By Frank M. Sorokach
Students often ask for clarification on the late submission policy for the Business Program at Penn State World Campus. Most students have likely heard one of their professors state that late submissions are not allowed. This statement is correct, but it warrants a little background information for clarification.
Most importantly, this policy is strictly related to the Business Program. And this may be where confusion arises because this does not include courses that are general education courses or courses managed in other disciplines. Simply put, if the course starts with BA (i.e. BA 321, BA 422), ACCTG, MKTG, MGMT, and some MIS courses, then it is considered a Business Program course.
This is a Business Program policy, and there are some courses that may “feel” like Business courses but are not. A good example would be ECON 102 and Econ 104. General Education courses, other disciplines, and even some business-related courses may not have the same policy. The most important way to know the submission policy for any course is to check the syllabus for the course. This is typically found under the heading of “Policies” in the syllabus. The language regarding late submissions in a Business Program course will read similar to this:
“Late Policy – Late Assignments will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to contact the instructor prior to the due date of an assignment if you are aware of extenuating circumstances that will impact your ability to meet a deadline. The instructor will determine if alternative arrangements may be made.”
Generally speaking, most assignments are due 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on Sunday evenings. This is the most common deadline across Business Program courses at World Campus. Both the administrators and faculty in this program understand that situations arise that are beyond students’ control. As such, the instructor makes the final decision when determining whether to accept an assignment that is late. There are legitimate scenarios for late submissions such as medical issues.
However, medical issues and other scenarios are often foreseeable. This is why the policy includes the caveat that you should contact the faculty member prior to an assignment due date if an issue will prohibit a submission that is on time. And chronic reasons, even medical in nature, for late submissions are not acceptable. While this policy may seem rigid, the Business Program is widely recognized as a quality program among faculty, students, and even other institutions. This policy is one of many ways that the Business Program attempts to maintain quality standards for the program.