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 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog University of Maryland, Baltimore County  Academic Standards and Administrativ e Requirements Student Responsibility  Application for G raduation Registration Grades and Academic Records Grading System  Academic Honors  Academic S tanding  Academic C lemency Non-applicable Semester  Academic I ntegrity at UMBC UMBC’s standards and requirements on academic matters are subject to change.  The academic policies found in this section are intended to support the primary purpose of a university - the acquisition of knowledge - by establishing standards of performance and acceptable conditions for attending UMBC.  As such, these p olicies repre sent the values of the university as developed over ti me and customarily are enforced vigorously by i ts faculty and staff. The uniform application of policy affords equitable treatment of students and further, by holding them to high standards, enhances the stature of UMBC and its degrees.  Acc ordingly, exceptions to policy are granted only in rare instances - not because the university is unfe eling toward indivi dual needs,  but b ecause it cares about the integrity of its academic standards and believe s that b y m aintaining that integri ty, the university ultimately provides a greater service to the entire community. Student Responsibility for Meeting Requirements  As a m atter of UMBC policy and procedure, students are responsible for the manageme nt of thei r academi c careers. They are expected to familiarize themselves with resources such as the undergraduate catalog, the degree audit, and to remain informed of all published degree requirements and academic calendar dates. Failure to do so does not provide a basis for exceptions to academic requirements or policies.  Alt hough students receive guidance from academic and f aculty advisors, students must assume full responsibility for completing published degree requirements. Students are also expected to maintain communication with the university about academic, financial, and other essential matters. As e-mail is the university’s primary medium of official communication with students, students are responsible for reading official messages sent to their UMBC e-mail addresses. Students are also expected to maintain their current postal address and telephone number in the UMBC Directory, since certain important messages will be sent via U.S. mail.  Academic Integrity Standards at UMBC Integrity lies at the heart of the academic endeavor. The Undergraduate Student Academic Conduct Policy (Policy) defines and strives to ensure academic integrity at UMBC. The Policy defines standards for academic honesty and describes the process for addressing allegations of undergraduate student academic misconduct. The underlying philosophy of this Policy is that members of the university community view academic integrity as a serious institutional value and that academic misconduct incidents should be resolved by faculty members and students in a cooperative manner. Some cases of academic misconduct may seem more serious than others; however, all instances of academic misconduct as described in the Policy should be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee. Filing a report, even when the offense does not appear to be extensive, flagrant, repeated, or intentionally deceitful, produces two worthwhile results: it creates a record that can identify a student whose misconduct is repeated in more than one course or over more than one semester, and it clarifies that UMBC takes academic misconduct seriously. To that end, the UMBC Faculty Senate adopted the following statement, with the expectation that it would be included on the syllabus

Academic Standards and Administrative Requirements - University of Maryland, Baltimore County UMBC

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  • 20142015UndergraduateCatalogUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty

    AcademicStandardsandAdministrativeRequirements

    StudentResponsibilityApplicationforGraduationRegistrationGradesandAcademicRecordsGradingSystemAcademicHonors

    AcademicStandingAcademicClemencyNonapplicableSemesterAcademicIntegrityatUMBC

    UMBCsstandardsandrequirementsonacademicmattersaresubjecttochange.

    TheacademicpoliciesfoundinthissectionareintendedtosupporttheprimarypurposeofauniversitytheacquisitionofknowledgebyestablishingstandardsofperformanceandacceptableconditionsforattendingUMBC.

    Assuch,thesepoliciesrepresentthevaluesoftheuniversityasdevelopedovertimeandcustomarilyareenforcedvigorouslybyitsfacultyandstaff.Theuniformapplicationofpolicyaffordsequitabletreatmentofstudentsandfurther,byholdingthemtohighstandards,enhancesthestatureofUMBCanditsdegrees.

    Accordingly,exceptionstopolicyaregrantedonlyinrareinstancesnotbecausetheuniversityisunfeelingtowardindividualneeds,butbecauseitcaresabouttheintegrityofitsacademicstandardsandbelievesthatbymaintainingthatintegrity,theuniversityultimatelyprovidesagreaterservicetotheentirecommunity.

    StudentResponsibilityforMeetingRequirementsAsamatterofUMBCpolicyandprocedure,studentsareresponsibleforthemanagementoftheiracademiccareers.Theyareexpectedtofamiliarizethemselveswithresourcessuchastheundergraduatecatalog,thedegreeaudit,andtoremaininformedofallpublisheddegreerequirementsandacademiccalendardates.Failuretodosodoesnotprovideabasisforexceptionstoacademicrequirementsorpolicies.

