The faculty of the School of Education has empowered the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to review the records of all undergraduate students in the School of Education at the close of each semester. Using the criteria outlined below, the School may warn a student of failure to make satisfactory progress, place a student on probation, or withdraw the student from the University.

Good Academic Standing

Full-time undergraduate students maintain good academic standing when they achieve all three of the following: (1) earn at least 12 academic credits in the semester just completed; (2) earn a semester GPI of at least 2.00; and (3) maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00. [Note: Academic credits do not include PDP (Physical Education & Dance) credits. Grades for transfer credits are not counted in the grade point average.]

Satisfactory Progress

Undergraduate students are expected to be enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester credits each semester and to complete a minimum of 24 semester credits per academic year. Students who matriculated into the School of Education and those transferring into SED after July 1, 2011, must earn a grade of B– or better in both of two required courses: SED ED 100 (Introduction to Education) and either SED SE 250, SED SE 251, or SED SE 510 (Special Education), in order to continue in one of SEDʼs licensure programs. Students may repeat the course one time to achieve the grade of B– or better. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will monitor student performance in these classes and will notify the student and the advisor if the student fails to achieve the required minimum grade.

Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress

A student who fails to complete 24 semester credits in an academic year, accumulates five or more of the following grades, or a combination thereof, will receive a Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

• “D” grades
• “I”—Incomplete
• “W”—Withdrawal

Removal of Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress

Students who receive a Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress must achieve a minimum grade point index (GPI) of 2.0 in the following semester, based upon a minimum of 12 semester credits. Students who fail to achieve a GPI of 2.0 or who accumulate additional grades of “D,” “I,” or “W” may not register for the following semester without permission from the advisor and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. If a student does not meet the minimum GPI of 2.0 by the close of the second academic semester following the warning, the case may be referred to the Academic Cluster Council for review and determination of sanctions.

Eligibility for Student Teaching Practicum

No student may enter a student teaching practicum until all courses required to reach that level in the professional sequence have been completed with a minimum GPA of 2.5. When a student fails to meet this criterion, the student has the option of repeating the courses. (For the purposes of these internal grade calculations, only the second grade will be used. However, the first grade will remain on the transcript and will be calculated into the official Boston University GPA.)

In addition, students in secondary licensure programs must have a GPA of at least a 3.0 in six semester courses of their major discipline, or written approval from their major advisor and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, in order to enter the practicum. Students on sanction for academic or professional misconduct cannot enter the student teaching practicum during the semester(s) on sanction. In all cases, the faculty reserves the right to be selective in admitting students and in permitting them to continue in the professional programs and practicum experiences.

Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress in a Professional Program Sequence

An undergraduate student will receive a Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress in a Professional Program Sequence when the GPA in required professional studies drops below 2.5, or when he or she fails to meet the program standards, which may require a higher GPA.

Removal of Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress in a Professional Program Sequence

A student must meet the minimum program standards as indicated above in order to have the warning status removed from his or her records. A student who has received a warning and who fails to meet the minimum program standards will be denied admission to the professional courses for the following semester unless specific action is taken by the advisor and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs on behalf of the faculty to allow the student to continue in the professional sequence.

Academic Probation

A student is put on Academic Probation when he or she is in danger of not making sufficient academic progress toward her or his degree, having fallen below a 2.00 GPI or GPA or not completed 12 credits in a semester. Students are reviewed after one semester on Academic Probation. Those who earn a GPI and GPA of 2.00 or above and complete 12 credits during the probationary semester will return to Good Standing. Those students who do not achieve Good Standing (as defined above) during the probationary semester will move to Academic Suspension, Dismissal, or a second semester of Academic Probation. Students can be on Academic Probation for no more than two consecutive semesters. Academic Probation does not prohibit students from participating in extracurricular activities or intercollegiate athletics.

Academic Suspension

A student faces Academic Suspension when s/he has spent one or two semesters on Probation and has not achieved Good Standing (as defined above) in the most recent semester of Academic Probation. Specifics regarding the duration and terms of the Academic Suspension will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Appeals of Suspension are directed to the Dean of SED.

