Academy Policies

Student Handbook

The Student Handbook contains valuable information on the Academy’s administrative procedures and policies and is considered to be an addendum to this catalog.

The Student Handbook is the source for information on a wide range of areas.

General Conduct

The American Academy of Art is proud of its creative and diverse community of faculty, students, and staff. Our Code of Conduct is primarily a positive guide to the creation of a community that encourages the personal and intellectual development of each person, and secondly, a list of behaviors that would interfere with the important work of our community. All students entering the American Academy of Art are accepted with the understanding that they are sincere in their desire to become able and successful artists or designers, and are willing to comply with all regulations and policies of the school. See the Student Handbook for further information.

Academic Integrity

The American Academy of Art is committed to promoting a culture of academic honesty. As a community, the faculty, staff and student body work to produce graduates with the professional skills and vision necessary to succeed in the contemporary art world. Values like self-reliance, accountability and professionalism can only exist in a culture where academic and professional honesty are celebrated and fostered. Students are expected to respect and maintain a standard of personal honesty in all their academic pursuits.

Plagiarism, or the misrepresentation of another's work as one's own, is a clear violation of the standards of personal honesty and academic integrity valued in this institution. Instances of plagiarism occur when students submit the following as their own creative or academic work:

1. Material copied from any published source, including print media, the internet, CD-ROM, audio, video and digital recording technologies.
2. The research, unpublished manuscripts or exam materials of another individual.
3. An assignment or essay written by another individual.
4. A collaborative essay or assignment as the work of a single individual.
5. A pre-written essay purchased or acquired from an individual or business.
6. An image or concept created by another individual.

Academic cheating also violates the standards of personal honesty and academic integrity existing in this community. Instances of academic cheating occur when a student commits any of the following actions:

1. The possession or use of any prohibited electronic devices, including communication devices, during an exam.
2. Providing information to or obtaining information from another student during an exam.
3. Obtaining, distributing or communicating exam materials prior to the scheduled exam without the consent of the instructor.
4. Falsifying medical or other documents to petition for excused absences.
5. Working collaboratively or utilizing personal, bibliographic or internet resources on essays, homework assignments or take-home exams without the consent of the instructor.
6. Any violation of the American Academy of Art Honor Code.

Academy faculty and staff use internet detection devices and bibliographic resources to detect instances of academic cheating or plagiarism. Instructors will notify department chairs and the Academic Dean of any instances of cheating or plagiarism, and the infraction will be noted in the student's academic file. Students who have committed acts of cheating or plagiarism will be subject to one or all of the following penalties:

1. A failing grade for the assignment or exam in question.
2. A failing grade for the semester in the course.
3. Dismissal from the Academy.

References:
Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College. Chicago, IL: Chicago UP, 2004.
American Academy of Art Student Handbook
The Loyola University Chicago policy for Academic Integrity
Links provided by the Center For Academic Integrity www.academicintegrity.org

Email Communication

An American Academy of Art assigned email account shall be the Academy's official means of communication with all students. Students are responsible for all information sent to them via their Academy assigned email account. If a student chooses to forward their Academy email account, he or she is responsible for all information, including attachments, sent to any other email account.

Reproduction Rights

The American Academy of Art reserves the right to reproduce student work in its written materials and advertising. The creator of the original work will be identified in a credit line whenever feasible. The Academy also reserves the right to use photographs of its students engaged in school activities and assures the integrity of their use.

Notice

The American Academy of Art reserves the right to make changes in faculty, fees or to withdraw any course listed if circumstances warrant. Tuition and fee increases will be announced one semester prior to the effective date of the increase which would begin in that year’s fall semester.

Release of Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, restricts the release of information from educational records without the prior written consent of the student or guardian. Items considered by the Academy to be directory information can be released without consent. The following are considered directory information: student’s name, periods of attendance, and graduation status, including date and degree awarded.

If a student does not want this information released, the student must complete a Disclosure Refusal Form and return it to the Registrar’s Officer no later than 12 calendar days after the start date of the semester for each term the directory information is to be withheld.

Please see the Student Handbook for the Academy’s full FERPA policy.

Graduation Requirements

Students who expect to graduate must file a “Petition to Graduate.”

These forms are available from the Registrar. Students expecting to graduate are required to:

1. complete all credits required for the program,
2. in the BFA program, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00. in the MFA program, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00. Only those graduate level courses in which a student earns the equivalent of a 2.0 or better may be applied toward the total number of credits required for graduation.
3. register with the Career Services Department,
4. fulfill all financial obligations to the Academy,
5. pay a $25 graduation fee,
6. submit artwork for graduate display,
7. meet with the Financial Services Department for an exit interview,
8. meet with the Registrar for an exit interview.

Diploma’s and final official transcripts will be withheld until all financial obligations have been met.

Semester Credit Hours

One semester credit hour is determined by the following number of contact hours plus appropriate outside preparation:
15 hr.: 1 cr. = classroom lecture, or
30 hr.: 1 cr. = practicum; directly supervised in-class work and individual problem-solving.
A contact hour has a duration of 50 minutes.

Grading System

The Academy uses a standard grading system with letter grades equating to numeric values. A full description of this policy, and how attendance can affect a student’s grade, is found in the Student Handbook.