    Althoughstudentsreceiveguidancefromacademicandfacultyadvisors,studentsmustassumefullresponsibilityforcompletingpublisheddegreerequirements.Studentsarealsoexpectedtomaintaincommunicationwiththeuniversityaboutacademic,financial,andotheressentialmatters.Asemailistheuniversitysprimarymediumofofficialcommunicationwithstudents,studentsareresponsibleforreadingofficialmessagessenttotheirUMBCemailaddresses.StudentsarealsoexpectedtomaintaintheircurrentpostaladdressandtelephonenumberintheUMBCDirectory,sincecertainimportantmessageswillbesentviaU.S.mail.

    AcademicIntegrityStandardsatUMBCIntegrityliesattheheartoftheacademicendeavor.TheUndergraduateStudentAcademicConductPolicy(Policy)definesandstrivestoensureacademicintegrityatUMBC.ThePolicydefinesstandardsforacademichonestyanddescribestheprocessforaddressingallegationsofundergraduatestudentacademicmisconduct.TheunderlyingphilosophyofthisPolicyisthatmembersoftheuniversitycommunityviewacademicintegrityasaseriousinstitutionalvalueandthatacademicmisconductincidentsshouldberesolvedbyfacultymembersandstudentsinacooperativemanner.

    Somecasesofacademicmisconductmayseemmoreseriousthanothershowever,allinstancesofacademicmisconductasdescribedinthePolicyshouldbereportedtotheAcademicConductCommittee.Filingareport,evenwhentheoffensedoesnotappeartobeextensive,flagrant,repeated,orintentionallydeceitful,producestwoworthwhileresults:itcreatesarecordthatcanidentifyastudentwhosemisconductisrepeatedinmorethanonecourseorovermorethanonesemester,anditclarifiesthatUMBCtakesacademicmisconductseriously.

    Tothatend,theUMBCFacultySenateadoptedthefollowingstatement,withtheexpectationthatitwouldbeincludedonthesyllabus

  • foreachundergraduatecourse:

    Byenrollinginthiscourse,eachstudentassumestheresponsibilitiesofanactiveparticipantinUMBCsscholarlycommunityinwhicheveryonesacademicworkandbehaviorareheldtothehigheststandardsofhonesty.Cheating,fabrication,plagiarism,andhelpingotherstocommittheseactsareallformsofacademicdishonesty,andtheyarewrong.Academicmisconductcouldresultindisciplinaryactionthatmayinclude,butisnotlimitedto,suspensionordismissal.ToreadthefullStudentAcademicConductPolicy,consulttheUMBCPolicywebsiteavailableathttp://www.umbc.edu/policies/

    RegistrationThescheduleofclassesandassociatedpolicyandproceduralinformationforeachtermaremadeavailableontheUMBCWebsite.

    StudentsenrollinUMBCclassesonlineviatheuniversitysmyUMBCWebportal,aftermeetingwithanacademicadvisor.Studentsmaynotregisterforclassesinaregularsemester(FallorSpring)untiladvisinghastakenplace.

    Studentsareresponsiblefortheirowncourseregistration.Thisincludesfollowingestablishedproceduresforenrollingincoursesforwhichtheywanttoreceivecredit,aswellasdroppingcoursesorwithdrawingfromcoursesortermstheydonotintendtocomplete.StudentsarestronglyencouragedtoreviewtheirscheduleviamyUMBCpriortothefirstdayofclassestoverifytheirenrollments,classmeetingtimes,androomlocations.StudentsalsoneedtorememberthatBlackboardaccessdoesnotequatetoofficialregistrationinthatcourse.Further,studentsmaynotparticipatein,andwillnotbeawardedcreditsorgradesfor,classesinwhichtheyarenotenrolled.

    Studentresponsibilityforcourseregistrationincludesfollowingtheestablishedprerequisites,coursesequences,andotherenrollmentrequirements,whetherornotsuchrequirementsareenforcedbytheregistrationsystem.Inregisteringforclasses,studentsarealsoresponsibleforfollowingtheuniversityspolicieswithrespecttopass/failenrollment,courserepeats,andmaximumcourseload.

    Unlessspecificallynotifiedotherwise,studentsarenotenrolledinanyclasswithouthavingcompletedtheregistrationtransactionthemselvesaccordingtotheestablishedprocedures.Studentsshouldbemindfulthatiftheyelecttobeplacedonwaitlistsforfullcoursesections,theresponsibilityforenrollmentinthecoursesisassumedatthetimethestudentisplacedonthewaitlist.Thisresponsibilityincludesassumingfinancialobligations.Astudentwhohasdecidednottoassumethatresponsibilitymayremovehisorhernamefromthewaitlistforacourse.

