No grade of C- or below will be accepted toward a graduate degree. Students must meet the requirements to be in good standing to graduate. All “I” and “M” grades must be cleared for graduation to be certified. Students who fail to maintain good standing may be placed on probation or academically dismissed.

The GPA is computed by dividing the total number of quality points by the total number of graded (A-F) hours completed. The total quality points are figured by multiplying the number of credits assigned to each course by the quality point value of the grade given. The GPA is truncated to two decimals (3.48) and is not rounded up.

Credit hours for courses with grades of I, IU, M, MU, N, S, U, Q and grades which are preceded by T (Transfer) are subtracted from the total hours attempted before the GPA is calculated. Graduate students are not eligible for grade forgiveness. All grades earned, regardless of course level, will be posted on the transcript. If a student retakes a course, both grades will be used in the determination of the GPA. Courses taken at USF as non-degree-seeking are not computed in the GPA unless the courses are transferred in and applied to the degree requirements. The program and the college must approve such actions.

Grades for transfer credits accepted toward the degree program will not be counted in the GPA unless the coursework in question was taken as a non-degree-seeking student at USF and meets the requirements stated above (see Institution Based Credit/Transfer of Credit section).

Effective fall semester 2000, graduate and undergraduate grades will be assigned quality points in the Grade Point Average (GPA) grading system. The +/- designation must be included in the syllabus provided at the beginning of the course. The use of the +/- grading system is at the discretion of the instructor. The syllabus policy is available in the office of the Provost.

Graduate students may not take courses in the major on an S/U (satisfactory / unsatisfactory) basis unless courses are specifically designated S/U in the Catalog. Students may take courses outside of the major on a S/U basis with prior approval of the course professor, major professor or advisor, and the Dean of the College in which the student is seeking a degree. The student may apply a maximum of six (6) hours of such credit (excluding those courses for which S/U is designated in the Catalog) toward a master’s degree. Directed Research, Thesis, and Dissertation courses are designated as variable credit and are graded on an S/U basis only. Before a student begins work under Directed Research, a written agreement must be completed between the student and the professor concerned, setting forth in detail the requirements of the course.

Definition: An Incomplete grade (“I”) is exceptional and granted at the instructor’s discretion only when students are unable to complete course requirements due to illness or other circumstances beyond their control. This applies to all gradable courses, including pass/fail (S/U).

The student must request consideration for an Incomplete grade and obtain an “I” Grade Contract from the instructor of record. Even though the student may meet the eligibility requirements for this grade, the course instructor retains the right to make the final decision on granting a student's request for an Incomplete. The course instructor and student must complete and sign the “I” Grade Contract Form that describes the work to be completed, the date it is due, and the grade the student would earn factoring in a zero for all incomplete assignments. The due date can be negotiated and extended by student/instructor as long as it does not exceed one semester from the original date grades were due for that course.

The instructor must file a copy of the “I” Grade Contract in the department that offered the course and the Graduate School by the date grades are due. The instructor must not require students to either re-register for the course or audit the course in order to complete the “I” grade. Students may register to audit the course, with the instructor’s approval, but cannot re-take the course for credit until the I grade is cleared.

An I grade not cleared within the next academic semester (including summer semester) will revert to the grade noted on the contract. I grades are not computed in the GPA, but the grade noted on the contract will be computed in the GPA, retroactive to the semester the course was taken, if the contract is not fulfilled by the specified date. When the final grade is assigned, if applicable, the student will be placed on academic probation or academically dismissed (refer to Automated Academic Probation Procedures for information). Students cannot be admitted to doctoral candidacy or certified for graduation with an “I” grade.

• student has a “B” in the course, not including the grade for the missing assignment, therefore is eligible for an “I”

• student’s grade, including a zero for the missed work, would be an “D”

• student and instructor complete the “I” Grade Contract, assigning an “ID” (Incomplete +D grade)

If the student completes the work as agreed upon in the Contract by the noted deadline

If the student does not complete the work as agreed upon in the Contract by the noted deadline

• GPA is recalculated for the current semester and retroactively recalculated for the semester in which the “I” was granted.

*Although the instructor establishes the deadline for completion of the work, the deadline may only extend through the end of the subsequent semester.

The University policy is to issue an M grade automatically when the instructor does not submit any grade for a graduate student (undergraduate rules apply to undergraduate and non-degree-seeking students). Until it is removed, the M is not computed in the GPA. An M grade which is not cleared within the next academic semester (including summer semester) will be converted to MF or MU, whichever is appropriate. MF grades are calculated in the GPA and if applicable, the student will be placed on academic probation or academically dismissed. To resolve the missing grade, students receiving an M grade must contact their instructor. If the instructor is not available, the student must contact the instructor’s department chair. Students cannot be admitted to doctoral candidacy or certified for graduation with an M grade.

The Z grade shall be used to indicate continuing registration in multi-semester internship or thesis/dissertation courses where the final grade to be assigned will indicate the complete sequence of courses or satisfactory completion of the thesis/dissertation. Upon satisfactory completion of a multi-semester internship or thesis/dissertation, the final grade assigned will be an S. The Graduate School submits the change of grade for the last registration of thesis/dissertation courses once the thesis/dissertation has been accepted for publication.

