Academic-Year Policies

Attendance

Participation in all classes is mandatory and an integral part of the academic program. Normally students are not permitted to miss more than one virtual class meeting. Students are required to attend all face-to-face class sessions. Missing more than one day of virtual class or any face-to-face class will likely result in removal from the program and failing grades. No reimbursement will be given in such cases.

Registration

Your registration will be sent directly to the Registrar’s Office by the School of Hebrew. Your courses will be available for viewing on BannerWeb on the first day of class. Please contact your instructor if you have questions or if you believe an error has been made with your course registration.

Add/Drop Procedures

No courses may be added after the add/drop deadline. Courses may only be dropped with the approval of the director. Courses dropped before the add/drop deadline do not appear on your transcript. Non-attendance does not constitute an automatic withdrawal from a course. Courses dropped after the add/drop deadline will be recorded as WD.

Course Load

Students are expected to maintain a full course load of 1.5 units of credit per semester while enrolled during the academic year. Only in rare instances will permission to carry less than a full course load be granted by the director. All students must pay the full tuition even if they are carrying less than the full load of courses.

Withdrawals

In order to withdraw from the School of Hebrew, a student must send an email announcing his/her plan to withdraw to the School of Hebrew assistant director and director. Students who withdraw after the add/drop deadline will have courses recorded on the transcript as WD with no credit.

Re-enrollment for students who voluntarily withdraw during a fall or spring semester is at the discretion of the director.

Curricular Changes

The Language Schools directors are primarily responsible for establishing the curriculum each summer in consultation with the Faculty Advisory Board, an undergraduate faculty committee whose members are appointed by the Dean of Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and Graduate Programs. The result is a balanced curriculum covering language, literature, linguistics, pedagogy, and other fields.

New programs and degrees are reviewed by Language Schools directors and the Faculty Advisory Board before they are sent for review and consideration to the president and the board of trustees who have final approval.

Master of Arts Degree Candidacy

The Master of Arts degree in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language, Italian, Russian, or Spanish requires twelve units in the areas of language, literature, and civilization. Receipt of the Bachelor of Arts degree or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution is a prerequisite for admission to the Master of Arts program. Students are notified by letter of their formal acceptance into the Master of Arts program after successfully completing three graduate-level courses during their first summer of study on the Middlebury or Mills campus. If a student earns a grade lower than B- in any course during the summer of candidacy, the student will be notified in writing that admission to the Master of Arts degree program has been denied. Students who are denied admission to the Master of Arts degree program may submit a letter requesting reconsideration of candidacy if special circumstances exist that contributed to the negative outcome of the summer of candidacy. Written requests will be reviewed by the director whose decision, in consultation with faculty and the vice president’s office (if necessary), is final. Any student who is granted permission for readmission to the summer of candidacy must successfully complete all courses required for the degree.

Once accepted as a candidate for the Master of Arts degree, students may then complete the Master of Arts degree at a Middlebury School Abroad or by attending subsequent summer sessions in Vermont. Students in the Arabic or Chinese Master of Arts program may complete the program in four summers on the Vermont campus or one summer and one academic year at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) followed by a final summer on the Vermont campus. Students in the accelerated Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language program may complete up to six units of hybrid courses that include required virtual and in-person class meetings.

A highly-qualified undergraduate student may accumulate, before receipt of the Bachelor of Arts degree or equivalent, a maximum of three graduate units at the Language Schools to be applied toward the Middlebury Master of Arts degree. Such units will not count toward both degrees.

Master of Arts degree students who are assigned a grade of “F” will be dismissed from the program. All other failing grades represent unsatisfactory progress and may jeopardize a student’s eligibility for federal loans, and may be grounds for dismissal from the program. Transfer courses may not be used to make up failures (see Transfer Credits). All failed courses must be made up at a summer session in Vermont.

Credits

All credit awarded by the Language Schools is defined in terms of units. One unit equals three semester hours of credit. Students in the accelerated Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language program enroll in three units of credit during the summer of candidacy at the Vermont campus. Following successful completion of the summer of candidacy, students in the accelerated degree program then register for 1.5 units of credit in each of the first fall and spring semesters, followed by three units at the School of Hebrew summer session, culminating with a second academic year of 1.5 units of credit in each of the fall and spring semesters (twelve units total).

All students must pay the full tuition even if they are carrying less than the full load of courses. Payment in full is due upon receipt of the bill.

