A. Scholastic Requirements
The Institute rules state that “the
minimum satisfactory academic average is 1.70 for freshmen and joint enrolled
high school students; 1.80 for sophomores; 1.95 for juniors; 2.00 for seniors
and special undergraduates.” This is interpreted to mean that by the time you
achieve senior status your cumulative grade point average (GPA) must be equal to
or greater than 2.00 and must be maintained at this level until graduation.
Failure to meet these standards results in warning or probation status with
specified time intervals to achieve the required GPA spelled out in the "Student
Rules and Regulations" list in the Georgia Tech General Catalog. Failure
to achieve the required GPA within the specified time intervals will result in
the student being dropped from the Institute rolls.
Students should
recognize that academic dropping by the Institute can occur more rapidly than
the three-term sequence implied by warning-probation-drop. The more general
Institute policy is that " the Institute may drop from the rolls at any time a
student whose record in scholarship is unsatisfactory." Thus, for example, any
undergraduate student whose scholastic average for a term is 1.00 or below may
be immediately placed on academic probation or dropped, regardless of the
student's previous record. Juniors and seniors, as well as transfer students,
should be particularly aware of this more general Institute policy.
A
student, particularly at the junior or senior level, may also be placed on
review status by the Registrar's Office. Students placed on this status
generally have a satisfactory overall GPA resulting from good previous
performance, but their scholastic performance in recent terms has been less than
satisfactory. A student on review will not be permitted to register without
their major school’s approval.
B. Incomplete Grades
The
"I" grade may only be assigned for non-academic reasons such as medical
problems, jury duty, confinement, etc. Uncompleted assignments, quizzes, exams
and lab reports, unless due to an acceptable and substantiated non-academic
reason, are not grounds for the "I" grade being assigned. An incomplete in a
course must be removed and the grade change reported to the Registrar's Office
no later than the end of the student's next term in residence or, if the student
has not been enrolled, by the end of the term one calendar year from the date
the incomplete was assigned. If the "I" is not removed and the change of grade
reported to the Registrar's office by the above deadline the grade will be
changed to "F" on the students permanent record. Registering and repeating a
course in which an "I" grade has previously been assigned will not remove the
outstanding "I" grade.
C. Pass/Fail Grade
In order to encourage students to explore subjects of personal or professional interest without jeopardizing their GPA, the Institute has a limited Pass/Fail option. The policy of the School of Materials Science and Engineering regarding the use of Pass/Fail hours for credit is as follows: No course specifically required by name and number, nor any course used to satisfy a Concentration Specific requirement by the Materials Science and Engineering curriculum may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis. Neither the technical electives nor the MSE electives may be taken Pass/Fail. Refer to the Georgia Tech General Catalog for additional details including maximum number of Pass/Fail hours allowed.