Faculty of Computer Science

Academic Integrity

Students, upon first registration into the program, are required to confirm in writing by signing the Intellectual Honesty Form that they have read and understood the University regulations on Intellectual Honesty, Discipline, and Senate Discipline Committee as described in the Graduate Calendar and in the University Regulations.

It is the policy of the Faculty to refer all suspected cases of plagiarism to the Senate Discipline Committee. One of the many elements of the policy defines plagiarism as " the presentation of the work of another author in such a way as to give one's reader reason to think it to be one's own". To avoid this kind of plagiarism in connection with web sources, you must fully reference your sources in your class project reports and thesis. Verbatim (word by word) quotations from web sources should be enclosed in quotation marks and a precise URL reference with date of access should be given so that:

  • the reader can immediately associate the quotation or paraphrased text in your report with the original reference;
  • the reader can directly access the text of the original source without any search

Therefore, giving the URL of a large web site that contains your web source (e.g.http://www.dal.ca for the University regulation above) is not acceptable. Read the University website on plagiarism for students.

Resources for instructors on detecting plagiarism

Academic Dismissal

A student may be required to withdraw from a program for:

The student will be notified by the Faculty of Graduate Studies about the reason for academic dismissal from the program.

Academic work completed at another institution, while academically dismissed, cannot be used for credit at Dalhousie.

Appeals Process

A student can appeal in writing any decision made by applying the rules of the program. It is up to the student to make a strong case to convince the Graduate Committee that an exemption from the rules is justified. The appeal must be signed by the student, and accompanied by supporting documentation. The deadline for submitting an appeal is within two months from the notification of the decision to the student.

Coursework Issues

Undergraduate students wishing to take graduate courses require the following:

  • Permission of the instructor.
  • Students must be in their 4th year.
  • No grade less than B in the 3rd year technical computer science core courses (CSCI 3110, CSCI 3120, CSCI 3130).

A Graduate Course Application form is required, completed by the student, signed by the instructor of the course, and submitted to the Graduate Administrator.

Graduate students in the 2-year project-based Master's program require permission of the instructor to take courses for which they lack the prerequisites.

Directed Studies must be approved by both the student's advisor, directed study supervisor, and the graduate coordinator. A Directed Study proposal form is required, completed by the student and signed by both the student's advisor and directed studies supervisor. The directed study proposal form must contain a description of the proposed directed study, a set of milestones to be achieved, and the criteria upon which the work will be evaluated.

A report must be submitted to the graduate coordinator at the end of the term of the directed study.

Withdrawal deadline and marking scheme for an undergraduate (UG) course taken by a graduate student.

The FGS regulation is that all courses that a graduate student takes as part of the degree program, including 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate courses in a 2-year Master's, are subject to the regulations governing graduate classes contained in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Regulations. Therefore the last date to drop a course, undergraduate or graduate, is the "last day to drop classes" listed for each term in the academic dates table of the Graduate Calendar.

Students must decide early in the term (about 4 weeks) whether a course is too difficult for them, and seek timely advice from the instructor or the graduate coordinator on whether they should drop it.

Readmission to the program

A student with one class failure can apply in writing to the Degree's Executive Committee for reinstatement:

  • The reinstatement application should include the following:
    • a letter of reflection about the student's shortcomings
    • reasons for failure in the particular course and plans for remediation
    • an updated Program Requirements
  • The reinstatement application should be submitted within a week of notification of dismissal from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Late applications will result in the student missing the subsequent academic term.

On the recommendation of the Degree's Executive Committee and approval by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the student may be immediately reinstated to the program. If reinstated, any subsequent failure will result in academic dismissal from the program, without the provision to apply for reinstatement.

A student who cumulatively has two (or more) class failures in a graduate program will be academically dismissed from the program, with provision to apply for readmission after one year.

Academic dismissal and reinstatement will be recorded on the student’s official transcript.