Department Policies

Advanced W Requirement

THE BASICS:

To satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement you must be able to demonstrate writing proficiency in your chosen discipline. You will receive the Advanced W designation after your portfolio of three papers (from courses in Business Administration, Economics, or Computer Science) has been reviewed and accepted. Each paper must be approved by two faculty: the professor who assigned the paper and your academic advisor. The portfolio should be a proud reflection of your work since you may be showing it to prospective employers and/or graduate schools. For this reason, submitted papers must meet the following criteria.

  1. Papers submitted for consideration must:
    • have received a grade of "B" or higher and
    • be well written and meet specific standards described in number two.
  2. Each portfolio submission will be evaluated according to: grammar, syntax, attention to audience, clear organization including thesis and documentation where needed, coherence, idea development, and supported conclusions. ALL PAPERS MUST BE ERROR FREE. PAPERS THAT HAVE INCOMPLETE SENTENCES, GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS, ETC. WILL NOT BE APPROVED.

OTHER DETAILS:

  1. ADVANCED WRITING PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE STUDENT'S ADVISOR NO LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER FOLLOWING THE COURSE FOR WHICH THE PAPER WAS WRITTEN. Papers submitted after this point will generally not be accepted.
  2. For Business Administration majors, at least one of the three papers (or equivalents) must be in a course in the student's concentration. For Economics majors, all three papers (or equivalents) must be in Economics courses unless permission is granted by the student's advisor. For MIS majors, one of the three papers must be the System Proposal (from CPSC 417).
  3. One of the papers can be the product of a group effort. However, there can be no more than three authors on this paper.
  4. To facilitate timely completion of the Advanced W, at least two papers should be submitted by the end of the junior year.
  5. The Advanced W Portfolio should be completed by the end of the Fall semester of senior year. If additional rewrites are necessary, seniors must make sure these are submitted no later than the first Monday in February TO ENSURE THAT THE STUDENT WILL NOT BE LISTED AS A DEGREE CANDIDATE IN THE COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM.
  6. An Advanced W submission should contain on the title page the title, designation as an "Advanced W Assignment", course name, number and instructor.

Comprehensive Examination

In accordance with the policy of Saint Mary's College, a Comprehensive Examination is administered to all students during their senior year. The Comprehensive Examination gives students a chance to demonstrate competence in their chosen majors and concentrations. Since the examination is given in senior year, students are encouraged to complete as many major requirements as possible by the end of the first semester of their senior year.

The B.B.A. Comprehensive Examination utilizes a case study format. It provides students with an integrative learning experience and tests technical competencies, problem solving and analysis skills, and awareness of ethical issues, communication skills, and quantative skills. The case also requires the students to consider international ramifications.

The B.A. Comprehensive Examination in economics is an objective test on basic material. Successful completion of ECON 495 - Senior Economics Seminar, which includes a major research paper, is also required.