FAQ
What must a student do to earn a Tufts undergraduate degree?
There are three types of requirements for a bachelor's degree from Tufts in the School of Arts and Sciences. A student must:
1) earn a minimum of 34 credits;
2) satisfy all foundation, distribution, and major requirements; and
3) satisfy the residency requirement of eight full-time semesters, according to the stipulations outlined in the Bulletin.
In the School of Engineering, a student must:
1) earn a minimum of 38 credits, meeting the appropriate degree requirements; and
2) satisfy the residency requirement of eight full-time semesters, according to the stipulations outlined in the Bulletin.
What does it mean to be "in good standing?"
The term good standing reflects both the academic and the disciplinary status of a student. Good standing allows a student to be eligible for full participation in the programs and activities of the university. Students must be in good standing to participate in a varsity or club sport program, to hold office in a student organization, or to study abroad. A student is in good disciplinary standing unless she has been placed on probation for a significant infraction of the university's rules or policies. Please see the Tufts Student Judicial Process Handbook for an explanation of the levels of disciplinary probation that determine good standing. A student is in good academic standing if she is making satisfactory progress toward her degree. Please see the Tufts Bulletin for an explanation of the levels of academic probation which determine good standing in the academic domain. Of course, a student must be actively enrolled at the university to be in good standing.
The Financial Aid office relies upon a slightly different federal definition of good academic standing and students may not receive federal financial aid if they fail to meet the government's criteria. To be in good standing for financial aid, a student must again be making satisfactory academic progress towards her degree. The guidelines for satisfactory academic progress can be found at http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/awarding-info/RetainingEligibility.asp
Is it possible to graduate early?
Students may reduce their time at Tufts by one or, in rare cases, two semesters. As noted above, we do have a residence requirement. Just earning 34 credits (for Arts and Sciences students) or 38 credits (for Engineering students) is not sufficient to "cross the finish line." Students must complete eight full-time semesters to get their degree. However, students may petition to have a combination of pre-matriculation credits and Tufts Summer Session credits count in lieu of one or two academic-year semesters. (Pre-matriculation credits are credits earned from Advanced Placement, international diploma, or SAT II exams, as well as credits earned prior to entry from approved non-Tufts college courses.). A total of five such credits may count as one full-time semester; a total of nine such credits may count as two full-time semesters.
We strongly believe that the full academic experience comes from four years of full-time study, and we do not want to create an incentive for students to rush through it. Nor do we want to create an incentive for students to overload their semesters with too many courses just to cross the credit threshold sooner. We know from experience that students do not do their best work in overloaded semesters. By allowing pre-matriculation credit to transfer here, as well as credit earned during Tufts Summer Session, we make it possible for a student and her family to reduce their costs without overloading the student's schedule.
President Bacow says during his matriculation speech that we have to 'let go.' But it is easier said than done. What advice can you give us to help with this transition?
Each year in his matriculation speech to entering students and their families, President Larry Bacow talks about the wonderful but often difficult transition that occurs when children go away to college. As children grow and become more independent, parents have to step back and allow them to make their own decisions and choose their own path. Parental influence is and should still be strong for college students but parents help their children grow and develop most by “letting go.”
Both federal law and Tufts’ philosophy require that we treat your son or daughter as an adult. We communicate with them directly, and we expect them to negotiate the college experience by reading and following instructions, gathering accurate information and making thoughtful decisions. We offer them support to do this through their pre-major/major advisor, their academic dean, specialized advisors such as pre-health and pre-law, academic resource center counselors and tutors, career counselors and many more individuals who are here to help them.
This website is meant to give you a clearer picture of what resources are available. You can help your son or daughter the most by encouraging them to take advantage of those resources and then asking them about their experience in doing so. While faculty and staff at Tufts are happy to speak with parents, there is a limitation as to what information we can share. The most important lines of communication to keep open are the ones between you and your son or daughter.
How do the university's privacy rules affect the information parents receive about their children?
Federal privacy rules about educational records, including grades, prevent us from sharing individual student records. That said, we expect that parents will continue to be the most important influence in their student's education, and we look forward to being your partner in these four years. We will involve you in conversations about important issues and events and will be in touch with you if we are ever concerned about the personal well-being of your son or daughter.
