Grading System

Grading System
Pass/Fail
Grade Options for Courses Not Completed
Semester Examinations
Grade Point Average
Retaking a Course
Grade Reports

GRADING SYSTEM
Each faculty member at Mount St. Mary’s is free to devise any system of student evaluation that is based on reason and results in professional judgments of student academic performance and achievement.

Ordinarily, this means faculty members base grades on the following criteria:

• Understanding of material
• Articulation and communication of course material
• Application and integration of material
• Fulfillment of basic course requirements

Faculty and students share an understanding that

A =Excellent
B = Good
C = Satisfactory
D = Poor
F = Failure

Grading policies for each course must be published in the syllabus distributed at the beginning of the term.

Letter grades and corresponding quality point values per credit hour are as follows:

Other Grade Classifications:

See explanations below.

PASS/FAIL
Pass/Fail means a grade of either P (pass, credit earned) or F (failure, no credit) will be entered on the transcript, with no point values calculated in the grade point average. Sophomores, juniors and seniors have the option of taking one course each semester on a pass/fail basis in accordance with the following stipulations and with the permission of the chair of the department in which the course is taken:

1. That the total number of credit hours taken under the pass/fail option not exceed 12
2. That the course be in a subject outside the major field, area of concentration and the core curriculum
3. That in the computation of scholastic averages for determining honors or any other computation of rank, a pass grade will not be counted while a fail grade will be counted a value of zero
4. That students choose the pass/fail option at the time of registration with the permission of the department chair, and are not allowed to revert to regular grading status; nor can they revert from regular grading status to pass/fail
5. That the professor be advised that the student is taking the course under the pass/fail option, and that the student satisfy the same requirements for the course expected of the regularly enrolled students
6. That the professor have the right to deny the student’s registration under the pass/fail option in a specific course, but that the denial must apply to all students in that course and be clearly indicated at the time of registration
7. That a student may take no more than one pass/fail course in any one semester
8. That students declare their intention to take the pass/fail option by completing the Pass/Fail Authorization form prior to the deadline for adding courses at the beginning of the semester

GRADE OPTIONS FOR COURSES NOT COMPLETED
W (Withdraw)

This grade is posted for students who withdraw from a class after the end of the official add/drop period. Students who seek to withdraw from a class must submit to the dean for academic affairs—before the last day of classes—a withdrawal form signed by their advisor and by the instructor of the course in question. No adjustment in tuition (full- or part-time) is made as a result of withdrawal from classes. Note that students must maintain at least a minimum full-time load (12 credits) in order to live in university housing, unless they receive special permission from the associate provost and the dean of students.

FA (Failure due to excessive absences)

This grade is posted for students who miss an excessive number of class periods, assignments or exams as determined by the instructor, or who do not take a final exam.

I (Incomplete)

The grade of I is given in exceptional cases to a student who, because of illness or other reasons beyond his or her control, is unable to complete the requirements of the course. The grade I is permitted only if the Incomplete form has been signed by the instructor. An Incomplete becomes an F and is entered as such on the official transcript if the Incomplete is not removed in the period specified by the instructor, or by the end of the term following the one in which the incomplete grade was received.  Grades of incomplete may not remain on a student’s transcript for more than one semester.

SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS
Semester examinations or the appropriate equivalent assignment are required for all courses at the end of each term. Absence from semester examinations is permitted in the case of serious illness or some other emergency; in those cases, the final examination will be rescheduled as soon as possible after semester’s end.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE
The grade point average is computed by dividing the total number of quality points achieved by the total number of course credit hours attempted. The university transcript records both the cumulative grade point average and the average for each semester at Mount St. Mary’s. Transfer credits for courses taken at other institutions are not computed in the grade point average, nor are any Mount St. Mary’s courses carrying the grade of Pass (P). Courses carrying a grade of F or FA are entered as zero points.

RETAKING A COURSE
Students may retake courses, with the following two exceptions: students may not repeat a prerequisite course if a subsequent dependent course has been passed, and students may not repeat Freshman Seminar. If a student retakes a course, the original grade will continue to appear on the transcript, but in the computation of the cumulative grade point average, the new grade will replace the original. This policy applies regardless of whether the new grade is higher or lower than the first. If a student repeats a course that was originally passed (with a grade of D- or better), no additional credits will be earned.

GRADE REPORTS
Formal grade reports are distributed at the end of both fall and spring semesters by the Office of the Registrar. Midterm progress reports, which list all courses in which the student is doing unsatisfactory work (C- to D-) or is failing (F) also are issued. Students who wish to know their grades before official reports are sent must obtain this information from their teachers, not from the office of the registrar or the dean for academic affairs.

No report of grades is made at the end of the school year for a student whose financial account with the university has not been settled.

If an error has been made in the final semester grade, it is the responsibility of the student to see that the correction has been made within one month after the beginning of the following semester. No correction will be made beyond this date.