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Graduate Schedule
Statement of Issue:
The Standing Committee on Graduate Programs, Practices, and Standards recommends that graduate class times be changed from two hours and fifty minutes to two hours and thirty minutes.
Rationale:
1. Graduate study differs from undergraduate study in a number of ways:
A. Assigned readings are greater in number and depth at the graduate level. These outside readings do not simply reiterate material that is covered during class, but rather, are frequently adjunct to and/or extensions of in-class topics. Graduate instructors provide individual guidance to students with questions or specific interests concerning these topics.
B. Individual projects or papers are more extensive and in-depth and may require greater application on the part of the students. Because the projects or papers involve specific issues, graduate instructors usually meet with students in tutorials or small seminars to discuss their independent research.
2. Students at the graduate level develop their scholarship in several ways:
A. Individual research allows students to advance their understanding of key issues through inquiry. Graduate education emphasizes problem-solving skills and critical thinking, which require students to be independent scholars engaged in applying their knowledge. This enables students to become leaders in their professions or disciplines.
B. Collaborative study permits students to discuss among themselves and, thus, develop their scholarship in interaction with their professional colleagues. This collaboration is a crucial professional skill in all disciplines.
3. Those agencies accrediting The College of New Jersey graduate programs, including the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, the International Reading Association, the Modern Language Association, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the National League of Nursing, focus their requirements on course content and do not mandate a specific number of clock hours for academic instruction.
4. No certification or licensing requirements of the State of New Jersey mandate a specific number of clock hours for graduate instruction.
5. The results of a telephone survey of graduate scheduling practices at eight peer institutions--Columbia University's Teacher's College, The College of William and Mary, University of Virginia, Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education, Montclair State University, Rowan College of New Jersey, Temple University, and Villanova University--revealed no consistent pattern of class length for graduate courses and none offered graduate instruction for a period as long as two hours and fifty minutes.
Therefore, be it resolved that graduate classes at The College of New Jersey be scheduled to meet for a total of two hours and thirty minutes per week for fifteen weeks beginning in the Fall, 1999 semester. An exception will be granted to the School of Nursing for its nurse practitioner program to retain a two hour and fifty minute schedule in light of the mandate of its professional organizations.
Final resolution: Committee on Graduate Programs, Practices, and Standards
Approved by Board of Trustees: February 25, 1999
