Grade Point Average
Incomplete Work
Pass/Fail
Auditing
Projects/Independent Study
Courses Outside Owen
Performance Reviews
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Master's degree candidates must pass a minimum of 62 credit hours, including all core courses, with a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (SP = 4 points, HP = 3.5, PA = 3, LP = 2.5, F = 0). Exempted courses, incompletes, "passes" in Pass/Fail courses, and courses taken outside of Owen are not included in computations of grade point averages. Students may not enroll in courses for which they do not have the prerequisite(s), and will be dropped from the roster if they have not completed the prerequisite course(s).
Grade point averages are calculated using indicated grade-point values.
Grading System
Defined Grades with Corresponding Grade Points Per Credit Hour
| SP | = 4.0 |
| HP | = 3.5 |
| PA | = 3.0 |
| LP | = 2.5 |
| F | = 0.0 |
Letter grades are used in evaluation as follows:
| SP | Superior Pass |
| HP | High Pass |
| PA | Pass |
| LP | Low Pass |
| F | Failure |
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Registration System
Students must register for each semester using OASIS and the course planning document survey tool on the dates specified. Students who attempt to register after the first four days of classes in each module will be denied permission to register unless special permission is received from the Academic Programs Director. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that his or her registration in OASIS accurately reflects his or her enrollment. Students may not attend courses in which they are not enrolled, and students may not register for overlapping classes.
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Adding and Dropping Courses
During the first four days of each semester, students may add or drop open enrollment courses without obtaining permission. After this period, students will not be permitted to add courses to their schedules, and withdrawal from any course will require the approval of the Committee on Instruction. Courses dropped after the first week of classes will be recorded on the student’s transcript as a W. The grade W is not included in the calculation of the grade point average. This applies to individual courses as well as withdrawals or leaves of absence that occur after the first week of class. Permission to withdraw may be denied for good reason, e.g., if a student has accepted responsibility for group work or a presentation. No withdrawal will be permitted after commencement of the examination period. All requests for course changes should be referred to the Director of Academic Programs.
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Attendance in Classes
Regular class attendance is expected. Excessive absences may result in automatic withdrawal from a course, exclusion from the final examination with a failing grade, or a reduction in grade, all at the discretion of the faculty member involved.
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Incomplete Work
A grade of incomplete, or I, is given at the discretion of the instructor when circumstances beyond the control of a student prevent all course requirements from being met. If a student is absent from a final exam for a reason approved by the faculty member and the Dean’s office (e.g., illness, emergency), a make-up examination will be given. Make-up examinations are not given in the case of unapproved or unexcused absences. The incomplete must be removed by the end of the next module. Failure to remove an incomplete in the time specified can result in the automatic conversion of an I to an F.
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Pass/Fail
Students are permitted to take up to six hours of non-Owen courses on a Pass/Fail credit basis. Credit hours earned in courses passed in this manner are not included in calculating grade-point averages, although failing grades are included. The minimum grade to qualify as passing is a C or its equivalent.
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Auditing
Regularly enrolled students may wish to take courses for which they will receive no credit. There is no charge to such students for auditing Owen courses. Non-Owen Vanderbilt courses audited or taken on a no-credit basis that have not been approved by Owen will be assessed a per-credit-hour charge. Auditing is subject to the following conditions:
- You must obtain the consent of the instructor in the add/drop period.
- The instructor sets the conditions under which a course may be audited. Failure to meet those conditions is justification for withdrawal of the audit designation. Courses that require extensive group work are not usually approved for audit.
- Audits carry no credit. No grade is recorded for an audited course, although the course will appear on the student’s transcript.
- Grading status may not be changed after the add/drop period (i.e., an audited course cannot be changed to a graded course).
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Project Work and Independent Study Courses
All project work not associated with a classroom course must be approved by the professor who will supervise such work and the Director of Academic Programs. The Committee on Instruction provides guidelines for proposals to be submitted for such projects. The Committee will not accept proposals for project or independent study courses after the first week of the module in which the work is to be undertaken. Students are limited to six hours of project and independent study work in the MBA program.
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Courses Outside Owen
All courses taken outside of Owen must be approved by the Committee on Instruction and are normally taken on a Pass/Fail basis. Once registered in the Owen School, a student must ensure that non-Owen courses to be taken for credit have received prior approval from the Committee on Instruction. The minimum grade to qualify as passing is a C or its equivalent. For students who are already enrolled at Owen, the Committee on Instruction generally does not approve courses at other universities for transfer credit.
Courses taken in Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science and in the Graduate School must be numbered 200 or above in order to qualify for graduate credit toward the MBA. Courses taken elsewhere at Vanderbilt should be at a level suitable for graduate and professional students and must be pre-approved by the Dean’s Office. For courses at other schools ay Vanderbilt, check the Graduate School Catalog.
Courses equivalent to Owen core courses (as determined by the Committee on Instruction) passed by Vanderbilt undergraduates who subsequently enroll at Owen may be proposed as bases for core courses. These proposed courses must have been passed within the past three years with a grade of B or better. There will be no reduction in the minimum of 62 hours of course work required for the MBA degree except in the case of students enrolled in a five-year joint baccalaureate-MBA program.
Enrollment in Owen elective courses is restricted to students who are enrolled in post-baccalaureate degree programs, on a space-available basis.
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Performance Reviews and Academic Probation Students in the MBA program are expected to maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 is considered to be performing at an unsatisfactory level, and the student is placed on probation. If the student does not bring the cumulative GPA above 3.0 by the end of the second semester, the student may be dropped from the program.
Students who are consistently at the lower grade levels may be offered assistance from the Dean of Students so they can improve their performance. In some cases, students may be asked to leave the program due to their academic performance.
The following guidelines are used:
Any LP or F grade requires academic counseling
LP = .5 points
F = 1 point
A student will be asked to leave the program if he/she has accumulated:
2 points at the end of Mod I or
2.5 points at the end of Mod II or
3 or more points at any time
Any required class or graduation requirement that has not been passed must be re-taken the next time it is offered at Owen prior to graduation. The original failing grade will remain on the transcript, but, upon successful completion of the course, the “F” grade will not be calculated in the cumulative GPA.
Students are encouraged to plan their business education carefully, consult the faculty when appropriate, and study the course offerings and advisory documents made available each semester. Each individual student bears the responsibility for fulfilling these requirements. The faculty, deans, directors, and administrative personnel are available for consultation, but no official approval of course schedules is required after the core has been completed. The Office of Academic Programs audits student records to confirm credit hour and concentration requirements prior to graduation.
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Leave of Absence Requests
Students who are temporarily unable to continue their course of study or who, for personal reasons, need to withdraw from school temporarily must request a leave of absence from Owen. The request must be made in writing and addressed to the Committee on Instruction (through the Director of Academic Programs). Leaves are granted for one semester or one academic year. Students placed on leave of absence are required to keep the Academic Programs office informed of their plans to return to school. Students on leave who wish to return must inform the school of their plans no later than August 1 for the fall semester or December 1 for the spring semester. In consultation with the Committee on Instruction, the administration may extend a leave of absence.
Students who discontinue class attendance without a leave of absence, students who fail to register for a subsequent semester’s work without a leave of absence, and students on absence who fail to return to Owen following the period of approved leave without requesting and receiving an extension will be dismissed from the school. In order to return, such students must reapply for admission and financial aid.
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