Academic Policies and Procedures

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COURSE INFORMATION

Attendance Policy

Successful performance in college courses is dependent upon regular student attendance and participation. It is the University’s expectation that students will participate in every class, independent of whether attendance is formally part of the course grade. The University recognizes there will be occasions when students must miss classes that contain examinations, graded assignments, experiments or projects, and general class participation.  The University Policy website further addresses the issues of student absences, identifies possible accommodations, and outlines both faculty and student responsibilities. 

The University also recognizes that excessive excused absences will make it impossible to evaluate a student’s performance in a class based on attendance and participation or in a class with multiple missed graded assignments. Under these circumstances, an administrative solution should be explored with the student to drop the course(s) before the end of the semester. 

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

Students are required to attend classes, including online classes, on a regular basis. Absences must be arranged with the instructor and must conform to university and instructor policies on attendance.

College of Architecture and Planning

Students are expected to attend all meetings of classes. Excessive unexcused absences may result in a grade reduction at the discretion of the instructor. Absence from a class will be excused for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. The student may be required to furnish evidence.

Timeliness of Work     

Students’ assignments are to be completed in a timely manner. Any assignment turned in late may have its grade reduced by an amount set at the discretion of the instructor. An assignment may be turned in late without penalty for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. Students must have their instructor’s written permission to turn an assignment in late. Students with excused late work may turn in the assignment by the end of finals week without penalty. Otherwise, the grade “I” will be assigned at the discretion of the faculty.

Business School

Students are required to attend classes, including online classes, on a regular basis. Absences must be arranged with the instructor and must conform with university and instructor policies on attendance.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Successful work in the College of Engineering and Applied Science is dependent upon regular attendance in all classes. Students who are absent should make arrangements with instructors to make up the work missed. Students who for illness or other good reason miss any examination must notify the instructor no later than the end of the day on which the examination is given. Failure to do so may result in an F in the course.

Course Repeat Policy

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Architecture and Planning

A failed course (grade of F) may be repeated; however, the F will be included in the GPA and will appear on the transcript. Students must earn at least a C- grade in required architecture core courses, including design studios. Architecture core courses must be repeated if the student earns less than a C- grade.

College of Arts & Media

Though students may take any course more than once, credit toward graduation is typically counted only once for a given course, unless otherwise noted in the course description. Repeated courses will appear on the transcript and will count towards the cumulative university GPA.

Business School

A failed course (grade of F) may be repeated; however, the F will be included in the GPA and will appear on the transcript. Students must earn at least a C grade in required business core courses. Core business courses must be repeated if the student earns less than a C grade.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Undergraduate students may not register for credit in a course in which they already have received a grade of C- or higher. An F grade in a required course necessitates subsequent satisfactory completion of the course. Students must repeat a prerequisite course to another required course in which a grade of D+ or lower was earned before moving on to the subsequent course. If students do not successfully complete (C- or higher) an engineering class on the second attempt, they must obtain written approval from their major department to enroll for the course for the third time. When a course is retaken because of a D or F grade, both grades will appear on the transcript and both will be averaged into the GPA. Any exceptions to these policies must be made by written petition through the Office of the Dean.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Students may re-register for any course. Both (all) courses remain on the transcript and both (all) grades are used to calculate the student’s GPA. Course credit toward graduation is counted only once for a typical course no matter how many times the course is repeated. Some types of courses (e.g. Internships, Independent Studies, etc.) may be repeatable for applicable credit within a certain range of total semester hours. Special Topics courses may be repeatable for applicable credit within a certain range of total semester hours, as long as the topic is different. See course descriptions for the max semester hours applicable from each course.  

Explanation of Course Numbers

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

Business School

The course numbering system used at CU Denver identifies the class standing required for enrollment. Students are expected to take 1000-level courses in their freshman year, 2000-level courses in their sophomore year, 3000-level courses in their junior year and 4000-level courses in their senior year. Courses at the 5000 and 6000 level are restricted to master’s-level business students, and courses at the 7000 level are restricted to PhD students.