A degree must be earned within a ten-year period. All units of credit expire after ten years, whether earned at Middlebury College or transferred from another institution. The validity of a degree, which certifies a level of achievement, does not expire.

Independent Study Courses

Students may not earn academic credit for independent study courses conducted outside of the summer term (with the exception of courses taught at a C.V. Starr-Middlebury School Abroad).

Transfer Credits

After formal admission to the program, candidates for the MA and DML degrees may request permission from the Assistant Director of their School to transfer from another institution a maximum of the equivalent of one full-time summer of study at Middlebury (three units). Final approval will come from the Registrar’s Office. To be considered for transfer, courses must be valued at the equivalent of one unit of Middlebury credit (three semester hours, four and a half quarter hours, or six ECTS units). For courses taken at institutions on the quarter system, as well as institutions whose courses do not carry credit equaling three semester hours, the Middlebury College Language Schools grant (a) one unit of credit for two quarter courses or (b) two units of credit for three quarter courses. Please submit in writing which option you intend to follow.

Only courses taken after successful completion of the initial summer and formal admission to degree candidacy can be transferred. Courses taken at other institutions before the first summer of study may not be transferred toward a Middlebury degree, and transferred courses may not be used towards any other degree. Written approval of a course’s transferability must be obtained from Middlebury before registering for the course. Courses that have not been pre-approved will be considered for transfer only in those instances in which a student can demonstrate that pre-approval was not possible (for example, due to a last minute cancellation of a pre-approved course). Middlebury College courses transferred from one degree program are not eligible for another Middlebury College degree.

Courses for transfer must be graduate level and taken at an accredited institution that offers a Master of Arts degree in either the language of study or a related discipline. In either case, to be considered for transfer credit these courses must be taught entirely in the language of the student’s degree program. We do not accept certificate courses, asynchronous online courses, correspondence courses, independent study, courses taught fully or partially in English (with the exception of the Middlebury-Monterey option of the Arabic or Chinese MA degrees) or courses from extension or continuing education programs. Students may not transfer courses from our partner institutions abroad if they are not enrolled in our program at the time the courses are taken. For specific Schools’ policies on transfer credits from MAT or M.Ed. programs, please consult with the School Director.

The courses must be taught in the foreign language in the areas of language analysis and linguistics, culture and civilization, literature, or professional preparation, and must not duplicate courses already taken for degree credit. All units counted toward a degree must be taken on a graded, not a pass/fail or credit/no credit basis. No grade below a B- may be applied toward a Middlebury MA degree. No grade below B+ may be applied toward a DML degree. Courses may not be transferred to make up for courses failed at a Middlebury summer session or at a School Abroad. Students with failing grades forfeit as many possibilities of transfer credit as they have failing grades.

Auditing

Auditors are normally not allowed in the Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language degree program.

Language Pledge

The Language Pledge® is an integral component of all study at the Middlebury Language Schools. To take full advantage of the Language Schools program, students are expected to maintain the spirit of the Middlebury Language Pledge to speak only the language they are studying as often as possible. No English will be used in communications with students, instructors, or the director. All class sessions will be conducted entirely in language.

Grades

The following grades are used: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F. No grade below a B- may be applied to a Middlebury Master of Arts degree, nor below B+ to the Doctor of Modern Languages degree. An A+ grade is available only at the graduate level and represents exceptional level of achievement. Late submission of course work may have a negative impact on your grade as determined by the course instructor. Master of Arts and Doctor of Modern Languages degree students who are assigned a grade of “F” will be dismissed from the program.

Courses dropped after the end of the add/drop deadlines are recorded on the transcript with a grade of WD. Pass/Fail grades and notations of “no credit” or “auditor” are not available.

A change in grade will only be allowed in a case of clerical error or for the reason of fairness to the student. Students who wish to appeal a course grade should consult with the instructor of the course and the Director of the School. The student must write a letter stating the reasons for the appeal and should include copies of all relevant supporting materials. A change of grade form must be completed by the instructor of the course and the Director. Subsequent appeal may be made to the Vice President, whose decision is final. Appeal must be made during the six months following receipt of the grade.

NOTE: GPA is calculated for all students attending Middlebury College. The course numbering system will be as follows: undergraduate courses 3100–3499; graduate courses 6100–6999.

