Academic Load

The minimum full-time load per term is twelve (12) credit hours for undergraduate students.  To register for sixteen (16) credit hours or more, the student must acquire the approval of the Academic Dean.  The minimum full-time load per term is three (3) credit hours for graduate students. Credit hours will not be awarded for courses in which the student is not properly registered.

Course Numbering System

The Institution follows an independent course numbering system.  Courses are assigned a three-letter prefix and a sequential number of 1000/2000 for lower-division courses, 3000/4000 for upper-division courses, and 5000/6000/7000 for graduate-level courses.

Modes of Instruction

Courses could be offered in the following modes of instruction during academic terms throughout the year: online, hybrid, web-based, or on-campus.

Course Cancellation

The University reserves the right to cancel any scheduled class within the first week of a trimester due to insufficient enrollment or for which the designated instructor is unable to meet his or her teaching commitment.  Tuition is fully refundable for any cancelled course.

Class attendance

Students should maintain regular attendance if they are to attain maximum success in the pursuit of their studies.  Students who have not attended any classes during the first two weeks of the academic term are automatically disqualified to charge such tuition to federal funds.  The instructor, after receiving the class roster, will submit, in writing, the names of all such students to the Office of the Registrar.

It is recognized that the record of class attendance may vary according to the student, the instructor or the course.  On occasion, it may be necessary for the student to be absent from scheduled classes or laboratories for health reasons.  The student is responsible for contacting the instructor for all work, completed or assigned.  Instructors in charge of courses in all programs of study are required to include in their midterm and final grade reports the total number of absences of all students.  The Registrar will not accept reports if this condition is not met by the instructor.

Student Academic Evaluation

The policy and procedures for student retention, probationary status, suspension, and permanent dismissal are established for the evaluation of a student’s academic achievement.  Polytechnic University Miami Campus requires every student to demonstrate academic progress in the number of academic credit hours completed and the grade point average the student maintains.

Academic Progress Review Procedures

The academic progress of the students will be measured using the qualitative element which will be verified each academic year during the Summer.

The retention index (qualitative part) will be determined according to Table A.  The GPA will be computed only with credits taken at Polytechnic University Miami Campus.  Probation, suspension or dismissal will be determined employing the following procedure:

1. When the accumulated index is lower than the established index as given in Table A, an academic probation period (P₁) will be granted for one academic year.  The Registrar’s Office will notify the student of their academic status via a certified letter.  At the same time, the Counseling Office will be notified to ensure the required follow-up.
2. During the probation period (P₁), the student must raise the academic index to a value equal or higher than the corresponding one established in Table A.
3. If after this probation period the student does not comply with the established condition in Item 2 and does not remediate his/her academic deficiencies, he/she will be granted a second (one) academic year probation (P₂).  If the student fails to succeed the probation (P₂), the student will be suspended for one academic year.  The Registrar’s Office will notify the suspended student via a certified letter.

After the one-year suspension, the student may be readmitted on probation (P₃) for one academic year.

In the event the student fails to reach a satisfactory retention index after the third probationary period (P₃), the student will be suspended for a period of three (3) academic years.  Afterwards, the student may request readmission.  The student may be admitted again under a probationary status for one academic year.  In the event he/she does not succeed, he/she will be permanently dismissed.

Right to appeal

The student may appeal this decision under the following conditions:

• Any student who considers that a mistake has been made in the application of these policies and procedures used to evaluate academic progress may send a written request for reconsideration to the Academic Achievement Committee within ten (10) working days after written notification of the decision.
• The request for reconsideration should include the decision referred to, give a brief statement of facts, state and justify the basis for the requested change or restitution.
• Each request for reconsideration must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.
• Presentations before the Academic Achievement Committee by persons who are not members of the Committee will be permitted in special cases.  The Committee’s decision will be final.

Honor Roll

Undergraduate students with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 who have been full-time students for the past year and have passed all the credits attempted will appear on the Honor Roll.

Dean’s List

An announcement is made at the beginning of each term of those students who, in the previous term, completed a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours and accumulated a general grade point average of 3.25 or higher, and who are eligible for inclusion on the Dean’s List.

Add/Drop Period

Prior to the first class meeting of a course, a student may add or drop courses by completing an Add/Drop Form at the Registrar’s Office.

Policy:  Students may add a course during the official Add/Drop period; dropped courses will not appear on the permanent record.  Approval from the student’s instructor is necessary before any course change is made.  For withdrawal after the Add/Drop period, refer to the Course Withdrawal Policy.

Grading System

The alpha numeric grading system will appear in the midterm and final reports will be as follows:

1. Excellent (4 honor points per credit hour)
2. Good (3 honor points per credit hour)
3. Satisfactory (2 honor points per credit hour)
4. Deficient (1 honor point per credit hour)
5. Failure (0 honor points per credit hour)
6. Incomplete (0 honor points per credit hour)

Symbols

AU   Auditor

R      Repeated course

W     (Withdrawal) Indicates that the student was permitted to withdraw from a course without penalty, with the authorization of the officers named in the two previous sections

WF   Student abandoned the course without authorization

P       Passed, only for specified courses

NP    Not passed, only for specified courses

S       Satisfactory

NS    Non Satisfactory

E       Expired course (course no longer offered)

I        Incomplete – Accompanied by a letter grade

RQ   Student is not complying with the pre-requisites

NR   Never Reported (Registered student without attendance record)

Grade Index

The grade index of a student is the measure of academic achievement. It is based on a 4-point system.

A student may be allowed to repeat a course passed with a “D” before taking the next course in the sequence, if the corresponding Department Head considers that the case has sufficient merit to receive authorization. In computing the grade index, the highest grade obtained in a repeated course will be used whenever it is higher than the original grade. If the grade obtained in the repeated course is lower than the original grade, the original grade will prevail.