    AstudentsfirstregistrationindegreeseekingstatuswilloccurduringorientationprecedingtheirfirstsemesteratUMBC.Forsubsequentsemesters,continuingstudentsmayregisterforthenextsemesterduringAdvanceRegistration(conductedonacreditearnedprioritybasis)orduringGeneralRegistration.LateRegistration,beginningonthefirstdayoftheterm,maybeassessedlatefeesaspublishedontheStudentBusinessServiceswebsite.

    CourseLoad

    UMBCconsidersstudentsenrolledfor12creditsormoreinafallorspringsemesterorsummertermtobefulltimestudentsFulltimestatusmaybedefineddifferentlybyoutsideagenciesandbysomefinancialaidprograms.

    Toregisterformorethan19.5creditsinafallorspringsemester,morethan4.5creditsinawintersessionormorethan8creditsinoneofthetwosummersessions,studentsmusthavepriorwrittenapprovalfromtheiradvisorandtheOfficeforAcademicandPreprofessionalAdvising.

    ClassificationofStudents

    UMBCstudentsareclassifiedaccordingtothenumberofearnedcreditsasfollows:

    Freshman029creditsSophomore3059creditsJunior6089creditsSenior90ormorecredits

    UndergraduatesTakingGraduateCoursesforUndergraduateCredit

    Subjecttorequirementsdeterminedbytheprogramofferingthecourse,undergraduatestudentsmayregisterintheundergraduate

  • collegeforgraduatelevelcourses(i.e.,thosenumberedfrom600to898,withtheexceptionof799)forundergraduatecredit.Astudentseekingthisoptionnormallywillbeinthesenioryearhaveearnedanaccumulatedgradepointaverageofatleast3.0havesuccessfullycompleted,withagradeofBorbetter,theprerequisiteandcorrelativecoursesandbeamajorintheappropriateoracloselyrelateddepartmentofferingthecourse

    EnrollmentinagraduatelevelcoursedoesnotinanywayimplysubsequentdepartmentalorGraduateSchoolapprovalforcreditforagraduatedegreeatUMBC,exceptinrelationtoapprovedacceleratedbachelors/mastersprograms.

    UndergraduatesTakingCoursesforGraduateCredit

    UniversitySystemofMarylandundergraduatestudentswhohaveagradepointaverageofatleast3.0inthedisciplineinwhichthegraduatecourseistobetakenmayregisterintheundergraduatecollegeforcertain600levelandhighercourses,whichmaylaterbecountedforcredittowardagraduatedegreeatUMBC.Exceptinapprovedacceleratedbachelors/mastersprograms,thecreditsmustbeinadditiontothoserequiredforthestudentsundergraduatedegree.Creditsinthesenioryearexceedingthoserequiredforgraduationcannotbeusedforgraduatecreditwithoutpriorwrittenapprovaloftheappropriatefaculty.

    ChangesinRegistration

    Onceregisteredforaparticularsemester,studentsmayaddordropcoursesaccordingtotheAcademicCalendarpublishedontheRegistrarsOfficewebsite.Aftertheendofthescheduleadjustmentperiod,droppedcourseswillbereflectedonofficialtranscriptswithagradeofW.Studentswillreceivegradesforallcoursesnotdroppedbypublisheddeadlines.StudentswhofailtoattendclasswithouthavingdroppedthecoursewillreceiveagradeofFunlesstheyhaveofficiallywithdrawnfromtheuniversity.StudentsmustfollowallregistrationproceduresaspublishedontheRegistrarsOfficewebsiteeachsemester.

    StudentswhohavebeenadministrativelyderegisteredfromUMBCorfromaspecificclasswillbenotifiedinwritingviaemailsenttotheirUMBCemailaddress.Deregistrationcanresultfromaclassbeingcancelledduetoinsufficientenrollment,academicordisciplinarysuspension,orotherreasons.

    WithdrawalfromUMBC

    StudentswishingtowithdrawfromallcoursesforwhichtheyhaveregisteredmustnotifytheRegistrarsOfficebyfilingasemesterwithdrawalnolaterthanthelastscheduleddayofclassespriortofinalexams.TheirtranscriptwillhaveanotationofWithdrawnforthatsemesteriftheirwithdrawaloccursafterclasseshavebegun,andaWwillappearonthetranscriptforeachcourse.Theeffectivedateofwithdrawal,forrefundandgradingpurposes,willbethedatethewithdrawalisreceivedintheRegistrarsOffice.

