Grading Policies and Academic Progress
Students in graduate programs receive credit only for courses in which a grade of A, B or C has been earned. No more than two C grades in 6000-level courses may be counted toward the degree. Credit towards the degree will not be granted for any 4300-level courses in which a C is earned. Occurrence of a D or F in a graduate program shall be grounds for dismissal. The master's project/thesis will be graded S for Satisfactory and U for Unsatisfactory. All practicum courses will be graded by S and U. The S does not calculate in the GPA. The U calculates as a failing grade in the GPA. Degree candidates are required to present an overall average of not less than B (3.0) at the end of their program of study. Pluses and minuses do not enter into the GPA calculation.
For project/thesis work in progress, the letters PR will be assigned in lieu of a final grade. Upon completion of the master's project/thesis and upon final evaluation by the committee and approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies, grades for the most recent enrollments (not to exceed 6 credits for thesis and 3 credits for project) will be converted to S or U. The PR grade does not calculate in the GPA at any time.
A grade of I (for conventional, independent study and partially self-paced courses) or Z (for self-paced courses) is reported when students have not met all requirements of a course by the end of the semester and the instructor considers the allowance of additional time to complete course requirements justified. When reporting an I grade, the instructor must complete an 'Incomplete Report' specifying: (1) the deficiency or the additional work to be done; (2) the length of time allowed to complete the work (no later than the last class day of the subsequent semester, summer excluded). When filing an Incomplete Form, the graduate faculty must indicate a default grade of B, C, D, F, or NG to be applied in the absence of a grade form indicating completion of the course. Faculty may extend an incomplete for a second semester by filing a second Incomplete Form with the Registrar. A student who registers for a class and then fails to attend any class meetings or take any test, and who neither withdraws nor formally drops the course, will be assigned the grade of F.
In self-paced instruction (SPI) courses in which a student makes satisfactory progress, but does not complete all requirements by the end of the semester in which registered, the instructor may report a Z grade. Students desiring to complete the course must reregister in the semester when the course is next offered and complete all remaining requirements for the course during the semester. The grade of F may be awarded for failure to achieve minimal standards in self-paced courses.
While the Z grade carries no penalty, the presence of many on the transcript may reflect poor schedule management. Z grades remain part of the permanent student transcript.
The grades of S and U are final grades used for student teaching, certain seminars, courses for demonstration of proficiency in writing and conversation, certain non-degree courses, and in a limited number of other courses which, upon petition, may be approved by the Dean; otherwise, normal grading procedures apply. The intent of the faculty and administration at UT Permian Basin is to ensure that every student receives fair treatment in the academic process.
Any course in the fall and spring semesters dropped after the 10th day of the student's enrollment in the course requires the instructor's signature on the drop form. A grade of W will be assigned for the final grade in fall and spring semester courses dropped after the 12th class day (4th class day in the summer).
Continuation in a graduate degree program is dependent on satisfactory progress in resolving any acceptance conditions and maintenance of not less than a B average (3.0 GPA) in all course work taken according to the program plan. Provisional status students accruing graduate credit course work are bound by the same scholastic standards that apply to regularly enrolled degree-seeking students.
Graduate students taking undergraduate courses which are not part of their degree program and taking undergraduate courses will be held to the same GPA requirements as regular undergraduate students taking the same courses, which is a GPA of at least 2.0. Teacher certification students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.75.
A student whose GPA falls below the GPA requirements stated above will be placed on probation for one semester or 6 semester credit hours. Failure to bring the CGPA up within that period may result in dismissal.