Curriculum and Policy Committees

Academic Recommendation Board (ARB)

The Academic Recommendation Board (ARB) has the responsibility to foster change and act as a steward of the curriculum. The ARB regularly reviews the curricular structure and course options and reviews and authorizes changes in degree requirements. Students may petition the ARB if they need to apply for an exception to graduation requirements.

Course Substitution and Transfer Board (CSTB)

The Course Substitution and Transfer Board (CSTB) is a subcommittee of the ARB and has the responsibility of awarding Olin credit for classes taken at another institution.

There are three cases where a student can take a class at another institution and get credit toward an Olin degree: cross registration at Babson, Brandeis or Wellesley; classes taken during a Study Away experience; and classes taken at another institution during a summer or before enrolling at Olin. For more information on transferring credit, see Transfer Credit section.

The CSTB also determines what distribution and course requirements a non-Olin course can count for. Many courses at the BBW schools have been pre-approved. Prior to taking a non-Olin class not on the pre-approval list, students should request permission from the CSTB to count this class toward satisfying a distribution or course requirement.

Committee on Student Academic Performance (COSAP)

The Committee on Student Academic Performance (COSAP) is charged by the Dean of Student Affairs and is empowered to review, interpret and propose academic performance policies. This committee considers petitions to waive existing academic performance regulations and acts as an appellate body for students with academic performance grievances. The committee also examines the records of students who are not making satisfactory progress toward a degree.

This committee is chaired by the Dean of Student Affairs or the Dean’s designee (non-voting, except in the case of a tie) and consists of the Registrar (non-voting), the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and two faculty members. Students wishing to appeal a decision made by COSAP must submit their appeal to the Registrar within one week of the original decision.

COSAP also reviews student petitions for exceptions to academic performance policy. The twenty credit maximum course load policy is a typical example of a petition to COSAP. There is no form to complete. Interested students should discuss their course load with their advisor and then write a detailed petition that outlines the rationale. Students should include their advisor on the email petition, as the advisor is always asked for feedback. Petitions should be emailed to registrar@olin.edu no later than the last day to add a course.