About the Stockbridge School

110 Stockbridge Hall

Degree: Associate of Science

Contact: Kathy Conway
Office: 110 Stockbridge Hall
Phone: (413) 545-2222
Website: www.umass.edu/stockbridge
Email: kmconway@nre.umass.edu

Stockbridge Tradition

The Stockbridge School of Agriculture, founded in 1918, is a part of the College of Natural Sciences. Its mission is to offer programs that develop the competencies or applied skills that individuals need in order to be leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs in their chosen occupations. Stockbridge has over 9,000 alumni who are certified arborists, prominent poultry farmers, fruit and vegetable farmers, superintendents of golf courses, landscape contractors, laboratory or field technicians, managers of agricultural businesses, and owners of florist shops or nurseries, to mention just a few careers. Emphasis in all the programs is hands-on field applications of principles and practices.

The Majors

Arboriculture and Community Forest Management
Equine Industries
Fruit and Vegetable Crops
Horticulture
Landscape Contracting
Turfgrass Management

The Faculty

Faculty are members of the various departments of the university, and teach courses at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels.

Admission

Applications for admission are sent to the University Admissions Center for processing and are reviewed by the Stockbridge Admissions Counselor. All applicants must be high school graduates and have taken algebra, geometry, English, and at least one lab science; chemistry would be helpful for those entering some Stockbridge programs. A foreign language is not required. SAT/ACT scores are required. It is expected that applicants have reasonable scores approaching those required in baccalaureate programs. SAT/ACT scores are not required of applicants who have been out of high school more than five years. Transfer students are generally not admitted for spring semester unless the applicant has completed 15 transferable college credits comparable to the first semester’s coursework required by the Stockbridge major. Applications for admission may be obtained from either the University Admissions Center or the Stockbridge School office, or from the website www.umass.edu/admissions/applying.

Students who are in their fourth semester of a Stockbridge major may apply for transfer to a baccalaureate program if they have a minimum 2.500 grade point average and obtain approval of the Director. Applications for transfer may be obtained in the Stockbridge office. The Director forwards all applications with recommendations to the University Transfer Affairs Office for their review and approval. Students receive notice of acceptance from the Transfer Affairs Office.

Part-time Students

Anyone interested in taking courses part-time will be allowed to do so on a space-available basis. Part-time students register for courses in the Stockbridge office on the first day of classes during either semester.

Academic Status

Good Standing
A student is in academic good standing when his or her cumulative grade point average is 2.0 or above.

Academic Probation and Suspension
A student will be placed on academic probation or be subject to suspension when his or her cumulative grade point average falls within the following ranges during the semester indicated:

A student on Academic Probation will have an academic hold placed on his or her record.

A student placed on Academic Suspension may not enroll for the semester following the suspension.

Right to Return after Academic Suspension
Students placed on academic suspension may apply for readmission after a one-semester absence. During that absence a student must take six credits of substantive college credit at another institution and receive at least a C in each course.

Academic Dismissal
A student will be subject to dismissal if he or she would be subject to suspension a second time. Dismissal is permanent separation from the School and the University.

Withdrawal (Voluntary and Administrative)
A student who wishes to voluntarily withdraw from school at any time must meet with the director. Students failing to meet their financial obligations to the University or the School, or who neglect to submit proper proof of immunization, will be administratively withdrawn. Notification of administrative withdrawal will be sent through SPIRE at www.umass.edu. When financial or immunization obligations have been met, the student will be reinstated.

Appeal
A student may appeal academic suspension or dismissal by petitioning the director in writing, explaining the extenuating circumstances that affected academic performance. Reinstatement is not automatic.

Readmission after Withdrawal from a Baccalaureate Program
A student who has been suspended or dismissed from a baccalaureate degree program at the University and wishes to enter a Stockbridge School major is required to petition the University Committee on Admissions and Records. Rationale should include a statement which clearly indicates a new direction in educational objectives and why success in a Stockbridge program is likely.

Pass/Fail Option

The purpose of the Pass/Fail option is to encourage students to be academically venturesome in their elective course selections. Only one Pass/Fail course may be taken in any one semester. Required courses for the major may not be taken Pass/Fail. Students must elect Pass/Fail within the first 14 days of the semester and the coordinator’s signature is required.

Graduation Requirements

Each student is responsible for monitoring progress towards the degree. Program coordinators are available for advice and counseling, not for ensuring that all requirements have been met.
In order to graduate with the Associate of Science degree a student must:
• Earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 or better.
• Receive a grade of C or better for internship.
• Obtain a 2.000 or better in all core courses in the major.
• Complete all courses and credits shown in the academic program at the time of first enrollment.
• Earn the total number of credits required by the major (some majors may require more than 60). Thirty credits must be completed in residence, and this 30-credit requirement may not include any enrollment through Continuing Education.
• Satisfy all financial obligations to the School and University.

Dean’s List

Stockbridge students who receive a semester grade point average of 3.500 or better are appointed to the official Dean’s List at the end of any semester in which they are classified as full-time students.

LEAR (Honorary Scholastic Society)

The Stockbridge Honorary Scholastic Society was established in 1935 to encourage high scholarship. Full-time students who earn a 3.750 cumulative grade point average for three or more semesters are elected to the society in December and May.

Grade Reports and Transcripts

All transcripts are maintained in the Stockbridge Office. One official transcript may be requested without charge. Additional copies cost $3. Requests can be made in person, by fax, or by mail; signatures are required. Checks should be made payable to the University of Massachusetts, and should be sent to the Stockbridge Office, 110 Stockbridge Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.

Internship

The internship enables first-year students to gain practical experience in their field of specialization. Four Stockbridge School majors require a five-month four-credit intership which begins in the middle of March and lasts until classes resume in the fall. The Turfgrass Management major requires a three-credit and Equine Industries a two-credit internship which take place during the summer months. Program coordinators may assist students in finding an appropriate placement, but it is ultimately the students’ responsibility to arrange their own internship. Students are preregistered for internship during the spring semester but grades for participation in the course do not appear on the student’s transcript until the end of the following fall semester.