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Grades

Grades

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Final grades are submitted by the student’s instructors and are issued to the student by the Office of the Registrar via PROWL at the end of each term.

Credit/No Credit Grading

Students may not be graded on a Credit/No Credit basis in courses which are part of a major, minor, or core curriculum program. Credit courses count toward the fulfillment of graduation requirements. Neither Credit (CR) nor No Credit (NC) grades affect the student’s grade point average. Once the petition for either grade or Credit/No Credit basis has been filed in the Office of the Registrar, it may not be rescinded or changed after the last day of registration.

Students may be graded on this basis for not more than 20% of their total semester hours at LMU. Students wishing to be graded on this basis must file the appropriate petition in the Office of the Registrar by the published date in the Academic Calendar.

In the case of courses that are graded on a Credit/No Credit basis, the student may petition the instructor for a letter grade with the approval of the Dean, before the end of the third week of the semester.

In order for a student to receive a grade of Credit, the work must be of C (2.0) or better for undergraduates and B (3.0) or better for graduates.

Grade Appeals

It is understood that, except in rare instances, only the Instructor may change the final grade using the Correction of Grade form through the Office of the Registrar and then only with the approval of Department Chairperson’s, Program Director’s, or equivalent (hereafter called Department Chairperson), and the approval of the Dean of the Instructor’s college or school. The Dean may, however, change the grade if all of the following processes of appeal have been followed. The Dean must notify the Instructor, in writing, of the change in final grade.

1.		No later than three weeks into the semester following the issuance of a disputed grade, the student must meet face-to-face with the Instructor to review the reasons for the grade
2.		No later than the following week, if the Instructor is not available for discussion or if discussion fails to resolve the problem, the student may ask the appropriate Department Chairperson (see above) to meet with both the Instructor and the student within five class days. If the Chairperson and the Instructor are in agreement about the validity of the grade, the student may appeal to the appropriate Dean. If the Chairperson cannot agree with the Instructor, the Chairperson will refer the student to file a written appeal to the Dean. Definitions of Academic Dishonesty:
3.		The student who appeals beyond the department level must file a written appeal to the appropriate Dean within five class days of the meeting with the Instructor and Chairperson, and no later than the end of the sixth week of classes. The Dean, upon receipt of the written appeal, will work with all parties in an attempt to resolve the matter by mutual agreement. If agreement cannot be reached, the Dean may appoint a committee of three impartial persons to investigate the matter and make a recommendation to the Dean. The Dean will normally follow the recommendation of the committee; however, the decision of the Dean is final.

Grading System

The work of all students at LMU is reported in terms of grades. Instructors are required to assign a final grade for each student registered in a course.

Undergraduate Grades

The following grades are used to report the quality of undergraduate student work at LMU:

A		Superior
B		Good
C		Satisfactory
D		Poor
F		Failure
CR		Credit—Equivalent to grade of C or higher
NC		No Credit—Equivalent to grade of C- or lower
NR		Not reported by instructor
AU		Audit
I		Work incomplete
IP		Work in progress (for courses requiring more than one semester to complete)
W		Official withdrawal from course

     
A grade of A may be modified by a minus (-) suffi x, and grades B and C may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) suffix. Grades A, B, C, and CR denote satisfactory progress toward the degree, but a D grade must be offset by higher grades in the same term for students to remain in good academic standing. Note that a “C-” grade is not a passing grade in courses requiring a minimum grade of “C.” An F or NC grade yields no semester hour or course credit.

Failure to withdraw officially from a course will result in a grade of F (see Withdrawal).

Graduate Grades

The following grades are used to report the quality of graduate student work at LMU:

A		Superior
B		Satisfactorily demonstrated potential for professional achievement in field of study
C		Passed the course but did not do work indicative of potential for professional achievement in field of study
F		Failure
CR		Credit—Equivalent to grade of B or higher
NC		No Credit—Equivalent to grade of B- or lower
NR		Not reported by instructor
AU		Audit
I		Work incomplete
IP		Work in progress (for courses requiring more than one semester to complete)
W		Official withdrawal from course

A grade of A may be modified by a minus (-) suffix, and grades B and C may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) suffi x. Grades A, B, and CR denote satisfactory progress toward the degree, but a B- grade must be offset by higher grades in the same term for students to remain in good academic standing. Courses may be taken CR/NC only with approval from the Dean. Courses in which a grade of B through C- is received may be applied toward graduate degrees unless otherwise prohibited by the program requirements. A student must maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to remain in good academic standing. An F or NC grade yields no semester hour or course credit.

