Program Attendance Policies and Procedures

The Sokolov Executive MBA Program is a rigorous academic program. Students participate in the program with a set cohort of students. For this reason, class attendance, active participation in class and study group work, and the resulting collegial relationships are significant and important parts of the overall learning experience. Failure to uphold these obligations undermines the integrity of the program and detracts from other classmates’ experiences in the program. Students are expected to attend all class sessions, prepare all assignments including group work and take all examinations during the scheduled times.

Missing requirements may have a negative impact on a student’s grade, resulting in a grade of Incomplete or F, and delay completion of the program. This will be explained within the course syllabus.

The program reserves the right to take attendance throughout the program and provide this information to faculty.

Unavoidable situations may occur that require a student to miss some portion of a particular class or assignment. All matters pertaining to attendance, assignments, or exams should be directed to the local campus program team. If this initial communication is in person or over the telephone, it must be followed up as soon as possible in writing.

Once the local campus program team is informed, they will review the situation in consultation with faculty and determine the steps needed for the student to make up the missed classes, assignments, or exams.

If more than a small part of the course is missed (e.g., an examination or multiple assignments), then the student may need to withdraw from the course. However, if the student is in good standing and has a legitimate reason for missing a minor part of the course, the student may be assigned an Incomplete. Otherwise, the student may be assigned a grade of F for the course (see F Grades and Incompletes).

Unless otherwise governed by rules established by the faculty, students who miss any class sessions in a 50-unit course, and two or more class sessions in a 100-unit course, risk being withdrawn from the course and may be required to retake the course in its entirety. Under no circumstances may a student complete a course without attending more than half the classes.

The faculty have the ultimate authority for determining the appropriate makeup of missed classes, assignments, and examinations, and their rules on missing class sessions may be stricter. The rules established by the faculty will overwrite the set policy. It may not be possible to make up the missed requirements, and the student’s grade may be negatively impacted. The faculty is under no obligation to provide a makeup option, especially if an examination, multiple classes, or assignments were missed.

All in-class exams must be taken at the same time and in the same location as the class cohort. If a student temporarily transfers to another cohort, their exam schedule will be determined at the time of approval by the local campus program team.

Virtual exams may fall outside normal class session time.

A student who has not successfully completed two or more courses may be placed on administrative leave of absence from the program and may not enroll in additional courses until they successfully complete the missed or incomplete courses.

A petition to continue to take additional courses must be submitted in writing to the local campus cohort director. The petition will be reviewed by the program’s academic coordinator.

The local campus cohort program team will work closely with the student to develop a completion plan; however, there is no guarantee of an available seat the next time the course is offered, which may result in further delay of graduation.

The student is guaranteed a seat in the course only at the time their cohort is scheduled to take the course and should be aware that course sequence, curriculum, and faculty may change from year to year.

If faculty determine that an Incomplete grade will be assigned for a course (see Incompletes), the local campus program director will inform the student about their completion plan.

The completion plan establishes requirements for the student to complete the course as agreed with the faculty as well as the subsequent courses of the program. If the student does not meet the plan requirements, the student will not receive a passing grade until they successfully repeat the course. Incomplete grades must be completed the next time the same course is offered in the program.

Seating capacity constraints, course sequencing, curriculum, course prerequisites, and faculty changes are at the student’s risk. In exceptional circumstances, the academic coordinator of the program may approve a substitute course (see Repeating Courses). In those cases, the grade of Incomplete, in addition to the final grade, will remain on the student’s university transcript, representing both progress and performance in the course.

A student needing to repeat a course that they have failed, or to improve a grade to meet minimum GPA requirements, must petition the local campus program director to register for the course during the quarter prior to when the course is scheduled.

In exceptional circumstances, a substitute course may be taken with prior approval.The student is responsible for paying new course tuition at the current Chicago Booth tuition rate. The local campus program director will work closely with the student to ensure timely completion of courses; however, there is no guarantee of an available seat the next time the course is offered. The student is guaranteed a seat in the course only at the time their cohort is scheduled to take the course. Students should be aware that course sequence and curriculum may change from year to year. A student has eight years in which to complete the requirements of the program (see Length of Study).

Alternatives to Required Courses

In exceptional circumstances where a student fails to complete a course, the academic coordinator may approve course substitutions for nonelective courses. A student must do the following:

1. Submit a written explanation of why they are missing the course to the local campus cohort program director.
2. Work with the local campus cohort program director to develop a completion plan for the requirement. There are two options for completing degree requirements, and each requires prior approval. The alternatives are:
   
   a. Return the following year to take the course with the next Sokolov Executive MBA Program cohort—which is the standard and most common route, pending availability.
   
   b. With approval of the academic coordinator, take an approved substitute course in one of Chicago Booth’s other MBA programs. This course would be graded and appear on the student’s transcript along with their other courses. 

If neither of these options is possible, the student and the local campus program director must discuss any other alternatives with the academic coordinator of the program.

Voluntary Leave of Absence

If a student needs to take a leave of absence (e.g., miss one or more quarters), they need to submit a signed, written request and a Leave of Absence form to the local campus cohort director.
Records of the student’s request and response from Chicago Booth will be kept in the student’s file. The student will be considered inactive until they are registered for a course. The maximum period for a leave of absence is 12 months.

