Registration

Each quarter, a registration period is held to allow all graduate business students to enroll in classes. Students are assigned appointment times in the Workday Student system during the designated Initial Registration period. Appointment times are assigned based on the number of units a student has accumulated, ranked from higher to lower GPA (some exceptions apply).

To ensure a smooth experience using the Workday Student registration system, students are advised to regularly monitor their accounts and clear any holds before the initial registration period.  To do so, they should contact the appropriate office(s) responsible for each hold. Students will be unable to add or swap classes until all holds are removed. New students should address any holds related to pre-program competencies or missing transcripts identified at the time of admission as early as possible.

During the Initial Registration period, students may register for no more than 10 units. Once open registration begins, students may add, drop, or swap classes up until the deadline listed in the academic calendar.  Once classes have begun, students may withdraw from courses, without prior approval, up to the date(s) listed in the academic calendar for that term. Courses cannot be dropped once the final exam has been administered.  

See Tuition Refund Policy in Chapter 3, and the Graduate Business Academic Calendar for relevant dates/deadlines.

See Attendance Policy in Chapter 4 under Graduate Business Programs Standards of Conduct.

Prerequisites

Before registering for electives, students are responsible for ensuring that they have completed all the prerequisites. Prerequisites for each course are listed in the course descriptions in this bulletin. Course prerequisites are reviewed annually by the academic departments. See Course Descriptions in Chapter 7 for prerequisites.

Although individual course descriptions may not list full prerequisite chains, students are expected to complete all prerequisite courses—including those required for any listed prerequisite—before enrolling. Prerequisites are considered cumulative and must be satisfied in their entirety. Students may not enroll in a class or join a waitlist unless all prerequisites have been successfully completed. The system will recognize current enrollment in prerequisite courses at the time of registration. Prerequisites cannot be waived by instructors.

Graduation will not be approved until all prerequisites, required courses, and other requirements of the program have been fulfilled.

Wait Lists

During the Initial Registration period, students may add themselves to course waitlists through Workday. At the end of this period, course capacities may be increased to accommodate demand, and students will be automatically enrolled from the waitlist in the order they joined—provided there are no time or course conflicts. Waitlists continue to be processed until the day before classes begin, at which point all waitlists are cleared.

After waitlists are cleared, students may only enroll directly into courses with available space, up until the final day to add a class. Instructors cannot add students to their class rosters at any time.

It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their waitlist position. If automatically enrolled from the waitlist, students must drop the course themselves if they no longer wish to take it.

Leave of Absence

Students who do not register by the end of the first week of any quarter will be withdrawn from their program unless approved for a Leave of Absence. A leave of absence (LOA) is a temporary interruption in a student’s program of study.

To request a Leave of Absence, students must email their department and use Workday to notify us stating the reason(s) for the request, and receive approval from the Graduate Business Programs Office.  A Leave of Absence cannot be granted for academic reasons (e.g., to keep a student from failing). Students are not permitted to take a Leave of Absence if they are not in Good Academic Standing or if they have an outstanding balance on their Workday account. If the request is made after registration, students are responsible for dropping all classes in addition to filing for the leave.

International students, particularly those on F1 visas, should consult with the International Students Scholars prior to requesting an LOA to ensure they do not violate their visa status.

SCU is in compliance with federal regulations, 34 CFR 668.22 (d), that an LOA cannot exceed 180 days in any 12-month period and may have a serious impact on a student’s financial aid. The number of days in a LOA is counted beginning with the first day of the student's initial LOA in a 12-month period. A 12-month period begins on the first day of the student's initial LOA. Any student considering requesting a LOA that receives financial aid, should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine how their financial aid will be affected.

If a student does not return after the LOA period, they will be automatically withdrawn from the University. LOA extensions are no longer available. A student who is withdrawn from the University due to an inability to extend their LOA beyond the 180-day policy is eligible to re-enroll without needing to reapply if they meet all of the following conditions:

  • The student left in good academic standing
  • The student has no outstanding financial obligations with the University
  • The student plans to return to the same program
  • The student is returning within 1 year of the date of withdrawal

Students should be aware that their accounts will be automatically deactivated after 90 days once withdrawn from the university.

Re-enrolling students are subject to the degree and curriculum requirements in the Graduate Business Programs Bulletin in effect at the time of re-entry. Any Leaves of Absence and Re-enrollment will count towards the six-year completion requirement for MBA and MSIS programs, and the three-year completion requirement for MSBA, MSFA, and MSM, and MSSB programs.

Students who do not meet the conditions above must reapply to the program as a new applicant through the GBP Admissions Department.

Students wishing to re-enroll are held accountable to notify the Graduate Business Programs Office of their return and must complete this form. The Graduate Business Programs Office will notify the student regarding their ability to re-enroll and reactivate their student account. If a student is graduating in the same term they are returning, they must also apply for a program completion through Workday.

Deadlines for submissions are outlined on the form.

Program Transfer

If a student requests to switch from the in-person version of a graduate program to the online modality or transfer to a different graduate program, the change is allowed only once and is contingent upon meeting all eligibility criteria. These criteria include, but are not limited to, program requirements, academic standing, and availability of space in the desired program or modality. All requests are subject to review and approval by the appropriate academic department and administration.

