Grading Options & Policies

Policies 
Academic Honors     Auditing a Course     Change of Grade     Computing the Grade Point Average     Grade Point Average Requirements     Grade Reports     Grading System     Incomplete Courses     Pass/Fail Course Enrollment     Repeating Courses     Thesis Grading
 

Academic Honors

Dean’s List

The dean’s list is compiled each fall and spring semester by the deans’ offices. The dean’s list honors undergraduate students who have met the following criteria upon completion of the semester:

• Full-time matriculated undergraduate degree seeking student
• Achieved a minimum semester GPA of 3.60
• Completed 12 or more credits for letter grades
• Received no grades lower than a B
• Completed all courses on time with no incompletes
• Enrolled in no remedial coursework

Degrees with Honors

Candidates for the baccalaureate degree may graduate with honors if they achieve a minimum of a 3.6 cumulative GPA.

Auditing a Course

Auditing a course provides students the opportunity for self-enrichment and academic exploration, without the pressure of receiving an evaluation of academic performance.

The following policies apply to audited courses:

• Audited courses do not carry credit and do not satisfy degree requirements.
• Students may not audit a required course unless the requirement has already been satisfied.
• An audited course may not be repeated for credit.
• Regular tuition rates are charged for audited courses, and are included in the full-time tuition charge.
• Audited courses will be indicated on the transcript with a grade of “AU”.
• Once registration has closed no change can be made to the audit status of a course.

To audit a course:

1. Download the Pass/Fail or Audit form from the Office of the Registrar’s website
2. Complete and return the form to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the registration period.

Change of Grade

A request for a change of grade is a form of an academic grievance. The full text of the Academic Grievance policy can be found on the Academic Standards page in the Policy section. Please note that a student may request the assistance of any staff member of the University at any stage of the grievance process.

Students seeking a change of grade must submit a written request for a change of grade to the instructor no later than the end of the seventh week of the semester following the one in which the grade was given. Requests for a change of grade for graduating students must be submitted no later than three days after the last grades required to fulfill the degree requirements are posted.

Students and instructors are reminded that an instructor may change a grade only if an error occurred in computing or recording the final grade, or if reevaluation of previously submitted work is warranted. Extra work, beyond that required of other class members during the period when the class met, or work handed in after the completion of the course, may not be offered as reasons for a grade change.

Any change of a final grade should be made by the course instructor, who should submit the signed Change of Grade form, including the signature of the appropriate dean, to the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the semester following the one in which the grade was given.

Computing the Grade Point Average

The GPA is computed by multiplying the number of credits earned for a course by the numerical value of the grade. The resulting figures from all courses for that semester are then totaled, and this figure is divided by the total number of credits attempted that semester. The grades of I, IP, NC, W, OP, OF, P, and AU are not entered in this computation.

Grade Point Average Requirements (GPA)

Graduate

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for good standing and for graduation for graduate students. If a student is unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0, he or she will be placed on probation. The student must then bring his/her cumulative GPA back to at least 3.0 by the end of the next semester or face dismissal from the program. While on probation, a student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship or to receive a University supplemental grant-in-aid or scholarship.

Undergraduate

A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for good standing and for graduation for undergraduate students. In some programs students must also satisfy minimum grade requirements in major coursework. If a student is unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0, he or she will be placed on probation.

Students who have taken incompletes will not be evaluated by the Academic Review Committee until the seventh week of the following semester, when final grades are due. Please note that, as a result, financial aid for the semester in progress may be adversely affected.

The College of Art, Media, and Design

The professional orientation and preparation for the College of Art, Media, and Design’s undergraduate major degree programs require students to achieve beyond the University’s minimum academic standards.

Students must achieve a grade of C or better in both major requirements and discipline histories. Students who receive a grade of C- or lower in a required course must repeat the course.

The College of Performing Arts

The professional orientation and preparation for many of the College of Performing Arts undergraduate major degree programs require students to achieve beyond the University’s minimum academic standards.

Ira Brind School of Theater Arts

A professional training program and an academic institution have goals that are at once mutual and distinct. By the standards required of professional training, an “adequate” grade does not suggest a student’s viability within the industry. Further, the world of play production is a meritocracy – i.e., being in a play is not a right; it is earned by a consistently demonstrated work ethic, command of material, and strength of skills. As such, the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts has developed the following standards by which the purposes of both the academic experience and the requirements of professional training and production will be served.