Failure to withdraw officially from a course will result in a grade of F (see Withdrawal).

Grade Point Average

Grade points are a measure of the quality of the academic work completed, just as semester hours are a measure of the quantity of this work. The University uses a letter grade to indicate the level of individual student achievement. Each letter grade has a point value assigned for the grade achieved. The point value assigned to each letter grade is as follows:

A	4.0 grade points		C+	2.3 grade points
A-	3.7 grade points		C	2.0 grade points
B+	3.3 grade points		C-	1.7 grade points
B	3.0 grade points		D	1.0 grade points
B-	2.7 grade points		F	0.0 grade points

The grades of AU, CR, NC, I, IP, and W have no point value and are not used in calculating the grade point average.

The LMU grade point average is determined by dividing the total number of LMU grade points by the number of LMU semester hours completed with a letter grade.

Change of Grades

Grades, once submitted to the Office of the Registrar, will be changed only in case of error. An instructor desiring a change of grade must present a written explanation to the Chairperson and the Dean with a Correction of Grade form from the Office of the Registrar. No grade changes will be made after the fourth week of instruction of the next full term.

A student’s permanent record reflects the coursework upon which the University awarded the degree or recommended a credential. Therefore, no grade or other changes are permitted either after awarding the degree or recommending the credential.

Mid-Term Deficiencies

The Office of the Registrar e-mails and posts to PROWL mid-term deficiency notices to students informing them of unsatisfactory work as submitted by instructors. The notices, advisory in nature and issued prior to the last day to withdraw in a term, are not part of the student’s permanent academic record.

Graduation Rate

The completion or graduation rate by August 2006 for undergraduate students who entered Loyola Marymount University in Fall 2000 on a full-time basis was 75%.

Incomplete Course Work

Undergraduate:

An incomplete grade may be assigned by the professor only if a student has completed at least 80% of the coursework.

Normally the student obtains from the Office of the Registrar a “Petition to Receive a Grade of Incomplete” form. The form is filled out by the student and given to the instructor who then completes the form by assigning a default grade which will be entered on the student’s record if the student does not complete the coursework by the deadline.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure a “Deferred Grade Form” is sent to the course instructor from the Office of the Registrar for the submission of the final grade. An incomplete grade not removed by the deadline, which is three weeks after the first scheduled class day of the next semester, will result in the assignment of the default grade as submitted by the instructor. If no default form or grade was submitted, the incomplete grade will be converted to an F by the Office of the Registrar.

If a student requires an extension to the deadline, the student must petition to obtain an extension to the deadline for removal of the incomplete grade. The petition, approved by the instructor, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.

A degree will not be granted while a grade of Incomplete remains on a student’s record.

Graduate:

“I” (Incomplete) indicates that the student has not completed the requirements for a course in which he or she was enrolled. “IP” (Work in Progress) indicates that a student is in the process of completing a requirement that extends beyond a single semester (e.g., internship work, fi eld work, a thesis project, the MBA Integrative Project, the Teacher Orientation and Practicum in Philosophy).

A student who wishes to be granted an “I” must do so by arrangement with the course instructor before the end of the semester in which the course for which the student seeks an Incomplete is offered. The student must obtain the “Request for an Incomplete” form and meet with the course instructor. The course instructor, in consultation with the student, shall complete the form, determining the date by which the unfinished work must be submitted and the default grade the student shall receive if the work is not submitted by the specified date. Incompletes must be cleared within one year of their being granted, but an earlier deadline may be set by the course instructor. However, students are advised that the usual default grade is an “F.” Students may seek an extension for clearning an Incomplete by completing a General Petition and obtaining the approval of the course instructor and the Dean of the college or school in which the course is offered.

