The Office of the University Registrar, located on the first floor of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Building, is responsible for maintaining student records and issuing official transcripts.
Absences from courses in which in-class participation forms a significant part of the work of the course (such as lab or discussion courses) shall be handled by instructors in accordance with the general policies of their academic units.
An excused absence is an absence for which the student has the right to receive, and the instructor has the responsibility to provide, academic accommodation.
Excused absences must be requested promptly and must be supported by appropriate documentation. Excused absences do not alter the academic requirements for the course. Students are responsible for information and material missed on the day of absence. Students are within reason entitled to receive any materials provided to the class during the absence. Students are responsible for determining what course material they have missed and for completing required exercises in a timely manner.
Events that justify an excused absence include:
Absences stemming from work duties other than military obligation (e.g., unexpected changes in shift assignments) and traffic/transit problems do not typically qualify for excused absence.
Students claiming excused absence must notify the course instructor in a timely manner and provide appropriate documentation. The notification should be provided either prior to the absence or as soon afterwards as possible. In the case of religious observances, athletic events, and planned absences known at the beginning of the semester, the student must inform the instructor during the schedule adjustment period. All other absences must be reported as soon as is practical. The student must provide appropriate documentation of the absence. The documentation must be provided in writing to the instructor by the means specified in the syllabus.
In keeping with USM policy, students shall not be penalized because of observances of their religious holidays and shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious observances. For all other excused absences, the student must be provided academic accommodation. The accommodation provided should, within reason, neither advantage nor disadvantage either the student or the rest of the class.
If the accommodation is a makeup assessment, it must be timely, at a time and place agreed upon by the instructor and student, cover the same material, and be at the same level of difficulty as the original assessment. In the event that a group of students requires the same makeup assessment, one time and place may be scheduled. The makeup assessment must not interfere with the student's regularly scheduled classes. If makeup work is not feasible, an alternate accommodation for excused absences will be provided. Alternate accommodations will be according to the principles established by the unit offering the course. Students who miss a substantial number of class sessions or course assignments should seek guidance from an academic advisor with respect to academic options.
Extended absences stemming from active military duty are addressed in the USM V-7.00 Policy on Students who are called to Active Military Duty during a National or International Crisis or Conflict. Absences related to a student’s disability are addressed in the VI-1.00(D) University of Maryland Disability & Accessibility Policy and Procedures.
Although the university attempts to accommodate the religious beliefs of all of its members, it functions within a secular environment and is limited in the extent to which it can interrupt its normal operations. The president shall determine when it is appropriate for the campus community to restrict rescheduling examinations or other significant assessments on the dates of religious observance.
Students can expect to receive a reasonable number of graded assessments or progress reports to permit evaluation of their performance. These assessments shall be returned to the students in a timely manner. Students will have reasonable opportunity to review graded assignments, such as papers and examinations (including the final examination or assessment), after evaluation by the instructor and while materials are reasonably current. Information about assessments and determination of the final course grade will be presented in a course syllabus.
Ordinarily, in-class assessments are given during class hours in accordance with the regularly scheduled time and place of each course. Students are responsible for knowing the information in the syllabus, including dates of assessments and due dates of graded assignments. Assessments may take a variety of forms and need not be classroom-based written examinations.
Final Examination: Final examinations worth more than 10% of the course grade shall be administered during the final examination period when one is established and published by the Office of the University Registrar. Unit-level guidelines may require that specific courses administer final exams. When a final examination period is scheduled, no final examinations shall be administered on Reading Day or during the last week of classes, defined as the final seven calendar days of the semester ending on the “Last day of classes'' published in the academic calendar.
When a final examination is administered during finals week, no exams or alternative assessments worth more than 10% of the course grade may be due or administered during the last week of classes.
If a course has no final examination administered during the final examination period, alternative end-of-semester assessments (e.g., term papers, final projects, presentations, performances, lab practicals) worth more than 10% of the course grade may be due during the last week of classes, if detailed expectations for the assessments are provided by the end of the ninth week of classes. Alternatively, these end-of-semester assessments may be due during the time scheduled for the final exam of the course during the final examination period, but they may not be due on Reading Day.
