2002-2003 Edition
Texas A&M University Undergraduate CatalogTexas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog
Catalog Contents
Academic Calendar
Board of Regents and System Administrative Officers
TAMU Administrative Officers
General Information
International Programs for Students
University Honors Program
Environmental Program
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Architecture
Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business
College of Education
Dwight Look College of Engineering
College of Geosciences
College of Liberal Arts
College of Science
College of Veterinary Medicine
General Academic Programs
School of Military Sciences
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Graduate Studies
Course Descriptions
Faculty
Appendices
Section ContentsPrevious PageNext Page
 

 

Grading System

Because students attend a college or university to extend their education, grades are usually taken as an indication of the proficiency of their endeavors. The student's semester grade in a course shall be based upon performance and/or participation in class, exercises and tests, laboratory work and final examination as applicable to the course. The proportionate weight assigned to each of the factors shall be determined by the department administering the course.

The basis upon which the final grade will be determined shall be distributed in written form to the class during the first two weeks of a semester and during the first week of a summer term.

There are five passing grades at the undergraduate level, A, B, C, D and S, representing varying degrees of achievement; these letters carry grade points and significance as follows:

A

 

Excellent, 4 grade points per semester hour

B

 

Good, 3 grade points per semester hour

C

 

Satisfactory, 2 grade points per semester hour

D

 

Passing, 1 grade point per semester hour

F

 

Failing, no grade points (hours included in GPR)

I

 

Incomplete, no grade points (hours not included in GPR)

NG

 

No grade, course dropped without penalty (hours not included in GPR)

Q

 

Dropped course with no penalty (hours not included in GPR)

S

 

Satisfactory (C or above), hours not included in GPR

U

 

Unsatisfactory (D or F), no grade points (hours included in GPR)

X

 

No grade submitted (hours not included in GPR)

W

 

Withdrew, hours not included in GPR (effective Spring 1996)

There are two failing grades, F and U, indicating work of unsatisfactory quality.

Repetition of a Course to Improve Grade

Any undergraduate student who wishes to repeat a course must do so before he or she completes a more advanced course in the same subject. What constitutes a more advanced course will be determined by the head of the department offering the course.

Credit for a course failed may be obtained only by registering for and repeating the course in class. The original grade will remain on the student's permanent record, and both grades will be used in computing the GPR. An F or U previously made is not removed once the course is passed. Credit for each repeated course may only be used once toward degree requirements.

A student repeating a course in which a grade of B or better has been earned will not receive grade points for the repeated course, unless the catalog states the course may be repeated for credit.

I and X Grades

A temporary grade of I (incomplete) at the end of a semester or summer term indicates that the student (graduate or undergraduate) has completed the course with the exception of a major quiz, final examination or other work. The instructor shall give this grade only when the deficiency is due to an authorized absence or other cause beyond the control of the student. When an instructor reports an incomplete grade to the Office of the Registrar, he or she will fill out an "Incomplete Grade Report," which is filed with the department head. Copies are sent to the student and to the student's academic dean. This report includes (1) a statement of the instructor's reason for awarding the incomplete grade and (2) a statement concerning the remaining work to be completed before the last day of scheduled classes of the next fall or spring semester in which the student enrolls in the University unless the student's academic dean, with the consent of the instructor (in the absence of the instructor, the department head), grants an extension of time for good reason. If the incomplete work is not completed within this time or if the student registers for the same course again, the I will be changed to an F by the Office of the Registrar. Grades of I assigned to 684, 691, 692 or 693 are excluded from this rule.

The X notation is assigned to a course by the Office of the Registrar at the end of a semester or summer term only when a grade is not submitted by the instructor. The Office of the Registrar will notify the dean of the college in which the course is taught that an X notation has been made. The dean of the college offering the course will request, through the department head, that the instructor submit a Grade Change Report Form removing the X notation and assigning a letter grade with a Grade Change Report. The instructor will have 30 days from the beginning of the succeeding semester or summer term to report a change of grade to the Office of the Registrar. If a Grade Change Report is not received during this time period, the Office of the Registrar will automatically remove the X notation and assign a grade of F. Grades of X assigned to 684, 691 or 692 are excluded from this rule.

Q-Drop and Add and Drop
  1. A student may enroll in a class during the first five class days during the fall or spring semester or during the first four class days of the summer terms or a 10-week summer semester. A student requesting to add a course after these deadlines must have the approval of the student's dean and department.
  1. A student may drop a course with no record during the first four class days of a fall or spring semester and during the first three class days of a summer term or a 10-week summer semester. Following this period, if approved by the dean of the student's college, a student may drop a course without penalty through the 50th class day of a fall or spring semester, the 15th class day of a summer term or the 35th class day of a 10-week summer semester. The symbol Q shall be given to indicate a drop without penalty. Undergraduate students will normally be permitted three Q-drops during their undergraduate studies. Additional Q-drops will be allowed only in unusual circumstances as determined by a student's dean.
  1. Any course taught on a shortened format or between regularly scheduled terms will have add/drop, Q-grade and withdrawal dates proportionally the same as if the course were offered in a regular term. These dates will be determined by the Office of the Registrar.
  1. A student who drops a course after the Q-drop period has elapsed will receive a grade of F unless unusual circumstances exist as determined by the student's dean. A grade of W may be recorded by the dean of the student's college if it is determined such circumstances do exist.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
  1. Students must register for courses on an S/U basis during the official registration periods and shall not be permitted to change the basis on which their grades will be recorded on their official transcripts, except for unusual circumstances and with the approval of the student's academic dean.

