Appendix E: Intellectual Property

In general, the student, not the University or any instructor, owns intellectual property created solely for the purpose of satisfying a seminar or course requirement. Exceptions to this policy occur when/if:

• A student is enrolled in a program that uses the student’s employer as a lab site for assignments; the employer may assert ownership rights of the student’s work in the seminar or course that is directly or indirectly related to use of the employer's business.
• A student assigns ownership rights of the intellectual property to the University in writing
• Written assignment of intellectual property ownership rights to the University is a condition for participation in a seminar or course.
• A student prepares case study reports that involve the University’s corporate learning partners; the University owns the intellectual property rights to these reports.
• A student’s assigned research projects are funded by outside sponsors and the sponsor requires ownership of the intellectual property the student produces as a condition of sponsorship; the University will so advise the student before the project commences. Students will be required to sign a waiver prior to beginning the project.

The University owns the answers and questions on tests and examinations, unless otherwise indicated by the seminar or course instructor. Tests and examinations include but are not limited to print, electronic and audio or visual formats.

The University must maintain files of student work for accreditation purposes. Further, some accrediting agencies require that the University hold original copies of student work. In such cases, the University asserts its right to retain possession of a student’s work. An exception may be made for a written and executed Non-Disclosure Agreement regarding student work which contains proprietary corporate information. Retention of a student’s work for purposes of accreditation is not an assertion of ownership.