Grades and grading

Grading System
A student receives a grade for each registered course. Grades are indicated by letters and assigned quality points as shown below. Credit toward a degree program will be granted only for courses in which a grade of “C” or better is earned.

A student's performance in academic work is expressed by the following grades.

                                   Alphanumeric Grading System

To receive credit for a course, an graduate student must earn a grade of at least C. Academic departments may require a higher grade for the course to be counted toward the student's degree.

To include a course in the Program of Work for a graduate degree, a graduate student must earn a grade of at least C. More information about the Program of Work is given in the graduate catalog.

One of the following symbols may be assigned instead of a grade. Courses in which these symbols are recorded are not included in the grade point average.

                                    Valid symbols used in grading

To receive the symbol CR, an undergraduate must earn a grade of at least D-. To receive the symbol CR, a graduate student must earn a grade of at least C.

GPA Calculation
Grade points are computed by multiplying the points for each grade by the number of credit hours; for example, 4 (A) x 3 (hours) = 12 grade points. A student’s grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of semester hours for which a grade other than X, NC, or CR is received.

Academic Probation and Suspension
In order for a degree-seeking masters level student to remain in good academic standing, the student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (3.0=B on a 4.0 scale). A student whose overall GPA falls below a 3.0 in a given semester is automatically placed on academic probation the following semester.

In order for a degree-seeking doctoral student to remain in good academic standing the student must maintain a 3.25 grade point average during the program.  A student who received a grade of C= or lower in 9 semester hours of credit attempted for graduate credit or toward the doctoral degree, regardless of the student's classification, whether or not in repeated courses, is ineligible for any advanced degree and will not be permitted to re-enroll.  A student whose overall GPA falls below a 3.25 in a given semester is automatically placed on academic probation the following semester. 

Academic probation for masters and doctoral level constitutes a warning of insufficient level of progress. Within the following nine semester credit hours, the overall GPA must return to 3.0 or above or the student will be suspended for a minimum of one semester. A student who receives a grade of F in any course is automatically dismissed from the graduate program.  A student who is dismissed may seek reinstatement through an appeal process. The readmission after suspension/dismissal form must be submitted when seeking reinstatement.  Readmission Form.