Academic Integrity Code

Our program takes academic integrity seriously. We follow the Graduate School-New Brunswick Academic Integrity Policy and Rutgers University Academic Integrity Policy in setting ethical standards for completion of homework assignments and projects, and taking exams. The overwhelming majority of students adhere to these codes of good behavior without requiring a reminder.

Student Responsibility

You are responsible for reading and understanding our academic integrity code; we encourage you to review a presentation (pdf) which highlights the main points. Sanctions for violations – even first-time violations – can include a zero grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, notification of the Dean of the Graduate School-New Brunswick (or dean for your unit), suspension or expulsion, exclusion from our résumé book sent twice-yearly to prospective employers, and exclusion from current or future referrals for internship or employment opportunities.

In the financial securities industry, despite popular misconceptions, there is no tolerance for dishonesty of any kind and penalties for violations of corporate codes of conduct are severe. Do not jeopardize your future career by taking a chance that you will not be caught cheating.

Homework Assignments and Projects

Your instructor will provide guidelines for his or her course indicating whether you can collaborate on homework assignments or projects. Unless your instructor explicitly tells you otherwise, you should assume that no collaboration is allowed and that all submitted assignments or projects should represent your sole individual effort. If you are in any doubt, ask your instructor for guidance.

Many of the homework assignments in our courses involve computer programming. Although computer code is easily copied, please be aware that copying is detectable and that all submitted code is subject to screening for evidence of duplication. We require our students to follow the Department of Computer Science Academic Integrity Policy and, in particular, their Policy for Programming Assignments.

Examinations

Please take note of the policy on examinations, which is in accord with that enforced by the Department of Computer Science and other units:

Students should not obtain or provide unauthorized help on examinations. The following rules are intended to help maintain an environment where this principle is maintained:

Students will not be admitted to an exam without a valid photo ID.
Students must sit in their assigned seats, and must answer questions in the examination copy given to them.
Electronic devices, such as mobile phones, calculators, PDAs, Blackberries, laptops are not allowed in the examination.
Bags, backpacks, coats, etc. must be left outside the exam room, or must be stored in the front of the exam room. Similarly for books and notes, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Students will be required to sign an attendance sheet.
Students may not open their exam until instructed to do so, and must stop writing as soon as instructed to do so.
Talking during an exam is prohibited.
Beginning 10 minutes from the end of the exam period, students must remain in their seats until all exams have been collected by the proctors.