Mar 19, 2024  
2013-2014 Academic Catalog 
    
2013-2014 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Academic Standards


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Grading System

Academic Grades

A/A– (Excellent): Student has demonstrated a high level of competence in meeting course objectives. Four grade points per unit of credit are awarded. (A– yields 3.7 grade points.)

B+/B/B– (Good): Student has demonstrated a more than satisfactory level of
competence in meeting course objectives. Three grade points per unit of credit are awarded. (B+ yields 3.3 grade points and a B– yields 2.7 grade points.)

C+/C/C– (Satisfactory): Student has demonstrated a satisfactory level of competence in meeting course objectives. Two grade points per unit of credit are awarded. (C+ yields 2.3 grade points and a C– yields 1.7 grade points.)

D+/D/D– (Unsatisfactory): Student has demonstrated only a barely passing level of competence in meeting course objectives so that it is not necessary to repeat the course for credit. One grade point per unit of credit is awarded. (D+ yields 1.3 grade points and a D– yields 0.7 grade points.)

F (Failure): Student has not demonstrated a minimally passing competence in meeting course objectives. Credit is not merited. Zero grade points is assigned.

CR (Credit): Student has demonstrated at least a satisfactory C level of competence in meeting course objectives (at least B level in graduate courses). Not used in grade point average calculations.

NC (No Credit): Student has not demonstrated minimally satisfactory competence in meeting course objectives. Credit is not awarded. Not used in grade point average calculations.

Grade Availability

Students may access their term course grades on the Web at www.csustan.edu.

Administrative Symbols

WU—Withdrawal Unauthorized: The symbol WU indicates that an enrolled student did not withdraw from the course and failed to complete course requirements. It is used for courses graded A–F when, in the opinion of the instructor, completed assignments or course activities or both were insufficient to make normal evaluation of academic performance possible. In courses where the student is graded CR/NC, use of the WU is inappropriate and NC is used instead. For purposes of grade point average computation, the WU symbol is equivalent to an F.

I—Incomplete Course: Students have not completed course requirements due to reasons beyond their control. Must be made up within the time limit set by the instructor (no more than one calendar year following the end of the term in which the grade was assigned). Failure to complete the assigned work will result in an incomplete reverting to a grade of NC for grading options 1 and 2; and to a grade of IC for grading option 3. (See Grading Options in the following section.) An extension of time may be granted via approved petition. Not used in grade point average calculation. (See Incomplete Work under Academic Policies and Procedures.)

RD—Report Delayed: No grade reported by the instructor. RD grades will revert to a NC or IC grade, depending on the course grading option, one semester after assignment.

W—Withdrawn from Course: Indicates that the student was permitted to drop the course after the Enrollment Census Date. It carries no connotation of quality of student performance and is not used in calculating grade point average. (See Withdrawal from CSU Stanislaus under Academic Policies and Procedures in this catalog.)

RP—Report in Progress: Indicates that work is in progress, but that assignment of a final grade must await completion of additional work which normally requires more than one term to complete (e.g., master’s thesis). RP grades shall be removed within one year after issuance of the grade except for thesis or project. A student whose graduate thesis or project is planned to extend over more than the term of first enrollment in a 5990 or 5960 course may receive an RP grade. The RP will remain through the period
of the program which is limited to a maximum of seven years. If the RP is not removed within these time limits, the grade will revert to NC for grading options 1 and 2 and to a grade of F for grading option 3. An extension of time may be granted by approved petition. The RP is not used in grade point average calculation. (See Academic Policies and Procedures.)

AU—Audit: The recorded grade if a student enrolls in a class and fulfills attendance requirement but is not receiving credit. Not used in grade point average calculation. (See Auditors under Academic Policies and Procedures.)

IC—Incomplete Charged: The IC symbol is used when a student who received an authorized incomplete “I” in a course with grading option 3 has not completed the required coursework within the allowed time limit. The IC replaces the “I” and is counted as a failing grade for grade point average and progress point computation.

Credit/No Credit Grading

Any student may elect to be graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis in any course approved with a Credit/No Credit grading option. Courses approved for CR/NC are indicated as such in the Schedule of Classes. In no case shall more than one-third of the required upper-division or graduate units or courses in a degree program be graded CR. No more than 24 CSU Stanislaus CR semester units, including winter and summer term courses, but excluding credit from challenge examinations, may be applied toward a baccalaureate degree.

The student must elect the Credit/No Credit grading option on a Registration Options form by the Enrollment Census Date of the term unless the instructor agrees to establish a later date and verifies this agreement by signing the student’s Registration Options form requesting the grade option change. Registration Options forms are available online, under Enrollment Services Forms and Publications. The Credit (CR) grade is earned for C– work or better (B– or better in graduate courses) as judged by the instructor concerned. Credit (CR) and No Credit (NC) grades will have no effect on grade point average.