    Whenwithdrawing,studentsshouldbecertaintofollowallprocedures:Failuretodosowillresultinthestudentremainingacademicallyandfinanciallyresponsibleforthecoursesinwhichheorsheisenrolled.FailuretoattendclassesdoesnotconstituteofficialwithdrawalandwillresultinFgradesforallcoursesandliabilityforallcharges.Stoppaymentonchecks,failuretopaythesemesterbill,orfailuretoattendclassesdoesnotconstituteofficialnotificationofwithdrawalandwillnotreleaseastudentfromfinancialoracademicliability.

    AstudentwhowithdrawswillbeeligibleforAdvanceRegistrationforthenextterm.Ifnotenrollinginthenextterm,thestudentwillbeeligibleforGeneralRegistrationforthesubsequentterm.Ifnotenrollingfortwosemestersinarow,thestudentisrequiredtoapplyforreadmissionorreinstatementtotheUniversitythroughtheOfficeofAdmissionsandOrientation.

    RetentionofRegistrationRecords

    WhiletranscriptrecordsarepermanentlyheldbytheRegistrarsOffice,documentationpertainingtotheregistrationforeachsemesterisheldforaperiodoffiveyears.Ifanyquestionsshouldariseregardingdocumentationofenrollmentmorethanfiveyearsbeyondregistrationforacourse,itwillbethestudentsresponsibilitytoproduceproperdocumentationtosupportanyclaimforchangeinrecords.Studentsareurgedtoresolveanyquestionregardingacademicrecordsinatimelymanner.

    GradesandAcademicRecordsGradingSystemForallcoursesinwhichastudentisenrolledattheendofthe10thweekofthesemester,thefollowinglettersymbolswillbepostedtothepermanentrecord:A,indicatessuperiorachievementB,goodperformanceC,adequateperformanceD,minimalacceptableachievementF,failureandI,incompletework.WindicatesacoursedroppedaftertheendoftheScheduleAdjustmentPeriod.NA(nonapplicable)denotesacoursethatdoesnotapplytoadegreeprogramanddoesnotenterintoGPA(gradepointaverage)calculations.

    UMBCcalculatesgradepointaveragesbyassigningnumericalvaluestolettersymbols:

  • A=4qualitypointsB=3qualitypointsC=2qualitypointsD=1qualitypointF=0qualitypoints

    ThesemestergradepointaverageisdeterminedbymultiplyingthecreditvalueofeachcoursebythenumericalequivalentofeachgradetoproduceaqualitypointtotalandthendividingtotalqualitypointsbytotalcredithoursattemptedincoursesthatareincludedintheGPA.Thesamemethodisusedtocomputecumulativegradepointaverages.

    CoursesthatareincludedintheGPAcalculationare,ingeneral,coursestakeninresidenceatUMBCforacademiccreditandforwhichalettergradehasbeenearned.Followingthisprinciple,gradesfromstudyabroadcoursestakenundertheauspicesofUMBCandfromcoursestakenthroughinterinstitutionalenrollmentareincludedintheGPAcalculation.AlthoughcoursestakenonaPass/FailbasisareusuallyexcludedfromtheGPA,suchcoursesareincludedintheGPAifagradeofFailisearned.ExplicitlyexcludedfromtheGPAcalculationaregradesfromdevelopmentalcourses,zerocreditcourses,transfercourses,andcreditbyexam.AlsoexcludedfromtheGPAcalculationarecoursesforwhichaWorIgradeisdisplayedandcourseswithgradesmarkedexcludedornonapplicableduetooperationofthepoliciesoncourserepeats,academicclemency,andthenonapplicablesemester.

    Pass/FailGradingOption

    Whenstudentshavecompleted30ormorecreditsandareingoodacademicstandingatUMBC,theymayenrollforonepass/fail(P/F)coursepersemesterforatotalof12creditstowardgraduation.

    Studentsmayelecttotakeanycourseonapass/failbasisexceptthoseexplicitlyexcludedbythedepartmentorthoseusedtofulfillgeneraleducationormajor/minor/certificaterequirements.StudentsmaydesignateacourseasP/FduringregistrationorchangeacoursetoorfromaP/FoptionwithinthepublishedtimeframeaslistedintheAcademicCalendar.