    Students entering Texas A&M University in the fall 2001 semester and later must enroll in their first KINE 199 on an S/U basis. Effective fall 2003, Health and Kinesiology majors must enroll in KINE 199 as a graded course.

    Students registered for KINE 198 or additional classes of KINE 199 who wish to change the grade type from a graded course to S/U or from S/U to a graded course, may do so via terminal access on the campus computer network (BONFIRE). All requests for KINE 198 and 199 changes must be completed on or before the Q-drop deadline for the fall, spring or summer semester.

  2. Undergraduate Students

    a. Undergraduate students may be permitted to take courses in their degree programs at Texas A&M University on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis consistent with the requirements of the student's college.

    b. The hours for which a student receives a grade of satisfactory shall not be included in the computation of the student's semester or cumulative grade point ratio; a grade of unsatisfactory shall be included in the computation of the student's grade points per credit hour as an F. A grade of satisfactory will be given only for grades of C and above; a grade of unsatisfactory will be given for grades D and F. The hours earned on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis shall not be included in the designation of distinguished student or dean's honor roll.

    c. Students on probationary standing may be required to take KINE199 or electives on an S/U basis as determined by published college policies.

  3. Graduate students

    a. Graduate students will not receive graduate degree credit for undergraduate degree courses taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Graduate students may take any graduate courses that are not used on their degree plans on an S/U basis.

    b. A grade of satisfactory (S) will be given only for grades of A and B in graduate courses, and for grades of C and above in undergraduate and professional courses; a grade of unsatisfactory (U) will be given for grades of C and below in graduate courses, and for D and F grades in undergraduate and professional courses.

    c. S/U grades are not included in the grade point ratio calculation for graduate students.

  4. Courses numbered 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695 and 697 are graded on an S/U basis only.
Semester Credit Hour

A lecture course which meets one hour per week for 15 weeks is worth 1 semester credit hour. Thus, a course worth 3 semester credit hours, meets three hours per week. Credit hours for laboratory courses are determined to be some fraction of the number of hours spent in class.

Grade Point Ratio (GPR)

For undergraduate students, only the grade made in course work for which the student was registered in this institution shall be used in determining his or her grade point ratio. Students anticipating graduating with honors should refer to that section of this catalog for information concerning the computation of grade point ratios for that purpose.

An undergraduate student's grade point ratio for any period shall be computed by dividing the total number of semester hours for which he or she received grades into the total number of grade points earned in that period. Semester credit hours to which grades of F or U are assigned shall be included; those involving grades of W, Q, S, X, NG and I shall be excluded.

Classification

Classification for academic purposes shall be based solely on scholastic progress as shown by the official records in the Office of the Registrar. Sophomore, junior and senior classification will be granted students who have passed 30, 60 and 95 semester hours, respectively.

Grade Reports

Midsemester Report

Near the middle of the fall and spring semesters, a preliminary report, showing the current progress of all undergraduate students who have completed less than 30 semester credit hours of course work at Texas A&M, and of a selected group of other undergraduate students that the academic deans/departments are monitoring will be made available. Preliminary grades are not recorded on the student's permanent record. Grades are available by telephone (Tele-Grades) or can be obtained via terminal access on the campus computer network (BONFIRE).

Final Grade Report

End of semester final grades are not mailed to students but are available by telephone (Tele-Grades) or can be obtained via terminal access on the campus computer network (BONFIRE). Parents/guardians who have filed a completed Certification of Dependency form with the Office of the Registrar may access their student's grades through Tele-Grade or BONFIRE. Certification of Dependency forms are available in the Records section of the Office of the Registrar or on the website www.tamu.edu/registrar.

No student grade that is personally identifiable may be posted unless the student has given written consent in advance.

By means of reports at regular intervals and frequent conferences with the deans, the Office of the Registrar, personnel in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and members of the teaching staff, university officials keep in close touch with the student's progress, and such advice and counsel are offered from time to time as seem justified in each case. For failure to keep up with studies, the student may at any time be dropped from the rolls of the University.

Degree Audit

One degree audit will be produced on all undergraduate students during the semester that their total registered hours and earned hours are equal to or greater than 95 semester hours. No other complimentary audit will be produced unless students change their majors, options or become degree candidates. The audit is distributed by the dean of the college through the major department. The audit shows degree requirements completed or in progress, requirements remaining, and completed courses which will not apply toward this degree without approval of the dean. The audit is intended for use in advising and may contain errors. It remains the responsibility of the student to fulfill all published catalog requirements. Undergraduate degree audits may be purchased through Degree Audit, Room 104, Heaton Hall, at any time during a student's academic career.

Transcripts

Students applying for admission to Texas A&M are required to submit transcripts of previous academic work and in some cases, results of standardized tests. The submission of altered documents or the failure to furnish complete and accurate information on admission forms will be grounds for disciplinary action.

Individuals who have attended the University may obtain an official transcript of their completed work, provided they have no financial obligations to the University. A fee, which, according to state law must be paid in advance, will be charged for each copy. Transcripts will not be prepared during grade and degree posting for students currently enrolled. Students and former students who order transcripts may do so in writing, or may order by telephone or Web (www.tamu.edu/admissions/records/transcripts.htm) and charge to various credit cards.