Explanation of Semester Hours

The University of Colorado Denver campus academic calendar is separated in to 3 semesters, fall, spring, and summer.  This University designates semester credit hours.  For every semester credit enrolled, the student is expected to spend 2-3 hours outside of the assigned class time.

Final Examinations

All students that are enrolled in a course for credit are required to attend a final examination, except if the professor has made previous arrangements.  All faculty are to alert students about the date, time, and location of the final examination in a timely manner.  With approval from the appropriate department, final examinations may be removed from a course. 

If a student has three or more finals on the same day, the student has the ability to change the time of one final with approval from the instructor of the final they wish to change.  This change will need to be communicated to the instructor promptly and prior to the scheduled final examination.

Final Grades

A degree audit report is an automated record reflecting a student’s academic progress toward completing degree requirements in a declared major. Each degree audit report draws its information from the university’s student information system. Each time a new report is run, the most up-to-date course information and grades are used. A report can be requested by logging on to the student portal. Students should contact their schools and colleges for additional information on the availability of a specific degree audit report.

Grades are normally available within two weeks after the end of the semester and can be accessed by logging into the UCD Access portal.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

GPA is computed by multiplying the credit points per hour (for example, B = 3) by the number of semester hours for each course. Total the hours, total the credit points and divide the total points by the total hours. Grades of P, NC, ***, W, IP, and I are not included in the GPA. I grades that are not completed within one year are calculated as F in the GPA.

If a course is repeated, all grades earned are used in determining the GPA. Grades received at another institution are not included in the University of Colorado GPA.

Undergraduate, graduate and non-degree graduate GPAs are calculated separately. Enrollment in a second undergraduate or graduate program will not generate a second undergraduate or graduate GPA.

Students should refer to their academic dean’s office for individual GPA calculations as they relate to academic progress and graduation from their college or school.

Sample GPA Calculation

Grade Earned: A; Credit Points per Hour: 4.0; x Credit Hours: 4.0 = Credit Points in Course: 16.0

Grade Earned: A-; Credit Points per Hour: 3.7; x Credit Hours: 4.0 = Credit Points in Course: 14.8

Grade Earned: B+; Credit Points per Hour: 3.3; x Credit Hours: 4.0 = Credit Points in Course: 13.2

Grade Earned: P; Credit Points per Hour: —; x Credit Hours: 3.0 = Credit Points in Course: — (excluded)

Grade Earned: F; Credit Points per Hour: 0; x Credit Hours: 3.0 = Credit Points in Course: 0

Total of 15 credit hours with 44 credit points, so 44/15 = 2.93 GPA

Grade Appeals

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

When a CAM student has questions or concerns regarding academic issues such as project grades, final grades, attendance policies, etc., the student is encouraged to speak directly with the faculty member teaching the course. If resolution or clarity of understanding is not reached, the following procedure should be followed:

• The student contacts the Department Chair to discuss the concerns and his/her point of view.
• The Department Chair speaks with the faculty member to ascertain the faculty member’s point of view.
• The Department Chair facilitates a meeting between the student and faculty member to discuss the issue.
• If the student still has concerns after completion of these procedures, the student should contact the CAM Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs.

College of Architecture and Planning

Any student may appeal the grade he or she receives in a class within 30 days from the issuance of the grade. The student should first discuss the issue and adjustment sought with the relevant course instructor. If the course instructor does not reply within 30 days, the student submits a written appeal to the program director. Within 30 days, the program director shall process the appeal and prepare a written report explaining the reason(s) for the department recommendation. If the grade appeal still remains unresolved at the department level, the student submits a written request to the department chair and then to the associate dean of academic affairs, who will direct the Academic Affairs Committee to review the appeal. If the grade appeal remains unresolved at the college level, the student may appeal to the dean.

Business School

Students must follow the process below.

1. Discuss concerns with the faculty member.
2. If the issue is not resolved after a conversation with the faculty member, discuss concerns with the Department Chair.
3.  If the issue is not resolved after a conversation with the Department Chair, discuss concerns with the Associate Dean. Neither the Dean, nor any director, will offer an opinion with respect to the qualitative assessment of a student’s work, but, may consider whether the procedures used to determine a grade were consistent with the syllabus and written amendments to the syllabus. No passing grade will be changed after one year. Requests for grade adjustments/appeals must be made in the semester immediately following the semester in which the disputed grade was earned.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Final grades, as reported by instructors, are to be considered permanent and final. Grade changes will be considered only in cases of documented clerical error and must be approved by the dean.