Upper-division courses graded CR/NC taken at this or another institution may not be used to satisfy requirements for the student’s major except for those courses identified as graded exclusively on a CR/NC basis.

The only courses with a CR/NC option which may be repeated are those in which the student previously received a grade of “No Credit.” If a course previously taken for a grade is repeated for a grade of “credit,” only the original grade will be used in computation of the grade point average. (See Repeated Courses.)

Note: Students planning to attend graduate or professional schools should be aware that CR may be counted as a C and NC as an F by some graduate admissions officers.

Grade Point Computation

Grade point averages are computed by multiplying units and grade points in courses graded A, B, C, D, F, IC, and WU and dividing the total number of grade points by the number of graded units attempted. Prebaccalaureate courses and courses with the administrative symbols: AU (Audit), CR (Credit), I (Incomplete), NC (No Credit), RD (Report Delayed), RP (Report in Progress), and W (Withdrawn) are not included in this calculation. Plus/minus grading is a faculty option. Faculty members who choose this option must state in their course syllabi if this option will be used. If an instructor uses this option it applies to all students in the class. The effect is explained below:

Grade Plus (+) Grade Points Standard Grade Points Minus (–) Grade Points
A N/A 4.0 3.7
B 3.3 3.0 2.7
C 2.3 2.0 1.7
D 1.3 1.0 0.7
F N/A 0.0 N/A
WU N/A 0.0 N/A

Grading Options

CSU Stanislaus courses carry different grading options, indicated below, which are listed in the Schedule of Classes Informational Guide.

  1. Courses graded exclusively Credit/No Credit.
  2. Courses graded A, B, C, D, F—with the student’s option to receive a Credit or No Credit grade.
  3. Courses graded A, B, C, D, F.
  4. Courses graded A, B, C, N/C (remedial courses only).

Repeated Courses

Courses may be repeated by undergraduate students and only the most recent grade earned will be used for credit and grade points. The grading option for the original effort and the repeated effort must be the same. In addition, the following regulations apply:

  1. Undergraduate students may repeat courses only if they earned grades lower than a C.
  2. Course Repeats with “Grade Forgiveness” (Grade forgiveness is the circumstance in which the new grade replaces the former grade in terms of the calculation of GPA, etc.):
    2.a. Undergraduate students may repeat up to 16 semester-units with grade forgiveness.
    2.b. Undergraduate students may repeat an individual course for grade forgiveness no more than two times.
    2.c. Grade forgiveness shall not be applicable to courses for which the original grade was the result of a finding of academic dishonesty.
  3. Course Repeats with “Grades Averaged”:
    Undergraduate students may repeat up to an additional 12 semester-units, i.e., units in addition to the 16 semester-units for which grade replacement is permitted.  In such instances the repeat grade shall not replace the original grade; instead both grades shall be calculated into the student’s overall grade-point average.
  4. These limits apply only to undergraduate students and to units completed at CSU Stanislaus.
  5. These limits apply to all courses at CSU Stanislaus except those which are specified as being “repeatable for credit.”
     

Postbaccalaureate students doing work at the undergraduate level, such as pursuing a second major, are to be treated as undergraduates for purposes of repeating a course.

Graduate students, by prior permission of the department, may repeat a course, and the original grade will be included in computing the grade point average but will not be included in computing the grade point average for the master’s degree.

A student should file a Notification of Repeated Course form at the Enrollment Services Office immediately after the course is repeated.

At admission to CSU Stanislaus, the repeated-course actions and policies of former institutions will be honored.

Honors List of Students

Each semester CSU Stanislaus publishes a list of undergraduate honor students. To qualify for the list during the semester under consideration, a student must:

  1. Register for and earn a minimum of 12 units of credit of graded coursework at the University, and
  2. Achieve a 3.5 grade point average for all coursework attempted at the University that semester.

In addition to the List of Honor Students each semester, CSU Stanislaus also publishes a list of undergraduate students with honorable mention. To qualify for the list during the semester under consideration, a student must:

  1. Register for and earn a minimum of 8 to 11 units of graded coursework at the University, and
  2. Achieve a 3.5 grade point average for all coursework attempted at the University that semester.

Scholarship Standards

For the purpose of determining eligibility for a bachelor’s degree, students must earn and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 (C). Failure to maintain standards of minimum competency will result in either academic probation or disqualification. (See Grade Point Computation and Baccalaureate Degree Requirements.)