To remain in good standing for casting consideration or production assignments in the Brind School, a student must receive a grade of C+ or better in the core courses listed below. In the view of the faculty, a student whose work fails to meet this level of achievement will be considered non-competitive by professional standards. The following grades may result in the actions indicated:

Grade of C or C - in core courses:

The student’s academic record will evaluated by the Academic Standards Committee

Student is placed on Casting Restriction or Production Restriction.

Grades of D, D+, or F in core courses, or in THEA 152 - Script Analysis:

The student’s academic record will evaluated by the Academic Standards Committee

Student is placed on Casting Restriction or Production Restriction;

Student receives no course credit for an F grade, elective credit only for the grade of D or D+;

Upon faculty recommendation, a student may be prohibited from advancing to the next semester of other core training class(es) until the course has been repeated with a grade of C- or better;

Both the original grade and repeated grade will remain on the transcript.

Please note that while Withdrawing from a course may not place a student on probation, it is not a passing grade. Therefore, a W grade in a course prevents a student from moving forward in the program.

Refer to individual programs for a list of core courses:

• BFA Program in Acting
• BFA Program in Directing, Playwriting, and Production
• BFA Program in Musical Theater
• BFA Program in Theater Design and Technology

School of Music

The School of Music require students to achieve beyond the University’s minimum academic standards for major lesson courses, which require students to achieve a grade of B- or better to remain in good standing.

Grade Reports

Current students can access and print their grades using MyUarts Record, which is accessible via the University Portal.  Grade reports are not mailed to students.

Grading System

Grades excluded from GPA calculations

Incomplete Courses

An incomplete grade may be granted only in extraordinary circumstances, either personal or academic, that prevent the student from completing coursework by the end of the semester. An incomplete grade is given only when the completed portion of the student’s coursework is of a passing quality. To receive the grade of incomplete, the student must obtain approval on the incomplete form from the course instructor, their program director, the Dean of the Student’s College, and the Dean of Liberal Arts (if a Liberal Arts course) prior to the conclusion of the semester. Students should review policies regarding the impact of Incomplete grades on Academic Censure in the Academic Standards page.

The following policies apply to students requesting an incomplete:

• The completed portion of a student’s coursework must be of passing quality.
• Incomplete grades not cleared by the end of the sixth week of the following semester will be automatically assigned the grade of F.
• Completed forms must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the last day of the semester during which the course ran.

To request an incomplete grade for a course:

1. Download the Incomplete Grade Request form from the Office of the Registrar’s website.
2. Complete the request in cooperation with the course instructor.
3. Obtain approvals from the course instructor, student’s program director, student’s home college dean, and the dean of liberal arts for liberal arts courses.
4. Return the completed form to the Office of the Registrar. Completed forms must be received no later than the last day of the semester the student is enrolled in the course.

Pass/Fail Course Enrollment

Student Option

The purpose of this grading option is to provide an opportunity for the exploration of a broader range of coursework than is normally included in specific degree requirements. It provides students the opportunity to take courses that they feel might be useful or interesting but in which their performance might be only marginal because of a heavy schedule, lack of background, et cetera. A course taken on an optional pass/fail basis is graded as optional pass (OP) or optional fail (OF). Neither grade impacts the student’s GPA.

The following policies apply to courses taken under the pass/fail grading option:

• Available to undergraduate students only.
• A maximum of nine credits may be completed pass/fail.
• Pass/Fail courses may only be used to satisfy elective requirements including both liberal arts and free electives.
• Once registration has closed no change can be made to the pass/fail status of a course.
• Students are evaluated using grades of optional pass (OP) or optional fail (OF), which are not computed into the student’s GPA.
• Course instructors are not to be informed of students taking a course pass/fail and will evaluate students by recording a standard letter grade, which will automatically be converted during grading to an OP or an OF. Grades of A to C are converted to OP and grades of C- to F are converted to OF.

To enroll in a course for a pass/fail grade:

1. Download the Pass/Fail or Audit form from the Office of the Registrar’s website
2. Complete and return the form to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the registration period.