Grading System

The instructor is responsible for whatever grade symbol (e.g., A, B, C, D, F, I or IP) is to be assigned. Special symbols (NC and W) are indications of registration or grade status and are not assigned by the instructor. Pass/fail designations are not assigned by the instructor but are automatically converted by the grade application system, as explained under “Pass/Fail Procedure.”

Instructors may, at their discretion, use the PLUS/MINUS system but are not required to do so.

I—incomplete—converted to an F if not completed within one year.
IP—in progress—thesis at the graduate level only.
P/F—pass/fail—P grade is not included in the GPA; the F grade is included; up to 16 hours of pass/fail course work may be credited toward a bachelor’s degree.
H/P/F—honors/pass/fail—intended for honors courses; semester hours count toward the degree but are not included in the GPA.
NC indicates registration on a no-credit basis.
W indicates withdrawal without credit.

Pass/Fail

1.   Students who wish to register for a course on a pass/fail basis (or to revert from pass/fail to graded status) may do so only during the drop/add period.

2.   Up to 16 semester hours of course work may be taken on a pass/fail basis and credited toward the bachelor’s degree. Only six hours of course work may be taken pass/fail in any given semester. (Note: Individual schools and colleges may have additional restrictions as to pass/fail credits. See the accompanying chart for an overview.)

3.   Instructors will not be informed of pass/fail registration. All students who register for a pass/fail appear on the regular class roster, and a normal letter grade is assigned by the professor. When grades are received in the registrar’s office, those registrations with a pass/fail designation are automatically converted by the grade application system. Grades of D– and above convert to grades of P. Courses taken pass/fail will be included in hours toward graduation. Pass grades are not included in a student’s GPA. An F grade in a course taken pass/fail will be included in the GPA.

4.   Pass/fail registration records are maintained by the registrar’s office.

5.   Exceptions to the pass/fail regulations are permitted for specified courses offered by the School of Education & Human Development, the extended studies programs and study abroad programs.

6.   Graduate degree students can exercise the P/F option for undergraduate courses only. A grade of P will not be acceptable for graduate credit to satisfy any Graduate School requirement.

7.   Students who register for a course on a pass/fail basis may not later (after the drop/add period) decide to receive a letter grade.

Note: many other institutions will not accept a P grade for transfer credit.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Architecture and Planning

Only internships, independent studies and non-architecture elective courses may be taken pass/fail. Required architecture courses (including the campus core) may not be taken pass/fail. A maximum of 6 hours pass/fail credit may be applied toward the BS Architecture degree. Courses taken in excess of the maximum will not be applied toward degree credit. Pass/fail determination must be made within the posted deadlines (at census dates) and may not be rescinded (unless approved by the undergraduate committee).

Business School

Only internships, independent studies and nonbusiness elective courses may be taken pass/fail. Required business and nonbusiness courses (including the campus core) may not be taken pass/fail. A maximum of 6 hours pass/fail credit may be applied toward the business degree. Courses taken in excess of the maximum will not be applied toward degree credit. Pass/fail determination must be made within the posted deadlines (at census dates) and may not be rescinded (unless approved by the undergraduate committee).

College of Engineering and Applied Science

The primary purpose for offering courses on a pass/fail grade basis is to encourage students, especially juniors and seniors, to broaden their educational experience by electing challenging upper-division humanities and social sciences elective courses without serious risk to their academic records. In general, pass/fail should be limited to 3000- or 4000-level humanities and social sciences courses. Students must process the pass/fail form during the first two weeks of the semester. Engineering students cannot take required courses pass/fail.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Students may select the pass/fail grading option for most courses. In addition to Downtown Campus policies covering the pass/fail grading option (see the Registration and Records chapter of this catalog), CLAS students must adhere to the following college pass/fail grading policies:

1. Courses used to complete a student’s major, minor and certificate may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
2. Courses required to demonstrate proficiency may not be taken on a pass/fail basis: ENGL (core curriculum), MATH (core curriculum) and first two semesters of foreign language.
3. Courses used to satisfy the intellectual competencies section of the CU Denver core curriculum may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
4. Courses in the knowledge area section of the CU Denver core curriculum may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
5. Courses used to satisfy CLAS graduation requirements may be taken as pass/fail, except for to fulfill the Communicative Skills CLAS Core, major or minor requirements.