Program Withdrawal

To withdraw from the University, a written notification must be submitted to the Graduate Business Programs Office. The student is responsible for dropping any courses they are enrolled in, through Workday Student, if they request to withdraw from the University.

Withdrawal from the University is not officially complete until the student clears obligations with the Bursar’s Office. Students on deferments or federal loans also must clear their financial obligations with the Bursar’s Office. Refund checks for approved graduate course withdrawals are issued by the Bursar’s Office. It is the student’s responsibility to contact that office and request disbursement. See Tuition Refund Policy in Chapter 3.

Readmittance

A student who does not register for any quarter and does not apply for a leave of absence, will be discontinued from their program. If a student wishes to reapply after being discontinued, a reapplication fee may be required to return to classes. The student then will be considered for readmission on the same basis as a new applicant. The student also will be required to fulfill any additional requirements and satisfy any curriculum changes the business school may adopt during the interim period between registrations. Credit is not guaranteed for previous completed course work and no further leaves of absence will be allowed. For credits to be considered, courses needed to be completed in the past 5 years of the student’s program start date.

If the student has attended another school, all transcripts must be sent to the Graduate Business Programs Admissions Committee, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053. All course work taken in the interim must be satisfactorily completed, and the student must be in good standing, in order to be considered for readmission.

Concurrent Enrollment

A student in the MBA or M.S. Programs will not be allowed concurrent enrollment in Santa Clara University’s other academic programs or at any other university. Exceptions are  J.D./MBA, J.D./MSIS, 4+1 Programs, and courses taken elsewhere to satisfy pre-program competencies. Once a student has enrolled, no transfer credit for course work done at another university will be granted without permission from the Senior Director of Graduate Business Programs. Due to the nature and rigor of the MBA and M.S. Programs, a student’s full attention is required to maintain good standing in the program.

Principles for Faculty and Student Conflict of Interest

The Leavey School of Business is committed to the development of good business practices in an open and collaborative environment. The faculty makes a reasonable effort to prevent conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts from developing with enrolled Graduate Business students. The following guidelines apply:

  • The educational purposes within the classroom and University are foremost and supersede commercial interests.
  • Student work is regarded as the intellectual property of the author(s), and written permission must be received prior to use outside the classroom.
  • Neither faculty nor students shall be asked to sign nondisclosure agreements for class-related work.
  • Faculty and students should not expect that any discussion of general or specific economic or organizational matters, or information that is disclosed in the course of that discussion, can be considered confidential, either implicitly or explicitly.
  • Faculty and students should not engage in financial or business relationships with one another while they are teaching and/or enrolled in a course together.

Petitions and Grievances

Requests for exceptions to Leavey School of Business policies must be made in writing and submitted to the Graduate Business Programs Office. Student grievances regarding courses and policies should also be sent to the Graduate Business Programs Office.

Exceptions to Academic and Administrative Policies and Regulations

The Bulletin contains the academic and administrative policies and regulations that govern enrollment of students at Santa Clara University. Students are responsible for knowing all academic and administrative policies and regulations affecting their program of study and for abiding by all such policies and regulations during their period of enrollment at the University. Continued enrollment is subject to compliance with the academic and administrative policies and regulations as described herein and otherwise published by the University. Failure to understand the policies and regulations does not relieve a student of his or her responsibility for adhering to the policies and regulations.

Along with The Graduate Business Programs Office and the University Registrar Office is tasked with ensuring that degree requirements, academic program policies and regulations, registration policies and regulations, grading policies and regulations, and academic credit evaluation as described in the Bulletin are implemented appropriately.

On rare occasions, students may request an exception to policy. Requests must be associated with issues or events of an extreme nature that were unforeseen and beyond the control of the student. Poor performance in course work; missed deadlines; change of major or educational plans; or a course grade's adverse effect on the student's grade point average, probationary standing, or other eligibility are not sufficient reasons for granting an exception.

Students should submit their request and the appropriate documentation to the Graduate Business Programs Office at their respective delegated emails (emba@scu.edu, mba@scu.edu, msprograms@scu.edu, onlinegradbusiness@scu.edu). The Graduate Business Programs Office and the Office of Registrar will review the request for exception within three to five business days from the date of submission and notify the student of the decision.

Appealing the Decision of the Office of the Registrar

A student, who does not agree with the decision of the Registrar, can request an appeal by submitting a formal request for reconsideration to the Office of the Registrar. The request should describe the specific situation and explain the basis of the request for reconsideration. The student should also provide any relevant documentation. All requests for reconsideration must be submitted within ten business days of the original decision of the Office of the Registrar.

Once the request for an appeal is received, the Office of the Registrar convenes a three person panel consisting of an Associate Dean of the relevant College or School, the Dean of Academic Support Services (or designee), and an Associate Dean of Student Life (or designee). The panel will use the general standard that the basis of appeal must be related to issues or events of an extreme nature that were unforeseen and beyond the control of the student. The panel will review requests for exception within fifteen business days from the date of submission and notify the student of the decision within two business days.

Graduation Petition Process

Refer to the Graduate Business Programs Statement of Responsibilities and Professional Standards of Conduct section in Chapter 4, University Standard of Conduct.