Grading System - Graduate School and Graduate School of Management
Graduate School and Graduate School of Management Grading System Policy
The following letter grades and their achievement equivalents are used by instructors in the Graduate School of Management to evaluate student performance in a course. Grade points corresponding to each letter grade determine students' academic average and eligibility to graduate. Each grade, A through F, has a specific grade point value. The grade points earned in any course equal the grade point value of the grade multiplied by the number of semester hours credited. The grade point average (GPA) is found by dividing the total grade points earned by the total number of semester hours credited in those courses for which grade points have been assigned.
Determination of the cumulative GPA is based on all courses taken during the student's graduate career, including prerequisite and repeated courses, if any. All graduate students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.000 to graduate. The official Marquette GPA of all students is calculated by the student information system and this GPA is not be rounded up or down for any reason. (For the effect of F, WF, U and UNC grades, refer to Academic Review.) Graduate students may not be assigned a C-, D+ or a D grade in any course whatsoever, including undergraduate courses.
Letter grades, with or without grade points, are used by Marquette faculty to evaluate students' performance in a course. All grades described below, with the exception of the I, IC and IE are permanent grades. No additional work for the purpose of changing a permanent grade may be submitted by students after the last day of the session in which the class is offered. Likewise, no additional work for the purpose of changing temporary grades of I, IC or IE may be submitted by students after the deadline to change these temporary grades, as indicated in the Academic Calendar.
| Grade | Achievement | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | Superior | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | Minimally acceptable on a limited basis for graduate credit | 2.00 |
| C- | Not approved for graduate students | |
| D+ | Not approved for graduate students | |
| D | Not approved for graduate students | |
| F | Failure | 0.00 |
| WF | Failure | 0.00 |
The following letter grades do not have associated grade points:
| Grade | Defined |
|---|---|
| ADW | Administrative Withdrawal; withdrawn from the course for administrative reasons, as determined by approved personnel of the university, including but not limited to the dean, or personnel of a committee involved in formal hearing and/or appeal process. |
| AU | Audit; excluded from attempted credits. |
| AUA | Audit; included in attempted credits for Satisfactory Academic Progress purposes. |
| CR | Credit; equivalent work of C or better in the course. |
| I | Incomplete; a temporary grade assigned on a pre-arranged basis indicating inability to complete the course and/or take the final exam, due to circumstances beyond the control of the student; and, therefore, completion of assignments/exam are allowed after the term has ended. |
| IC | Course Incomplete; a temporary grade indicating the course is not completed by the end of the term in which the course is scheduled. |
| IE | Incomplete Extension; a temporary grade indicating an extension to the I grade removal deadline; assigned by the college office for those students who, due to circumstances beyond their control were unable to complete the required work by the I grade removal deadline. |
| NC | No Credit; equivalent work of less than C in the course. |
| NG | No grade; a temporary grade indicating grades were not entered by the grading deadline for the session in which the class was offered; a grade change is required. |
| SNC | Satisfactory completion; equivalent work of C or better in a course bearing no credit. |
| UNC | Unsatisfactory completion; equivalent work of less than C in a course bearing no credit. |
| S | Satisfactory completion; equivalent work of C or better in a credit bearing, competency-based course. |
| SY | Satisfactory completion; equivalent work of C or better in the first term of a series of year-long courses, where grades are assigned only in the final course in the series. |
| U | Unsatisfactory completion; equivalent work of less that C in a credit bearing, competency-based course. |
| UW | Unexcused withdrawal; withdrawal initiated by the faculty or college office when students register for a course, never attend and fail to officially drop or withdraw. |
| UY | Unsatisfactory completion; equivalent work of less than C in the first term of a series of year-long courses, where grades are assigned only in the final course in the series. |
| W | Withdrawn-Official; withdrawal initiated by students, with approval of the college office. |
| WA | Withdrawn-Excessive Absences; withdrawal initiated by the faculty or college office due to excessive absences in the course. |
CLARIFICATION OF GRADES
ADW GRADE
Students who are administratively withdrawn from the university receive this grade in all classes for the term/session. Likewise, students who are administratively withdrawn from a single class receive this grade. This grade is assigned by the Graduate School or the Office of the Registrar, depending on the reason and the office requesting the administrative withdrawal. This grade takes precedence over any other grade assigned to the student. Submission of a last date of attendance is required for this grade.
Students assume responsibility for all consequences that ensue as a result of receiving any withdrawal grade. These consequences may include, but are not limited to: a delay in graduation, external institutions/agencies viewing these grades as failing grades, loss of eligibility for certain scholarships and/or financial aid, loss of full-time status and/or loss of a refund.
AUDIT-Graduate School
Students must first register for a course via CheckMarq, then request the audit option from the Graduate School. The Audit Request Form is located on the Graduate School forms website. The deadline to request the audit option for each session is listed on the Academic Calendar. Students who request this option prior to the deadline for the session in which the class is offered are assigned the AU grade; students who request this option after the deadline for the session in which the class is offered are assigned the AUA grade. The AUA grade affects the ability to repeat a class and may affect satisfactory academic progress.
AUDIT – Graduate School of Management
Audits are not available for Graduate School of Management students and/or GSM courses unless auditing is specifically intended as part of an organizational partnership with the Graduate School of Management and/or Marquette University.
C-, D+ AND D GRADES
These grades are not approved for graduate students, including those students enrolled in undergraduate courses.