Our academic deans continually monitor the progress of every student, often meeting with struggling students during the term. At the end of each semester, we check each transcript and evaluate the standing of every student. If your student is not in good academic standing, a letter will be sent to your home and an e-mail will be sent to your student, along with information about resources that can help him or her succeed.
The best communication flows in both directions. Please feel free to call us (see below) if you have any issues or concerns about academic or personal issues that might affect your student's experience at Tufts.
Finally, you should know that students can give their parents access to their grades through the MyJumbo function on Webcenter for Parents, located at http://uss.tufts.edu/registrar/Webcenter.asp
What happens if there is a major emergency on campus?
The university has in place an emergency alert system called Send Word Now. This system is designed to notify individuals living within the Tufts community, within minutes of activation, by distributing simultaneous alerts to cell phones, e-mail, text messaging devices, landline phones, and pagers. The effectiveness of the system depends on students signing up and providing their contact information. Toward this end, families will receive a mailing about Send Word Now this summer. In addition to this system of active outreach, the university may also post special alerts on www.tufts.edu. You can learn more about our professional safety team and emergency preparedness at http://publicsafety.tufts.edu/parents
How does the university support students with learning differences and/or special needs?
An undergraduate who requires accommodations for a learning difference or other special need should contact Ms. Sandra Baer, the Coordinator of Academic Services for Students with Disabilities. Ms. Baer (sandra.baer@tufts.edu or 617-627-5571) will work with the student to identify and provide necessary accommodations for classroom success. If access is an issue, classroom relocation is possible. Students who need recorded books, CART reporters, or other accommodations that take time to arrange should meet with their academic dean to register for classes early. Students with physical disabilities that require accommodations in housing also should contact Health Services as well as the Residential Life office. These offices coordinate services to provide successful accommodation and support. Requests for accommodations related to the co-curricular program should be addressed to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.
What is the university's alcohol and drug policy?
The university does not condone underage or irresponsible drinking or other drug use. University officials and residence hall staff engage students in many conversations and programs about the choices they will make about their lives here and about what they do in the privacy of their rooms in the residence halls. All incoming students are expected to complete an on-line alcohol educational assessment before coming to campus.
That said, alcohol and drug use continues to be a significant problem that we - and most other colleges - face, and the university has what might be called a "three strikes policy" on alcohol or drug use infractions. For a first offense, a student receives probation. A second offense leads to parental notification and additional disciplinary action. Third offenses frequently result in separation from the university. We will be in touch with parents about any medical response necessitated by substance use, either at the time of the response - if we are informed of an urgent condition - or, most often, as a more routine follow-up.
What should we do if our financial status changes significantly?
If your family's financial situation changes significantly and you are having unanticipated difficulty in paying the semester bill, you should contact our Student Services Representatives at 617-627-2000. They will talk with you about payment plans, financing options, and the possibility of applying for financial aid or appealing a financial aid decision.
What advice can you offer on picking a major?
Selecting a major might feel like a daunting task for your son or daughter. This is due, in part, to the fact that there are so many disciplines and courses that were not available to him or her in high school, and which are likely being taken for the first time in college. Our best advice for your son or daughter is to sample what the university has to offer, while working to fulfill requirements.
Another contributing factor to the anxiety some students feel when asked to declare is that they believe this choice is a permanent decision, and that the major they choose will be firmly indicative of their future career. While we require that your son or daughter declare a major early on in his or her college experience, it is absolutely possible to change majors—and many students do. Furthermore, this selected major does not have a direct connection to a future career.
What can you do? Encourage your son or daughter to talk to faculty and to their advisors when thinking about this decision. Encourage your son or daughter to attend Majors Week to see what disciplines are available. Encourage your son or daughter to be informed, and then support the decisions—and changes in decision—that are made.
We want our daughter to get a broad liberal arts education. But will she be able to get a job upon graduation?
A liberal arts education has long been recognized in the workplace for its value and versatility. Employers say they want employees who can think critically, communicate clearly, and solve problems creatively. They emphasize the need to work collaboratively in teams, to continue learning on the job, and to view things from multiple perspectives.
