Grading Policy and Procedures
Grade Values
The following letter grades are assigned to graduate business courses. Letter grades convert to numerical values when calculating a student’s grade-point average (GPA). The following grade values are used in the Touro University Graduate School of Business.
Excellent |
| A = 4.000 | A- = 3.667 |
Good | B+ = 3.333 | B = 3.000 | B- = 2.667 |
Below Average | C+ = 2.333 | C = 2.000 | C- = 1.667 |
Poor |
| D =1.000 |
|
Failing |
| F, WU = 0 |
|
The letter grades above correspond to these numerical ranges:
A = 96+
A- = 92-95
B+= 88-91
B = 84-87
B- = 80-83
C+= 76-79
C = 72-75
C- = 68-71
D = 60-67
F = Less than 60
Other Grade Definitions
P: Passing (not calculated in the GPA)
F: Student attended/participated in 60% or greater of scheduled classes per semester, but did not achieve passing grades on examinations and assignments, or stopped attending/participating after 60% or greater of scheduled classes in the given semester.
W: (No penalty.) This grade is assigned when a student officially withdraws from a course after the add/drop period by filing an Add/Drop form with the Office of the Registrar, signed by an academic advisor. A student who does not file this form will receive a failing grade of F or WU, depending on the number of class sessions attended and the amount of work completed. Time periods for official withdrawal vary by semester.
WU: Student stopped attending/participating before 60% or less of the scheduled classes per semester; calculated as a failing grade; calculated as a failing grade.
WNA: Student never attended class. Not included in calculating the student’s GPA, but appears on the transcript.
INC: Students may be granted a grade of “Incomplete” if they did not complete all course assignments and received the instructor’s permission to complete course requirements at a later date, to be specified in a written contract between the student and instructor (see “Grade of Incomplete,” below).
Grade Point Average (GPA)
The Grade Point Average (GPA) is obtained by dividing the total number of quality points earned in graduate courses at Touro University by the total number of graduate course credits attempted and not otherwise excluded from the GPA computation.
Example: A student receives the following grades during a semester of study:
Grade in One 3-Credit Course | Numeric Value of grade | (Grade Multiplied by 3 = # of Quality Points |
|---|---|---|
A | 4.000 | 12.000 |
B+ | 3.333 | 9.999 |
B | 3.000 | 9.000 |
30.999 | ||
GPA = 30.999 quality points ÷ 9 credits = 3.444 | ||
Grade of “Incomplete”
A grade of “Incomplete” (INC) may be given to students who have acceptable levels of performance for a given course, but have not completed all course requirements – such as an examination, a paper, a field work project, or time on a clinical rotation. “Incomplete” grades are routinely allowed only for the completion of a relatively small percentage of work in a course (e.g., 25%). Grades of “Incomplete” are not issued to students who are doing substandard work in order to give them the opportunity to redo their projects/exams so that they can achieve an acceptable grade.
The procedure for granting an “Incomplete” begins with the student requesting a meeting with the faculty member in which the faculty member will review the student’s progress and decide whether it is appropriate for the student to receive the grade of “Incomplete.” If the faculty member decides that the student does not meet the requirements for the grade of Incomplete, she or he may deny the student’s request. The student may contest the faculty member’s decision by appealing in writing to the department/program chair. Policies regarding the consequences of missing a final exam may differ in individual schools or programs, and will govern the student’s right to request a grade of “Incomplete.”
If the student is permitted to apply for an Incomplete, he or she will fill out a Contract for Grade of Incomplete. The Contract is considered a request until it is approved and signed by the student, faculty member, and department/program chair. Signed copies of the Contract are given to the student, the faculty member, the department/program chair, and a copy is forwarded to the Registrar’s Office. The faculty member is asked to record the grade of “Incomplete.”
Although the time allowed for the completion of any single project may vary depending on the magnitude of the project, with a typical timeframe being 6 weeks, a grade of “Incomplete” should not be allowed to stand longer than one semester from the end of the semester in which the course was given. The faculty member will specify the amount of time allowed to finish an incomplete project in the contract. The amount of time should be appropriate to the project. For instance, a faculty member may only want to allow a relatively short amount of time to complete a missing exam. Under special circumstances, at the request of the student, the Dean may extend the deadline beyond one semester. In such a case, the contract should be revised to reflect the change, and should be submitted to the Registrar’s office at least one week before the INC grade is programmed to change to a grade of ‘F’ in the student information system. Once the student completes the required project, the faculty member determines the final grade for the course and notifies the Registrar by using the standard Change of Grade form.
Courses that receive an “Incomplete” grade will be counted toward the total number of credits attempted, but not earned. The course will not be calculated in the student’s term or cumulative GPA until the “Incomplete” grade is resolved. If the INC grade is subsequently changed to an “F,” the “F” grade will be calculated into the student’s GPA and will appear on the transcript. Incomplete grades can, therefore, affect a student’s financial aid status at the University, but will not initially affect the student’s GPA. For students who are accessing Title IV programs to assist in paying their educational expenses, a grade of “Incomplete” may result in the inability of the Financial Aid office to confirm that students are in satisfactory academic standing.
Grade Challenge
A student who wishes to appeal a grade should speak first with the course instructor. If the instructor rejects the student's request for a change of grade, a written appeal can be made to the Dean. To be considered, a grade appeal must be filed no later than six weeks after the end of the semester in which the course was taken.
The student's written appeal must include:
a statement identifying the course, the semester the course was taken, and the name of the instructor; and
the grade being appealed, the reason for the appeal, and appropriate documentation.
The Dean will respond to the student with a decision, in writing, within 30 days of receiving the written appeal and after consultation with the Committee on Academic Standing, composed of the Dean and two faculty members.