Grades are recorded at the end of each term and are available on Novasis as soon as they are posted by the faculty. Students who require a printed grade report should contact the Registrar’s office. Any inaccuracy should be reported to the Registrar immediately.
Graduate student work is graded according to the following scale:
- A Outstanding
- A –
- B+
- B Good
- B –
- C+
- C Fair
- F Failure
- N Incomplete
- WX Approved Withdrawal Without Penalty
- W Approved Withdrawal With Penalty
- S Satisfactory
- U Unsatisfactory
- AU Audit
- IP In Progress
In graduate study, the student is expected to do more than pass the required courses. In addition, students must maintain a specific grade-point average (GPA), which derived from the grades and credit hours of the courses taken. The GPA is computed by multiplying the number of credits for each course the student has attempted by the authorized quality points for the grades received and dividing the total quality points by the total credit hours attempted. The grade A merits 4 quality points; A– =3.67; B+ =3.33; B =3.00; B– =2.67; C+ =2.33; C =2.00; F =0; N =0.
Graduate students are required to maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.0, and cannot be approved for the comprehensive examination or graduation unless this average has been maintained.
Students whose GPA falls below 3.0 are notified by letter that they are on academic probation, and are given nine credits to bring their GPA up to a 3.0; if they fail to do so, they are dismissed from the university. Students who succeed in raising their GPA above 3.0 in nine credits after being on academic probation, but who in a later semester fall below a 3.0 GPA for a second time, will be dismissed from the university. See policy on Academic Progress, Probation, and Dismissal.
Students are not required to repeat courses in which the grade of F has been received unless the courses are specifically required by their graduate program. The grade of F, however, is computed in the cumulative GPA, and jeopardizes a student’s academic standing.
The WX grade may be given only by the Dean of Graduate Studies, and indicates an approved withdrawal from the course without academic penalty. After the deadline indicated in the academic calendar, only non-academic reasons (such as illness or serious employment-related difficulties), supported by documentation, will be considered sufficient to receive a WX grade; no WX grades will be approved for academic reasons after the deadline (see Withdrawal from a Course).
The IP grade is reserved for thesis and dissertation courses, CSC 9020 and 9021, and ENG 8092 only.
An Incomplete (N) grade indicates that the instructor has agreed to give the student an extension for completion of course assignments. The N grade automatically converts to an NF grade if the work is not completed and submitted to the instructor per the dates listed on the Graduate Academic Calendars. For programs operating on eight-week calendars, this date is typically two weeks from the last day of class. For all other programs, this date is typically one month from the last day of classes.
When the work is submitted and graded, the professor will submit a change of grade request to the department chairperson and Dean of Graduate Studies for their approval. Requests for additional time to complete course requirements beyond the deadline must be submitted using the appropriate form. See Grade Extension policy.