4.1. Course Work

Download as PDF

4.1.1 Minimum & Maximum Course Loads

Students can be enrolled for a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 12 credit hours per semester. However, if in an exceptional circumstance student must take a greater course load then they must obtain approval from the respective College Graduate Office & the Graduate School (GS).

4.1.2 Grading System

Alfaisal University uses the 4.0 grade point average system. The grades described in Table 4.1 are approved for use in Alfaisal University and are included in the determination of the grade point average (GPA). For example, “very good” is a GPA of 3.00 out of 4.00.

  1. Cumulative Average: Cumulative GPA should not be below a grade average of “very good”.
  2. Noncredit grades: The following symbols are approved for use in the cases indicated, but will not be included in the determination of the grade point average (see also Table 4.1):

S/U Graduate students in good standing may take courses on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis with the consent of their graduate advisers. A Satisfactory grade implies work of B minus quality or better. Courses graded S/U are not included in the grade- point average. A course graded U may not be counted toward students’ degree programs. Credit for courses taken on an S/U basis is limited to one-third of the total credit hours that students have taken and passed.

Table 4.1. Grading system for graduate courses
(Approved by RGC 48th Mtg 22 Feb 2017, UC 7 March 2017 & RGC 56th Mtg 31 Jan 2018)

Letter Grade

Points (GPA)

Percentage*

Grades in English

A

4.00

95-100

Excellent

A-

3.67

90-94

Excellent

B+

3.33

86-89

Very Good

B

3.00

83-85

Very Good

B-

2.67

80-82

Very Good

C+

2.33

75-79

Good/High Good

C

2.00

70-74

Good

F

0.00

  0-69

Fail

S/U

-

 

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

I

-

 

Incomplete

W

-

 

Withdrawn

WP

-

 

Withdrawn without penalty

AU

-

 

Audit

CR

-

 

Credit

CC

-

 

Continual course

NC

-

 

No Credit

P/F

 

 

Pass/Fail

R

-

 

Retake

* Flexibility recommended in conversion from percentage to letter grade due to small class sizes

I Students are doing satisfactory work but, for reasons beyond their control, they are unable to meet the full requirements of the course and as such is incomplete “I”. Unless otherwise specified by the respective college, an “I” will be changed to the grade of “F” by the ORG. The course Instructor must submit the final grade no later than 7 weeks after the last day of final exams for the previous semester. If a student is assigned an “I”, the Instructor must notify the student in writing of the requirements for removal of the “I” and of the deadline for removal of the “I” using an extension form. The student will be required to sign the extension form. A copy of the form must be submitted to the ORG at the time the “I” is submitted.

W      The student was permitted to withdraw without penalty. Any student who withdraws on or before midterm will receive a W. Withdrawals without penalty will not be permitted after the 8th week of the semester except in cases of hardship as determined by the appropriate academic dean. Students must complete the official withdrawal form provided by the Office of the Registrar and have it signed by their academic advisor or faculty advisor.

WP   The student was withdrawn by the instructor without penalty. The instructor must withdraw the student no later than the 12th week of classes to ensure a withdrawal without penalty.

AU    The student was given permission to audit this course. After the last day of late registration (last day of drop/add), students may not transfer from audit to credit status. Students may change from credit to audit up to the official withdrawal date.

CR    The student was given credit for the course via a credit by examination program approved by the respective college’s faculty, the Curriculum Committee, and the Vice Provost of Academic Programs (AP, IB, Proficiency, etc.).

CC    At Alfaisal University, this symbol designates a course that extends beyond the semester (Continued Course). The grade is not given until the course is completed. This symbol cannot be substituted for an “I” (Incomplete).

NC    This symbol indicates a course that was taken by the student, but no credit was given, and no penalty is attached to the cumulative GPA. This grade may in used in transfer credit only.

R Retake of a course. A student may exercise this option for no more than two courses, totaling no more than 6 credits. A student may use this option only once for a given course. For the course retaken, the lower grade will initially show as “R” in the transcript. Once the new grade is obtained it will replace the “R” on the transcript. Only the new grade shall be counted in the determination of the student’s grade-point average (GPA).

Repetition of courses: Graduate students may repeat courses in which they received a C, F, or U for up to a total of 6 credit hours. They must repeat courses for which they received below a C grade if a passing grade in the course is required by the college/ department as part of the degree program. Also, students could repeat courses if they received more than one C in several courses. If students repeat courses in which they received a grade of F, the credit hours are counted only once, and only the most recently earned grade and grade points are counted for a total of 6 credit hours of repeated work. 

Substitution of courses: Students may substitute one course for another for which they received a F, or U only if:

  • Circumstances beyond their control prevent them from retaking the course before the date they expected their degree to be conferred (e.g., the course was not offered or was renumbered, or scheduling conflicts existed between the original course and other courses required for the degree).
  • The Graduate Adviser certifies that the content of the course to be substituted is equivalent to that covered in the original course. Any substitution of courses in a student’s master’s degree program requires the approval of the Graduate Adviser and the Graduate School. If approved, the student must follow the procedure under the “Repetition of courses” section (above) to avoid having the units counted twice by the Registrar.

4.1.3 Academic Standing

Graduate students may be classified as in good academic standing, on some form of probation, or subject to dismissal. Students are normally in good academic standing if they:

  • Are making adequate progress toward the completion of degree requirements,
  • Have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0.
  • Do not have more than 2 Incomplete grades on their records, and
  • Have not received warning letters from the Student Affairs/college or been placed on formal probation for academic or, in certain professional programs, clinical deficiencies.

4.1.4 College Graduate Offices & Graduate School Review of Student Progress

The respective College Graduate Office in coordination with the Graduate School (GS) are responsible for monitoring their students’ overall progress toward graduate degrees. In fairness to students and to avoid problems later, Colleges should let students know by written evaluations what the faculty considers to be satisfactory progress.

Warning letters: Whether the College Graduate Office through Student Affairs sends the student a warning letter or requests the GS to place the student on formal probation, the Graduate Council requires that the following information is supplied to the student:

  • the nature of the problem or deficiency.
  • the steps to be taken to correct the deficiency.
  • a reasonable period in which to correct the problem or to show acceptable improvement.
  • an approximate date on which the student’s record will next be reviewed.

4.1.5 Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses

An undergraduate student who is pursuing a baccalaureate degree at Alfaisal University may be granted permission to take one or more (maximum of nine credit-hours) graduate courses if the student meets all the following conditions:

  • The student must have completed at least 90 credit hours.
  • The student must have an overall grade point of 3.00 or better.
  • The student must have a 3.00 or better grade-point average in the major field.
  • Students must obtain permission from their adviser, College Dean, the instructor of the course, and the ORG via signatures on Form G20: Undergraduate Student Permission to take Graduate Courses (Appendix Form G20).

An undergraduate student who is deficient in any of the above respects may not take a graduate course. Undergraduate students may not register for 600- to 800-level graduate courses.

Credit for these courses, up to a maximum of nine credits for courses where the grade received is B or above, may be applied at a later point to a graduate degree program provided that the credits were not used to satisfy baccalaureate degree requirements. Internal transfer of credits is subject to the ORG transfer credit regulations.