Academic Standards

Credit Hour

The semester credit hour is a unit by which an institution measures its course work. The value of a semester credit hour can be determined by time, the educational experience, and outside preparation by the student.

The following constitutes the definition of a semester credit hour for various modes of instruction offered at UMHB:

1. At least fifteen (15) contact hours, as well as, a minimum of thirty (30) hours of student homework is required for each semester credit hour.
2. Laboratory courses, with little outside work, require a minimum of forty-five (45) contact hours. If moderate outside work is required, thirty (30) contact hours are required.
3. Art courses follow the recommendations for awarding credit as recommended by The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Texas Association of Schools of Art (TASA). In lecture courses, like art history, normally one semester hour of credit represents one 50-minute session each week of the term. For our studio classes, normally a ratio of one semester hour of credit equals two hours of contact time and one hour of outside work per week. For example, a three semester credit hour course would require six faculty contact hours per week. Note: Faculty contact must be sufficient to ensure the development of knowledge and skills required by each course. Normally, faculty contact is greater at the foundation or introductory level than at the advanced studio level.
4. Music courses follow the recommendations for awarding credit as required by The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Normally, a semester hour of credit represents at least three hours of work each week for a period of fifteen or sixteen weeks. In lecture classes, such as music history, normally one semester hour of credit is given for one 50-minute session plus two hours of homework each week of the term. For ensembles, like laboratory classes, normally one semester hour of credit is given for two to four 50-minute rehearsal sessions per week, depending on the ensemble. For applied lessons, normally one semester hour of credit is given for each three hours of practice, plus the necessary individual 30-minute lesson per week with the instructor. For example, a two semester credit hour applied lesson would meet for two 30-minute lessons per week.
5. Internships, clinical, and field experiences require a minimum of forty-five (45) clock hours for each semester credit hour.
6. For online, hybrid, and other nontraditional modes of delivery, semester credit hours are assigned based on learning outcomes that are equivalent to those in a traditional course setting, forty-five (45) hours of work by a typical student for each semester hour of credit.

Syllabi for every course will contain the appropriate definition of a semester credit hour from the list above. Each course should then follow this definition.

Course Numbers

The first digit in the numbering system denotes the course level (5 & 6 Master’s, 7 Doctoral). The second digit denotes the number of semester hours the course carries. The third and fourth digits are departmental numbers.

Student Load

Full-time Load:

For graduate programs consisting of 2-semester hour courses, eight (8) semester hours for a semester is considered full time.

Overload: 12 semester hours or more

Grading System

*Not counted in computing GPA

**Counted in computing GPA for the semester in which the course was taken AND for computing overall GPA.

Incomplete Grade

An “I” (Incomplete) indicates inability of a student to complete some vital requirement of a course (e.g. final exam, major report, term paper, etc.) due to conditions beyond the student’s control. It is not the intent of the “I” grade to give a student an unfair time advantage over other students who complete their work in a timely manner. As such, an “I” grade will be approved only when exceptional circumstances, clearly beyond the student’s control, are substantiated (e.g. protracted illness, injury, or other acute personal emergency). It is the responsibility of the student to contact his/her professor prior to course culmination to execute the Incomplete Grade Contract.

Once an “I” grade is assigned, it is the responsibility of the student to take the initiative to complete the work within thirty (30) calendar days after the start of the next semester (excluding full summer term). If more than thirty days are required, an extension request is to be submitted by the student through the instructor and Program Director to the Dean of the Graduate School. Approved extensions will be filed with the Registrar’s Office. An extension longer than the end of the next semester (excluding full summer term) will not be approved. The “I” will be automatically changed to an “F” if the course is not satisfactorily completed within this time frame. A $25 fee is charged to remove an “I” grade.

Grade Reports

Grades are posted on MyCampus at https://mycampus.umhb.edu/ics/.

Academic Progress Requirements

A grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or above, semester and cumulative, is required of all graduate students enrolled at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Students with a semester or cumulative GPA of less than 3.00 will be placed on probation. Two consecutive terms of enrollment on probation will result in suspension from the program. A student who has been dismissed may apply for readmission to the University and/or to the program of interest one calendar year after dismissal. Resubmission of GRE/GMAT score report and transcript(s) is not required. With approval of the Program Director, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the University Graduate Council, students may be readmitted sooner than one calendar year after dismissal.

Academic Appeal

Students may appeal any academic decision believed to be arbitrary, capricious, or unfair. Appeals must be initiated within 30 days of the date of the decision or action being appealed. The student should first appeal the decision in writing to the person who made it by stating the appropriate rationale for reconsideration, the requested remedy, and the student’s contact information. If the matter is not resolved, the student may then appeal that decision in writing to the next highest authority.

In matters related to academic coursework, the line of appeal is first, the faculty member; second, the graduate program director; third, the Dean of the Graduate School; and finally, the Provost’s Office.

Each person to whom an appeal is made will normally respond to the student in writing within five (5) business days of receipt of the appeal. Extensions may be granted by the Provost in cases where the issue requires more extensive review and/or other extenuating circumstances. The student will have ten (10) calendar days from the date of that response to appeal to the next level.

The Graduate Dean and/or Provost’s Office may request a meeting with the student and other parties involved. Appeals will be considered only if they are from students enrolled at UMHB upon initiation of the first appeal. Conversations and/or correspondence with anyone other than students and UMHB faculty/staff will not be considered in responses to appeals until and unless the issue has been appealed to the Provost’s Office.

Students should understand that mere dissatisfaction with a grade or decision is not grounds for an appeal. For an appeal to have merit, there must be some evidence that the student has been treated inappropriately with regard to the administration of the university’s policies and procedures.