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- Absence Reporting Procedure
- Requesting an Excused Absence for Personal/Professional Reasons
- Advanced Standing
- Class Standing
- Dean’s List
- Attendance
- Faculty Mentorship
- Grades
- Grades & Grade Point Average
- Grade for Retaken Course
- Graduation Honors
- Didactic Course
- Leave of Absence from APPEs in the Pharm.D. Program
Absence Reporting Procedure
In the event of serious illness, personal emergency, personal incapacitation, or other exceptional problem of a serious nature that causes a student to be absent from a session requiring mandatory attendance or class, a student must notify one of the following: CPG's Office of the Dean, CPG department head, or course director. To be excused from a rotation, the student's preceptor and the Office of Experiential Education must be notified. Failure to notify the Office of Experiential Education will result in an unexcused absence and policies detailed in the Experiential Education Manual will apply. Assuming that there is a legitimate reason for a student's absence, the CPG's Office of the Dean will contact by e-mail or telephone the coordinators of courses in which the student will miss an examination, quiz, or graded assignment, or will send a letter to all appropriate course directors that confirms in writing that the student will be absent, the reason for the absence, the courses from which the student will be absent, and the date(s) of the student's absence. This will be done as soon as possible (within 24 hours) after the student has called in. It is the student's responsibility to contact the course director immediately upon the student's return for instructions regarding how the missed session can be made up. If a student fails to follow this procedure, the student is held responsible for the policies stated in course syllabi regarding unexcused absences. Unexcused absences may result in course failure.
Requesting an Excused Absence for Personal/Professional Reasons
The College recognizes that a student may need to be excused from class or rotations for non-illness, non- emergency-related reasons. An Absence Request Form must be completed at least 2 weeks prior to the day the student wishes to be excused. Forms are available in the Office of the Dean. Completion of the form by the student does not imply the student is excused from classes until the course directors of the affected courses approve the request.
Advanced Standing
All requests for Advanced Standing by newly admitted, transfer, or enrolled students are processed on a course-by-course basis by the Office of the Dean. To be considered, a student must submit an Advanced Standing Request Form to the Office of the Dean on which the student lists the course(s) previously taken at an accredited college or university. The course(s) previously taken must be similar in content (including skills) to the professional course that the student is scheduled to take. Similar in content means that the course previously taken is at graduate level and includes all the major topics/skills covered in the program course for which Advanced Standing is being requested. Advanced Standing will only be considered for coursework taken in which a letter grade of B or better has been earned. The student is responsible for providing a list comparing course topics/skills covered in each course (the course taken and the course for which Advanced Standing is being requested). For each course used to support an Advanced Standing request, the student must provide an official course description, a course syllabus, when it was taken, and an unofficial transcript showing the course grade. The course previously taken must be at least the same number of credit hours as the course for which Advanced Standing is being requested. The course previously taken must have been started and completed within 24 months of the start of the course that Advanced Standing is being requested. For some courses, a student may be required to take a comprehensive challenge exam in addition to receiving a grade of B or better. All requests must be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the start of the program course for which Advanced Standing is being requested. Advanced Standing will NOT be considered for courses that have been failed and retaken, or for experiential rotations (i.e., IPPEs or APPEs). No advanced standing will be awarded for professional pharmacy coursework completed at a foreign college of pharmacy. Once the request has been evaluated by a Dean’s office representative and it is determined that the request meets this criteria, the request will be sent to the course director for the course in which Advanced Standing is being requested for final approval.
Class Standing
To achieve the status of a second-year student in the professional program (PS-II), students must have successfully completed all requisite PS-I courses and earned an annual didactic GPA of 2.00. To achieve the status of a third-year student in the professional program (PS-III), students must have successfully completed all requisite PS-II courses, the two introductory rotations, and earned an annual didactic GPA of 2.00.
Dean’s List
Following each quarter, the College of Pharmacy, Glendale Campus recognizes students for the Dean's List who have distinguished themselves by achieving a GPA of 3.50 or better for the quarter. This applies for full-time didactic coursework only. Students who are currently undergoing an extended program of study are not eligible for the Dean's List.
Attendance
Upon acceptance to the Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, students are expected to devote their entire efforts to the academic curriculum. The College actively discourages employment that will conflict with a student's ability to perform while didactic and experiential courses are in session and will not take outside employment or activities into consideration when scheduling classes, examinations, reviews, field trips, or individual didactic or experiential course functions. Class attendance is mandatory for all students during experiential courses (IPPEs and APPEs). Refer to the student IPPE or APPE manual for specific details regarding this policy.
Faculty Mentorship
CPG assigns a faculty mentor to students in each entering class. Students are assigned a faculty advisor selected from the faculty of CPG. In addition to these faculty advisors, the College Dean, Associate Deans and the Dean of Students, as well as other faculty members and professional staff, are also available to assist students with academic advising, counseling, and enrichment.
Students are placed into groups upon entry into the College. Each group of students is assigned a faculty mentor who will mentor them throughout the program. Faculty mentors act as liaisons between the faculty and students. Their responsibilities include:
- Serving as the student's mentor and academic/professional counselor;
- Monitoring the academic progress and professional growth of the student;
- Assist the student in seeking academic and personal counseling services provided by the institution;
- Serving as an advocate for the student; and
- Serving the student during the individual's selection of a career within the pharmacy profession.
