Academic Standards
Attendance
Regular, punctual class attendance is required. Instructors shall have the right to stipulate attendance requirements within the first two weeks of the semester and to indicate the penalties that may result from failure to comply with these requirements.
Grading and GPA
Grade point averages are computed on the following scale:
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A student may opt to take not more than one Pass/D/Fail in a given year. This option may not be used for Hebrew language requirements.
Letter grades indicate the following: A, excellent; B, good; C, fair; D, poor; F, failure; R, auditor. No credit will be given for grades of C- or lower.
Once a grade has been received in the Office of the Registrar, it may be changed by the course instructor only upon written application from the instructor to the dean of the school. The dean’s approval is required.
Students electing to take courses on a Pass/D/Fail basis must indicate their preference at registration or on the appropriate form, which must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than two weeks after the first day of classes, the exact date to be indicated on the Academic Calendar. After this date, students may not alter the basis under which they have registered for their courses that semester. Core education and Judaic courses cannot be taken for Pass/Fail.
- The grade of P will be assigned for students who have earned a letter grade of C- or higher
- The grades of D and F will be so transcribed
Once the grade of P has been recorded, the instructor’s letter grade will not be available to any individual, committee, or institution under any circumstances.
The grade of AU will indicate that a student has registered for the course as an auditor and agreed to do all course work except a written paper and/or final examination. Such a course will neither yield academic credits nor meet departmental requirements.
Once a grade has been received in the Office of the Registrar, it may be changed by the course instructor only upon written application by the instructor to the director. The director’s approval is required.
Auditing
The grade AU signifies that the student has attended classes and completed all course work except for the final exam and/or paper. Students must notify the Office of the Registrar, in writing, by the date stipulated in the Academic Calendar, of their intention to audit. Failure to do so will mean that the course is being taken for credit. No credit will be given for courses taken for the grade AU; such courses will not count toward fulfilling the requirements for the degree. Priority will be given to students taking a course for credit; there are a limited number of spaces for students auditing.
Registration and Withdrawal
A student is expected to have registered for all courses by the date listed in the Academic Calendar.
With the permission of the dean or advisor, students may withdraw from a course by the date listed in the Academic Calendar.
Students who discontinue attendance in a course but who fail to withdraw formally within the designated period will receive the letter grade earned, usually an F, having completed only a portion of the class.
The Davidson School’s Academic Probation Policy
MA PROGRAM
An MA student who receives in any one semester two grades of B- or lower, or one grade of D (or below), will be placed on probation the following semester. To be restored to good standing, the student will be enrolled in the same amount of courses he or she took during the previous semester, not to exceed 12 credits for a full-time student, and not to exceed 6 credits for a part-time student.
The student may neither receive a grade lower than B- nor take an Incomplete during the probation semester. Failure to meet this standard will constitute grounds for dismissal.
No student will be permitted more than one semester of probation toward the degree, and a student whose grades put him or her on a second probation will be withdrawn from the school.
A student who earns two (2) grades of F in one semester will be withdrawn from The Davidson School immediately.
The student will have the right to appeal in accordance with the Student Disciplinary Procedures, available in the Office of the Registrar.
The permanent transcript of a student will list each semester of academic probation.
Incompletes
A student who, for compelling reasons, e.g., medical or family emergency, finds it necessary to postpone the submission of required course work may petition for the grade of Incomplete (INC).
Students can apply for only one Incomplete per semester.
The student must obtain a Request for Incomplete Form from the Office of the Registrar. This form must contain all information requested, including a description of the work to be completed and the due date, which cannot be later than the date specified in the Academic Calendar. The form must be signed by the student, instructor, and dean or academic advisor. The form must be returned to the Office of the Registrar. The last day to request an Incomplete and submit the form is indicated in the Academic Calendar.
All outstanding course work must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the date specified in the Academic Calendar. Generally, this date is six weeks from the end of the final examination period.
The Office of the Registrar shall record that work has been submitted and provide a written receipt to the student for the work received. The Office of the Registrar will transmit the completed work to the instructor. No work should be sent or given directly to the instructor by the student. The student is advised to retain a copy of all work submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
If a student fails to submit the outstanding work to the Office of the Registrar by the specified due date, the grade of INC will be converted to the alternate letter grade previously submitted by the instructor. This alternate grade reflects the instructor’s assessment of a student’s performance, taking into account the fact that work is missing. Students should be aware that the missing work may have been counted as an F (or 0) in the computation of the final grade for the course.
In special circumstances, the dean has the authority to grant an extension for the submission of overdue work as long as it is agreeable to the instructor. This extension must be sent in writing by the dean to the Office of the Registrar.
Students may not request an INC for any course during the semester of their graduation.
Absence from Final Examinations
A student who, because of illness or personal emergency, cannot be present for a scheduled final examination must inform the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible and indicate the reasons for the absence. The Office of the Registrar will inform the instructor and the director of the student’s absence. The student must arrange with the instructor for a makeup examination if the student still cannot be present for the regularly scheduled makeup examination day. The instructor will inform the Office of the Registrar of the arrangement, and provide the office with the exam so that it can be given to the student.
Students may not request Incompletes in advance for an in-class final examination. The student must take the makeup examination as soon as possible, but no later than the date indicated in the Academic Calendar governing the completion of outstanding work.
Leave of Absence
Students who, for compelling reasons (e.g., medical or family emergencies), are unable to take courses or continue with appropriate academic progress in a particular semester may request a semester’s leave of absence from the dean, and must register for a leave of absence each semester until they resume their studies.
MA students may generally not be granted a leave of absence for more than one semester; doctoral students, for not more than two semesters.
During the period of leave, a student may not take an examination, written or oral, be advised by the academic advisor, or submit any material for the completion of a degree.
There will be a leave of absence fee for each semester.
Transfer Credit
Students in a graduate-level program of JTS may request transfer credit for graduate-level course work completed at another accredited institution, under the following conditions: (1) the grade being transferred must be “B” or higher; (2) the grade may not be more than 10 years old; (3) Hebrew courses are not subject to transfer credit; (4) the credit may not have been applied to another degree; (5) credit must have the dean’s and advisor’s approval.
