Office of the Registrar

The MCW All Student Bulletin contains information, policies, and procedures for all students enrolled at the Medical College of Wisconsin. It is to be used in conjunction with the MCW School of Graduate Studies Handbook, the Medical School Handbook and/or the School of Pharmacy Handbook which include information, policies and procedures specific to the schools.

Purpose

The Medical College of Wisconsin offers demanding programs in the allied health professions, biomedical sciences, medicine and pharmacy. To properly advise and support students in these programs and to preserve the integrity of MCW degrees and programs, this policy addresses concurrent enrollment at other institutions and/or in multiple MCW programs.

Definitions

Concurrent Enrollment:

• Occurs when a student enrolled at the Medical College of Wisconsin is simultaneously enrolled at another institution.
• Occurs when a student enrolled in a degree program at the Medical College of Wisconsin simultaneously pursues another degree program at MCW.

Dual Degree: a dual degree program leads to two degrees conferred concurrently or consecutively when credits earned at one institution or in one program count toward a degree at another institution or in another program. For example, a student may complete graduate coursework that applies to both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, i.e. the MPH program offered by MCW at Mount Mary University and St. Norbert College allows students to enroll in MCW courses as undergraduates. The students may apply the MCW credits toward their bachelor’s degrees as well as towards their MPH degrees.

Joint Degree: a joint degree is conferred concurrently by two institutions that share in educating students in a discipline, i.e. the joint PhD in Biomedical Engineering is awarded by both Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Policy

Full-time students may not concurrently enroll in a degree program at another institution without permission of the provost who, in consultation with the student’s dean, must approve of the student’s program and courses at the other institution prior to enrollment. If approved, the student may enroll only in graduate or professional level courses. This policy excludes approved dual degree and joint degree programs at institutions with which MCW has a formal agreement. Please refer to the school handbooks for limitations on the transfer of credits.

A student may not concurrently enroll in more than one degree program at MCW without permission of the provost. This policy excludes approved programs such as MD/MPH, MD/MS, MD/PhD, etc.

The pursuit of concurrent multiple degrees outside of approved programs may have financial aid and other implications.

For example:

18 hours of lecture and exams equals one credit hour.
36 hours of course activities such as conferences, demonstrations, or labs equals one credit hour.
90 hours of external work including research and study equals one credit hour.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education has in place certain standards which require careful evaluation of students in all aspects of medical education. The Medical College of Wisconsin abides by such standards, and follows longstanding practices at medical schools nationwide in which one credit hour is assigned to each week of a clinical rotation.

4 weeks in the family medicine rotation equals 4 credit hours.
6 weeks in the pediatrics rotation equals 6 credit hours.
8 weeks in the clinical surgery rotation equals 8 credit hours.

In accordance with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education Standard 8.8., the Medical School has established a policy on limitations in student work hours during clerkship rotations that was approved by the Curriculum Evaluation Committee; the clerkship coordinators and directors monitor student work hours to assure compliance with that policy. These hours represent clinical hours, and not hours spent studying or working on other rotation or self-study projects.

A student is considered full-time as long as they are enrolled in 9 or more credits (fall and spring terms), or 6 or more credits (summer term) in the Graduate School, or is enrolled in 12 or more credits in the Medical School.

A student may not receive credit and a stipend for coursework, however, a student may receive credit and a stipend for reasonable travel expenses related to the coursework.

In compliance with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education Standard 9.8, Fair and Timely Summative Assessment, it is the policy of MCW’s Medical School for all course directors and/or coordinators to enter final grades in MCWconnect no later than 30 days after the last scheduled day of class, clerkship, research, or rotation.

In the event final grades are not received by the Office of the Registrar within 30 days of the last scheduled day:

The Office of the Registrar will contact the course director on the 30th day, which is usually a Monday, with a reminder. The course director will have until Thursday of that week to submit final grades.

If the course director does not comply by Thursday afternoon, the Office of the Registrar will escalate the matter to the Associate Dean of Medical School. The course director will have until Monday of the following week to submit final grades.

If the course director does not comply by Monday, the Associate Dean of Medical School will notify the Dean of the Medical School who will follow up accordingly with the Course Director.

The Medical College of Wisconsin requires all students to maintain a current mailing address in MCWconnect as well as current emergency contacts, addresses and telephone numbers in MCWconnect.  Students who are not compliant with this requirement will have a registration hold placed on their records until such time the required information is updated in MCWconnect.

The Medical College of Wisconsin determines each applicant’s location on the basis of the applicant’s mailing address at the time of application.  The Medical College of Wisconsin determines each student’s location on the basis of the student’s mailing address at the time of matriculation, and on the basis of any subsequent address changes as recorded in MCWconnect.

The number of credit hours which may be transferred from other institutions is limited to protect the integrity of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Only credits directly applicable to a student’s MCW degree program will be considered for transfer. There is no guarantee that credits will be approved for transfer.

1. No external grades may be transferred into MCW.
2. No credit shall be awarded by MCW for transfer courses in which earned grades are below passing.
3. Credits applied to another program for which a degree was earned are not eligible for transfer.
4. Credits earned must be from an institution accredited by one of six regional accrediting associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and, when appropriate, by the accrediting organization for that health professional program.
5. Currently enrolled students who pursue external courses at an institution that is not part of an agreement with MCW, not a joint department and not part of the Visiting Student Application Service must receive approval from their school prior to enrolling at the external institution.

Students should consult their respective School Handbooks for more details:

• Graduate School (PDF)
• Medical School (PDF)
• School of Pharmacy (PDF)