Graduate Policies and Procedures

Grades and Grade Point Average

Grade points are computed by multiplying the points for each grade by the number of semester credit hours; for example, 4.000 (A) x 3 (semester credit hours) = 12 grade points. A student's grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of semester credit hours for which a grade other than I or P is received. All GPAs, term and cumulative, are rounded from the fourth to the third digit, and three decimal places are displayed in this catalog, Galaxy, unofficial and official transcripts.

The following grade scale is used in graduate coursework at the University:

NOTE> Grade Points Per Semester table goes here - please contact catalog@utdallas.edu for assistance

* The grades of I and P do not produce grade points.

Grade of I: Incomplete

An incomplete grade of I may be assigned, at the discretion of the instructor, for work unavoidably missed at the semester's end. The student must obtain a Grade of Incomplete/Documentation Form in the office of the student's degree program. The instructor assigning an incomplete grade must furnish a description of work required to complete the course. An incomplete must be completed eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. The completed form must be signed by both the student and the instructor, and the appropriate Associate Dean, Graduate Advisor, or Department/Program Head, and must be retained with the student's academic record. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the grade of I is not submitted by the specified deadline, the grade of I is changed automatically to an F. Extension beyond the specified limit can be made only with the permission of the Dean of Graduate Education. A student may not re-enroll in a course in which an I has already been assigned.

The instructor alone will be responsible for determining whether the requirements for completion are met and for assigning the grade in the course. If the instructor who assigned the incomplete is no longer associated with the University when the work is completed, the head of the department or program may assign a committee of appropriate faculty to evaluate the material and/or obtain any other information that may be required to assign the grade in the course. Upon completion of the evaluation of the required work, the symbol I must be converted into a letter grade (A through F or P) by the instructor, head of the department or program, or Graduate Advisor as indicated above.

Grade Changes

Faculty Initiated

After a final grade has been recorded by the Office of the Registrar, faculty may change grades only to correct a clerical error, replace a grade of "incomplete", or replace a grade of "NR". A faculty-initiated change of a final grade requires the written approval of the instructor and the department, program head or Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, as determined by the school. Grade changes must be submitted by the end of the eighth week of the following semester after the grade was awarded. Any grade change initiated after the eighth week of the semester requires the written approval of the instructor, the department, program head, or Associate Dean, as determined by the school, and the Dean of Graduate Education.

Student Request

After a final grade has been recorded by the Office of the Registrar, a student has the right to request a review of that grade. If a student believes he or she has been assigned a grade on the basis of a clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious, the student should first seek to discuss the grade with the instructor. A student must petition the instructor for a grade review within sixty calendar days after the course grade was posted.

The only grounds for considering a grade to be incorrect are either clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious. Examples of clerical error include, but are not limited to, a mistake in adding component grades, a mistake in recording grades, or attributing a paper or examination to the wrong student. "Arbitrary or capricious" means that the grade cannot be considered reasonable given the material of the course, the overall performance of the class, and the individual performance of the student. The University assumes that coursework is best evaluated by the instructor in the immediate context of the course activity. Requests for reconsideration must show with clear and convincing evidence why this assumption should be set aside.

If this process does not resolve the student's matter, the student may file a formal appeal following the procedures described for appeals under Subchapter B. Appeals of Academic Decisions. (See Student Grievances Policy, UTDSP5005).

Pass/Fail Grading

The pass/fail option is intended to encourage a student to take courses in topics outside his/her major area where the student would be competing with a significant number of students who are majoring in these outside areas. Subject to the constraints stated below, a student may elect to take certain courses either by letter grade (A, B, C, F) or pass/fail grade (P/F). The pass/fail option should be exercised at the time of registration. In any courses in which letter grades are given to one or more students, any student wishing to take the course on a pass/fail basis must obtain the approval of the instructor and his/her graduate advisor on the Pass/Fail form. This completed form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than Census Day. No change of grade designation from grade to pass/fail or pass/fail to grade can be made after the Census Day designated in the online Comet Calendar and the Academic Calendar.

A student may not elect to take the following types of courses on a pass/fail basis:

• major core courses and their prerequisites required for the student's degree
• elective courses in the student's major area
• more than 20 percent of the semester credit hours earned at UT Dallas for any master's degree (excluding casebook, internship, practicum, independent study, research, reading, thesis or dissertation requirements)

Only pass/fail grades are given for independent study, research, and reading courses, and for thesis and dissertation.