School of Public Affairs

Core knowledge area and general electives are the only courses that can be completed pass/fail. A grade of “D-” or better is translated by the Records Office to a P (pass) grade. P grades do not affect students’ GPA; F grades do affect students’ GPA. Students interested in completing a course as pass/fail must submit a Schedule Adjustment Form during the add/drop period during the respective semester to the BACJ Academic Advisor. Students need to consult the academic calendar posted on the Office of the Registrar’s webpage for add/drop dates. Up to 16 credits may be completed as pass/fail and credited toward the bachelor degree. Students can complete a maximum of 6 credits as pass/fail in any one semester. 

No Credit

Students may register for a course on a no-credit basis with the consent of their instructor and the dean of their school or college. No grade or credit is awarded. The transcript reflects the name of the course taken and an N/C notation.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

Business School

Pass-Fail or No Credit (Audit). With the exception of internships, experiential learning and travel study courses, the Business School does not permit election of pass-fail grading for any business course required for the student’s degree. Students are not allowed to audit business courses.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

An engineering student must request approval before enrolling for no credit (NC) for any course. Required courses must be taken for credit. Once a course has been taken NC, the course cannot be repeated for credit.

Incomplete Grade

An I is an incomplete grade. Policies with respect to I grades are available in the individual college and school dean’s offices.

An I is given only when students, for reasons beyond their control, have been unable to complete course requirements. A substantial amount of work must have been satisfactorily completed before approval for such a grade is given.

The instructor who assigns an I sets the conditions under which the course work can be completed and the time limit for its completion. The student is expected to complete the requirements by the established deadline and not retake the entire course.

It is the instructor’s and/or the student’s decision whether a course should be retaken. If a course is retaken, it must be completed on the Denver Campus or in extended studies classes. The student must re-register for the course and pay the appropriate tuition.

The final grade (earned by completing the course requirements or by retaking the course) does not result in deletion of the I from the transcript. A second entry is posted on the transcript to show the final grade for the course, with a notation that the course was ‘originally graded as I.’

At the end of one year, I grades for courses that are not completed or repeated are changed to an F.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

The College of Arts & Media has strict policies for granting incomplete grades. They include but are not limited to the following:

• Reason for incomplete must be a verifiable circumstance beyond the student’s control that made completion of the course impossible

• ·     The majority of course requirements (75 percent) must have been completed with a passing grade to be eligible for an incomplete (C (2.0) for major/minor/certificate courses; C- (1.7) for select general education courses; D- (0.7) for most general education and general elective courses)

•       CAM course completion agreement must be signed by both the instructor and student, with final approval by the associate dean

• All course work must be completed within one calendar year of the end of the original course
• Requests for a retroactive change from a letter grade to an incomplete will not be considered

The student is responsible for requesting an incomplete grade and submitting all of the appropriate paperwork and obtaining approvals. Please contact CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu for additional information.

Business School

Incomplete Grades. The only incomplete grade given in the school is I. An I grade is assigned only when documented circumstances clearly beyond the student’s control prevent completion of course requirements (exams, papers, etc.). Students must sign a contract outlining how they will make up the missing work with the instructor giving the I. Students need not register for the course a second time. All I grades must be made up within the contract period (which may not exceed one year), or the I will automatically be changed to the grade of F.  The student is responsible for contacting the instructor to schedule the completion of the coursework.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

An incomplete may be given by the instructor for circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as a documented medical or personal emergency. When it is given, the student and the departmental office must be informed in writing by the instructor, who states what the student is to do in order to remove the incomplete and the date the tasks are to be completed. The instructor will assign an “I” distinction. The student is expected to complete the course requirements (e.g., the final examination or term paper), within the established deadline and not to retake the entire course. The majority of course requirements (75%) must have been completed with a passing grade to be eligible for an incomplete. An “I” distinction will be converted automatically to a grade of “F” after one year if the specified work is not completed.  

