2 - Academic Standards
2.1 Good Standing
A student is considered to be in good standing at the end of each semester if they:
- Pass each course in the semester with a grade of B- or better
- Receive a grade of “pass” in the pass/fail clinical practicum/internship
- Have a semester and cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Have met the remediation requirements for any oral or written warning from the program
2.2 Minimum Course Grades
Students are expected to achieve a grade of B- or better in all courses. However, the student’s transcript may contain no more than a single grade of C. A second grade of C will require that one of the two courses be repeated, and the grade raised. Failure to raise the grade to a B- or better is grounds for dismissal from the program. MGH Institute of Health Professions - Dismissal Policy
2.3 Grade Point Average
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of >3.0 in each semester. Students with GPA below the minimum will be placed on academic probation (see 3.2) for the duration of the following semester. MGH Institute of Health Professions - Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress
Failure to raise the cumulative GPA to >3.0 in the next semester is grounds for dismissal and may have implications for financial aid. MGH Institute of Health Professions - Dismissal Policy
2.4 Grading Scheme for Required and Elective Courses
Students may not request to enroll in a required or elective course for pass/fail credit if the course awards a letter grade. Also, students may not request to change the course grading scheme from a letter grade to pass/fail during or after the semester in which the course is taken.
Students may request to audit a course that is not required for the degree. Approval by the Academic Advisor and the course instructor is required. The grade for an "Audited" course will be reflected as "AU" (Audit) on the student’s permanent record, and no course credit is received towards a student’s total credit requirement. The student must attend all regularly scheduled class sessions. See the Institute Catalog for more information on auditing a class.
2.5 Repeating Courses
The student’s transcript may contain no more than one grade of C. Students who receive a second grade of C in a course or clinical experience, including a withdrawal (W), must repeat one of the two courses or clinical experiences the next time it is regularly offered, usually the next year. Only one course or clinical experience may be repeated. Failure to raise the grade to a B- or better is grounds for dismissal from the program.
Depending on which course or clinical experience must be repeated, the student may not be allowed to continue coursework or clinical training toward the degree in the following semester. Enrollment in courses for which the perquisite was not successfully completed must be delayed until the prerequisite is completed.
In many cases, the course schedule in a given semester conflicts with the scheduled time for the repeated course. No adjustments will be made to the course schedule to accommodate a student needing to repeat a course. The student may not request independent study or another course to satisfy the repeat policy. Students are responsible for any expenses incurred due of the extended program of study.
If necessary, the student will be placed on a leave of absence (LOA) while awaiting an opportunity to repeat a course.
MGH Institute of Health Professions - Course Repeat
2.6 Incomplete Grade
The Institute’s Academic Grading Policies specify that:
“A student who does not complete all requirements for a course may arrange with the instructor(s) for a temporary grade of incomplete. Students must complete all course requirements to change an incomplete grade according to the timeline agreed upon by the instructor(s), not to exceed two calendar years from the date of the request. If a student does not complete the required work within the stipulated time period, the grade will automatically change to a "Fail". Permission from the instructor(s) will be required for extension of time for completion.”
For more information, see the Institute Catalog for “Incompletes” in the Grading Policy.
Students may request an Incomplete grade from their instructor for a course or clinical experience if they meet the following requirements at the time of the request:
- Provide and substantiate a valid reason for the request,
- Have completed at least 70% of all course requirements
- Have a grade of B- or better in the course.
Students who must withdraw from a course before 70% of the assignments are complete must retake the entire course. Withdrawing from a course with a grade of “W” constitutes the first attempt to complete a course.
A second request for an Incomplete in the same course will be denied.
Incomplete or missing assignments used to calculate the current grade at the time of the request may not be completed.
If necessary, the student will be placed on a leave of absence (LOA) while awaiting an opportunity to repeat a course. Should the course undergo substantive changes due to the evolving and flexible nature of the program curriculum, the student may be required to retake the entire course and possibly coursework not on the curriculum in their original program of study.
The flow chart below shows the decision tree used by AuD program faculty for incomplete grade requests.
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