A graduate department or program may have further limitations on the granting and clearing of the “I” and “IP,” and the student is notified herewith to consult the Bulletin or the Department Chairperson or Director of his or her program.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure a “Deferred Grade Form” is sent to the course instructor from the Office of the Registrar for the submission of the final grade. if the “Deferred Grade Form” is not submitted to the Registrar within one year, the “I” defaults to an “F.”

Students who wish to retake a course must pay regular tuition. Students carrying any “I” grades toward a degree are not permitted to take a comprehensive examination until all “I” grades have been removed or the course requirements are met.

If a graduate student enrolls in an undergraduate course (000-499), receives a grade of “I,” and fails to complete the work in the specified time period, the grade defaults to an “F.”

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence may be granted to a student upon written request to the Office of the Registrar. A leave of absence may be granted for no more than two years. The leave of absence date will be the date that the Leave of Absence/Withdrawal form is received in the Office of the Registrar.

For a student enrolled in a current term, application for the leave must be made before the stated deadline for withdrawal from classes. This date may be found in the academic calendar in the University Bulletin or online for the given term. A leave of absence may be granted only if the student withdraws from all courses in the term. If completed by the deadline, a student will receive grades of W for all courses in that given semester. A student may not take a leave of absence from the term if application is made after the stated deadline for withdrawal from classes. Any student who stops attendance after the deadline to withdraw from classes will receive a grade of F for each course in progress.

A student who is accepted to the University but not yet enrolled may defer admission through the Admission Office. A student with prior enrollment may apply for a leave through the Office of the Registrar. A leave of absence is canceled if the student registers in another college or university without prior written permission of the student’s Dean. In this case, the student has de facto withdrawn (see Withdrawal) from LMU and must reapply through the Admission Office. The student may enroll again at LMU if accepted through the Admission Office. Similarly, a student is considered to have withdrawn from LMU if the leave of absence is extended unofficially beyond two years.

LMU Honor Code and Process

Loyola Marymount University is a community dedicated to academic excellence, studentcentered education, and the Jesuit and Marymount traditions. As such, the University expects all members of its community to act with honesty and integrity at all times, especially in their academic work. Academic honesty respects the intellectual and creative work of others, flows from dedication to and pride in performing one’s own best work, and is essential if true learning is to take place.

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following: all acts of cheating on assignments or examinations, or facilitating other students’ cheating; plagiarism; fabrication of data, including the use of false citations; improper use of non-print media; unauthorized access to computer accounts or files or other privileged information; and improper use of Internet sites and resources.

Definitions of Academic Dishonesty

A.			Ceating and Facilitating Cheating
	1.		Possession, distribution, and/or use of unauthorized materials or technology before or during an examination or during the process of preparing a class assignment.
	2.		Collaboration on class assignments, including inclass and take home examinations, without the permission of the instructor.
	3.		Provision of assistance to another student attempting to use unauthorized resources or collaboration on class assignments or examinations
B.			Plagiarism
	1.		Presentation of someone else's ideas or work, either in written form or non-print media, as one's own.
	2.		Omission or improper use of citations in written work
	3.		Omission or improper use of credits and attributions in non-print media.
C.			Falsification of Data
	1.		Presentation of altered or fabricated data, such as lab reports, with the intention of misleading the reader
	2.		Presentation of forged signatures as authentic.
	3.		Use of false citations, either incorrect or fabricated, including sources found on the Internet.
D.			Unauthorized Access to Computers or Privileged Information
	1.		Use of University network and/or computer hardware to gain unauthorized access to files, and alteration or other use of those files.
E.			Improper Use of Internet Sites and Resources
	1.		Inappropriate use of an Internet source, including, but not limited to, submission of a paper, in part or in its entirety, purchased or otherwise obtained via the Internet, and failure to provide proper citation for sources found on the Internet.
F.			Improper Use of Non-Print Media
	1.		All above standards apply to non-print media.
G.			Other Academic Dishonesty
	1.		Any other means of violating the standards of academic honesty set out above.

Honor Code Process

This section sets out the process to be followed when an Instructor suspects a violation of the Honor Code. The recommended sanctions are not mandatory, but are intended to guide the Instructor's discretion. Instructors are encouraged to consult with their colleagues and chairs in making these decisions. This section also outlines the student appeal process for Honor Code violations.