College/School Option

Certain courses are offered at the University that are evaluated pass (P) or fail (F) only. This information is included in the course descriptions published in the course catalogue.

The following policies apply to pass/fail only courses:

• Students are evaluated using grades of pass (P) or fail (F).
• A pass (P) grade does not impact a student’s GPA, while a fail (F) is recorded as 0.00 and will negatively impact a student’s GPA.

Repeating Courses

Certain courses are designated as repeatable; they may be taken more than once for credit. The number of times a course may be taken for credit is defined in the course’s description in the course catalogue. Students who repeat a course, regardless of the grade previously earned, will have both grades counted in their cumulative grade point average. An exception is the Grade Replacement Policy, described below.

Grade Replacement

Undergraduate and graduate students may repeat a course to earn a higher grade; only the grade earned from the most recent attempt will be used in calculating the grade point average.

Once a grade replacement is applied, the grade and the credit hours earned on the initial course attempt(s) will be removed from the calculation of the cumulative grade point average and from the calculation of the total hours attempted and, when applicable, hours completed. The course title and grade for all previous attempts will appear on transcripts with a notation to indicate the grade was excluded from the computation of the cumulative grade point average. Use of a grade replacement does not retroactively change the status of the student’s semester academic honors or result in a refund of tuition or fees.

Students who earn an F or a grade below the minimum required by their program, are strongly advised to repeat the same course during the next term in which it is offered.

Students may repeat courses for grade replacement according to the following set criteria. If any these conditions are not met, the general policy governing repeated courses applies.

The following policies apply to courses repeated for grade replacement:

• Only courses designated as not repeatable for credit may be repeated for grade replacement.
• Variable credit courses must be taken for the same number of credit hours as the original attempt when repeated for grade replacement.
• All occurrences of a course where a grade is earned, including withdrawals (W), appear on the transcript, but only the grade earned for the most recent attempt is used in calculating the grade point average.
• Credit is awarded only once for a course, repeats can affect academic progress, standing, and financial aid status.
• Grade replacement cannot be applied to courses in which the student was found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy.
• Grade replacement cannot be invoked after a degree has been conferred upon the student.

Financial Aid Considerations

In some instances, repeating courses could affect financial aid or other assistance. It is the responsibility of the student to meet with their financial aid counselor to discuss how repeating a course may impact their eligibility for financial aid.

To repeat a course for grade replacement:

First repeat attempt (original grade F)

1. Register for the course online or in person for automatic invocation of grade replacement.

First repeat attempt (original grade D or higher), courses completed prior to Fall 2010, and all future attempts

1. Download the Petition for Grade Replacement form from the Office of the Registrar’s website.
2. Obtain permission to retake the course for grade replacement from the student’s home academic advisor.
3. Return the form to the Office of the Registrar to complete registration.

Thesis Grading

The grade of In Progress “IP” signifies that the student is making satisfactory progress toward completing the graduate thesis. This grade will apply only to graduate thesis courses where the student’s thesis is still in progress.

The IP grade is available for the following courses only:

• AEDU 695  Graduate Project/Thesis 
• GRFA 785  MFA Thesis Exhibition 
• GRID 722 Thesis Documentation 
• MSEM 781  Thesis Development: Museum Exhibition Planning & Design 
• MSEM 782  Thesis Development: Museum Education Planning & Design 
• MSEM 784  Thesis: Communication 
• MUED 781  Thesis: Music Education 
• MUED 785  Project: Music Education 
• MUPF 680  Graduate Project/Recital 

An IP grade acknowledges the fact that the final course product (thesis) may require some period of time past the semester of registration to complete. The IP grade will remain on the student’s record until a final thesis grade is submitted by the instructor. In some cases, a student will be registered for thesis courses as a sequence (e.g., MSEM 781). When the final grade is submitted by the instructor, it will replace the IP grade. The IP grade is not computed in the grade point average.

To remain in good standing while the thesis is “in progress,” the student must register for the thesis continuation fee for each semester he or she is not enrolled in coursework. For more information refer to the Continuous Enrollment Requirement  policy published on the Enrollment and Registration  page.