Academic Standards

The University employs a multi-faceted strategy to promote student success.

This strategy includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Clear statements of academic requirements and expectations within each course, each major, and the University as a whole can be found on course syllabi, in the University catalog, and in each student’s degree audit.

• A student’s instructor, advisor, or department director/chair are available to respond to questions about requirements and expectations. The College/Division Deans Offices are also an excellent source of additional information or clarification on these matters.

• The University Catalog defined in the section on Policies and Procedures for Enrolled Students policies concerning issues like minimum course grades, attendance requirements, and withdrawal from a course or program.

• Direct communication between the instructor and the student may be conducted through individual meetings (both informal and scheduled), in-class conversations, telephone calls, comments on returned papers and projects, e-mail, and use of the course space in Sakai. Therefore, it is essential that all students regularly use and check their UArts e-mail accounts, the Sakai site for each course in which they are enrolled, and keep their contact information up to date. Faculty publish their contact information and any scheduled office hours on their syllabi. Students are also encouraged to contact faculty through their departmental offices.

• Mid-semester Progress Reports. Undergraduate students who are designated members of the Academic Achievement Program, or who are already on Academic Probation, and all students taking LACR 007,008,009, 100, 101,102 (ESL and First-Year Writing) are evaluated at mid-semester by their instructors. These reports are shared with their advisors and the Associate Dean of Students. The information collected is used to help identify and conduct outreach to students who would benefit from interventions such as tutoring, counseling, or a change in schedule.

• Deficiency Notices. In the event that any student is not performing well at any point of the semester in a particular course, instructors are to send a deficiency notice to the student, which will be copied to the student’s advisor and the college dean.

• Students whose performance falls below a defined standard are placed on academic probation. A probation letter offers suggestions or requirements that are aimed at improving performance and preventing academic dismissal. For more details see the section on Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Review.

Undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements

Students in all programs must maintain a minimum semester and cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate. In some programs students must also satisfy minimum grade requirements in major coursework. (For details concerning minimum grade requirements if any in a specific major, see the department’s section of the Catalog).
 

Graduate Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for good standing and for graduation for graduate students. If a student is unable to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, he or she will be placed on Academic Probation. If a 3.0 GPA and/or other conditions imposed by the ARC are not attained by the following semester, the student may be dismissed from the program. While on Probation, a student may not hold a graduate assistantship or receive University supplemental grants-in-aid or scholarships. In all graduate programs, students must earn a minimum grade of B- for a course to count as credits toward the degree.

Academic Standards/Academic Standing

A student’s academic standing is determined at the end of the fall and spring semesters on the basis of attempted semester credits and cumulative grade point average. To retain good academic standing, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students and complete a minimum of two thirds of the attempted credits in a semester, and meet all minimum grade requirements of their major program. Additionally, full-time students must complete a minimum of 24 credits in an academic year (including summer sessions).

The University periodically reviews the student’s cumulative record in order to ensure good academic standings. Of primary concern in determining academic standing is normal progress toward degree requirements. When the University notes problems in academic performance that may jeopardize a student’s standing, the student will be notified.

Probation

Academic probation is a means of emphatically informing students that their record is unsatisfactory while there is still time to remedy the situation. Students will be placed on academic probation whenever their records indicate that normal progress toward a degree is in jeopardy. Probation is not intended to be a penalty, but should be interpreted as a serious warning to improve the quality of academic work. Students on probation are not allowed to take more than a normal course load, and may be required to take a reduced course load. Students on probation will not be able to participate in, or hold an elected or appointed office in any University-recognized student organization.  Appropriate programmatic restrictions may be placed on the student by the major program. Students on probation should reduce the number of hours of employment whenever possible and limit participation in any other extracurricular activities that interfere with the performance of their academic work.

At the end of each semester, students will be notified that they are on Academic Probation.

Terminal Probation/Dismissal

If a student is placed on probation at the end of a given semester and remains on probation at the end of the following semester, the student will be receive a notification that he or she is academically dismissed. Students may choose to appeal their dismissal notice through the Academic Standards Committee, which convenes dismissal hearings in early January for fall dismissals, and late May/early June for spring dismissals. During the appeal process, the Academic Standards Committee will review all pertinent information, including but not limited to the student’s academic and judicial record. Dismissal letters will provide students with complete information concerning how they may appeal.

