Leave of Absence Procedure

A leave of absence is required if the student will be out of his/her program (not taking courses) for two or more terms. If the student plans to skip an enrollment (not take courses) for only one term, then there is no need to request a leave of absence. To request a leave of absence, the student writes (with copies to his/her mentor and course instructor if enrolled) to the dean of the School for Graduate Studies, or designee, at Graduate_Dean’s.Office@esc.edu. The student should specify the length of time that he/she is requesting the leave for and the reason(s) for requesting it.

Students in the M.A.T. program must have the permission of the dean of the School for Graduate Studies as well as their local school personnel if in years two or three of the program to be granted a leave of absence.

Without taking courses or requesting a leave, the student will become inactive and be administratively withdrawn from his/her program in accordance with the rules for minimum study and satisfactory academic progress. (Please refer to these policies located elsewhere in this catalog.)

It is important to remember that a leave of absence does not change the requirement that a student complete his/her program within six years from initial enrollment. (Please see the Time Limit for Degree Completion Policy located elsewhere in this catalog.)