CR/NC GRADING
Under no circumstances may the undergraduate CR/NC option be exercised by a graduate student taking an undergraduate course for graduate credit.
I Grade
This grade must be initiated by students and approved by the instructor prior to the end of the session in which the class is offered and must be assigned by the instructor prior to the final grading deadline for the term/session in which the class is offered. The student must expressly ask the instructor to issue an Incomplete grade and explain the extenuating circumstances keeping them from completing their remaining assignments and/or final exam by the deadline. The instructor may consider the request only if the student has participated in the class consistently during the term and up to the time of the request, including completion of at least 60 percent of the class as measured in weeks of attendance or participation in the session. The instructor may not consider the request if they deem the student incapable of earning a passing grade at the time of the request.
This grade is cleared by following the standard online grade change process located in the Faculty Center of CheckMarq. If not cleared or changed to the grade of IE by the date specified in the Academic Calendar the grade is automatically turned into a permanent grade of F or other non-passing grade based on the grading options of the course. Retroactive withdrawals may not replace an I grade. Because these grades denote that the student did not fulfill all course requirements and/or the final exam, the university views these grades with the same seriousness as the grade of F or WF.
IC Grade
This grade is not the result of any action or inaction by students. This grade is changed to a permanent grade by the faculty at the time the course is completed and no initiation is needed by the student. The permanent grade must be assigned within one year of the assigned IC grade. Retroactive withdrawals may not replace an IC grade.
IE Grade
This grade must be approved and entered on students' records prior to the deadline to remove the I grade, as indicated in the Academic Calendar. This grade is applied by the instructor following the standard online grade change process located in the Faculty Center of CheckMarq. The grade is cleared by that same standard grade change process. If not cleared by the date specified in the notification provided to the student at the time of the extension, the grade is automatically changed to a permanent grade of F. Retroactive withdrawals may not replace an IE grade.
S/U GRADING
Students required to take undergraduate courses as prerequisites or to remedy deficiencies may not use this S/U grading option.
However, a few select graduate courses are offered for S/U grades only. Courses of this type usually are limited to practica, department colloquia or special seminar courses. Students should check the individual course descriptions in this bulletin and the grading basis when conducting a class search in CheckMarq to determine whether a course is offered on this basis.
For the effect of U grades, refer to Academic Review.
UW GRADE
This grade is assigned when the withdrawal is initiated by the faculty or college office because students registered for a course, never attended and failed to officially withdraw. The fact that students do not attend class, does not relieve them of the obligation to pay any tuition and/or fees that are due.
Students assume responsibility for all consequences that ensue as a result of receiving any withdrawal grade. These consequences may include, but are not limited to: a delay in graduation, external institutions/entities viewing these grades as failing grades loss of eligibility for certain scholarships and/or financial aid, loss of full-time status and/or loss of the 100% refund. Refund calculation for this grade is based on the date the university is first informed of the non-attendance.
W GRADE
This grade is assigned when the withdrawal is initiated by students, as per the deadline in the Academic Calendar. This grade is not assigned after the session in which the class is scheduled has ended. Submission of a last date of attendance is required with this grade. This is a permanent grade and cannot be changed or overwritten, except as described in the ADW section above.
Students assume responsibility for all consequences that ensue as a result of receiving any withdrawal grade. These consequences include, but are not limited to: a delay in graduation, external institutions/entities viewing these grades as failing grades, loss of eligibility for certain scholarships and/or financial aid, loss of full-time status and/or loss of a refund.
WA GRADE
This withdrawal is initiated by the faculty or college office and is assigned due to excessive absences in the course, as outlined in the syllabus. This grade is not assigned after the last day of the session in which the class is scheduled. This grade is always assigned if the withdrawal is initiated prior to the deadline to withdraw for the class in which a session is scheduled, as outlined in the Academic Calendar. If initiated after the deadline, students receive the grade earned at the time (a WA or a WF, as indicated in the syllabus). Submission of this grade requires a last date of attendance/activity. This is a permanent grade and cannot be changed or overwritten, except as described in the ADW section above.
Students assume responsibility for all consequences of this grade, which may include, but are not limited to: a delay in graduation, denial of readmission, external institutions/entities viewing these grades as failing grades, loss of eligibility for certain scholarships and/or financial aid, loss of full-time status and/or loss of a refund.
WF GRADE
This grade is assigned under two circumstances and is calculated into the grade point average as the grade of F:
1. When students initiate a withdrawal after the deadline to withdraw, as outlined in the Academic Calendar.
2. When the faculty and/or college initiates a withdrawal after the last day to withdraw, as outlined in the Academic Calendar, if: (1) students exceed the faculty's absence policy in the syllabus; or, (2) students abandon the class. In these cases, for those students passing the class at the time of the withdrawal, the faculty may assign the WA or WF grade, depending on the grading criteria of the syllabus; however, students who are failing the class at the time of this withdrawal must be assigned a WF.
In all cases, this withdrawal is not permitted after the last day of the session in which the class is scheduled. Submission of this grade requires a last date of attendance/activity. This is a permanent grade and cannot be changed or overwritten at any time, except as described in the ADW section above.
Students assume responsibility for all consequences of this grade, which may include, but are not limited to: a delay in graduation, denial of readmission, external institutions/entities viewing this grade as failing, loss of eligibility for certain scholarships and/or financial aid, loss of full-time status and/or loss of a refund.