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all courses marked as incomplete are officially completed before the 10th week of the student’s final semester in school.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

When a student has special circumstances that make it impossible to complete course assignments, faculty members have discretion to award an incomplete grade. Effective January 1, 2009, all incomplete courses are now assigned a grade of Incomplete (I). Incomplete grades are not awarded for poor academic performance or as a way of extending assignment deadlines. While not required, a CLAS course completion agreement form (available from the CLAS Academic Advising Office) is strongly suggested so that faculty and student may agree in advance on the terms of completing an incomplete grade.

To be eligible for an incomplete grade, students must:

• have successfully completed 75 percent of the course
• have special circumstances (verification may be required) that preclude the student from attending class and completing graded assignments
• make arrangements to complete missing assignments with the original instructor within one academic year

Students are allowed up to three semesters (one year) to complete the requirements for the incomplete, after which the I reverts to an F grade on the student’s transcript. After the one-year period, students must petition the CLAS Academic Advising Office to request a grade change.

Module/Intensive Courses

Courses are also offered in five-week modules, in special weekend courses and in seminars. Students should contact the college/school for information on short-term courses offered each semester.

Requisites

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

Students must abide by all published prerequisites and corequisites, including minimum grades. CAM reserves the right to administratively drop students who enroll without the necessary prerequisites or corequisites.

Prerequisites

A prerequisite is a course that needs to be taken prior to registration for the next course in the designated sequence. 

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

Business School

Students are expected to know and fulfill all prerequisites when registering. Prerequisites are in place for the benefit of the student.  The Business School wants our students to have the best experience in their courses, and having the prerequisites for a course ensures that you are ready for the material that will be covered.  See course listings for relevant prerequisites as many are strictly enforced. The Business School reserves the right to administratively drop students who enroll without the correct prerequisites. This action may result in the loss of tuition.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Students must repeat a prerequisite course to another required course in which a grade of D+ or lower was earned before moving on to the subsequent course. If students do not successfully complete (C- or higher) an engineering class on the second attempt, they must obtain written approval from their major department to enroll for the course for the third time.

Prerequisite Checking

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.

College of Architecture and Planning

Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.

Co-requisites

A co-requisite is a course(s) that needs to be taken simultaneously with another course.

Transcripts

Official Transcripts

The official transcript includes the complete undergraduate and graduate academic record of courses taken at all campus locations or divisions of the University of Colorado. It contains the signature of the registrar and the official seal of the university.

Official transcripts with posted grades for any given semester are available approximately three weeks after final exams. A transcript on which a degree is to be recorded is available approximately eight weeks after final exams.

For Denver Campus students, transcripts may be ordered through the student portal (UCDAccess) or through the online ordering portal by visiting www.ucdenver.edu/transcripts.

There is no charge for individual official transcripts (however fees are assessed for rush service). Transcripts are prepared only at the student’s request in writing in conjunction with the Transcript Request form or online through the Transcript Ordering Portal. A student with financial obligations to the university that are due and unpaid will not be granted a transcript. Official transcripts require seven to ten working days for processing. Rush service is available and fees are assessed based on the service requested.

Undergraduates Taking Graduate Coursework

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Architecture and Planning

With prior written approval of the BS Architecture Director, students may take a maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate-level non-architecture elective credits. Students must earn grades of B or better in graduate courses to apply the credits toward BS Architecture degree requirements.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

With faculty advisor approval, an undergraduate engineering student may be granted the opportunity to take graduate courses to be counted toward an undergraduate degree. A maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate-level University of Colorado course work taken as an undergraduate can be considered for credit toward a graduate degree. Only a grade of B (3.0) or above will be considered for graduate-level credit. All consideration of graduate work to be counted toward both an undergraduate and a graduate degree must be approved by a faculty advisor.