    Thepass/failgradingoptiondescribedaboveisinadditiontoanycoursesthestudentmayhaveenrolledinthatareofferedonlyonapass/failbasis,suchasPhysicalEducation,certainresearchexperiencecourses,andinternshipcourses.

    ApassgradeundertheP/FoptionindicatesachievementintherangeofA,B,C,orD.AgradeofPisnotcalculatedintheGPA,butagradeofFiscalculatedintothestudentsGPAinthesamemannerasallFgrades.

    IncompleteGrades

    AgradeofImaybesubmittedatthediscretionofthecourseinstructorunderexceptionalcircumstancesforcourseworkthatisqualitativelysatisfactorybut,forreasonsbeyondstudentscontrol,cannotbecompleted.Incomplete(I)gradesmaynotbeawardedunlessspecificallyrequestedbyastudent.Allworkmustbecompletedbeforeadatespecifiedbytheinstructor,whichwilltypicallynotbelaterthanthelastdayscheduledforfinalexaminationsduringthenextregularsemester.IfagradechangehasnotbeensubmittedbythedategradesaredueattheendoftheregularsemesterfollowingtheoneinwhichtheIwasissued,agradeofFwillbeawardedautomatically,unlesstheinstructorrequestsaonetime,onesemesterextensionoftheIgradetotheRegistrarsOffice.

    Studentsshouldnotreregisterforthecourseinthesemesterduringwhichtheworkistobecompleted.Theoutstandingcourseworkmustbecompletedundertheguidanceoftheoriginalinstructorbythedatespecified,evenifthecourseisnotoffered,theinstructorisnotinresidence,orthestudentisnotenrolledintheuniversity.

    IncompletecourseworkmustbecompletedorIgradeswillbeconvertedtoFgradesbeforedegreescanbeawarded.

    GradeChanges

    Onceacoursegradeisrecordedonthetranscript,agradechangemaybesubmittedbytheoriginalcourseinstructoronlyifthereisanexceptionalcircumstancethatisdocumented.

    Gradechangessubmittedwithinoneyearfromtheoriginalgradepostingdeadlinerequireapprovalbytheoriginalcourseinstructorandthedepartmentchairperson.

    Gradechangessubmittedmorethanoneyearafterthegradepostingdeadline,postdegree,orintheabsenceoftheoriginalcourseinstructorrequireadditionalapprovalbytheViceProvostandDeanofUndergraduateEducation.

    InstitutionalCredit

  • PhysicalEducationcoursesandcoursesthataredevelopmentalinnaturecarryinstitutionalcreditonly.Thesecreditsareusedtodeterminesemestercreditloads(fulltime/parttime).DevelopmentalcreditsarenotcalculatedintothecumulativeGPAhowever,PhysicalEducationcreditsarecalculatedifanFgradeisearnedinthecourse.Institutionalcreditsarenotcountedtowardtheminimum120requiredforgraduation.

    RepeatingCourses

    Anycoursemayberepeated,butifagradeofA,B,C,D,orPalreadyhasbeenearnedforthatcourse,thesubsequentattemptdoesnotincreasethetotalcreditsearnedtowardthedegree.Creditsforrepeatedcourseswillonlybecountedoncetowardgraduationrequirements.Onlythehighestgradewillbeusedinthecomputationofthecumulativegradepointaveragehowever,allgradesearnedremainonthepermanentrecord.Somecoursesarerepeatableforadditionalcreditsasspecifiedinthecoursedescriptions.Intheseinstances,allcreditsandgradeswillbeappliedtothestudentsrecord.

    UMBChasseverallimitationsthatapplytorepeatingcourses:Studentsmaynotregisterforacoursemorethantwotimes.Theyareconsideredregisteredforacourseiftheyareenrolledaftertheendofthescheduleadjustmentperiod.StudentsmaypetitiontheOfficeofUndergraduateEducationforathirdandfinalattemptofacoursetakenatUMBCoranotherinstitution.

    Additionally,studentsmaynotrepeatacourseforahighergradeoncetheyhavesuccessfullycompletedanysubsequentcourseofahigherlevelinanacademicsequence(forexample,studentsmaynotretakeFREN101aftersuccessfullycompletingFREN102).

    PermissiontorepeatacourseforasecondattemptatanotherinstitutionmayberequestedbyfilingaverificationoftransferabilityformintheRegistrarsOffice(recommendationbyastudentsfacultyadvisorisrequiredifthecourseisamajor/minor/certificaterequirement).Gradesintransferredcoursesdonotreplaceastudentsgradeinanypriorattemptsofthecourse.StudentsrepeatingaUMBCcourseatanotherinstitutionmustrequestthatthetransferredcoursebeacceptedasarepeat(withtheUMBCattemptdesignatedasnonapplicabletotheUMBCgradepointaverage)whichmayimpactthestudentscumulativeUMBCgradepointaverage.