Note: Graduation will not be certified until all courses have been satisfactorily completed. No grade changes will be processed after the student has graduated except in the case of university error. Procedures requiring petitions are processed through the Graduate School.

Any student who is not in good standing at the end of a semester shall be considered on probation as of the following semester. The college or program may also place students on probation for other reasons as designated by the college or program. Notification of probation shall be made to the student in writing by the department, with a copy to the College Dean. At the end of each probationary semester, the department shall recommend, in writing, to the College Dean one of the following:

Students with a GPA below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters will be prevented from registering for courses without the permission of the College Dean. The College Dean will notify the Dean of the Graduate School in cases of academic dismissal. To be readmitted, the student will need to reapply for admission, meeting the admission criteria in place at the time. For information on the Automated Probation Process go to:
http://download.grad.usf.edu/Automated_Academic_Probation.pdf

A student may withdraw from the university without grade penalty by the University deadline. Information on the different types of withdrawal (i.e., withdrawing from a single class – see the Drop section, an entire semester, or from the degree program itself) can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Appropriate alternative calendar dates may apply. Students who withdraw may not continue to attend classes.

USF has two degree-granting institutions: USF-Tampa (which includes USF Polytechnic and USF Sarasota-Manatee) and USF-St. Petersburg. Students may, with the approval of their graduate program, earn credits at any of the USF institutions. However, the majority of credits needed for a degree must be earned through instruction offered by the institution granting the degree. Students may request a transfer of credit toward their degree program. There are two types of transfer of credit:

Credits earned from USF-St. Petersburg or other regionally accredited institutions

• Hours: Credits may be transferred as indicated on the appropriate tables below

• Are noted on the transcript by a N/A if from a USF Regionally accredited institution*

• Evaluation/Approval: The graduate program / department will be responsible for evaluating, approving, and initiating the transfer as soon as possible following admission. • Time Limits: All coursework transferred into a graduate program can be no older than

• seven (7) years at the time of graduation for a master’s and Ed.S. program

• There is no time limitation for courses from a completed master’s degree or professional degree used toward a doctoral degree.

INTERNAL INSTITUTION (Tampa / Sarasota-Manatee/ Polytechnic)	To Graduate Certificates	To Master’s or Ed.S. Degree	To Doctoral Degree**
Courses (4000 and above) taken as an undergraduate but not applied to undergraduate degrees	Discretion of the Program	Discretion of the Program	Discretion of the Program
Graduate Courses applied to undergraduate degrees	None	None (Discretion of the Program for approved Accelerated Degree Programs)	None
Non-degree Seeking Status	Up to one graduate course	Up to 12 graduate hours*	Up to 12 graduate hours*
Uncompleted Certificate (Graduate Degree Seeking Students)	Up to one graduate course	Up to 12 graduate hours*	Up to 12 graduate hours*
Completed Certificate	Up to one graduate course (1 course may be applied to up to 2 certificates)	Up to 12 graduate hours*	Up to 12 graduate hours*
Uncompleted Master’s or Ed.S. Degree	Discretion of the Program	Discretion of the Program	Discretion of the Program
Completed Master’s or Ed.S. Degree	Discretion of the Program	Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.	Up to 50% of the doctoral program requirement for total course hours (excluding dissertation hours)
Uncompleted Doctoral or completed Professional Degree	Discretion of the Program	Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.	Up to 50% of the doctoral program requirement for total course hours (excluding dissertation hours)
Completed Doctoral Degree	Discretion of the Program	Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.	Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.

*A maximum of twelve (12) internal credits can be transferred to a degree regardless of the source(s)

**Programs that wish to transfer credit from a completed doctoral program to a professional program must submit the proposal to the Graduate School for approval.

EXTERNAL INSTITUTION

To Graduate Certificates

To Master’s or Ed.S. Degree

To Doctoral Degree**

Courses (equivalent to 4000 and above) taken as an undergraduate but not applied to undergraduate degrees

Up to one graduate course

Up to 12 hours

Up to 12 hours

Graduate Courses applied to undergraduate degrees

None

None

None

Non-degree Seeking Status

Up to one graduate course

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Uncompleted Certificate (Graduate Degree Seeking Students)

Up to one graduate course

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Completed Certificate

Up to one graduate course

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Up to 12 graduate hours*

Uncompleted Master’s or Ed.S. Degree

Up to one graduate course

Up to 40% of the USF program

Up to 40% of the USF program

Completed Master’s or Ed.S. Degree

Up to one graduate course. Specific course requirements in common across both programs may be waived with the substitution of other coursework at the discretion of the program.

Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.

Up to 40% of the USF doctoral program requirement for total course hours (excluding dissertation hours)

Uncompleted Doctoral or completed Professional Degree

Up to one graduate course

Up to 40% of the USF program

Up to 40% of the USF doctoral program requirement for total course hours (excluding dissertation hours)

Completed Doctoral Degree

Up to one graduate course. Specific course requirements in common across both programs may be waived with the substitution of other coursework at the discretion of the program.

Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.

Specific course requirements in common across both degree programs may be waived with the substitution of other approved coursework at the discretion of the program.