Incompletes

Incompletes are seldom given and only for illness or compelling reasons. All requests for incompletes must have the approval of the Director of the School. There must be a clear written understanding between the faculty member and the student as to the conditions under which the incomplete grade is to be completed.

To petition for an incomplete grade, you must fill out an Incomplete Request Form available from the Director of your School. Both the instructor and the Director must sign the form. A grade of “incomplete” that has not been completed within three months of the end of the session automatically becomes a failure (F). It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that this deadline is respected. Reminders will not be sent by the Registrar’s Office.

Grade Reports

Final grades will be available online (BannerWeb). Students will be notified via email when final grades are available. Grades are never released over the phone. Students will need their student ID number to access grades via BannerWeb.

Student Records

In accordance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974), students or former students of Middlebury College have the right to inspect all educational records placed in their files after January, 1975. NOTE: For additional information please see www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/academics/student_records_FERPA or contact the Middlebury Registrar’s Office.

The Language Schools maintain several types of student records:

  • Summer directory information: student’s name, campus address, and home address. Distribution is limited to the individual School. If you do not want to have your name appear in this directory you should notify the coordinator of your School.

  • Academic records: A transcript for each student is maintained by the Registrar’s Office. The transcript contains grades and related academic information, as well as notations of graduation, withdrawal, and degrees received.

  • The administrators of the Schools keep, in the School offices, applications, correspondence, brief memoranda of conferences with students, and evaluations of students’ work by instructors, when they judge that such information may be useful or necessary in giving continuing counsel.

  • Students should consider very carefully the consequences of any decision to withhold directory information. Should you decide to inform the College not to release directory information, any future requests for such information from persons or organizations outside Middlebury College will be refused. Regardless of the effect upon the student, the College assumes no liability for honoring instructions that such information be withheld.

  • Requests for nondisclosure must be submitted in writing to the Registrar’s Office. Forms for making such requests may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office in Forest Hall.

  • For purposes of legitimate interviews and letters of recommendation, students may authorize the use of educational academic records (information on the transcript) and the Schools’ non-academic records. If students authorize the use of academic records for legitimate inquiry, e.g., security clearance or job references, the Registrar may also indicate to inquirers the names of administrators and instructors who might act as further references. Other inquiries will not be filled without the specific written permission in each case from the student.

Students may inspect and review their education records upon request to the appropriate records custodian (Registrar’s Office) within 45 days from the receipt of the request. Middlebury College reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to inspect those records excluded from the FERPA definition of “education record.”

Students may challenge the contents of their educational records. If School officials receiving the challenge issue a response that is unsatisfactory to the student, a formal hearing may be held. Requests for changes in a student’s educational record should be made in writing to the Senior Associate Registrar, Jennifer Thompson.

Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Middlebury College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington DC 20202-5920

Transcripts from other institutions and letters of recommendation used in support of application to Middlebury College cannot be released to another institution or to an employer. Letters of recommendation written in support of a student’s application may be used for no other purpose, nor can they be returned. Additional information about student records is available from the Registrar’s Office.

Transcripts

Students have two options when requesting an official transcript: online or by mail. To request a transcript online, click the “request a transcript” link in BannerWeb and follow the step-by-step ordering instructions. Transcripts ordered online can be delivered hard-copy by mail or electronically by secure email. If you choose to have your transcript delivered electronically, be sure that the recipient will accept a transcript delivered this way. A fee of $8 is charged for each transcript ordered online ($5 transcript fee plus $3 online service fee).

To request a transcript by mail, print the Transcript Request form (available on the Registrar’s Office webpage and in Forest Hall) and mail to the Registrar’s Office in Middlebury. A fee of $5 is charged for each official transcript.

No transcripts are issued to or for students who are financially indebted to the College until satisfactory arrangements have been made with the Bursar’s Office.

Survey Policy

All surveys or questionnaires, of any kind, involving faculty, students, or staff, will have to be registered in advance with the office of the Vice President for the Language Schools. The vice-president’s office will contact the Director of the School (or Schools) involved for their permission. No surveys may be conducted without permission from both the vice-president and the director(s) of the school(s). Each proposed survey needs to state in clear and unequivocal terms that participation by faculty or students is entirely voluntary and in no way related to course requirements or grades. If students are involved, the survey must also be approved or deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board.

Special Policies

Please review the Supplement to the Language Schools 2014 Handbooks Special Policies for College policies relating to academic honesty, emergency withdrawals, anti-harassment, and student conduct.