    AuditingCourses

    Astudentwhowishestoshowthatheorshehasattendedacoursebutdoesnotseekacademiccredit,mayregisterinacourseasanauditor.ThenotationAUislistedforauditedcoursesforwhichnocreditsareattemptedorearned.

    Auditedcoursescountaszerocredittowardallenrollmentcertifications,suchasfulltimeenrollment.Parttimestudentsmustpaytuitionandfeesforauditedcourses.Auditedcoursesdocounttowardmaximumenrollmentlimits.

    CoursesmaybedesignatedtoorfromanauditoptionwithinthepublishedtimeframeaslistedintheAcademicCalendar.Whentheauditoptionisselected,thefacultyteachingtheauditedclassmaysetcertaincriteriawhichtheauditormustmeet,suchasclassattendance.

    CreditsbyExamination

    Degreeseekingundergraduatesmayestablishasmanyas60creditstowardthebachelorsdegreebyUMBCadministeredexaminationsorbytheCollegelevelExaminationProgram(CLEP),AdvancedPlacement(AP)ortheInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)examinations.OfficialscorereportsmustbesenttoUMBCfromtheCollegeBoard(orequivalentforIB).CreditsbyexaminationearnedthroughCLEP,APorIBmaybeusedtofulfillGeneralEducationRequirements,whenequivalenttoaUMBCgeneraleducationcourse.EachacademicdepartmentdetermineswhethercreditsearnedthroughCLEP,AP,orIBmaybeappliedtomajorrequirements.

    CreditsearnedthroughCLEP,AP,andIBtestshavenoeffectonthecalculationoftheUMBCgradepointaverage,noraretheyappliedtotheminimumnumberofcreditsneededtoqualifyforhonorsatgraduation.DetailedinformationaboutUMBCpoliciesaboutacceptanceofCLEP,AP,andIBscoresforacademiccreditiscontainedinAppendixII.

    UMBCadministeredexaminationsmaybeavailableonceastudenthascompletedatleast12UMBCcreditswithanaverageof2.0orbetter.StudentsmustearnagradeofCorhighertoestablishcreditbyexamination.P/FispermissiblewithinregulationsapplyingtoP/FcoursesatUMBC.GradesofDorFareposted,eventhoughnocreditisearned.Theseexamsmaynotbeusedtorepeatacoursenordotheyapplytowardgeneraleducationrequirements.

    Creditbyexammaybeearnedforacoursebyobtainingapprovalfromtheheadofthedepartmentsponsoringthecourse.Acompletedrequestforcreditbyexaminationform,signedbythedepartmentchairperson,thenisforwardedtotheRegistrarsOfficeforprocessing.Afterpaymentofanonrefundablefeeof$5percredit,theexammaybeadministered.GradesthenareforwardedtotheRegistrarsOfficeforpostingonthestudentsofficialrecord.

  • Transcripts

    InresponsetoastudentswrittenorelectronicrequestviamyUMBC,theRegistrarsOfficeissuesofficialtranscriptsofscholasticrecordsforstudentsandalumni.Transcriptrequestsshouldincludefullname,formernamewhereapplicable,address,datesofattendanceandthecompleteaddresstowhichthetranscriptistobesent.Incompliancewithfederalregulations,awrittenrequestmustbesignedbythestudent.

    Requestsfortranscriptsshouldbemadeatleasttwoweeksbeforetheyactuallyareneeded.Transcriptsarenotfurnishedforanycurrentorformerstudentwhohasanoutstandingfinancialobligationtotheuniversity.

    ConfidentialityofRecords

    UMBCmaintainsrecordsofmattersrelevanttotheeducationalprocessofeachstudent.Theserecordscannotbedisclosedtoindividualsotherthanthestudentexceptbywrittenconsentofthestudent,bylegalorderorincarefullycircumscribedinstancesbasedontheUniversitySystemofMarylandsclearlydefinedpolicy,whichcomplieswiththefederalFamilyEducationalRightsandPrivacyActof1974.SeeAppendixIVforacopyofthispolicy.

    StudentshavetherighttohavecertaininformationthatisconsidereddirectoryinformationwithheldfromthepublicbynotifyingtheRegistrarsOfficeinwritingatleastonceeachyearoftheirdesiretohavethisinformationwithheld.ContacttheRegistrarsOfficeforfurtherinformation.