Academic Probation

A student is subject to academic probation if at any time the cumulative grade point average in all college-level work attempted or cumulative grade point average at CSU Stanislaus falls below 2.0. A student shall be removed from academic probation when the cumulative grade point average in all college-level work attempted and the cumulative grade point average at CSU Stanislaus is 2.0 or higher. Any veteran who remains on academic probation beyond two consecutive semesters without a significant improvement in academic standing will be ineligible for veterans educational benefits and will be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Academic Disqualification

A student on academic probation is subject to academic disqualification when:

  1. As a freshman (fewer than 30 semester hours of college work completed) the student falls below a grade point average of 1.50 in all units attempted or in all units attempted at CSU Stanislaus; or
  2. As a sophomore (30 through 59 semester hours of college work completed) the student falls below a grade point average of 1.70 in all units attempted or in all units attempted at CSU Stanislaus; or
  3. As a junior (60 through 89 semester hours of college work completed) the student falls below a grade point average of 1.85 in all units attempted or in all units attempted at CSU Stanislaus; or
  4. As a senior or postbaccalaureate student (90 or more semester hours of college work completed) the student falls below a grade point average of 1.95 in all units attempted or in all units attempted at CSU Stanislaus.

A student not on academic probation becomes subject to academic disqualification when:

  1. At the end of any term, the student has a cumulative grade point average below 1.0, and
  2. The cumulative grade point average is so low that in view of the student’s overall educational record, it seems unlikely that the deficiency will be removed within a reasonable period.

A student on probation will be continued on probation if not eligible for removal from probation or subject to disqualification. A student disqualified at the end of fall semester is eligible to attend winter term. In such cases the effective date of disqualification shall be the last day of the winter term. A student disqualified at the end of a spring semester is eligible to attend summer term. In such cases the effective date of disqualification shall be the last day of the summer term.

The Advising Resource Center may disqualify a student not on probation who has fewer cumulative grade points than cumulative credits attempted at the end of fall or spring semester, and whose cumulative grade point delinquency is so great that its removal within a reasonable period seems unlikely.

No student will be automatically disqualified. The Advising Resource Center will review the case of each student eligible for disqualification. Students also may be subject to expulsion, suspension, and/or probation for other causes. See Student Conduct in the Appendix.

Special Administrative Action

A student may be placed on administrative-academic probation for any of the following reasons:

  1. Withdrawal from all or a substantial portion of a program of studies in two successive terms or in any three terms.
  2. Repeated failure to progress toward the stated degree or other program objective, including that resulting from 15 credits of NC, when such failure appears to be due to circumstances within the control of the student.
  3. Failure to comply, after due notice, with an academic requirement or regulation which is routine for all students or a defined group of students (e.g., failure to take EPT/ELM or other tests; failure to complete remedial or other specified coursework, etc.).

Written notification of such action shall provide the conditions for removal from probation and the circumstances which would lead to administrative-academic disqualification. Furthermore, a student who has been placed on administrative-academic probation later may be administratively disqualified if:

  1. The conditions for removal of administrative-academic probation are not met within the period specified, or
  2. The student becomes subject to academic probation while on administrative-academic probation, or
  3. The student becomes subject to administrative-academic probation for the same or a similar reason for which the student has been placed on administrative-academic probation previously, although not currently in such status.

Written notification of such action shall provide an explanation of the basis for the action.

Reinstatement after Disqualification

Students who are disqualified may be considered for reinstatement by submission of a Reinstatement Petition to the Advising Resource Center. However, reinstatement generally is not approved for the semester immediately following disqualification. Advising Center decisions may be petitioned to the University Appeals Committee.

A reinstated student who has not been enrolled at the University for one year or who has matriculated at another institution since last attending CSU Stanislaus must also apply for readmission at the Enrollment Services Office to resume enrollment.

Students whose reinstatement petitions are approved will be readmitted on probation only, regardless of the grade point average earned at any other institution.

Academic Renewal

Courses with unsatisfactory grades either at CSU Stanislaus or at other institutions may be excluded from credit and grade point consideration if course repetition is inappropriate (e.g., change of major, or courses not offered at CSU Stanislaus), subject to all of the following provisions:

  1. At least five calendar years must have elapsed since the coursework was attempted.
  2. The student must be an undergraduate who has completed at CSU Stanislaus 15 semester credits with a 3.0 grade point average, or 30 semester credits with a 2.5 grade point average or 45 semester credits with a 2.0 grade point average.
  3. A maximum of one academic year of coursework may be disregarded; when such action is taken, all work attempted during those terms must be disregarded.
  4. The student must provide evidence that past performance was due to extenuating circumstances and that additional enrollment would be necessary to qualify for a degree if the request were not approved.
  5. The permanent academic record will be annotated, ensuring a true and complete academic history. A student must initiate such action using an appropriate petition form; upon satisfaction of all the above four provisions and obtaining approval of the faculty adviser, College dean, and the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Admission and Records personnel will implement the policy.

Students admitted to CSU Stanislaus will have the academic renewal actions and policies of former institutions honored.