Each faculty member shall retain, for one full semester (either fall or spring) after a course is ended, the students’ final assessments in the appropriate medium. If a faculty member goes on leave for a semester or longer, or leaves the university, the faculty member shall leave the final assessments and grade records for the course with the department chair, the program director, or the dean of the college or school, as appropriate.
All in-class final examinations must be held on the date and at the time listed in the official final examination schedule. Out-of-class final examination or equivalent assessments shall be due on the date and at a time listed in the official final examination schedule. Changes to final examination schedules and locations must be approved by the chair of the department or the dean of the college, or the appropriate designee.
Students may seek to reschedule final examinations so that they have no more than three examinations on any given day. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the rescheduling or be responsible for taking the examination as originally scheduled. When rescheduling is desired, students should first contact their instructors. Students who encounter difficulty rescheduling examinations with their instructors are advised to contact the dean's office of their academic program for help. Faculty members are expected to accommodate students with legitimate rescheduling requests.
Students are expected to take full responsibility for their own academic work and progress. Students, to progress satisfactorily, must meet all of the requirements of each course for which they are registered. Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Consistent attendance offers students the most effective opportunity to gain command of course concepts and materials.
In-class participation may be an ongoing requirement and an integral part of the work of some courses. In-class assessments may occur, sometimes without advance notice. The syllabus will specify expectations about in-class participation and its relationship to the final course grade.
Except in cases where in-class participation forms a significant part of the work of the course, attendance should not be used in the computation of grades; assignment of a course grade on some basis other than performance in the course is prohibited by university policy. Recording student attendance is not required of the faculty.
There shall be a complete course syllabus for the current term made available to students no later than the first day of class at the beginning of each undergraduate course. Any changes to the syllabus made after the first day of class must be announced and must be clearly represented with the date of the revision. The course syllabus will specify in general terms:
Any concerns regarding the syllabus, attendance, absences and assessment should be addressed to the course instructor. In the case of unresolved concerns, students are encouraged to consult the following policies for appropriate resolution.
Relevant University Policies:
III-1.30(A) University of Maryland Policy and Procedures on Academic Clemency (Approved by the President August 1, 1991, Amended April 21, 2016)
Undergraduate degree-seeking students who have re-enrolled at the University of Maryland in pursuit of their initial baccalaureate degree are eligible, after a separation of at least five calendar years from the university (determined by the last day of the last attended semester), for academic clemency. Academic clemency is granted one time only, and subsequent requests will be denied.
Application for academic clemency must be filed with the Office of Undergraduate Studies (or designee) as soon as possible, and before the end of the first semester of the student’s return to the university. Clemency will be recorded on the student’s record following the completion of the student’s first semester of re-enrollment. Under clemency, up to 16 attempted credits of D+, D, D-, and F grades from courses previously completed at the University of Maryland will be removed from the calculation of the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA).
Attempted credits and grades for which clemency is granted will:
The granting of clemency is contingent upon the student’s satisfactory completion of the initial semester of re-enrollment, and will be recorded by the university at that time. If the student’s first semester of registration upon re-enrollment is canceled, or the student withdraws from the semester, clemency will not be granted (and the student will retain the option of filing for clemency in the future).
Consistent with the University of Maryland Student Academic Success - Degree Completion Policy, it is the intent of the university that its students make satisfactory progress toward their degree objectives, and achieve academic success. If a student has special circumstances that make it impossible to complete a normal course load, the student must meet with an advisor to discuss the circumstances, the student's plans for continued progress toward a degree, and the implications for continued enrollment.
The following guidelines for retention of students refer separately to semester (Fall and Spring) and Winter or Summer terms:
Students will be placed on academic probation if their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Normally, a student is expected to attain a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of any probationary semester. Students who fail to achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of their probationary semester may be academically dismissed, depending on their credit level as detailed below.
GPA is computed by dividing the total number of quality points accumulated in courses for which a grade of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, or XF has been assigned by the total number of credits attempted in those courses. Courses for which a mark of P, S, I, NGR or W has been assigned are not included in computing the GPA. Each letter grade has a numerical value: A+=4, A=4, A- = 3.7; B+=3.3, B=3, B- = 2.7; C+=2.3, C=2, C- = 1.7; D+=1.3, D=1, D- = 0.7; F = 0. Multiplying this value by the number of credits for a particular course gives the number of quality points earned for that course.