    AcademicHonors

    GraduationHonors

    Degreecandidateswhosecumulativegradepointaverageatthetimeofgraduationisbetween3.5and3.7499receivethedegreeCumLaudebetween3.75and3.9499,MagnaCumLaudebetween3.95and4.0,SummaCumLaude.Tobeeligibleforthesehonors,studentsmustcompleteatUMBCaminimumof45creditsthatareapplicabletowardsGPAcalculations.

    PresidentsList

    Ifstudentsearnasemestergradepointaverageof4.00orhigherforasemesterinwhichtheyareenrolledforatleast12hoursofgradedcredits(noP/F),theywillhavethenotationofPresidentsListpostedtothetranscriptforthatsemester.

    DeansList

    Ifstudentsearnasemestergradepointaverageof3.75orhigherforasemesterinwhichtheyareenrolledforatleast12hoursofgradedcredits(noP/F),theywillhavethenotationofDeansListpostedtothetranscriptforthatsemester.

    SemesterHonors

    Ifstudentsearnasemestergradepointaverageof3.5orhigherforasemesterinwhichtheyareenrolledforatleast12hoursofgradedcredits(noP/F),theywillhavethenotationSemesterAcademicHonorspostedtothetranscriptforthatsemester.

    GeneralHonors

    Duringtheirfreshmanandsophomoreyears,studentsadmittedtotheHonorsCollegeenrollinhonorscourses(typicallyatleastoneeachsemester)thathavelimitedenrollmentandprovideanopportunityforcloseinteractionwithdistinguishedmembersoftheteachingfaculty.DetailedrequirementsfortheHonorscurriculumcanbefoundontheHonorsCollegewebsite,www.umbc.edu/honors.

    DepartmentalHonors

    Advancedlevelhonorsworkisgenerallyundertakenbyjuniorsandseniorsinthedepartmentoftheirmajorfieldofstudy.Thosedepartmentsthatofferdepartmentalhonorsprogramsenrichthemajorbyprovidingspecialcoursesanduniqueopportunitiesforindependentstudyandresearchundertheguidanceofdepartmentalfaculty.Tograduatewithdepartmentalhonors,studentsmustcompleteatleastninecreditsindepartmentalhonorscourses,haveaGPAof3.5orhigherintheirmajor,andsatisfyanyotherrequirementsspecifiedbytheirmajordepartment.

    AcademicStanding

  • AcademicStanding

    MinimumStandardsforContinuedEnrollment

    Allundergraduateswithacumulativegradepointaverage(GPA)of2.0oraboveareingoodacademicstandingandareacademicallyeligibletoreturnforsubsequentsemesters.

    AcademicWarning

    AstudentingoodacademicstandingwhosecurrentsemesterGPAfallsbelow2.0foranyfallorspringsemesterwillreceiveanacademicwarningandmayberequiredtoparticipateinadvising,tutoringoracademicskillsinterventionsdesignedtoimproveacademicperformance,aswellasapossiblelimitonthenumberofcredithoursattempted.Academicwarningisnotrecordedonthestudentsofficialrecord.

    AcademicProbation

    AstudentwhosecumulativeGPAfallsbelow2.0asoftheendofafallorspringsemesterwillbeplacedonacademicprobation.Astudentmaybeenrolledinclassesduringaprobationarysemester,butmayberequiredtoparticipateinintensiveadvising,academicskillscoursesorworkshops,andmayberequiredtolimitthenumberofcredithoursattempted.Academicprobationisrecordedonthestudentsofficialrecord.

    AcademicSuspension

    Followingtwoconsecutivesemestersonacademicprobation,astudentwhosecumulativeGPAandcurrentsemesterGPAarebothbelow2.0willbeacademicallysuspendedfromtheuniversityasofthestartofthenextregularsemester.

    Astudentwhohasreceivedasuspensionnotificationmayattendtheupcomingsummerorwintersessionbutisineligibletobeenrolledforthenextfallorspringsemesteroranysubsequenttermunlessformallyreinstated.Academicsuspensionisrecordedonthestudentsofficialrecord.

    IfthecumulativeGPAremainsbelow2.0butthecurrentsemesterGPAis2.0orhigher,suchastudentwillbeplacedonacademicprobationforanadditionalsemester.

