Grades and Academic Standing
6.1 Grades
Academic Notice, Warning, or Suspension
6.3 Academic Progress toward Degree
MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENTS — A course listed on a Program of Study must receive a grade of “C” or higher to be counted. If a student receives a grade lower than a “C,” the student must retake the course and earn a grade of “C” or better.
Note: Specific departments may have additional minimum grade requirements.
Another course may be substituted on the Program of Study if the original course is not offered in either of the two (2) subsequent terms. The original course will remain on the Program of Study and the new course will be noted as a substitution by The Graduate School. A letter from the department head to The Graduate School will be sufficient to support a course substitution.
Note: A student must still maintain a program GPA of 3.00 or higher.
6.2 Academic Standing for Graduate Students
A. GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING — Degree-seeking graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.00 Grade Point Average (GPA) to be in Good Academic Standing. This includes maintaining:
- A minimum term GPA of 3.00,
- A minimum 3.00 GPA in the entire Program of Study, and
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
Any student who's cumulative or term GPA is less than 3.00 at the end of any term may be placed on academic notice, academic warning or suspended from their degree program. See Academic Notice, Warning, & Suspension.
Information on GPA calculation, Pass/Fail grades, N grades, and I grade eligibility may be found at Grade-point average (GPA), Pass/Fail grades, N grades, “I” Grade Eligibility, and “W” Grade Eligibility.
B. ACADEMIC NOTICE, WARNING, OR SUSPENSION
1. Academic Notice and Academic Warning
Graduate students who are not in Good Academic Standing (as defined above) may be placed in one of the following statuses:
Academic Notice
A graduate student is placed on academic notice when their term GPA is below 3.00 but their cumulative GPA remains at 3.00 or above. A student in their first semester whose term GPA (and therefore their cumulative GPA) falls below 3.00 is also placed on academic notice.
Academic Warning
A graduate student (beyond their first term) is placed on academic warning when their cumulative GPA is below 3.00. A student is placed on Academic Warning Continued when their cumulative GPA remains below 3.00, if their term GPA is above 3.00.
Academic Suspension
A graduate student is suspended when their cumulative GPA stays below a 3.00 after being placed on Academic Warning and their term GPA is below 3.00
A graduate student who is academically suspended from their degree program can appeal as outlined in Appeal Policy 7.1.B. Academic Suspension Appeal.
6.3 Academic Progress toward Degree
A graduate student is expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward their graduate degree, including, but not limited to research progress and milestones outlined in the program’s graduate handbook.
Unsatisfactory Degree Progress
A graduate student may be dismissed from their degree program for making unsatisfactory degree progress based on 1) determination by the graduate committee or 2) the provisions of the student’s admission are not satisfied.
Note, comprehensive exams (section 5.3.5), thesis (section 5.2.9) and dissertation defenses (section 5.3.6) are handled separately and are described in separate sections of graduate school policy.
In determining whether a student is making unsatisfactory degree progress, the student’s graduate committee should consider all the following factors: 1) the student’s overall progress towards degree; 2) course and examination grades; 3) research/ scholarship performance; and 4) any other information relevant to whether the student should be allowed to complete their program of study.
Degree programs are required to notify a student in writing when a determination of unsatisfactory progress is made and provide the reasons for the decision. This notice must be signed by the student’s committee chair, a majority of the committee (if a committee is in place), and the graduate program coordinator or Department Head. The notice must indicate the outcome of this decision (i.e., whether the student is being changed from a doctoral program to a master’s program or changed to non-degree status). A copy of the notice shall be provided by the program to The Graduate School.
Students dismissed from their program due to unsatisfactory progress are ineligible to reapply to the same degree program at this institution.
Students may appeal dismissal from a degree program by following Appeal Policy 7.1.C. Appealing Dismissal from Academic Program.