Academic Policies

Prerequisite

A prerequisite is a requirement which must be satisfied before taking a course.

Corequisite

A corequisite is a requirement which must be satisfied before, or while taking a course.

To determine whether a course has a prerequisite or a corequisite, please use the academic calendar to view course details and requirements.

Prerequisite to Corequisite Policy

Prerequisites are set to ensure the foundational knowledge to succeed in the class has been met before enrolling in the course. If a student is missing one or more prerequisites required for a course, the Student Information Management System (SIMS) will not allow the student to enroll. Students are expected to complete all prerequisites prior to starting the course. A prerequisite to a corequisite waiver will only be granted under extenuating circumstances. An advisor will review the case, and if an extenuating circumstance does not exist, then the request will be denied. However, if an extenuating circumstance does exist, the request is elevated to the instructor (directly by the advisor) for final approval. The instructor will have the ability to deny the request if the instructor believes the student doesn’t have the background to succeed in the classroom.

• Enrolment into all Business courses is exclusively governed by waitlists in week one
• The last day to drop a class with a 100% tuition refund is the 7th calendar day of the first week of classes. Course drop fees apply after this date. While fees are not applied for dropping from waitlists, they apply to students dropping enrolled courses.
• Depending on the instructor’s preference, a select number of Business course waitlists may run beyond week one, until the end of week two.
• If/when seats become available in week 2, students will be directly added to the course by order of the existing waitlist. If you do not wish to be added to a Business Course in week 2, please ensure you remove yourself from the waitlist.

To find out if and how your instructor is accepting students in week two, contact sfubeedie_undergrad@sfu.ca.

Students are urged to read the tuition refund policy and penalties for dropping courses carefully to avoid, or minimize, financial penalty for dropping courses in which they enroll.

Details of the undergraduate policy, and deadlines, appear in the Undergraduate Fees section of the Academic Calendar.

An advisor can assist students with tutorial swaps during week 2 space permitting. Tutorial swaps are not permitted during week 3.

Directed Studies courses to make it possible for students to work with a continuing Business faculty member in an area of mutual interest. It is up to the student and instructor to determine the structure and meetings for the course, as well as how many units the course will be worth. A directed studies course must be different from any other business course available at SFU and may not replace a course offered at SFU. Directed Studies courses are not permitted to count towards concentration requirements. For further information contact sfubeedie_undergrad@sfu.ca.

Students who wish to take a course at another institution must first apply for a Letter of Permission (LOP). The Beedie School of Business does not normally permit Letters of Permission, and approvals to take a course at another institution will not be granted unless an approved academic reason is provided. An LOP will not be permitted for a course offered at SFU.

SFU students who wish to audit business courses at the Beedie School of Business are encouraged to review the University’s course audit policy.

Students wishing to audit a business course must seek approval from the Beedie School of Business, and must meet all prerequisites and eligibility requirements for the course.

Students auditing business courses are not eligible to participate in class discussions, write exams, or submit assignments. Audited courses do not count towards the completion of the program requirements. Please contact an Academic Advisor for further details on the process.

The Beedie School of Business does not offer opportunities for students to challenge business courses.

Grade requirements are dictated by the term of your admission to the Beedie School of Business. Please refer to the SFU Academic Calendar to review course, program, and university grade requirements.

The Beedie School of Business applies grades in a fair and consistent manner. If you feel there was a miscalculation with your grade, or you are unclear how your final grade was achieved, it is recommended that you first speak with your instructor.

The Beedie School of Business has two processes in place to support grade appeal requests. You are encouraged to contact a Beedie School of Business Academic Advisor prior to appealing your grade. We also recommend reviewing SFU’s Grading and the Reconsideration of Grades policy.

Reconsideration of Grades

It is expected that prior to initiating a request for reconsideration of a grade, you have been in contact with your instructor and have received a response.

In the event that you do not receive a timely reply from your instructor, or are not satisfied with the response, you may present in writing, your request and supporting reasons for it to the Beedie School of Business Undergraduate Academic Advising Office.

To begin the Request for Reconsideration of Grade process, please contact the Beedie School of Business Undergraduate Academic Advising Office. Requests for a reconsideration of grade should be raised with the instructor, normally within 10 days of the release of the final grade. You must provide supporting reasons for a reconsideration of your final grade, as well as include relevant work returned by your instructor. It is expected that all parties involved in the request for reconsideration of a grade will respond in a timely manner, normally within 10 business days of receiving the request. The reconsideration of a grade may result in the grade being raised, lowered or remaining unchanged.

If you wish to challenge the outcome of the request for reconsideration of grade, youmay do so through the formal grade appeal process detailed below.

Formal Grade Appeal

If you believe your request for reconsideration of grade has been inappropriately addressed, you may pursue a formal grade appeal.

As with a request for reconsideration of a grade, all relevant material should accompany the request. This includes any and all documentation associated with the request for reconsideration of grade process. Please consult with the Beedie School of Business Undergraduate Advising Office to initiate the Formal Grade Appeal process.

A student who is seeking a formal grade appeal is expected to raise this concern with the Academic Director within 10 business days of the release of the results of the request for reconsideration of a grade. The Academic Director will review all material.

It is expected that all parties involved in the grade appeal process will respond in a timely manner, normally within 10 days of receiving the request.

Admission to the Honours Program

If you are unsuccessful with your honours application, you may submit a request to appeal the admission decision.

Repeat Appeals

As per SFU repeat policies, the number of courses a student may repeat within a degree program is limited to five, and the number of times in which a student may repeat a course is one. For detailed information on SFU’s repeat policy, please review the information here.

While we understand that there may be circumstances which require you to repeat a course for degree requirements beyond the limit stipulated in the SFU calendar. In such cases, you may submit an appeal to the Beedie School of Business Academic Appeals Committee.

Academic Appeal Applications

Please speak with an Academic Advisor to discuss your options. If you would like to submit an academic appeal, you will be provided with a copy of the Academic Appeals form, and will be guided through the process and requirements needed to submit your academic appeal. Academic appeals are adjudicated twice per team: once before the enrollment period and once before the start of classes.

Timeline for Appeals

Assessment of Appeals

The Committee will assess cases based on:

• Appeal letter (typed, no more than 2 pages double-spaced, or 1 page single-spaced)
• Academic advising transcript and graduation check
• Scheduling timetable
• Any additional supporting documentation relevant to your appeal

Submission of Appeal Package

Appeals must be submitted by email to sfubeedie_undergrad@sfu.ca