continuously enrolled in 12 credits per semester. However, we do not currently guarantee this. Also, to get into core courses in Reading, you should register for courses within a few minutes of the start of the Advanced Registration period (typically in the last week of March/first week of April, and the last week in October). Remember that if you are taking courses part-time, you need to be enrolled in at least one course in the semester you were admitted to, otherwise the University will drop you from active status, and you'll have to apply to be re-admitted. You also have to complete your degree within six years of initial admission (unless granted an extension). Completion of your degree in a timely manner is particularly important if you need to meet the deadline for completing a program of study before your provisional or initial certificate expires.

Does the Department require email addresses and internet access?
You are required to have a University email address and access to the Internet during your studies with us. We will use your UA email address for all official email correspondence with you, but we'll use a personal email address so long as you keep it current and let Linda Papa know if you change it. To set up your UAlbany email account, read these instructions. You can set your UA email to automatically forward to a personal emal address, and we recommend you do that. The Reading Department website (www.albany.edu/reading) is the official means of communicating with our students throughout the year, and you are responsible for logging in regularly to learn about changes in programs, courses, and registration. The University has a web-based registration system. We strongly recommend a modern computer and a fast connection to the Internet to take full advantage of these services.

Are Graduate Assistantships available? Is Financial Aid available?
The Reading Department occasionally awards assistantships to full-time master's degree students, and it never hurts to inquire about assistantships, especially if you are coming into the program as a full-time student. Contact the Department Secretary (call 442-5100, or email reading@csc.albany.edu). You should also consider the New York State Tuition Assistance Program as a possible source of support. Information is available from the Office of Student Financial Aid (CC-B52, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12222; phone: 518-442-5757; website: www.albany.edu/financial_aid/).


How do I appeal an academic grade?
The Department has established procedures for handling grievances related to any aspect of the program. In the first instance, the grievance should be discussed with the faculty member involved, and with your advisor. If this does not resolve the dispute, the grievance should be referred (in a written request) to the Department Chair for a ruling by the Department faculty. The Department's ruling can be appealed to the School of Education, and thence to the Graduate Academic Council.

Do department instructors ever give an "Incomplete" as a grade?
A grade of Incomplete is only given when the work is almost completed, but circumstances make it difficult or impossible to finish the course on time. Giving an Incomplete grade is entirely the prerogative of the instructor. However, the Department policy is that if an extension is granted, it has to be agreed to in writing, and a completion date specified. If the student fails to obtain a grade of "I" (a completed form is the only official proof of this), the instructor may fail the student, or assign a grade based on the work already handed in. If a student fails to meet the completion deadline (or fails to agree with the instructor on a further extension), the grade of I will be turned into an E or U. An E or U grade can only be changed if the Department is petitioned in writing. There is an Incomplete Grade form that has to be filled out, signed by the student and the instructor, and approved by the Department Chair. This form is available from the Department secretary. (see Incomplete Grades)

Is it possible to take an Independent Study?
A maximum of 6 hours of independent study (regardless of the department in which it is taken) may be applied to the Master's Degree program. Note that all independent study courses are graded S/U; also remember that an independent study cannot be done on a topic that is covered in a regular course (i.e., you can't take an independent study as a substitute for a course currently being offered). Approval of an independent study has to be obtained from the faculty member you wish to study with, and from the Department Chair (use the Independent Study Form, available from the Departmental Secretary). Remember that some of our new programs of study have no electives, and therefore an independent study may not be permissible without taking courses beyond the minimum for that program.

What is the Graduate Bulletin?

The Graduate Bulletin (http://www.albany.edu/grad/index.html) provides information about university policy, academic programs, and course descriptions. You should be familiar with the Graduate Bulletin and use it to address any questions you might have about the university programs. We encourage new students to the program to read this document for information such as course descriptions for university-wide courses, grading policies, and so forth.

May I take an on-campus course if I am in the online program? May I take an online course if I am in an on-campus program?
You may take courses online or on campus, subject to the following conditions:

• students who are admitted to one of the online programs have priority in seat selection for all online courses; similarly, students admitted to the on-campus programs have priority for all on-campus programs.
• only a limited selection of Reading courses are offered online, and some core practicum courses cannot be offered online (e.g., ERDG620, ERDG623);
• any matriculated student may take an online version of a course applicable to their program, on a seat-available, first-come first-served basis. You do not have to be enrolled in the online program in order to take an online course. Check here to learn how and when to sign up..
• If you haven't taken a course online, and are wondering about either enrolling in a single online course, or perhaps completing your entire program online. (see Thinking About Online Programs?)

Is there are required minimum grade point average?
Students are required to maintain a minimum of a 'B' average throughout their program. With a grading system which uses pluses and minuses in addition to letter grades, it is hard to know what counts as a 'B' average unless the letter grades are converted to their corresponding numbers:
A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0

In numerical terms, students must maintain an average grade of 3.0 or higher in their coursework. A grade of C (2.0) in a course is able to be offset by a grade of A (4.0) in another, but a grade below C cannot be offset by any grade. In such a case, the student must petition the Department to take up to 6 credits beyond the required 30 hours. There is no maximum number of courses graded S/U that can be applied to the master's degree program. A grade of S is assumed to be a B or better, but it cannot substitute for an A in making up for a C grade. Note: some courses are always graded S/U (e.g., ERDG687) and some are always letter-graded. A course is designated as S/U or letter-graded (one or the other, but not both) by the faculty-students can't choose to have a course graded S/U or by letter.

Students whose performance in coursework falls below a "B" average, or takes a sudden turn for the worse, are subject to departmental review, warnings, and dismissal from the program. In the case of a grade of B- or below in a required core course, the department will review the circumstances of the case, and recommend a course of action, which may include additional coursework, probation, or transferring the student to another program within the Reading Department. No course of action will be put into effect until the student has had the chance to appeal the department's recommendation.

Do I have to submit a Confidential Health and Physician's Certificate?

The Confidential Health and Physician's Certificate serves two purposes. It provides proof of immunity against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella and it provides the Health Center with a record of your medical history, information our medical staff would need if you ever seek medical treatment at our campus health facilities. Every student studying on campus must complete this Certificate. Fully online student who will not be attending classes on campus, are eligible for a waiver of this requirement on a semester-by-semester basis. As long as you are eligible for the waiver, you are not required to complete and return the Confidential Health and Physician's Certificate to the University Health Services Offices. Any online student who decides to switch to the on-campus program or even take one on-campus course MUST submit the confidential health and physician's certificate to the Health Center.