Taking a leave of absence will likely delay graduation. If a student does not complete one quarter, they will need to make up the missed quarter of classes with a subsequent cohort.

If the missed quarter includes Foundations or prerequisite courses, the student will need to file a petition with the local campus cohort director. The petition will be reviewed by the academic coordinator for approval in order to complete the program (see Foundations Courses and Prerequisites). All approvals for retaking courses with later cohorts are on a space-available basis. Students are guaranteed a seat in a class only with their initial cohorts.

If a student is unable to return at the agreed time, they must request a second leave of absence. Students have eight years to complete the program. Please see the sections on Administrative (Involuntary) Leave of Absence, and Dismissal and Program Withdrawal.

Administrative (Involuntary) Leave of Absence

The Sokolov Executive MBA Program reserves the right to place a student on an administrative leave of absence or dismiss a student from the program in these cases:

1. If the student has been inactive for an extended period of time.
2. If the student is not making sufficient academic progress toward the degree, and it has been determined that they can no longer successfully complete the program within the eight-year deadline.
3. If there is failure to pay tuition.
4. Or as a result of disciplinary sanctions.

Students who are placed on administrative leave of absence must petition to return to the program. Returning to the program is not automatic and is based on the initial conditions of the administrative leave.

The petition to return must be made not later than eight weeks prior to the start of the quarter or the student’s expected return. See Resumption of Studies for petition requirements.

Inactive Status

During leave of absence, a student will be considered inactive until the next time they are registered for classes, and therefore does not have access to certain Chicago Booth privileges, including:

1. Password-protected academic information, such as course evaluations or the learning management system, Canvas.
2. Student Directory, except to update personal address information. Address information should be updated in My Profile.
3. Other online university or campus resources.
4. Attendance at select Chicago Booth events.
5. GCLD coaching, programming, GTS, and other GCLD resources.

Exceptions may be made if appealed to the appropriate associate dean.

Students must petition to return from leave of absence (regardless of whether it was a voluntary or administrative leave of absence) and follow these procedures:

1. At least one quarter prior to the target quarter of resumption, the student seeking reinstatement must petition in writing to the local campus cohort director. The petition letter should be an electronic copy. All other information should be original or electronic copies of originals.
2. The petition must include the following information: a. Desired timing for returning to the program; b. Reasons for wanting to rejoin the program; c. An explanation of what the student has been doing while on leave of absence, including professional, personal, or other activities undertaken and how those activities shape current educational and professional objectives; d. An explanation of what circumstances have changed since the student left the program that address and mitigate the issues that led to the student’s taking a leave of absence; e. A description of any changes the student has made professionally and personally that will help them be successful at completing the program. In cases where work responsibilities were the issue, the student should provide a company letter whenever possible reasserting the company’s support for the student in the program; and f. A certification that all information provided in connection with the request is factually true, complete, and accurate, and that any false, incomplete, or misleading information may lead to disciplinary action.
3. The student must provide an updated, complete, and accurate copy of their resume/CV.
4. The student must disclose all enrollments in other schools attended during the leave of absence, supply official transcripts from those institutions, and disclose any disciplinary proceedings in which the student was involved, if any.
5. If on leave for more than one year or if there is reason for inquiry, a returning student may have to undergo a background verification check, following the same criteria as all newly admitted students. Any information discovered during the background verification check that is in conflict with the Chicago Booth Honor Code, Standards of Scholarship and Professionalism, or values of the school may result in the petition being denied.
6. Outstanding tuition invoices must be paid in full. In the case of a student leaving partway through a quarter with unpaid tuition, the student must pay the upcoming quarter’s tuition at least two weeks prior to the start of classes.

Once the student has fulfilled the resumption criteria, their petition will be reviewed by the local campus program director (and the appropriate associate dean and academic coordinator, depending on the circumstances).

Important note: All requests to return to the program from a leave of absence are subject to space availability. If a space is not available in the quarter the student wishes to return to the program, their completion plan will be adjusted, which will likely delay graduation.

Students will be informed as soon as possible of the decision. Any decision to reinstate a student is subject to an approved degree completion plan.

At the time of rejoining the program, the student will be subject to the tuition and requirements of the newly joined cohort program.

Students who are administratively withdrawn or dismissed from the program are notified via email sent to the last current email address once the withdrawal or dismissal takes effect.

Once withdrawn from the program, students may return only after reapplying and gaining admission to the Sokolov Executive MBA Program.

Students who withdraw or are dismissed once classes have begun in a given quarter and fail to complete the courses are not eligible for a tuition refund for that quarter.

If a student decides to withdraw from the program, a written request, digital or otherwise, must be given to the local campus cohort director.

An electronic copy of this request, along with the written response from Chicago Booth, will be kept in the student’s file.

Chicago Booth reserves the right to process administrative withdrawals if students do not request a resumption of studies within the eight-year program length requirement.

Access to Chicago Booth and university resources, including the Chicago Booth email account, will be terminated within 14 days following the withdrawal. All stored email data will be lost when the account is closed.

Students who withdraw or who are dismissed from the program and are subsequently interested in completing the MBA degree must reapply to a Booth program.