I. Intentional and Unintentional Academic Dishonesty

A.		Notification: Instructors will notify the Student of the suspected act of academic dishonesty. The Student will be given the opportunity to admit, deny, or explain the situation. If the suspected violation of the Honor Code occurs with respect to an assignment that the Instructor has not reviewed until after the class has stopped meeting, the Instructor will send a letter to the permanent address of the Student and keep a copy of the letter. Failure to notify will result in a reasonable extension of the Student's time to appeal, but is not in and of itself a defense to the violation of the Honor Code.
B.		Determination: If the Instructor determines that a violation has occurred, he/she will next determine whether or not the violation was intentional or unintentional. The distinction between intentional and unintentional violations of academic honesty is not based upon the purely subjective intentions of the Student. The question is whether a Student who has carefully read the Honor Code should have understood that his/her action violated the Honor Code and standards of academic honesty.
C.		Unintentional Violation: If the Instructor believes the violation was unintentional, he/she may take any of the following actions:

	1.		Warn Student
	2.		Require assignment or exam to be resubmitted
	3.		Reduce the grade on the assignment, project, or exam The Instructor shall inform the Student of his/her decision and also inform the Student of the right to appeal the Instructor’s decision.

D.

Intentional Violation: If the Instructor believes the violation is intentional, he/she may take any of the following actions:

	1.	Fail the Student on the assignment or exam
	2.	Fail the Student in the course

The Instructor shall inform the Student of his/her decision in writing and also inform the Student of the right to appeal the Instructor's decision.

The Instructor may consult with the Chairperson, Program Director, or equivalent and refer the matter directly to the Dean of the Instructor's college or school with a recommendation that the Student be suspended or expelled. Upon such a referral, the Dean shall appoint an Academic Honesty Panel consisting of two Faculty members and one Student from the ASLMU Judiciary.

II. Departmental Appeal

A. The Student may appeal the Instructors decision under section I(C) or (D) to the Department Chairperson, Program Director, or equivalent. In accordance with the grade appeal policy in the University Bulletin, the Student will be required to make his/her appeal in writing no later than three weeks into the semester following the decision.

B. If either the Student or Instructor wishes, he/she may appeal the decision of the Department Chairperson, Program Director, or equivalent to the Dean of the Instructor's college or school, who will refer the matter to the Academic Honesty Panel. Appeals must be made within 30 days of receipt of the Chairperson's decision.

III. Academic Honesty Panel Appeal

A.		The Academic Honesty Panel is an ad hoc recommending body of the Instructor's college/school. For undergraduates, the Panel consists of two Faculty members and one Student appointed by the Dean; for graduates, the Panel consists of three Faculty members. The Dean will appoint one of the Faculty members as Chair of the Academic Honesty Panel.
B.		Responsibilities of the Panel

1. The Panel will hear appeals by the Student or Instructor of the Chair's decision for any penalty short of expulsion or suspension

2. The Panel will make the initial recommendation as to whether the Student should be suspended or expelled.

C. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Panel will make two determinations:

1. It will determine whether there is clear and convincing evidence that the Student has violated the Honor Code. The Student is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the right to review and respond to all evidence and information relevant to the Panel's decision.

2. Upon the finding of clear and convincing evidence of a violation, the Panel is to determine the appropriate penalty. With regard to the appropriateness of serious recommendations such as suspension and expulsion, the Panel shall take into account the following factors:

   a. the severity of the violation;
   b. whether the violation is an isolated instance, or part of a pattern of two or more violations; and
   c. other mitigating or extenuating circumstances.

D.		The recommendation of the Academic Honesty Panel, along with an explanation of the reason for the recommendation, will be reported in writing to the Dean of the Instructor's college or school. The Dean will normally follow the recommendation of the Panel. However, the Dean's decision is final.
E.		The Dean will inform the Student and Instructor, in writing, of his/her decision. The Dean will also report his/her decision to the Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer. The Office of the Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer will keep a permanent, confidential record of all proceedings of the Academic Honesty Panel.