After reviewing a student’s appeal, the Academic Standards Committee may act to sustain the dismissal, or elect to readmit the student effective immediately. When students are readmitted for the following semester, they are placed on terminal probation by the Committee, which may also stipulate certain actions that the student must take during the following semester. Details of the Committee’s actions will be presented to the student in a formal letter.

Students are invited to present their appeals in person; however, if the student cannot be present at the hearing, he or she may conduct the appeal entirely in writing. Appeals normally request readmission for the following semester, but an appeal may request readmission after a semester’s leave of absence.

If a student is readmitted to the University following an appeal to the Academic Standards Committee, a semester will be stipulated for re-admission. If a student wishes to enter more than one year from the original semester indicated on their letter, their requests for readmission must be resubmitted to the Academic Standards Committee for re-evaluation.

When a student is placed on terminal probation by the Academic Standards Committee the student must meet the stipulations established for them in the following semester. Failure to do so will result in automatic dismissal from the University.

Students dismissed from the University can apply for reentry to the University after two semesters. Such applications for reentry are reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee twice per year; in May for reentry for the fall semester, and in November for reentry for the spring semester.  Students applying for reentry should be prepared to demonstrate sustained improvement in their academic performance. This can be done by presenting a transcript for at least two terms of academic work done at another accredited institution of higher education subsequent to the student’s dismissal from the University of the Arts.

Students who have a concern or grievance regarding any academic matter, other than actions taken by the Academic Standards Committee, may use the following process to address those concerns. If the concern or grievance is directly related to actions taken by the Academic Standards Committee, please submit a letter of grievance directly to the Office of the Provost.

Grievances must be submitted no later than the end of the seventh week of the semester following the one in which the cause of the grievance occurred. This deadline has been set to allow time for the resolution of incomplete grades from the previous semester in accordance with the policies noted elsewhere in this catalog. Please also note that requests for a change of grade from students who have graduated must adhere to the guidelines noted at the end of this section.

In the event that the student feels the need for a neutral advocate, the student may request the assistance of any staff member of the University at any stage of the grievance process. Please note, however, that the student is strongly encouraged to discuss their choice of a staff member with the Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Students.

1. Students who have a concern or grievance regarding an academic matter are encouraged to discuss their concern directly with the instructor.
2. If they are not comfortable presenting their concern in person, or are not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion, they should submit their grievance in writing to the instructor, and send a copy to the chair/director of the department in which the instructor teaches, and the dean of the college.
3. The instructor must respond, in writing, to the student within 20 business days from the date in which a grievance is received. In the case of a grievance filed during winter, spring, or summer breaks, the clock will stop until the first day of the regular academic calendar. The department Chair/Director or Dean of Liberal Arts is available for consultation by either the student or the faculty member, and must be copied on the instructor’s response. The chair/director/Dean of Liberal Arts has the right to forward the concern to the Office of the Dean (or the Associate Provost in the case of the Dean of Liberal Arts) should he/she conclude that either the student or instructor’s concerns warrant further review or intervention.
4. If the student believes that his/her concern requires further attention, he/she may submit the matter in writing to the Office of the Dean of the college in which the course is offered, or to the Office of the Provost in regards to an issue emerging from a liberal arts course.
5. The Dean (Associate Provost for Liberal Arts’ cases) must either rule on the case or charge an Academic Grievance Committee within 10 business days. If the Office of the Dean (or Associate Provost) does not wish to rule on the matter, he/she may convene an Academic Grievance Committee to review the concern. The composition of the Academic Grievance Committee is determined by the Dean (Associate Provost in Liberal Arts’ cases.
6. As a last resort, the Office of the Dean/(Associate Provost in Liberal Arts’ cases) and/or the student may forward concerns to the Office of the Provost for final resolution.

Change of Grade

An instructor may change a grade only if an error occurred in computing or recording the final grade, or if re-evaluation of previously submitted work is warranted. Extra work, beyond that required of other class members during the period when the class met, or work handed in after the completion of the course, may not be offered as reasons for a grade change, except in instances of replacing a grade of Incomplete .

If a student questions the correctness of a grade, the student should address his/her concern in accordance with the Academic Grievance Procedures listed above. Any change of a final grade may be made only by the course instructor, who must personally submit the signed Change of Grade form, including the signature of the academic dean, to the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the semester following the one in which the grade was given.

Please note that graduated students who wish to seek a change of grade or file an academic grievance must do so no later than three days after the last grades required to fulfill degree requirements are posted.

