Student Grievance Procedures

A graduate student with any type of grievance in the Department of Chemical Engineering should initially contact the Graduate Adviser, who is the head of the graduate studies committee. If that is inappropriate, the student should contact the Department Chair instead. They will endeavor to resolve grievances informally within the department.

When issues cannot be resolved informally, the graduate student may express a formal grievance through the Graduate School with the assurance of timely and thorough consideration.  A graduate student has the right to seek redress of any grievance related to her or his academic affairs. Grievants are assured freedom from reprisals for the filing of their grievances.

All complaints must be submitted in writing to the Office of Graduate Studies, which will notify the chair of the graduate studies committee, the department chair, and the dean of the college or school that a grievance has been filed and of the procedures for handling the grievance.

A student must initiate his or her complaint within six months of the incident that is the subject of the grievance.

Full details of the formal adjudication process are in section D on this page of the Handbook of Operating Procedures.

Grade Disputes

Grade disputes are handled according to departmental review policies by the department offering the course in question. The order of review for grade disputes is the course instructor, graduate adviser, department chair, and dean of the college or school offering the course. The decision of the college or school dean is final.