Grades
The following includes all grading options and corresponding definitions that may be issued within CPG.
|
Grade |
Quality Points (per credit) |
Comments |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A |
4.000 |
- |
||
|
A- |
3.670 |
- |
|
|
|
B+ |
3.330 |
- |
||
|
B |
3.000 |
- |
|
|
|
B- |
2.670 |
- |
||
|
C+ |
2.330 |
- |
|
|
|
C |
2.000 |
- |
||
|
F |
0.000 |
- |
|
|
|
I |
0.000 |
An Incomplete (I) grade may be assigned by an instructor when a student's work is of passing quality but incomplete, or if a student qualifies for re-examination. It is the responsibility of the student to request an extension from the course instructor. By assigning an "I" grade, it is implied that an instructor agrees that the student has a valid reason and should be given additional time to complete required coursework. All incomplete grades must be resolved within 10 calendar days from the end of final exams for the quarter. In the case of courses ending prior to final exam week, it is the obligation of the course director to monitor the use and resolution of the incomplete grade, with notice to the Registrar. |
||
|
IP |
0.000 |
An In-Progress (IP) grade may be assigned when extenuating circumstances make it necessary to extend the grade completion period past 10 calendar days (e.g. illness, family death). Authorization by the Dean is required, and the completion period should not typically exceed one quarter. |
|
|
|
P |
0.000 |
Pass (for a pass/fail course); designation indicates that the student has made satisfactory progress or completed required coursework satisfactorily. Grade of "P" is counted toward credit hour accruals for graduation but does not affect GPA calculations. |
||
|
F |
0.000 |
Fail (for a pass/fail course); designation indicates that the student has not made satisfactory progress or completed required coursework satisfactorily. Grade of "F" is counted toward credit hour accruals as attempted but not completed. Grade of "F" is calculated into the GPA (quality points are lowered due to unsuccessful course completion). Multiple F's can be grounds for dismissal. |
|
|
|
W |
0.000 |
Withdrawal is given if the work completed up to the time of withdrawal was satisfactory. This grade is not counted in any GPA calculation and is not counted in credit hour accruals for graduation. |
||
|
WF |
0.000 |
Withdrawal/Failing is given if the work completed up to the time of withdrawal is below the passing grade level for the Program/School. This grade is not counted in any GPA calculation and is not counted in credit hour accruals for graduation. |
|
|
|
AU |
0.000 |
This designation indicates an audited course in which a student is registered with the understanding that neither academic credit nor a grade is earned. The status of the course cannot be changed from audit to full credit after the start of the quarter. The designation AU is not counted in the GPA calculation. |
||
|
AP |
|
This designation indicates the decision of a college to award academic credit that precludes a student from taking required course work. The designation of Advanced Placement (AP) is applied toward credit hour accruals, but is not counted in the GPA calculation. |
|
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Grades & Grade Point Average
Courses are recorded in terms of quarter hour(s) of credit. Multiplication of the credits for a course by the numeric value for the grade awarded gives the number of quality points earned for a course. Dividing the total number of quality points earned in courses by the total number of credits in those courses gives the grade point average.
Grades reported as “W”, “WF”, and “P” are recorded on a student's permanent record but are not used in the calculation of a student's grade point average. Similarly, a grade of “I” or “IP” may be assigned and is used only when special/extenuating circumstances exist (e.g., prolonged illness, family crisis, etc.), which prevent a student from completing the necessary course requirements on time, in order to receive a grade.
Any request for an extension to complete required course or pharmacy practice experience requirements must be approved first by the course director responsible for the course or pharmacy practice experience. Unless otherwise specified, a grade of “I” must be resolved within 10 days from the end of the quarter or pharmacy practice experience or the incomplete grade is automatically converted into a grade of “F”, which signifies failure of the course or pharmacy practice experience. It is the responsibility of the student when receiving an incomplete grade to complete all of the course requirements within this time, unless otherwise specified. If a student receives a failing grade (“F”) in a course or pharmacy practice experience, that grade will be recorded on the student's transcript. If a course re-examination is successfully completed, a minimally passing grade is registered in place of the "F" and the student's cumulative grade point average will reflect the change. If a student is unsuccessful at re-examination, the grade of "F" will remain.
A student's academic standing is determined on the basis of the student's grade point average. Inclusion on the Dean's List, honors at graduation, placement on probation, and dismissal depend directly on the grade point average.
Grade for Retaken Course
If a student receives a failing grade, that grade is recorded on the transcript as a letter grade (an "F" entry). This deficiency may be corrected as recommended by the Student Promotion and Graduation Committee. Upon repetition of a failed course, the original grade of "F" remains on the transcript, and the repeated course and new grade are entered on the transcript. The grade for a failed course repeated and passed at Midwestern University, or at an outside institution is recorded on the transcript as a grade of "C". For all failed experiential rotations at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy that are repeated and passed, a grade of "C" will be recorded on the transcript. For both didactic coursework and experiential rotations that are repeated, the original failing grade will remain on the transcript but will not be included in the GPA calculations. The grade of "C" will be included in the GPA calculation. If a repeated didactic course or experiential rotation is failed, a grade of "F" is again recorded on the transcript. Students who fail a course or rotation a second time may be recommended for dismissal as described in the COP Student Promotion and Graduation Committee Recommendations Guidelines.
Graduation Honors
Graduation honors are awarded to candidates for the full-time Doctor of Pharmacy degree who have distinguished themselves by virtue of high academic achievement while enrolled in the professional program of the College. Only grades from didactic courses taken at the College will be included in determining graduation honors.
Degrees with honor are awarded based on the level of academic achievement as follows:
Didactic Course
|
Grade Point Average |
Graduation Honor |
|---|---|
|
> 3.90 |
Summa cum laude |
|
3.75 - 3.89 |
Magna cum laude |
|
3.50 - 3.74 |
Cum laude |
Leave of Absence from APPEs in the Pharm.D. Program
Refer to the University policy. Requests for leaves from the Pharm.D. Program must be in writing and forwarded to the Dean by June 1 of the PS-III year. No requests for leaves of absence will be permitted after this time except for extraordinary circumstances. Once APPEs have started, the minimum approved length of time for a leave of absence is six months.