General Information and Definitions

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Academic Calendar

Academic calendars can be found here.

Standard Class Time Periods

See below for a list of Hofstra University’s graduate general time periods for class meetings. Not all courses conform to the standard time periods.

January Session

The January Session is a two- to three-week session beginning the first week in January. Students attending this session may not earn more than three semester hours of credit or four semester hours of credit if offered on that basis. Please see the online class schedule as well as the January Session Bulletin for specific course dates.

Summer Sessions

No graduate student may enroll in either of the two five-week summer sessions for more than 6 semester hours, or if 3- and 4-credit hour courses, 7 semester hours. During the three-week summer session, no student may earn more than 3 or 4 semester hours of credit if offered on that basis. Exceptions to the above may be granted when special circumstances and the student’s special capacities for the work permit. Written approval is required of the dean of the academic unit of the major or proposed major field of study.

Students may obtain credit on their Hofstra records for courses taken at another accredited institution in accordance with the Transfer of Credit regulations set forth in this Graduate Studies Bulletin.

Academic Standing

The academic standing of all graduate students will be reviewed each year. It is necessary for graduate students to earn a 3.0 grade point average or better, as required by the program, to be considered in good standing. Students who have failed to maintain a 2.5 grade point average or better, as required by the program, will be dropped immediately. Those who have failed to maintain a 3.0 grade point average or better, as required by the program, will have their status reviewed by the director of their major program and the chairperson. If the director or chairperson feels they have failed to demonstrate adequate competence in their major area, they will be dropped from the University. These students may petition for readmission no sooner than one full year following the dismissal. They may be readmitted, however, only under special circumstances after a careful review of their case by either the director or chairperson and the faculty of their major area.

BlackBoard

Blackboard is a Web-based course-management system designed to allow students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online (distance learning) or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching. Blackboard enables instructors to provide students with course materials, discussion boards, virtual chat, online quizzes, an academic resource center, and more.

Bulletin of First Registration

Graduate students are expected to satisfy those requirements specified in the Bulletin of their year of first registration at the University. Students who have no record of attendance at Hofstra University for one fall or spring semester, without maintaining matriculation or being granted an academic leave, must follow the requirements set forth in the Bulletin in effect when they are readmitted. Any student, however, may elect once during his or her studies, to follow all the requirements specified in a subsequent Bulletin, provided the Office of Academic Records is notified prior to the semester of graduation. No exceptions regarding the requirements set forth in any Bulletin may be made by the students or by the faculty without the written approval of the dean of the academic unit or of the provost. This policy refers to academic requirements such as degree and major requirements. Other procedures and policies, such as the grading system, may be changed through the University’s governance process. However, students will be notified (by placing notices in our student newspapers and by any other methods and media applicable) of any significant change at least a year in advance of its implementation.

Campus Alert Notification Network (CANN)

A comprehensive notification structure to alert the campus community in the event of an emergency. Sign up online at My.Hofstra.edu by providing your personal telephone contact information. For more information, visit the Public Safety section of this Bulletin.

Change of Address

Students must report a change of their home or local address to the Office of Academic Records immediately. Change of address can also be processed through Hofstra Online.

Change of Program/Registration Changes

Students will be permitted to make program changes (add/drop) in accordance with the published University deadlines.

Change of Study: Change of Major/Minor/Specialization/Concentration/Degree

In order to facilitate orientation and advisement of a student to his or her new major, students must report any change in their major, minor, specialization, concentration, or degree on the official Change of Study Form to the Office of Academic Records. Any change requires a signature from the new department indicating that the student has notified the new department and has been made aware of all requirements. Students are not required to obtain a signature from the program or major they are leaving.

Class Schedules

Classes are typically scheduled during the evening hours beginning at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Some programs offer weekday and weekend classes.

Standard Class Time Periods

Please note: Below is a list of Hofstra University’s general time periods for class meetings. Not all courses conform to the standard time periods. To determine the schedule for any course, students should always consult the specific class schedule for a particular semester, which may be found at hofstra.edu/classlookup (select the desired semester and click “Submit”).

Key: M = Monday; T = Tuesday; W = Wednesday; R = Thursday; F = Friday

Commencement

Commencement programs are conducted twice each year, in December and in May. Summer candidates are invited to the December exercises and are listed in that program. Information regarding programs is automatically mailed to candidates about six weeks before commencement.

Common Hour

To facilitate student and faculty participation in extracurricular and co-curricular events, the schedule of day classes leaves open a common hour on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 2:25 p.m.

Course Numbering System

The Graduate Studies Bulletin lists all the graduate courses offered by the University in its programs.

Courses numbered 200 and above are for graduate credit. All 200 and above level business courses are open only to matriculated Zarb School of Business graduate students.

2000-level courses are graduate courses offered in conjunction with undergraduate courses, for which graduate students are expected to fulfill substantially enhanced requirements.

Course numbers with A through Z designations usually indicate that as individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter and added to the course number. The course may be taken any number of times as long as there is a different letter designation each time it is taken. The University reserves the right to withdraw any scheduled course without notice. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online course schedule.

Distance Learning (DL) Courses

A Distance Learning (DL) course is a course taught entirely online.  Hofstra University offers online learning components in more than 1,700 on-campus courses throughout the academic year in most disciplines and majors. For more information, visit hofstra.edu/DL.

Dual Degrees (Undergraduate/Graduate)

Hofstra’s dual degree (undergraduate/graduate) programs allow students to earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree in less time than if each degree was pursued separately, saving the cost of one or more semesters of tuition. Consult complete program descriptions and admission requirements in this Bulletin. For more information about dual degrees, visit hofstra.edu/exploredualdegree.

Elective

An elective is a course students choose to take either because of their special interest in it, because it helps to satisfy their intellectual curiosity or because it complements their college degree requirements. An elective course may be outside of a student’s field or discipline, or it may have a direct relationship to his/her degree program. Limits are placed on the number of elective credits students can earn, and students must consult with a faculty adviser when planning a program of study.

Matriculated Student

A student who has successfully satisfied all admission requirements and has been officially accepted into a degree program at the University.

Registration

Students register for classes through Hofstra Online via the Hofstra portal. Registration for the future summer/fall semesters begins in early March or the end of February depending on the calendar. Registration for the future January/spring semesters begins in mid-October.

Semester Hour (s.h.)

Semester hour is the term used to describe the number of credits received by the student for successfully completing a specific course. The definition of semester hour is “one one-hour period of participation in class per week, or a minimum of two hours of laboratory or studio work per week for one semester, or the equivalent.” Courses are generally assigned between 1 and 6 semester hours.

It should be noted that the semester-hour credit given a course is not necessarily equal to the actual number of hours spent in the class. This applies particularly to courses in the sciences and fine arts, where laboratory or studio sessions are scheduled in addition to regular class lectures.

Full-time equivalency for graduate students is 9 semester hours.

Since all courses are not offered every semester, students should consult the online class schedule for specific offerings before registering for their programs.

Study Time

Each student should schedule study time for each week equal to at least twice the number of hours spent in class.

Transcripts

Students can request copies of their official transcripts online through Hofstra Online via the Hofstra portal. For more information on transcript policies and services, please visit hofstra.edu/transcripts.

^{Updated October 2020.}