Student Appeals

Appeal of a Final Course Grade

MTSA maintains a grade appeal and due process protocol. Students of MTSA have the right to appeal a final course grade they believe was assigned unfairly or derived in a manner inconsistent with the course syllabus. The faculty members of MTSA are responsible for assigning final course grades according to the course syllabus and grading rubrics. Should a disagreement arise regarding a grade assignment, MTSA intends to uphold the integrity of both students and faculty. This appeal process is not intended to undermine the work of the faculty.

1. By 6pm on Wednesday of final exam week, Faculty will email the applicable cohort MTSA Outlook group to notify students that final course grades have been entered in the Learning Management System.

2. Within one MTSA business day, by 6pm on Thursday of final exam week, the student must email (to the instructor’s MTSA email address) a request to talk with the course instructor, to discuss how the grade was assigned.

3. Within two MTSA business days, by 6pm on Tuesday of the week after final exam week, the instructor will respond to the student’s request.

4. Within two MTSA business days, by 6pm on Thursday of the week after final exam week, the instructor will talk with the student.

   After this discussion:

   • If the student and instructor agree the grade was appropriately assigned, the appeal process ends, and the final grade will stand as posted. The instructor will document the decision in writing via email to the student by 6pm the same day as the discussion occurred.

   • If the issue is still unresolved, the student may continue to the next step of the grade appeal process.

5. Within one MTSA business day, by 6pm on Monday of the next week (2nd week after final exam week), the student must submit the written grade appeal form (available in each Cohort Microsoft Teams channel), supporting documents, and the written decision of the instructor, to both the Executive Vice President and Program Administrator.

6. The Executive Vice President (or the Program Administrator, in the EVP’s absence) will review the appeal and supporting documents. At the Executive Vice President’s (or Program Administrator’s, in the EVP’s absence) discretion, the review process may include asking to meet with the student and/or the course instructor for clarification of information, and/or reviewing additional information that may be deemed necessary.

   • By 6pm on Monday of the following week (3rd week after final exam week, which may be the first week, of the next semester), the decision of the Executive Vice President (or Program Administrator, in the EVP’s absence) will be emailed to the student and course instructor.

7. If a student is not satisfied with the resolution of their appeal from the Executive Vice President (or Program Administrator, in the EVP’s absence), they must submit a request to both the Executive Vice President and Program Administrator within one MTSA business day, by 6pm on Tuesday of that week (3rd week after final exam week), to be heard by the Progressions Committee at their next meeting.

   • If the grade the student received causes dismissal from the program, an ad hoc Progressions Committee meeting may be requested. Such a meeting would occur within 8 MTSA business days, which would likely be during the first few weeks of the subsequent semester.

Appeal of a Progressions Committee Disciplinary Action

The disciplinary action of the Progressions Committee may be appealed to the next higher body, the MTSA Appeals Committee. The standard procedure of an appeal is as follows:

1. In all cases, the request for an appeal must be submitted in writing to the President and the Program Administrator within four (4) MTSA business days of written notice of the Progressions Committee decision. If the fourth day falls on a legal or School holiday, the time is extended to the next regular MTSA business day. Regular business days for MTSA are Monday through Thursday.
2. All written documentation from the appellant must be submitted for the Appeals Committee’s consideration within the same time provided for filing a request for an appeal (4 MTSA business days). Within 12 MTSA business days of the receipt of a written request for an Appeals Committee hearing, the President will designate an Appeals Committee according to administrative policy of MTSA. The Appeals Committee will meet and make a decision within 12 MTSA business days after the designation of the Appeals Committee. This time may be extended by MTSA administration for good cause.
3. The Appeals Committee will review the request for appeal together with any written documents and other supporting evidence to determine if the appeal presents a substantial question within the scope of review. The scope of review shall be limited to the following:
   1. Appropriateness of the Penalty: In cases appealing the appropriateness of the penalty, the Appeals Committee shall uphold the penalty unless the penalty is shown to be “clearly unreasonable” or arbitrary (i.e., “that which has been clearly and fully proven to have no sound basis or justification in reason.”).
   2. New Evidence: In cases appealed on grounds of new evidence, the student(s) must show that such evidence is material to the decision of the Appeals Committee on issue of the charges and the findings and that said evidence could not have been discovered with due diligence prior to the original hearing.
   3. Due Process: In cases appealed on grounds of denial of due process, the student(s) must demonstrate that the Progressions Committee’s process at the initial hearing was not conducted in conformity with properly prescribed procedures. The student(s) must also show that the alleged discrepancy was materially averse to the student(s) interest.
4. The decision of the Appeals Committee shall be final. Any reconsideration of the decision will be remanded to the Progressions Committee.