Graduate Grading System

The following grading system is used in graduate-level courses:

Grade Quality Points
A Excellent 4.00
B Acceptable 3.00
C Below Standard 2.00
F Failure 0.00
FA Failure due to Absence
Grade option for the mid-term grade if student stops attending class prior to the mid-semester.  The grade would remain FA for the final grade if the student does not withdraw from the class or improve performance.		 0.00
 
I Incomplete
(Incomplete grades are initiated by the student with a course work completion plan. Incomplete grades, if not changed by the instructor, convert to an "F" the following semester.)		 0.00
IP Current term in progress 0.00
NC No credit 0.00
NR Grade not reported 
Grade not reported by instructor, through an approved Consortiums as of deadline for reporting grades for each semester/academic term as established by the Registrar’s Office (the “Grade Deadline”).  NR grades do not calculate into Grade Point Average, do not count for academic credit towards graduation.		 0.00
 
W Withdrawal (not calculated in GPA) 0.00
AU Audit (not calculated in GPA) 0.00
P Pass (not calculated in GPA) 0.00
SP Satisfactory Progress
Grade option for thesis, research, clinical, and internship courses that may exceed one semester in length to complete with no credit towards graduation awarded until completion of the course requirements. SP grades must be changed to a letter grade within one (1) calendar year of the deadline for reporting grades as established by the Registrar’s Office the first semester the student was registered for the course or the SP grade converts to an “F” grade.		 0.00

Students who receive a grade of "F" or "FA" must repeat the course to obtain credit.

Refer to the appropriate graduate program description in this catalog for special academic policies relating to the individual programs.

Pass/Fail Grading

A grade of “P” is not counted in the grade point average and credit is given. A grade of “F” is counted in the grade point average and credit is not given.

Graduate Programs Grade Point Average (GPA)

To determine a student’s grade-point average, the total number of points earned is divided by the total number of graded hours attempted, which are also known as GPA hours. Thus, a student taking 30 hours of work and earning 90 points would have a grade-point average of 3.00.

Grades of W, P, NC, I, IP, AU, SP, and NR are not included in this computation. 

The grade point average of a student is computed on courses taken at the Mount and for courses taken through approved Consortiums and Study Abroad arrangements.

Incomplete Grades

Students may request an Incomplete “I” grade ONLY if they have made significant academic progress in a course of at least 50% of work must be completed and plan to complete the work before an agreed upon deadline.  Incomplete grades do not contribute to the semester or cumulative grade point average, and are not calculated in academic standing until replaced by a grade.  Incompletes may hinder progress towards degree completion.

Requesting an incomplete requires the student to do the following:

  1. Discuss the possibility of an Incomplete grade with the instructor. 
  2. Student must have completed 50% of the course requirements, and for a serious reason are unable to complete the remaining requirements by the end of the course.
  3. Student must be able to complete the work without “sitting in” on the same course in the upcoming semester. Student will be provided access to material for the course receiving the incomplete. 
  4. If instructor is agreeable, student complete the Incomplete Contract with the instructor, and obtains instructor’s signature by the last week of the classes for a traditional semester course OR before the last scheduled date of an accelerated course.
  5. A completion date must be included prior to the “I’ to “F” grade conversion chart below. The specified student course work must be completed and submitted to the instructor no later than the completion date agreed upon by the student and instructor. If an "I" grade is not changed by the time specified in the grade conversion schedule, the "I" grade will automatically convert to an "F" (failing) grade.
  6. Student submits the completed Incomplete Grade contract to the Registrar’s Office prior to exam week or the final scheduled accelerated class meeting. Late submission requires approval from the Provost Office or designee.

Upon receipt, the Registrar’s Office will enter the Incomplete grade and will maintain the Incomplete Grade Contract in the student record.

“I” grades convert to “F” grades on the following schedule:

Fall semester “I” grades change to “F”: Last day of spring semester.
Spring semester “I” grades change to “F”: Last day of the 3rd week of fall semester.
Summer session “I” grades change to “F”: Last day of fall semester.

Incomplete Extension

An extension for an incomplete requires approval from the instructor, program director/chair, and Provost Office, can only be granted once, and only for one additional semester. An extension must be requested prior to the catalog deadline for the Incomplete grade conversion. The extension decision must be communicated to the Registrar’s Office. 

Change of Grade

If for a serious reason an instructor must change a student’s grade, the instructor must submit a Change of Grade to the Registrar’s Office and give a rationale for the change. Only instructors are authorized to change grades.

Grades may be changed by an instructor after the end of a semester only if:

  1. an error is discovered in the determination of the original grade assignment; or
  2. the automatic "I" (incomplete) to "F" (failure) conversion needs to be corrected.

Grade changes cannot be made which exceed a time limit of one (1) calendar year after the original grade assignment. This includes the grade of "SP" (satisfactory progress) which must be changed to a letter grade within one (1) calendar year after the original grade assignment.

Grades cannot be changed in courses that are part of a student's earned degree once or after the degree is officially noted on the academic record. Grade changes become official when received and recorded by the Registrar's Office.

Repeated Courses

Coursework with a final grade of “F,” “FA,” audits, or withdrawals may be repeated in some programs. However, a student earning a grade of “F” or “FA” in a required course cannot get credit for the course until repeating the course and earning a passing grade. A student may repeat a course only once. This applies to all transcripted courses that repeat an equivalent Mount course including audits, withdrawals or transfer credits. Courses with a grade of "C" or higher cannot be repeated unless the course is designated a repeatable course.

A student who repeats a course will receive credit only once unless the nature of the course specifically provides otherwise. When a course is repeated, the credit and grade associated with the higher course grade will be the one counted in the student’s cumulative grade point average and toward graduation requirements. Both courses will be shown on the student’s academic record.

Transcripts

Transcripts of a student’s complete academic record at the University are obtained only upon request from the student.  An official transcript (one bearing the University seal and the authorized signature of the Registrar) is sent directly to a third party and/or institution specified by the student. An official transcript issued to the student is labeled “Student Copy.” The university is not permitted by law to issue copies of documents from other institutions. Only official University transcripts are released to a student or a third party.

Complete information regarding a transcript request can be found at https://www.msj.edu/academics/registrar/transcript-requests/.