Dec 30, 2024  
2019-2020 SDSM&T Academic Catalog 
    
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2019-2020 SDSM&T Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

V. Grading Policies

V.1. Graduate Grading System
V.2. Course Retake Policy
V.3. Pass-Fail Option for Graduate Students
V.4. Grade Appeal Procedure
V.5. Calculation of Graduate GPA

1. Graduate Grading System:

The grades listed in this section can be assigned to all courses with course numbers of 500 or greater. Plus and minus grades are not used.

a. Coursework Final Grades

A Exceptional
4.00 grade points per semester hour.

B Good
3.00 grade points per semester hour.

C Average
2.00 grade points per semester hour.

D Unsatisfactory
1.00 grade point per semester hour.

F Failure
0.00 grade points per semester hour.

S Satisfactory
Does not calculate into any GPA. This is the grade that will appear on a transcript for a successfully completed course taken with the pass/fail option or for research credits (see below).

U Unsatisfactory
Does not calculate into any GPA.
This is the grade that will appear on a transcript for failing to complete a pass/fail course or research credits (see below).

W Withdrawal
Does not calculate into any GPA, no credit granted.

AU Audit
Does not calculate into any GPA. An audit (AU) grade may be granted only when the student has elected the AU option on, or prior to, the census date of the term.

b. Incomplete Grades

I Incomplete
Does not calculate into any GPA.  An incomplete (I) grade may be granted only when all of the following conditions apply:

  1. A student has encountered extenuating circumstances that do not permit him/her to complete the course.
  2. The student must be earning a passing grade at the time the Incomplete is requested. Anticipated course failure is not a justification for an incomplete.
  3. The student does not have to repeat the course to meet the requirements.
  4. The instructor must agree to grant an incomplete grade as evidenced by the Incomplete Grade Contract.
  5. The instructor and student must agree on a plan to complete the coursework.
  6. The coursework must be completed within one calendar year of the last date of the semester of the course in question.  Extensions may be granted by the dean of graduate education.
  7. If the student completes the course within the specified time, the grades that may be assigned are A, B, C, D, F, S, or U.
  8. If the student does not complete the course within the specified time the incomplete grade remains on the transcript.

IP In Progress
Does not calculate into any GPA.  An in progress (IP) grade may be granted only when all of the following conditions apply:

  1. The requirements for the course (for every student enrolled in the course) extend beyond the current term.
  2. The extension beyond the current term must be defined before the class begins.
  3. The instructor must request permission to award IP grades for a course from his or her department head or program coordinator and from the dean of graduate education.  Then approval must be obtained from the vice president for academic affairs.
  4. A definite date for completion of the course must be established in the course syllabus.

c.  Research Grades

S Satisfactory
Does not calculate into any GPA.  This is a final grade for a research course (including thesis or dissertation research).

U Unsatisfactory
Does not calculate into any GPA. This is a final grade for a research course (thesis or dissertation research).

NP Normal Progress
Does not calculate into any GPA.  A normal progress (NP) grade calculates into attempted credits but does not calculate into completed credits.  Research grades do count toward attempted credits once a final grade of S or U is assigned.  A normal progress (NP) grade may be granted by an instructor when the instructor determines that a graduate student is making normal progress in a graduate Thesis/Dissertation course.  This is intended to be an intermediate grade which should be changed to ‘S’ or ‘U’ upon completion of the course requirements.

d.  Additional Grading Options

NR Grade not reported by the Instructor
Does not calculate into any GPA.

EX Credit by Exam
Does not calculate into any GPA.  An examination for credit (EX) grade may be granted only for non-course credit validation obtained through a validation process.  This grade is not used for any Regental university course.

CR Credit
Does not calculate into any GPA.  A credit (CR) grade may be granted only for non-course credit that is not related to an examination or to equating transfer grades to the Regental grading system.  This grade is not used for any Regental university course.

TR Transcripted
Does not calculate into any GPA and no credit is granted.

LR Lab grade linked to Recitation Grade
0 credit course.

2. Course Retake Policy

A student will be allowed a total of 2 registrations for any particular graduate course (course numbers of 500 and above) for which credit is to be counted toward graduation.  The student must petition the dean of graduate education and obtain the dean’s approval to be permitted to take a graduate course more than 2 times.  If a course is repeated for a passing or improved grade, only the grade for the last attempt will be included in the computation of the cumulative grade-point average shown on the graduate student’s transcript.

A student will be allowed multiple registrations for certain graduate courses for which credit toward graduation may be received more than once (e.g., Independent Study, Thesis, Research, etc.).  Grades for such courses, where applicable, will be used for grade point average calculations. Please note that individual departments/programs may limit the number of credits allowed toward graduation in these types of courses.

3. Pass/Fail Option for Graduate Students

The following policy pertains to the pass/fail option at the graduate level:

  1. 100 and 200 level courses, either within or outside of the department, which cannot be applied for credit toward a graduate degree may (with the consent of the student’s major professor and graduate student advisory committee) be taken on a pass/fail basis under the same rules that apply to undergraduate students.
  2. 300 through 800 level courses outside of the student’s department/program may (with the consent of the student’s major professor and graduate student advisory committee) be taken on a pass/fail basis except that a C grade shall be considered the lowest passing grade.  The maximum number of hours of pass/fail work for which a MS degree student may receive credit will be 6 for the thesis option and 9 for the non-thesis option.
  3. No 300 through 800 level courses offered by the student’s major department/program may be taken for credit under the pass/fail option. Beyond the master’s level, the pass/fail option may be exercised at the discretion of the graduate student advisory committee but must still be approved by the dean of graduate education.

4. Grade Appeal Procedure

Refer to section GEP IV.7 Appeal Procedure  for information regarding appeals for course or research grades.

5. Calculation of Graduate GPA

The graduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) is calculated from all courses that appear on the graduate transcript, with the exception of the specific courses or grades listed in section GEP V.1. Graduate Grading System. Note that thesis (798) and dissertation (898) credits are not included in the GPA. Project credits (788 or 888) that have been assigned a grade of U or S are not included in the GPA, but project credits with a letter grade WILL be included in the GPA.