Reinstatement after Academic Suspension

Students who have fulfilled their period of Academic Suspension must meet with their academic advisor and must also reestablish their standing in SED by contacting the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. When students are reinstated, they are reinstated to a probationary standing.

Dismissal

A student faces Dismissal if s/he has spent one or two semesters on Probation and has not achieved a GPI and GPA of 2.00 and completed 12 credits in the most recent semester of Academic Probation. A student also faces Dismissal if s/he has spent at least one semester on Suspension and has not fulfilled the terms of the Suspension. Decisions on Dismissal are made on a case-by-case basis. Dismissal results in permanent separation from the University. Appeals of Dismissal are directed to the Dean of SED.

Please see the academic requirements for maintaining financial aid.

Good Academic Standing

Graduate students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 to be in good academic standing and to graduate from the School of Education.

Admission to Student Teaching

No graduate student may enter the practicum or clinical experience until all courses required to reach that level in the professional sequence have been completed with a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA). When a student fails to meet this criterion, the student has the option of repeating course(s) in the professional sequence in order to reach the required GPA. (For the purposes of internal SED grade calculations, the second grade will be used. However, the first grade will remain on the transcript and will be calculated into the official Boston University GPA). In all cases, the faculty reserves the right to be selective in admitting students and in permitting them to continue in the professional programs and practicum experiences.

Graduation

Graduate students must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 in order to graduate.

Probation and Withdrawal

The Faculty Assembly of the School of Education has empowered the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to review the records of all graduate students enrolled in School of Education degree/licensure programs at the close of each fall and spring semester. Using the criteria outlined below, the School shall place a graduate student on probation or academically withdraw the student from the degree program under the conditions described below.

Probation

A graduate student shall be placed on probation when the studentʼs grade point average at the end of either fall or spring semester falls below 3.0. The student will receive written notification of probationary status.

Removal from Probation

To be removed from probation, a graduate student must achieve a GPA of 3.0 or above by the close of the next semester in which the student is registered. Graduate students who do not achieve a 3.0 GPA by the close of the semester, but whose GPA does not fall at the level for withdrawal, must obtain permission from the advisor and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs on behalf of the faculty to register.

Academic Withdrawal by the School

A graduate student may be academically withdrawn by the School of Education if the student has completed a total of 16 or more semester credits of Boston University graduate work with a GPA lower than 2.8.

The decision to withdraw a student is made by a quorum of the Academic Cluster Council following consultation with the student’s advisor. The action is reported to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

*Please note that summer sessions do not count as a semester for Academic Standing purposes.

Calculation of GPI and GPA for Academic Standards

All coursework taken at Boston University, or through the Boston University Consortium, with the intent of completing a program, will be averaged to determine the GPA.

Definitions

Grade point index (GPI)

Total honor points divided by total semester credits for any one academic semester.

Grade point average (GPA)

Total honor points divided by total semester credits. In computing grade point average for academic status (i.e., Probation, Warning of Failure to Make Satisfactory Progress, and Required to Withdraw), graduation, and academic honors (i.e., Dean’s List, Graduation with Honors), only courses completed at Boston University will be included.

Honor points

Honor points will be computed following the Boston University four-point system, i.e., one semester credit of an “A” grade equals 4 honor points; one semester credit of an “A-” grade equals 3.7 honor points, etc.

Academic semester

An academic semester consists of either Semester I or II of the official academic year, which runs from September through May of each year. Boston University Summer Terms will also be defined as an academic semester if a total of eight or more semester credits are taken during the first and/or second Summer Term(s). (EdD candidates must register for a total of 12 semester credits—four semester credits in one Summer Term and eight in the other—if they intend to use a Summer Term in conjunction with a regular academic semester to meet residency requirements.)

Academic Cluster Council

A Faculty Assembly committee elected by clusters to act on behalf of the Faculty Assembly in matters concerning academic standards.

*Please note that summer sessions do not count as a semester for Academic Standing purposes.