Background/Rationale

This proposal seeks to establish a policy whereby scholastic standards for graduate coursework are defined. The policy will also serve to separate the scholastic coursework standards from related policy covering academic dismissal. The policy will formalize longstanding practice in the Graduate School. It has been reviewed by the Graduate School, Graduate Faculty Council, Graduate Student Government, and legal counsel.

Policy Statement

Graduate students must earn grades that meet the scholastic standards of the Graduate School in order to apply the credits earned to a graduate degree or graduate certificate. Courses taken as a graduate student with grades that have not met the scholastic standards of the Graduate School may be repeated.

Policy Requirements

To apply credits earned in non-research courses to a graduate degree or graduate certificate, the courses:

· Must be graded. Pass/fail, audit, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades cannot be used on a degree schedule, except for research credits.

· Must have a grade of “B” or better. This requirement can be adjusted at the discretion of a student's graduate program to allow for use of “BC/C” grades in up to six (6) credits.

Reason for Policy

This policy is a formal statement of longstanding practice in the Graduate School. Graduate scholastic standards exist to set the standard for academic performance at the graduate level.

Related Policy Information

This policy has been reviewed by the Graduate School, Graduate Faculty Council, Graduate Student Government, and legal counsel.

Grades in courses that are not on a degree schedule affect overall GPA. Courses not used on the degree schedule may be audited or taken pass/fail so as not to affect GPA.

Grades are assigned in accordance with University procedures. The following resources address the University policies regarding grades.

· Grading System and Grade Points—Information about the grades awarded by the University.

· Grading Reports and Transcripts—Information about how to obtain a transcript.

· Disputed Grades—How to correct errors in final course grades (Senate Policy 310.1).

Exclusions

This policy does not apply to undergraduate students.

Contact(s)

Office/Unit Telephone Number

Graduate School (906) 487-2327

Definitions

Scholastic Standards - A set of criteria that must be met for grades earned in courses in order to use the credits toward a graduate degree.

Responsibilities

Graduate Student - Must be aware of University policies and earn grades that meet the scholastic standards of the Graduate School. Must complete a degree schedule at least one semester prior to anticipated completion of the degree and submit it to the Graduate School.

Graduate School - Must review degree schedule to ensure compliance with graduate scholastic standards.

Procedures

In support of this policy, the following procedures are included:

· No procedures necessary for this policy

Forms and Instructions

In support of this policy, the following forms/instructions are included:

· No forms necessary for this policy

Appendices

Additional Information

History

Adoption Date:

Proposal 4-12:

Introduced to Senate: 21 September 2011
Approved by Senate: 05 October 2011
Approved by Administration with grammatical suggestion in blue: 21 October 2011

Proposal 17-13:
Introduced to Senate: 23 January 2013
Approved by Senate: 6 February 2013
Approved by Administration: 11 February 2013