Academic Integrity is a commitment to the core values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility and their role in ensuring the health and vigor of the academic and creative community. Please note that students are encouraged to contact their instructors and/or the University librarians for guidance in maintaining academic integrity in their work.

Violations of Academic Integrity

Violations of academic integrity are considered to be acts of academic dishonesty and include (but are not limited to) cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication, denying others access to information or material, and facilitating academic dishonesty, and are subject to the policies and procedures noted within this catalog, including the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Judicial System. Please note that lack of knowledge of citation procedures, for example, is an unacceptable explanation for plagiarism, as is having studied together to produce remarkably similar papers or creative works submitted separately by two students.

Process for Addressing Violations of Academic Integrity

If an instructor suspects a student of any violation of academic integrity, the following process is to be followed:

1. After an initial consultation with the Chair/Director/Dean of Liberal Arts where the infraction is identified and its seriousness assessed, the instructor must address the situation with the student, either in writing or in person. After having addressed the situation with the student, the instructor shall determine an appropriate course of action within his/her purview as a member of the teaching faculty. (Please refer to the “Sanctions” section of this policy for possible actions to be taken in such cases.)
2. In the case of Assignment Sanctions (see below), the instructor may submit a written summary as outlined above if s/he deems it to be warranted.
3. In the case of Course Sanctions (see below), the instructor must prepare and submit a written summary of the infraction and its penalties to the department chair/director/dean of Liberal Arts of the department (in which the course was taught), to the students, and to the Associate Provost, who will have a copy placed in the student’s confidential Judicial Record.
4. In cases where either the Associate Provost or the instructor determines that the offense merits consideration by the Campus Standards Committee, the instructor works in conjunction with the Associate Provost to formally refer the case to the Campus Standards Committee.

Sanctions
After consulting with the department chair/director/Dean of Liberal Arts, it is up to the instructor to determine how serious the offense is (based upon her/his academic standards and expectations) as it relates to the sanctions to be imposed within his or her course. Both the Associate Provost and the instructor have the right to determine whether the offense warrants advancement to the Campus Standards Committee. The Associate Provost must be kept apprised by the instructor of all actions taken. If it is judged that a student has violated the university’s standards for academic integrity, sanctions may include but are not limited to:

Assignment Sanctions:

1. Repeating the assignment or completing an additional assignment (Please note that when sanctions are imposed in this manner, students become ineligible for an Incomplete or a Withdrawal from the course in which the sanctions are imposed if it is pursued as a result of the sanction.); or
2. Failure of the assignment with no opportunity to repeat it. No points will be earned for the assignment (that is, an F will equal a “0”).

Course Sanctions:

1. Issuance of a warning or verbal reprimand with a written description of the interaction by the instructor. Copies of such reprimands must be kept by the instructor, and submitted to the Office of the Provost who will forward copies to the Student’s Judicial File and the student;
2. Failure of the class; or
3. Referral to the Campus Standards Committee for possible actions that may include but are not limited to suspension, dismissal or expulsion. Such referral is likely in extreme or repeated cases involving a violation of academic integrity.

Appeals Procedure:

Students who wish to appeal the instructor’s sanction(s) should follow the procedure as outlined in the above under “Academic Grievances.”

Students who wish to appeal the decision of the Campus Standards Committee should follow the procedure outlined in the “Student Handbook.”

Instructors are strongly encouraged to advise a student of unsatisfactory performance in the course with a Notice of Deficiency. Unsatisfactory performance may be based on excessive absences; inappropriate or inadequate classroom participation; the quality of work submitted, performed, or created for the class; or the outcome of exams or other assignments given by the instructor either in class or as listed on the syllabus. Deficiency notices are copied to the student’s advisor and the Office of the Dean of the College in which the student is enrolled.

Deficiency notices may be sent at any point in the semester.

Once a deficiency notice has been received, a student is expected to follow the instruction/s noted on the form, and is strongly encouraged to meet with his/her instructor and advisor as soon after receiving the deficiency notice as possible.

This list is compiled each semester in the respective deans’ offices. The Dean’s List honors those undergraduate students who have met the following criteria:

1. Students are full-time undergraduate degree candidates. Candidates for certificate, diploma, and master’s degrees are not eligible.
2. A minimum semester GPA of 3.60.
3. No grade lower than a B in any course.
4. No grade of I or F in any course.
5. Enrolled in at least 12 credits for a letter grade.

This information can be found in the Graduation Requirements section  .

Graduation with Honors

This information can be found in the Graduation Requirements section .