Academic Standards

Grading System

Grade Point Averages

The instructor determines the basis for evaluation and the system for assigning grades within each course, founded upon academic performance professionally judged and not on matters irrelevant to that performance, whether personality, race, religion, gender, degree of political activism or personal beliefs.

Grading Scale

Policies on Grades

Normally grades of “C” and above earned in graduate level courses at Oneonta are credited toward the master’s degree. Individual graduate programs may set a minimum required grade higher than a “C” in any course considered fundamental to the course of study. Although graduate credit is awarded for courses in which grades below the minimum acceptable grade are earned (excluding E grades), the credit will not be applied toward degree requirements. All grades earned remain on the student’s permanent transcript.

Course Repeat Policy

Beginning in Fall 2016, graduate students will not be permitted to repeat a course. Students who attempt to repeat a course will be dropped from the course.

Appeals: Students who wish to appeal the repeat rule will use the Appeal to the Graduate Course Repeat Policy Form to outline their request. The graduate program director/department chair will designate a committee of three faculty members with a graduate teaching status, which will make a recommendation to the dean of the school, who will make the final decision.

Pass/Fail Grading

Grades of “P” (pass) and “F” (fail) may be counted toward a master’s degree when the course is offered with P/F as the only grading option. If students choose the P/F option rather than a letter grade for a course, that course will not be counted toward a master’s degree. Grades of P/F are not assigned numerical value and thus are not averaged in with other grades in computing grade-point averages. A grade of “P” must denote a minimum level of academic performance equivalent to at least a “B”.

Incompletes

At their request, students will receive an incomplete (“I”) when they cannot complete the course work and can make up the work independently. This grade will be awarded due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance. Or, with the student’s consent, an instructor may assign and extend grades of Incomplete wherever there is an educational advantage in doing so. An “I” (Incomplete) is a temporary grade. Students must make up incomplete course work in the semester following the semester for which the “I” grade is received. The date by which Incompletes must be made up occurs in November for the Incomplete earned during Spring semester and/or Summer Sessions and in April for the Incomplete earned during Fall semester. The specific deadlines are publicized extensively. See Key Dates and Deadlines, a list of important dates published each semester and distributed to both students and faculty.

Requests for extensions of the Incomplete deadlines require the approval of the instructor of the course. Students should be aware that no extensions of Incompletes will be considered beyond the maximum allowable extension date, which is one calendar year from when the Incomplete was assigned. The registrar notifies the course instructor and student of outstanding Incompletes. Students will receive a revised grade mailer indicating the grade earned or the conversion of the “I” to “E”.

Grade Change Policy

Letter grades on file with the registrar at the end of a semester are final unless an error in calculating the grade is discovered. If so, the instructor must file a grade change form, explaining the error. This form requires the approval of the department chair and is then processed by the registrar. Grade changes not consistent with academic policy will be reviewed by the appropriate dean. The student will receive an updated grade mailer reflecting the grade change. Permitting a student to submit missing work or extra credit to improve a grade is not acceptable. It is the student’s responsibility to call the instructor’s attention to a possible grading error in a timely manner, typically during the semester following that in which the questioned grade was received. If twelve months have elapsed since the grade was issued, no grade change will be made.

Academic Grievances

1. A graduate student with an academic grievance should first try to resolve the problem with the faculty member involved. A grading judgment alone shall not be a basis for a grievance.
2. If that fails, the student should confer with the chair of the department involved. The chair will attempt to mediate the dispute and may call on the departmental grievance committee to assist, if such a committee exists. If the matter cannot be resolved within the department, the chair will notify, in writing, the parties involved and the division dean.
3. The student may then file a formal written complaint to the appropriate division dean. The complaint must be filed within 45 days of receiving notice that the department chair was unable to resolve the problem. The complaint must state a specific charge.
4. The divisional dean may attempt to mediate or resolve the dispute informally, or may proceed with the appointment of an ad hoc grievance committee.
5. The ad hoc committee will consist of three members of the SUNY Oneonta graduate teaching faculty. The grievant will name one member; the faculty member involved will name the second and the Chair of the College Graduate Committee will name the third, who will chair the ad hoc committee.
6. When the committee is formed, the dean will announce its membership to the parties involved in the dispute.
7. The ad hoc committee will
   1. Determine what evidence it needs and request it from the appropriate parties;
   2. Establish a schedule for hearing and determining the grievance, and announce it to the parties involved;
   3. Review the relevant materials, that may include existing policies and regulations, and written or oral statements from the parties involved or witnesses; and
   4. Report its findings and recommendations, in writing, to the parties involved, the dean, and the Chair of the College Graduate Committee.
8. The ad hoc committee will try to complete its work within thirty days. If it cannot, it will notify the parties involved, the dean, and the Chair of the College Graduate Committee.
9. If either party to the grievance disputes the findings and recommendations of the ad hoc committee, the divisional dean will refer the matter to the Provost for final decision.

Academic Retention Standards

Degree Students

Graduate students are expected to maintain semester and cumulative GPAs of at least 3.0. At the end of each semester, the Divisional Dean will review the transcripts of all currently enrolled graduate degree students. Students with a cumulative or semester grade point average below 3.0 will be academically dismissed or placed on academic probation. In consultation with the academic department, the Dean will notify these students in writing of their academic standing.

Students will be academically dismissed when they fail to make progress toward degree completion. Situations that result in academic dismissal include:

• Failing to earn the minimum required semester and/or cumulative GPA, except as noted below
• Earning grades that make it unfeasible for the student to obtain a GPA that meets the minimum standard within the allotted probationary period described below
• Failing to earn minimum grades within the declared program of study
• Failing to successfully defend or amend the thesis proposal or thesis
• Failing to meet minimum standards for passing comprehensive exams
• Being ineligible for or failing to successfully complete field placement
• Failing to meet the remedial plan as outlined in Education Department Fair Practice policies

Students may be placed on academic probation when their semester or cumulative GPA falls below 3.00 for the first time in their graduate career.

• If a full-time student is placed on probation, the student will have one semester to achieve a minimum (3.0) cumulative grade point average.
• If a part-time student is placed on probation, the student must achieve a minimum (3.0) cumulative grade point average by the time 12 additional credit hours are earned.
• These time limits will be conveyed to the student in writing when the student is notified of his/her probationary status.
• For both full and part-time students, failure to clear probation within the specified time or failure to maintain a 3.0 cumulative or semester grade point average each semester subsequent to the probationary period will result in dismissal.

Academically dismissed students have the right to appeal their dismissal and must do so in writing. The written appeal and accompanying documentation must be delivered to the Office of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Appeals Committee will adjudicate the appeal. The written appeal, accompanying documentation, CAPP document, academic transcript, student file, a complete audit of the student’s academic history on Banner, and any information from the department will be used in deliberations.

When a student is academically dismissed, that student is ineligible to register for courses at the College. If the student wishes to return to graduate study at the College at a later time, s/he must apply for readmission

Non-degree Students

Non-degree students are expected to maintain the same academic standards as degree graduate students. Students not maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.00 may be precluded from taking additional coursework at the College.

Taking graduate courses as a non-degree student does not guarantee that any student will subsequently be admitted to a degree program. Additionally, coursework in which a non-degree student earns below a “B” may not be applied subsequently to a degree program and the number of credit hours that may be counted subsequently in a degree program is limited.