Attendance

You don't 'get' a degree or a master's: in English the operative verb is that you EARN or READ FOR your qualification.  It is not something we owe you or you have paid for with your tuition fees and will automatically receive.  For us, learning and teaching are two sides of the same 'coin': we can teach, yes, that is our responsibility, but it is your duty and responsibility to do the learning. Learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom, but if you are not there, in the classroom you are recklessly squandering learning opportunities and it is not your teachers' responsibility to 'go over it again' just for your benefit if you are absent.

Not attending + not reading

=

not learning + not earning your degree.

You are working towards your degree largely to increase your chances in the labour market. Ask yourself, then, how would an employer react to you not turning up for work?  You would soon find yourself in breach of contract and fired. University is no different in this respect: we expect you to attend unless you have a proven, certified reason acceptable to course management.  If you are a grant-aided student I will only countersign your attendance sheet in the class itself if you attend the whole class and prepare and participate as required. Be aware: if you are excluded from class your form will not be signed and you may find your grant at risk. There is another issue of respect here: universities and grants are funded by the state: by taxes paid by hard-working parents like yours. Non attendance effectively means wasting their investment in you.