Academic Honor Code
The Academic Honor Code is a student initiative that became an official Institute policy in 1996. The objective of the Academic Honor Code is to increase academic integrity and strengthen trust in the Georgia Tech community. All students are required to sign an agreement acknowledging their awareness of the Academic Honor Code. They are strongly encouraged to seek a full understanding of their instructors' expectations regarding academic honor.
M.S. thesis and Ph.D. students are expected to carry out research as part of their graduate education. Students must perform acceptably in their research work, as evaluated by their faculty advisor, or they may lose their research supervision, as well as any associated funding, at the discretion of the advisor. This applies even if the student's GPA meets or exceeds the minimum set by both the Woodruff School and the Institute.
Students who receive a letter or e-mail from their academic advisor outlining the deficiencies, and spelling out at what level they have to perform to be able to continue working with the advisor, or an "Unsatisfactory" as their research grade (ME/NRE/MP 7000 or ME/NRE/MP 9000) risk dismissal. A copy of all correspondence, to include letters or e-mails, will also go to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for inclusion in the student's file. The deficiencies must be remedied within three months to prevent dismissal. Funding support normally will not be withdrawn in midterm, because this may cause the student to owe the Institute full tuition and fees for that term.
A student who no longer has an advisor should ask the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for help in finding new research supervision. Students who have lost their funding may also request partial funding from the Associate Chair, for example, as a GTA or grader.
A Ph.D. student who cannot find a new advisor after one full term must leave the Woodruff School. An MS thesis student who cannot find a new advisor after one full term must convert to a non-thesis option or leave the Woodruff School. At the discretion of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, this period may be extended for one additional term if there is reason to believe that this will permit the student to find an advisor at Georgia Tech or at another Institution. A graduate student who is dismissed by the Institute for academic or disciplinary reasons normally will not be readmitted.
Petition to the Faculty
The Institute Graduate Committee is responsible for all Institute-wide academic policies and degree requirements at the graduate level. In addition, they make decisions regarding all Institute-level graduate student petitions. These petitions include late withdrawals, changes in graduate standing, grade disputes, readmissions, and deadlines. You are strongly encouraged to discuss a petition with your academic advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies before it is filed: http://registrar.gatech.edu/students/formlanding/pettofac.php