Courses are classified according to Regulations of the Academic Senate, San Francisco Division:

• Courses in the 100 series may be accepted for credit toward a graduate degree if approved by the graduate advisor.
• Courses in the 200 series are normally reserved for students registered in graduate status.
• Courses in the 300 series refer to work in teaching methods or practice and may be accepted toward a graduate degree.
• Courses in the 400 series are professional courses designed to meet requirements for certification and may not be accepted toward a graduate degree.

Instructors are required to assign specific grades for all students and must file course reports with the Registrar at the end of each quarter. Letters grades are reported as follows:

A = excellent
B = good
C = fair
D = barely passing
F = failure
I = incomplete
S= Satisfactory
U= Unsatisfactory
IP = in progress

A course in which a student receives a grade of D or F cannot be counted toward a graduate degree, but is calculated as part of the grade point average. If a student repeats a course in which a D or F was reported, the original grade will remain on the student’s record.

It is imperative that grades are reported by the quarterly deadlines established by the Registrar. Failure to report grades in a timely manner can affect a student’s eligibility for financial aid and graduation.

Optional Grading (S/U)

Some courses are graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis only. These are courses numbered 220, 250, 298, and 300. (215 Lab Rotations may be approved as an exception.) In all other courses, S/U grading may be offered as an option to graduate students. Unless a student elects the S/U option, a letter grade must be assigned. In order to elect the S/U option, a graduate student must indicate S/U grading for the course on the study list.

Pass-fail grades for graduate students are reported as S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). An S grade is awarded for work that would otherwise receive a grade of B or better. Courses graded S are counted toward the unit requirement for a graduate degree but are not calculated in the grade point average. A U grade is assigned whenever a grade of C, D, or F would otherwise be given.

Although no unit requirement is imposed for the doctoral degree, each student should complete a sufficient number of letter-graded courses to demonstrate concretely the academic quality of his/her scholarship.

Incomplete Grades

The grade I is assigned when a student's work is of passing quality but incomplete for good cause. Assignment of an incomplete grade is at the discretion of the course instructor. Students should not request an incomplete grade unless they are unable to complete the work because of sudden illness, personal emergency, or other good cause. An incomplete grade is not to be regarded as the solution to poor performance in a course.

An incomplete grade must be removed within one calendar year or by the end of the quarter in which it is next offered. If it is not removed, the grade of F may be assigned.

A student must petition to have the I grade removed. A fee will be charged upon submission of the petition. The petition for Removal of Provisional Grade is available at the Registrar’s office or on-line at:

http://saa.ucsf.edu/admission/forms.html

The course instructor must file the petition with the Registrar. The Registrar will then send the instructor a grade report request. After a grade is received, the I grade will be changed on the permanent record.

An I grade can delay a student's progress toward the degree since the Graduate Division will not allow a student to advance to candidacy, apply for filing fee, or graduate with an incomplete grade on the record. Students will be reminded of the need to remove I grades by the Graduate Division.

Standards of Scholarship

Graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (B) in their programs of study and must make satisfactory progress toward the degree as defined by the faculty of the degree program.

Students who fail to maintain a 3.00 GPA or fail to make satisfactory progress toward the degree are subject to dismissal by the Dean of Graduate Studies after consultation with the faculty of the degree program.
Each graduate program should establish a regular mechanism for reviewing student progress toward the degree. Completion of specific program requirements should be documented and maintained in the graduate program’s student files. Any deficiency or failure to meet the standards of the program should be discussed with the student and confirmed in writing.

Graduate Degree Committees

Committees appointed to supervise the research and writing of the master's thesis or doctoral dissertation, or to conduct the doctoral qualifying examination or comprehensive examinations for the master’s degree are composed of members of the Academic Senate.

In cases where it is to the advantage of the student to have a member of a committee who is not a member of the Senate, approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies is required. In no case may a non-Senate person be appointed the Chair of a committee for a graduate degree. A non-Senate person may serve as co-chair, provided that the other co-chair is a member of the Academic Senate. For the master’s thesis committees, at least two members should be Academic Senate faculty.

A student may petition to have a non-Senate faculty member on any committee where it is desirable and recommended by the graduate advisor. The petition must be accompanied by appropriate documentation as to the individual's expertise and qualifications for appointment, such as a current CV. If it becomes necessary to make a change in the composition of a committee, the student may petition for a reconstitution of the committee. The general student petition is used for this purpose.

For students enrolled in a joint degree program, additional requirements may have to be observed.