    ReinstatementafterSuspension

    TheAcademicActionsandReinstatementCommitteereviewsallreinstatementapplications.CoursescompletedatotherinstitutionswhilethestudentwassuspendedfromUMBCwillbeconsideredfortransfercreditundertheusualrulesfortransfer.Generally,areinstatedstudentwillhavesubsequentlycompletedatleast12creditsofacademicworkatanotherinstitution,withaGPAofatleast2.5,orthestudentwillhavebeenabsentfromUMBCforasignificantperiodoftime.

    AcademicDismissal

    Afterastudenthasbeenreinstated,thefirstinstanceofacumulativeGPAoflessthan2.0atthecloseofafallorspringsemesterwillresultinacademicprobation.ThesecondconsecutivesemesterofacumulativeGPAlessthan2.0willresultindismissalfromtheuniversityifthestudentscurrentsemesterGPAwasalsobelow2.0.Ingeneral,astudentwhohasbeenacademicallydismissedwillnotbeconsideredforfuturereinstatement.IfthestudentscumulativeGPAisbelow2.0butthesemesterGPAis2.0orhigher,thestudentisplacedonacademicprobationforanadditionalsemester.

    NonapplicableSemesterStudentsmayrequesttodeclareaparticularsinglesemester,inwhichatleastninecreditswereattempted,nonapplicabletotheirrecord.Toqualify,thestudentmusthaveearnedaminimumof90credits,atleast45ofwhichwereearnedatUMBC,andthequalityoftheworkforthespecifiedsemestermustbeclearlyoutoflinewiththerestofthestudentsrecord.Inordertobeconsideredforanonapplicablesemester,theGPAforthespecifiedsemestermusthavebeenlessthan1.5.Additionally,thestudentmustclearlyhavechangedthefocusoftheiracademicprogram.StudentsmaypetitiontheOfficeofUndergraduateEducationtobeconsideredforanonapplicablesemester,inwhichanemailofsupportfromthestudentsacademicadvisorwillalsoberequired.

    Ifthepetitionisapproved,thesemesterwillbemarkedonthepermanentrecordasnonapplicable(NA),however,allgradesearnedwillstillappear.Creditsattempted,creditsearnedandqualitypointswillnotbeusedincalculatingthecumulativegradepointaverage.Toreceiveadegree,studentswillhavetorepeatanycoursesrequiredforgraduationthatweretakenduringthesemester

  • madenonapplicable.

    AcademicClemencyStudentswhoarereadmittedorreinstatedafteralapseoffivecalendaryearsormoremaypetitiontheRegistrarsOfficeduringthefirstsemesterofreturntoUMBCtohaveupto16creditsoffailinggradesexcludedfromthecalculationoftheirUMBCgradepointaverage.Ifthepetitionisapproved,thespecifiedcourseswillbemarkedonthepermanentrecordasnonapplicable(NA),however,allgradesearnedwillstillappear.Coursesapprovedforexclusionfromgradepointaveragecalculationsmaynotbechangedthereafter,evenifthestudentchangeshisorhermajor.

    ApplicationforGraduationStudentsmustfileaformalapplicationforgraduationwiththeRegistrarsOfficeduringtheirfinalsemester.ThedeadlineforapplyingforMaygraduationisFebruary15forAugustgraduation,June15andforDecembergraduation,September15.

    UMBCcommencementceremoniesareheldinDecemberandMay.StudentswillbeeligibletoparticipateintheDecembercommencementceremonyiftheyhavebeengrantedanundergraduatedegreeforthepreviousAugustgraduationperiodoriftheyareenrolledforthefallsemesterinallcourseworkneededtofulfillabachelorsdegree.

    StudentswillbeeligibletoparticipateintheMaycommencementceremonyiftheyhavesuccessfullycompletedallgraduationrequirementsorareenrolledforthespringsemesterwithallcourseworkneededtofulfillabachelorsdegree.

    StudentsparticipatinginthecommencementceremonyaregraduationcandidatesactualdegreeswillnotbeawardeduntiltheRegistrarsOfficehascertifiedsuccessfulcompletionofallrequiredcourses.Basedonthatcertification,adegreecompletionnotationispostedtoeachstudentstranscriptanddiplomasaremailed.

    Studentsshouldreviewtheirprogresstowardcompletionofgraduationrequirementsinconsultationwiththeiracademicadvisorsonaregularbasis.Whiledegreeauditreportsareforadvisingpurposesonlyandarenotofficialrecordsofacademichistoryorcompletionofdegreerequirements,studentsareencouragedtoreviewtheirdegreeaudittoassistinassessingcompletionofgeneral,universityandmajorspecificrequirements.Studentsshouldconsultwithanadvisorintheappropriateacademicdepartmentswithregardtothecompletionofprogramrequirements.