Graduate Academic Standing

"P/F" - may be given for any course not required for a student's degree program and cannot be changed to a letter grade once permission to take the course under the Pass/Fail grading system has been approved. A pass grade carries no graduate credit. The grading schemes for courses that earn graduate credit are follows:

"S/U" – indicate satisfactory or unsatisfactory respectively and are in progress grades, used as an interim grade for special problems courses, master's theses, engineer projects and doctoral dissertation.

"NG" - no grade. It is a temporary notation issued to students by the Registrar in the following situations

– a grade has not been entered on the grade sheet for a student

– "W", "INC", or "ABS" has been entered on a grade sheet, but no petition has been filed or approved

"NG" must be changed by the dates established under section 5.

The following grades are given under the specified conditions:

"AUD" - audit. A student who registers to audit a course, pays full fee, but does not receive a terminal grade or credit.

"ABS" - absent. This grade indicates that the student was absent from the final examination with approval of the instructor and the Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education.

The approval must be obtained through the use of the INC/ABS petition form available from the Student Services Center. The petition form must be filed within thirty days of the final examination date. After the student takes the examination, a Change of Grade form will be submitted by the instructor, giving a terminal grade for the course. Under normal circumstances, but subject to the discretion of the Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education, a grade of F will be given for the course if the instructor does not submit a terminal grade before the agreed upon date.

"INC" - incomplete. This grade indicates that the student did file a petition. The petition form is available from the Office of the Registrar. The petition must be filed no later than the last regular class meeting. Generally, an incomplete grade is granted to a person having been in the class for at least 10 class sessions, who is in good academic standing in the course, and has completed all the course requirements due within that time period. This grade is given at the discretion of the instructor. The incomplete must be made up within one year unless an extension is granted by the Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education.

A request for a change of grade (including "NG") must be made to the professor who taught the course prior to April 1 for the Fall Semester and prior to November 1 for the Spring and Summer Semesters. An appeal of a grade should first be made to the instructor, then, if necessary, to the department/program director and then, if necessary, to the Dean of the appropriate school or college. The Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education may be consulted by any of the above mentioned faculty during the process described above.

Retaking final examination for the purpose of improving a grade in any graduate course is generally prohibited. Extenuating circumstances, such as illness during an exam, being called away in an emergency, etc., can be presented to the relevant professor to allow for permission to retake the final examination. Additional approval by the Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education is also required. If either the professor or the Senior Vice Provost denies such a request, an appeal may be made to the Academic Appeals Committee.

Repeated Courses - If a student repeats a course the grade replaces the old grade for purposes of calculating the graduating GPA. However, the earlier attempt of the course remains on the transcript with the grade earned as well as a note indicating that the course was repeated. The ranking GPA is computed using both grades. Please note that if a course that has been passed previously is retaken, and a grade of F or W is recorded for the retaken course, then the course must be repeated.

Withdrawal

Students who enroll for a course are responsible for the tuition and fees for that course unless they complete a Change of Enrollment form to drop or withdraw from the course. Please refer to the published Refund Schedule for specific details.

A student who withdraws from a course after the add/drop period without prejudice will get a “W” indication on his record. No other grade will subsequently be given and the “W” will be ignored, insofar as degree requirements are concerned.

The student must apply in writing for permission to withdraw from a course by completing a Change of Enrollment form. If this form is received by the Student Services Center prior to the end of the tenth class session of the semester, approval shall be automatic. After the tenth week, permission will be granted at the discretion of the Senior Vice Provost of Graduate Education and the course instructor.

A student who withdraws from a course may be given a partial refund of tuition fees, depending on the date of withdrawal. See the section on refunds in the current academic calendar or Student Service Center.

NOTE: A student is not automatically withdrawn from a course due to nonattendance or non payment. He or she must apply in writing as described above in paragraph 2. 

Academic Integrity

The term “academic impropriety" is meant to include, but is not limited to, cheating on homework, during in-class or take home examinations and plagiarism. The Institute has adopted a procedure to deal with such actions. The Graduate Student Code of Academic Integrity details the specific principles, codes, violations and processes created to address the ethical pursuit of knowledge, and uphold and maintain the highest standards of integrity while attending Stevens Institute of Technology.

Probation and Dismissal Guidelines

To be placed on probation, a student must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Has received an F in a course that has not been improved by repeating the course. (Please recall that each student must have a current Study Plan on file with the Office of the Registrar).

Has less than a B (3.0) average after earning 10 or more credits.

Has received three or more C’s.

Guidelines for Removing Students from Probation

A student on probation is removed from probation when the condition leading to probation is corrected.

Guidelines for Dismissing a Student

Conditions that can lead to dismissal include the following. The student is currently on probation and satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

• Has an "F" in two or more courses (for repeated courses, the latest grade counts).

• Must repeat three or more major courses to meet the "B" average (3.0 GPA) requirement. (The major courses must include the core courses.)

• Violated probationary requirements.

• Has exceeded the six-year study limit.

• Other conditions in addition to those above (such as disciplinary reasons).

Guidelines for Acceptance/Rejection of Conditionally Admitted Students

A conditionally admitted student is admitted conditionally until conditions are met. The Probation Committee identifies conditionally admitted students and reviews the student’s file each semester to determine if conditions have been met. Transcripts of completed courses facilitate the decision. Students are informed if they have not met the conditions.

Graduation

Application for Candidacy

(PH.D., MASTERS, ENGINEER DEGREE AND GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF SPECIAL STUDY)

An Application for Candidacy is an absolute requirement for graduation. When a student has completed 20 credits towards a masters degree or within two weeks after the beginning of the semester in which he or she expects to complete degree requirements, the student should submit an Application for Candidacy to the Registrar’s office along with the Graduation Fee ($225 or $65 for Graduate Certificate). The Application for Candidacy must be signed by the student and his or her Faculty Advisor. A late fee of $55 will be assessed for an Application for Candidacy received after 10/1 for students completing degree requirements in the fall semester and 4/01 for students completing degree requirements in the spring.

Commencement Ceremony

The Commencement Ceremony is held once a year shortly after the end of the spring semester. The Commencement Guide contains detailed information about commencement. About one month before commencement, each student who has submitted an Application for Candidacy and Commencement Questionnaire will receive a commencement invitation packet from the Office of Student Life containing detailed information of the time, location, processional plan, admission tickets and invitations for guests. Attendance at the Commencement Ceremony is desirable, but not mandatory. The ceremony is usually less than two hours long. Students who do not attend commencement will receive their diplomas by certified mail at the address they have indicated on their Commencement Questionnaire.

Letter of Completion

A student who has completed all requirements for his or her degree well in advance of commencement may request a letter certifying that degree requirements are complete and that the degree will be awarded at the next commencement ceremony. The request for the Letter of Completion must be in writing indicating to whom the letter should be addressed and where it should be mailed. An approved Application for Candidacy needs to be on file in the Office of the Registrar and all degree requirements must be satisfactorily completed before the letter can be issued.