The University of Washington's academic policies are explained in the current UW Tacoma Catalog. Included below are some of the most important items.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

UW's GPA is based solely on courses with decimal grades taken in residence at all campuses of the University of Washington, including those with a DL (Distance Leaning) suffix taken through the UW Educational Outreach.

Grade requirements/academic probation and dismissal

Healthcare Leadership students must have a minimum grade of 2.0 in all Healthcare Leadership, Healthcare Leadership-related, and required courses. Students must also achieve a 2.0 grade in any repeated course. To graduate from UW Tacoma with a baccalaureate degree, a cumulative 2.0 GPA is required. To remain in good academic standing, a 2.0 GPA is required. If a student fails to get a 2.0 GPA in the first quarter of study, an academic progress update is issued. Failure to raise the GPA above 2.0 in the next quarter results in being placed on academic probation and being given an additional quarter to either raise the GPA to 2.0 or get a quarterly GPA of 2.5 until the cumulative GPA reaches 2.0. Failure to do this results in dismissal for low scholarship. If a continuing student's cumulative GPA drops below 2.0, no progress update will be issued. The student will be placed on academic probation and given one quarter to either raise the GPA to 2.0 or get a quarterly GPA of 2.5 until the cumulative GPA reaches 2.0. Failure to do this results in dismissal for low scholarship.

Satisfactory Progress

Students must demonstrate satisfactory progress in the program to graduate. They must maintain an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 and earn a minimum of 2.0 in all Healthcare Leadership, Healthcare Leadership-related, and required program courses.



The date and time that required Healthcare Leadership courses are offered may overlap with courses in your chosen minor. Students must prioritize enrolling for, participating in, and completing their required Healthcare Leadership courses in order to complete their degree. See the Healthcare Leadership advisor for guidance on course enrollment.

Healthcare Leadership Policy on Repeating Courses

If an HCL student fails to achieve a 2.0 in a required HCL course, they will be allowed one opportunity to retake the course. If the second attempt to achieve a 2.0 is not successful, unless there is a documented hardship withdrawal, students are not allowed to continue in the HCL Program major. Any third attempt to take a required HCL course would require HCL committee approval.  Furthermore, a HCL student who fails two (2) required courses will not be allowed to continue in the HCL Program as this indicates unsatisfactory progress.  A student may petition to continue in the program.  The petition will be reviewed by the HCL committee.  The student will be informed of the committee’s decision.  Likewise, students who do not maintain an overall 2.0 GPA are not allowed to continue in the HCL Program major. Students do have the right to appeal to the HCL Committee prior to separation from the Program.  Approved by HCL Committee 4/29/2014.

Non-traditional grades

Most courses use decimal grades (numerical grades with a range from 4.0 for an "A" to 0.0 for failing). Other grades that may appear on transcripts are:

S/NS: Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory

All required Healthcare Leadership courses, including required electives, must be graded and cannot be taken S/NS. Only students taking additional coursework, beyond the 90 required credits, may opt for this grading option. A grade of 2.0 or higher must be recorded by the instructor for the grade of "S" to be awarded.

C/NC: Credit/No Credit

Some courses are offered credit/no credit; all students in the course will receive a "CR" or a "NC." (The exception to this rule is in independent study, which allows a student to choose between graded or CR/NC.) To receive a "CR," a student has to earn a passing grade (2.0).

I: Incomplete

This grade will appear if a student has made arrangements with the instructor to complete the course work over the following quarter. A student must be in good standing at the time of the request. An "I" grade will convert to a "0.0" if the student does not complete the work and the instructor does not submit a grade by the end of the next quarter (summer quarter does not count), or the student does not request and receive an extension. See an advisor, a faculty member, or the catalog for details.

X: No grade submitted

The "X" grade serves as a placeholder in the computer system and will appear if no grade is submitted by the instructor. It will change as soon as the grade is submitted.

 

Healthcare Leadership grading scale

Academic Progress Update

An academic progress update (formerly called the mid-quarter warning) will be sent from the instructor by email to a learner who is in danger of failing or who has less than a 2.0 grade at mid-quarter. The purpose of the progress update is to notify the learner of the difficulty in ample time so that the situation can be rectified. Learners will be asked to reply to the instructor by email to acknowledge receipt of the progress update; learners may also be asked to meet with the instructor, their advisor, or other support resources. Progress updates are saved in student's file, but are removed upon graduation.

Grade appeal process

A student who believes he or she has been improperly graded first discusses the matter with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor’s explanation, the student may submit a written appeal to the director or the dean of the program that offered the course, with a copy of the appeal also to the instructor. This must be done no later than 10 class days after his or her discussion with the instructor.

The director consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student’s performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the director believe the instructor’s conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the director, with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that program to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The UW Tacoma Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the University of Washington Provost should be informed of this action.

Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in the student’s file.