This is the essence of the education your student is receiving at Tufts. Your daughters and sons are prepared to enter the workplace or graduate schools with transferable skills that ensure their success in a variety of challenging tasks and environments. To learn more about how Career Services teaches students to market a Tufts degree, click here (LINK to pages 10 and 11 in Career Guide - Marketing Your Tufts Degree & Transferable Skills: Your Marketing Edge in Job Search—see attached .pdf file).
Why should my son or daughter study abroad?
Jobs in the twenty-first century require the ability to cross borders that are cultural and linguistic as well as geographic. A semester or year in a foreign country offers a chance to see the world through different eyes and teaches flexibility, independence, and maturity. A foreign-study experience is the best preparation for the challenges of life and work in an ever-shrinking world.
If my son or daughter studies abroad, will he/she graduate on time?
Students are encouraged to work closely with their academic advisers in planning their semester or year abroad. For Tufts' own programs (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/TPA1stPg.htm) many courses have been pre-approved in satisfaction of Tufts academic requirements. For non-Tufts foreign programs (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/NonT1stPg.htm) students seek approval of individual by faculty in the corresponding departments.
Where can my son or daughter study abroad as a Tufts student?
Tufts operates its own study abroad programs in ten locations throughout the world (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/TPA1stPg.htm). It is also possible to take a leave of absence from Tufts for a semester or an academic year to study on a recommended non-Tufts program (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/NonTufts/NTRecProg.htm ).
What are the various forms of academic honors for undergraduates?
Latin honors are conferred at commencement to students who have met certain criteria and have been voted the honor by the faculty. Latin honors include summa cum laude (degree conferred with highest distinction), magna cum laude (degree conferred with distinction), and cum laude (honorable mention). These honors go to undergraduates with outstanding academic records who have been deemed by the faculty as having a superior quality of mind. The minimum criteria for each level of honors are spelled out in the Bulletin. Some departments within the schools have additional requirements for highest honors.
Students who write an honors thesis may receive thesis honors. Upon the oral defense of the thesis, the student’s thesis committee will determine whether the work deserves highest thesis honors, high thesis honors, thesis honors, or no thesis honors. A grade for the thesis is also assigned and will appear on the transcript. Students may be recognized with both thesis honors and Latin honors.
There are several important honor society chapters at Tufts. Most notably, students may be elected by a faculty committee to the premiere arts and sciences honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, and the premiere engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi. Many disciplines have their own honor societies as well.
The Dean's List is created after each semester and recognizes students who have performed to high standards in the term. The criteria for making Dean’s List are spelled out in the Bulletin: http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/gen-undergrad.html
Please see http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/liberal_arts.html for information on honors in the School of Arts and Sciences and http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/engineering-info.html for honors specific to the School of Engineering.
Whom should we contact if we have questions or concerns?
The web sites of the divisions of U.S.S. (Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs and Student Services) provide information about almost every aspect of life at Tufts (http://uss.tufts.edu/ ). We even have a special web site called WebCenter for Parents with information of particular interest to parents (http://parents.webcenter.tufts.edu/ ).
Every undergraduate is assigned to an academic dean. All students in the School of Engineering work with Dean Kim Knox (kim.knox@tufts.edu). Students in Arts and Sciences are assigned alphabetically to their dean as follows:
A-E Jean Herbert (jean.herbert@tufts.edu)
F-K Carol Baffi-Dugan (carol.baffi-dugan@tufts.edu)
L-Ri Karen Garrett Gould (karen.gould@tufts.edu)
Rj-Z Jeanne Dillon (jeanne.dillon@tufts.edu )
We also have a team in Student Affairs that can address issues that are not primarily academic in nature. These issues can include co-curricular life, choices about lifestyle and participation in the community, health or mental health issues, conflict resolution, and problem solving of all sorts. Our Student Affairs departments are located all over campus. A good starting place is the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs in Dowling Hall at 617- 627-3158 or through e-mail:
Bruce Reitman, Dean of Student Affairs(bruce.reitman@tufts.edu)
Marisel Perez, Associate Dean (marisel.perez@tufts.edu)
Veronica Carter, Judicial Affairs Officer (veronica.carter@tufts.edu )
Many questions also can be answered by our staff at the Student Services Desk at 617-627-2000. If our Student Services representatives cannot answer your question, they will direct your inquiry to someone who can.
