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The
grade point average is the quotient obtained by dividing the total number of grade
points earned by the number of semester hours in which a student is enrolled. Required
courses awarded a grade of "F" must be repeated until they are passed, and all of
these grades must be used to calculate the GPA. If a student receives a grade of
less than C (i.e. C- or lower) when repeating a course which was previously failed,
the student will be suspended.
Grades
of S, U, I, W, and (•) are not assigned grade point values and are not used in the
computation of the grade point average.
Some
courses are graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale; these grades are not
used in the calculation of the GPA, but will be used in consideration of appeals
of academic suspension or probation.
If
a student receives an incomplete (I) during the semester that he or she is placed
on suspension, the Academic Committee will not consider the final grade received
for the course even if the coursework is completed prior to the date that the student
files an appeal for reinstatement.
A
full-time student in the professional program shall be placed on academic probation
at the end of any semester or summer session in which his/her semester GPA falls
below 2.00. A full-time student shall be suspended from the professional program
for academic reasons under any or all of the following conditions:
l) The student is placed
on academic probation for two sequential semesters or any three semesters, including
any full-time summer session.
2) The student earned a
grade lower than a "C" (i.e. grades of C- or lower) in four separate courses
in any semester.
3) The student's cumulative
grade point falls below a 2.00 in any semester after the first semester in the
program.
4) The student earns a
semester GPA of 1.00 or lower in any semester.
These
actions of academic probation and suspension are automatic and do not require any
initiating or confirming action of the Dean, the Academic Committee or any other
administrative unit. While every effort will be made by the Office of Student Affairs
and Admissions in the College of Optometry to notify students of these actions by
communicating with the concerned student at his/her last known address, failure
of such notification for whatever reason does not abrogate these actions. It is
the responsibility of each student to inform his/her self of his/her academic status
before attempting to matriculate for the subsequent semester.
In
addition to the conditions outlined above which result in automatic academic probation
or suspension, the Academic Committee may recommend to the Dean that a student be
placed or continued on academic probation when the student's academic performance
is unsatisfactory. The committee may also recommend suspension from the program
when the student's academic performance suggests he/she will not be able to successfully
complete the program. A student may also be placed on probation or suspended if
the associated clinical coursemaster recommends either of these actions based upon
the criteria outlined in the clinic manual and summarized in the appended document,
"Criteria for Clinic Probation and Suspension." If a recommendation for probation
or suspension which is not automatic is made by the committee and accepted by the
Dean, the student will be notified by the Dean's office within five (5) working
days of the Dean's decision.
Exceptions
from these academic or clinic actions may be granted on appeal. The student must
initiate any and all appeals procedures. Appeal of these academic and/or clinic
actions within the College of Optometry shall be filed with the Chair of the Academic
Committee , which shall advise the Dean. Any student contemplating an appeal must
consult with the Director of the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions, and may
select advocates. Appeals must be stated in writing and delivered to the Chair of
the Academic Committee within two weeks after the last final examination as posted
by the University calendar. Appeals will ordinarily be granted only in the presence
of extenuating circumstances and when subsequent improvement seems likely.
Appeals
of these academic actions will ordinarily be granted in the following circumstances:
l) If a student who has
been placed on academic probation at the end of one semester fails to raise
his/her cumulative GPA above a 2.00 in the subsequent semester (an outcome which
would ordinarily result in suspension), but nevertheless achieves a semester
GPA of 2.5 or better and has no individual course grade below a "C", will not
be suspended but will remain on academic probation;
2) Students placed on suspension
for academic reasons may continue in the professional program only with the
recommendation and under the conditions specified by the Academic Committee
and approved by the Dean. These conditions may exceed those demanded of students
at the same level who are not on probation or suspension. Removal from probation
will not automatically be granted when the cumulative GPA is raised to 2.00
or higher.
A
student who has been suspended and is involved in the appeals procedure within the
University of Houston shall be permitted to continue with his/her work as long as
the appeal procedure is in process.
Students
on suspension who fail to matriculate for a particular semester either because they
did not file appeal in a timely manner or such an appeal was denied must apply to
the Admissions Committee for readmission to the College of Optometry. The suspension
must stand for a period of at least one year. These students can only be readmitted
by the Admissions Committee in competition with other current applicants. They may
only be readmitted following consultation between the Admissions Committee and representatives
of the Academic Committee. The Admissions Committee will then determine whether
admission will be granted while the Academic Committee will determine the level
at which the student is to be readmitted. Any student readmitted at a level other
than the Fall semester first year will be on probation for a minimum of one semester.
During this time, his/her class schedules must be approved by the Associate Dean
for Professional Studies. The Academic Committee will recommend which courses, if
any, must be repeated. Suspension does not require two semesters below a 2.00 but
may occur at any time the student fails to satisfy any of the stipulated requirements,
fails to show sufficient improvement in coursework, or fails to perform in a satisfactory
manner in clinic.
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