Can my university radically change my program of study?
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Can my university radically change my program of study?
My university is trying to make me accept a new program of study for my degree. They have added classes, increased the number of credits for classes and made classes that I took as part of my degree into electives. Can they do this legally?
Asked on July 23, 2010 under Business Law, Arizona
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately, unless you have something in writing specifying either the exact courses and degree program you will take, your university do this. Universities have a great deal of discretion and flexibility to define their degree programs, requirements for a diploma or graduation, their classes, credits, etc. IF you believe and can show that the university somehow committed fraud against you--e.g. they took your money never intending to allow you to get the degree you wanted or to offer the classes you need--you might have a claim or cause of action against them. However, absent fraud, the university can change requirements and programs. I suspect that if you look at all you r agreements, etc. with the university, as well as any disclaimers on their website and in their advertising, somewhere you will even find an explicit notice to this effect.
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