Smith College Botanic Garden
Course Catalog 2026-2027

200 Course Specific Policies

200.1 Course Registration

Students are responsible for properly registering for all courses that meet the degree requirements for graduation, and for following the School’s established registration procedures. Students whose names do not appear on the final course enrollment lists will not receive credit for a course.

200.2 Add/Drop

Students may add or drop courses within the posted add/drop period as long as the alternative choices meet degree and credit requirements to graduate. Since students must enroll in the same section of SOCW 500/SOCW 501 and SOCW 600/SOCW 601, changes to SOCW 501 and SOCW 601 will not be permitted after the add/drop period for Summer Term 1 ends.

200.3 Auditing

Auditing is not permitted in School for Social Work courses. 

200.4 Course Scheduling

The School reserves the right to reassign sections, make changes in course scheduling,  and/or cancel course sections if enrollment is insufficient. The School does not guarantee a student’s first choice of elective courses or required course section.

200.5 Prerequisites for Course Registration

  • SOCW 500 and SOCW 501 are prerequisites for the First-Year practicum internship. Students cannot progress to the First-Year practicum internship without passing (P or MP) these prerequisite courses, except in exigent circumstances as determined by the Director of Practicum Learning and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

  • SOCW 600 and SOCW 601 are prerequisites for the Second-Year practicum internship. Students cannot progress to the Second-Year practicum internship without passing (P or MP) these prerequisite courses.

  • SOCW 500 is a prerequisite for SOCW 501, as is SOCW 600 for SOCW 601. Students cannot progress to SOCW 501 or SOCW 601 without passing (P or MP) its prerequisite course.

200.6 Transferring Course Credit

200.6.1 Master’s Program

Up to 12 transfer credits may be awarded for courses completed with a grade of B or above from an accredited graduate school of social work within five years of the date of matriculation to the M.S.W. program. Students must send the transfer request form (available from the SSW Registrar's Office) with supporting documentation, including a syllabus and a statement as to how the course meets SSW requirements, to the SSW Registrar’s Office at least three weeks before the term start date. The appropriate Course Coordinator  in consultation with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, will make the decision with regard to the transfer credit. No credit will be granted for previous work experience or life experience.

Requests for transfer credit taken after admission may be approved in extraordinary circumstances, but must be approved by the ADAA as an exception to the transfer course credit policy prior to completing the work.

200.6.2 Doctoral Program

Transfer credit is not permitted in the Ph.D. program.

200.7 Waiving a Required Course

200.7.1 Master’s Program

Some required courses may be waived if students can demonstrate that they have mastered the course content prior to enrollment. No credit is awarded for waived courses; credits must be made up by taking electives. The transcript will indicate when a waived course has met a requirement. Students must submit waiver forms to the Registrar’s Office by April 1 of the year of admission in order for the request to be considered.

200.7.2 Doctoral Program

Waived courses are not permitted in the Ph.D. program.

200.8 Class Attendance

Students are required to attend all classes.

Our program does not offer “personal days” or days off from class other than official holidays as noted in the academic calendar. In the event of a health-related absence or an absence due to a personal crisis, students must contact their instructor to let them know they will need to miss class. In these instances, the student and instructor will discuss how to cover the missed work. Students cannot pass a course if they miss more than 20% of class time. 

In rare cases, a student who misses more than 20% of a course may be allowed to do an independent study to complete the course, only if:

  • the cause of the absences are due to extraordinary circumstances beyond a student’s control, or     

  • the student has prior accommodations from the the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC), and the Director of ARC and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs concur that such accommodations are necessary and can be arranged in the classes affected, and     

  • the student’s progress in the course has been satisfactory.     

Whether or not a student is afforded this opportunity will be determined by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, in consultation with the instructor and the relevant Coordinator or Chair. The grade for the course will be an Incomplete (I) until the independent study is completed.

200.9 Extensions

Any request to an instructor for an extension to complete work must be made prior to the due date of an assignment. Instructors may grant an extension of up to 3 days per assignment. Additional days may be granted with documentation from the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC), which must be provided to the instructor ahead of the assignment deadline, up to a total of 5 days for mid-term assignments and beyond the last day of class at the end of a term. Any student who has been given an extension beyond the end of the term will be given an Incomplete until the work is completed.

200.10 Incomplete Work 

Any student who has been granted an extension, not to exceed 5 days, beyond the end of the term will be given an Incomplete as the grade. If the work is not completed and submitted within the granted extension period, a final grade will be assigned based on all work that has been submitted by that date.

Students who choose to take a Leave of Absence in the midst of a term may be assigned a grade of Incomplete at the determination of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs if at the time of the request:

  • The student is not currently failing the course, and

  • The student has completed more than 60% of the course. 

Exceptions to these limitations may be made at the discretion of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or the Director of the Ph.D. Program.

200.11 Withdrawing from a Course

A student may withdraw from a course in which they are currently enrolled after the add/drop period and not later than the completion of 60% of the course (i.e., for a two-credit course, the student would need to withdraw by the end of class 6 of a 10-session course; for practicum internships, the student would need to withdraw by the last practicum day in January.)

If a student withdraws within the time frames outlined above, the official record of the School will indicate “Withdrawn” as the grade; there is no partial credit granted and students will not receive credit for the course.

Students who discontinue a course after the 60% point but before completing course requirements will receive an F for that course.

In the event of a catastrophic circumstance (e.g., significant personal loss or a major health issue), a student who must take a Leave of Absence (LOA) after completing 60% of the term may be eligible to receive a grade of “W,” provided the student was earning passing grades at the time of the leave.

This exception applies only to extraordinary situations requiring a Leave of Absence due to catastrophic events. It may not be used in cases involving academic performance concerns or for students seeking to restart coursework.

200.12 Student Feedback on Courses and Internships

Students are strongly encouraged to complete a feedback form for all courses and practicum internships in which they have been enrolled.