See Repeat Course Guidelines to determine the effect of repeated courses in the calculation of GPA.
Organized in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely respected academic honorary society in the United States. Invitation to membership is based on outstanding scholastic achievement in studies of the liberal arts and sciences. Student members are chosen entirely on the basis of academic excellence; neither extracurricular leadership nor service to the community is considered. Election is held twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring semester.
The process for election to Phi Beta Kappa involves a review in November for those who graduated the previous August or those who will graduate in December, and a review in March for those graduating in May. For juniors the review occurs in March. The review is conducted by a select committee of faculty members representing the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The committee reviews transcripts of all students with qualifying grade point averages. Whether a student qualifies for membership in Phi Beta Kappa depends on the quality, depth, and breadth of the student's record in liberal courses. The final decision for election rests with the faculty committee and faculty Phi Beta Kappa members.
Requirements for consideration of membership in Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Maryland, College Park campus chapter include:
Only one distribution area can be completed entirely through transfer courses, but transfer courses can be applied as part of the total for the two remaining areas. No more than one areas can be fulfilled as an AP or IB course, and only one AP or IB course and be applied to that area.
In general, Phi Beta Kappa will accept the General Education classification of courses.
Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee election to Phi Beta Kappa. The judgment of the resident faculty members of Phi Beta Kappa on the quality, depth, and breadth of the student's record is the deciding factor in every case. Any questions about criteria for election to Phi Beta Kappa (including equivalency examinations in foreign languages) should be directed to the Phi Beta Kappa Office, pbk@umd.edu, and may ultimately be referred to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Christina Walter.
Each candidate for a degree or certificate must file a formal application with the Office of the University Registrar. The deadline for application is the end of the schedule adjustment period for the semester in which the student plans to graduate, or at the end of the first week of the second summer session for August degrees.
In all cases, graduation applications must be filed at the beginning of the student's final semester before receiving a degree. Graduation applications are available online or at the Office of the University Registrar, 1st floor Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Building.
Summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude are the highest Latin honors that the university bestows for sustained excellence in scholarship. They generally are awarded to the top 10% of all students graduating in each college or school, and all students receiving at least a 3.9 grade-point average. Summa cum laude is awarded to students with a GPA equal to or greater than the highest two percent of GPAs from the specific college or school averaged over the previous academic year, magna cum laude to the next highest three percent, and cum laude to the following five percent. To be eligible for this recognition, at least 60 semester hours must be earned at the university or at a program in which credit earned is counted as University of Maryland, College Park, resident credit (contact the Office of the University Registrar to determine program eligibility). No more than 6 credits taken pass/fail or satisfactory/fail grade modes shall count toward the 60-hour minimum. No student with a grade-point average of less than 3.3 will be considered for a Latin honor. As stated in the Academic Clemency policy "Attempted credits and grades for which clemency is granted will: remain included in the calculation of Latin Honors". See the Office of the University Registrar's website for a list of minimum GPA cut-offs (for the current year) for each honor designation, published by college or school.
Students who meet the following criteria will be awarded Semester Academic Honors (Dean's List) each semester (fall and spring only):
The mark of 'I' is an exceptional mark that is an instructor option. It is given only to a student whose work in a course has been qualitatively satisfactory, when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control, the student has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course. In no case will the mark 'I' be recorded for a student who has not completed the major portion of the work of the course.
The following symbols are used on the student's permanent record for all courses in which the student is enrolled after the initial registration and schedule adjustment period: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, XF, I, P, S, W, and AU.
In addition to the above marks, there are provisions for other record or transcript notations that may be used based on university policy and individual circumstances.
DUPLICATE COURSE is used to indicate two courses with the same course content. The second course is counted in the cumulative totals unless an exception is made by the dean.
ACD CLEMENCY-REMOVED is noted when academic clemency has been granted for a course. Up to 16 credits can be removed from the calculation if the student's cumulative grade point average.
Mid-Term Grades shall be submitted for undergraduate students as detailed below. These grades are an important component of student success, as they provide timely feedback to students about the university’s academic expectations. Mid-term Grades are used to inform students of their performance in the course during roughly the first half of the semester; they are used for advising purposes and are not recorded on the student’s academic transcript.
The following repeat course guidelines apply to ALL courses that may not be repeated for additional credit.
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