Student Handbook

For students in the Professional Program: •

If the requested leave is during the first three years of study, the student will normally be required to take leave for an entire year unless an alternative plan is approved by the dean. • Leave during the fourth year may be granted for one or more quarters. The student will be required to make up the quarter(s) during the next academic year. Make-ups will be overseen by the Department of Clinical Education, and specifically by the fourth year IOR or director of externships depending upon whether external rotations were missed. The dean will give final approval for the leave and will contact the registrar once the plan has been finalized. The student is required to get a Leave of Absence form from the Office of Student Affairs and get all necessary signatures from the Office of the Registrar, Office of Financial Aid, and Office of the Bursar. For graduate students: Petitions for leave of absence from graduate students must include a detailed plan approved by the associate dean for graduate studies and research. Exemption from Course Requirements The requirements for exemption are at the discretion of the IOR. The basis of the determination is typically either (a) evidence of prior satisfactory completion of equivalent coursework or (b) the passing of a prerequisite examination. Upon the granting of an exemption, the instructor should forward a written statement to the Registrar indicating the basis of the exemption. Such students will receive the letter "X" on the transcript in place of a grade for the course. Auditing Courses Permission to audit is on a space-available basis, in compliance with appropriate state statutes, and is at the discretion of the IOR with permission of the Office of Academic Affairs. The auditor shall attend without formal recognition (i.e. transcript credit.)

Requests to audit are handled by the Office of Student Affairs, which shall communicate with the appropriate Department Chair and IOR of the course being requested for audit.

Examinations The SUNY College of Optometry Policy on Examinations is designed to minimize conflicts between examinations and other assessments of students during a given semester. For this policy, an examination is defined as a written assessment that requires a full class session for completion. A quiz is considered to be a single short written or oral assessment used to contribute not more than 10% to a final grade and that does not require a full class session for completion. A lab practical/assessment is essentially a non written assessment of laboratory concepts that takes place during the laboratory portion of the course using materials or procedures taught in the laboratory. Written assessments of laboratory concepts,

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