Norms and Procedures for the Evaluation of Student Academic Progress at the Graduate Level

Purpose

The purpose of norms and procedures at the graduate level is to define the parameters to be used in the retention, probation, suspension, and academic dismissal of students.  They establish the mechanisms to be followed in the evaluation of student academic progress.  These norms and procedures apply to every student admitted or readmitted pursuing his/her graduate studies.

Norms and Procedures

Polytechnic University Miami Campus requires that all graduate students demonstrate academic progress through the number of approved credit hours and general average.

Definitions

Attempted Credit Hours   All credit hours in which the student enrolls at the graduate level at Polytechnic University Miami Campus, for which a grade of I, A, B, C, D, F, W, S, NS, NP, or P is given, including all the number of times the student has enrolled in the same course.

Transfer Credit Hours  Graduate credit hours approved with a grade of “A,” “B” or its equivalent at an accredited institution of higher learning, and are accepted by the Graduate School in accordance with the prevailing norms at Polytechnic University Miami Campus. Transfer credit hours will not be taken into consideration in a qualitative evaluation.  These credit hours will be considered to determine the student’s level or year of study at the graduate level.  A maximum of six (6) credits will be accepted as transfer credits from other accredited institutions of higher learning after official admission.

Approved Credit Hours  Credit hours attempted at Polytechnic University Miami Campus by students admitted to the Graduate School and approved with a grade of “A,” “B,” “C,” “S” or “P”.

General Average  Measure used to evaluate the academic performance of the graduate student. This measure is computed by dividing the total number of accumulated credit hours by the total number of credit hours in which the student has received final grades, including “Fs” that have not been removed.  Courses in which grades of “S,” “NS,” “P” or “NP” will not be included for computing the measure. 

Repetition of Courses   Practice under which the graduate student is allowed to repeat a course only in which he/she obtained a grade of “C,” “D,” “F,” “NS,” or “NP.”  In accordance with this practice, only the highest grade will be considered to determine the general average.

Probation  Temporary condition of the graduate student at Polytechnic University Miami Campus due to academic reasons in which both the quantitative and qualitative elements are taken into consideration.

Suspension due to Academic Deficiency  Dismissal of the graduate student at Polytechnic University Miami Campus for academic reasons, in which the qualitative elements, as well as probation time, are considered.

Academic Year  Three academic educational periods that make up the academic year which begins with the autumn term.

Educational Period Typical academic period during which the regular courses are offered, several periods of which three make up the academic year.

Financial Aid Probation  Student will be in probationary status for one academic year because he/she did not fulfill deficiency shown in Table A and/or B from section 3.

Suspension of Financial Aid  Student that at the end of his/her probation period does not surpass the deficiency shown in table A and/or B from section 3.

Norms of Academic Progress to be followed by the Registrar’s Office for the evaluation of students

Academic index

Students are required a 3.00 or more general index for graduation and have not been on probation or dismissed.

Total number of credit hours approved

The student should pass 50 % of all credit hours attempted at the Institution.

Probation and suspension

All graduate students, whose academic progress does not comply with the retention indexes shown in Table A or with the conditions included in Table B will begin an “On Probation” period for no more than one (1) year.  If the student does not comply with the conditions required to remove his/her “On Probation” status, the student will be suspended (dismissed) from the Institution.

Table A

Retention Index 

Table B

Reasons for a Probation Status

Incompletes

If the course instructor has given an “Incomplete” in a course, the graduate student must complete the course requirements within the date stated in the next educational period. If the student does not comply with what is hereby stated the last day to remove grades of “Incomplete” the provisional grade given will become the final grade in the course(s). Grades of “Incomplete” will be included to determine the general average using the provisional grade.

Procedures for evaluating graduate level students

The academic progress of all graduate level students will be measured in the following way:

1. The general average will be verified every trimester.
2. Probation will be granted for educational period.
3. If at the end of the year on probation the student does not meet all the conditions established and does not overcome the academic deficiencies; he/she will be permanently suspended from the Institution.

Appeals

The student may appeal a decision under the following conditions:

1. Every student is entitled to apply, in writing, to the Academic Achievement Committee for reconsideration of the above mentioned decision within ten (10) working days following the date in which the student was notified of the decision.
2. The application for reconsideration should indicate the decision referred to, include a brief statement of facts, provide justification supporting the appeal and indicate the change or solution asked for.
3. All reconsideration applications should be filed with the Graduate School Deanship.
4. Explanation of the case by the student before the Academic Achievement Committee is acceptable, and if he (she) so wishes, may be accompanied by persons who are not members of the Committee.
5. The Academic Achievement Committee will inform the student in writing of its decision in regards to the case appealed. If the appeal is approved by the Committee, the student will be readmitted to his/her program on a suspension status and will be responsible for the total registration cost.

Effective Date

These rules and regulations are in effect as of the start of the 2012-2013 Academic Year. Any student affected by norms and procedures replaced by these new rules and regulations may apply for reconsideration of his/her case.

Definitions

Credit Hour  Credit hour corresponds to fifteen (15) contact hours per credit per term for a lecture course and thirty (30) to forty-five (45) contact hours per term per credit for laboratory or practicum course.          

Attempted Credit Hours  Credit hours the student has registered at Polytechnic University Miami Campus and in which he/she has obtained I, A, B, C, D, F, or W, including all repetitions.

Transferred Credit Hours  Credit hours taken on other college campuses, recognized by accrediting agencies, which the student has passed with grades of A, B or C, and that are accepted by the Department Director or the corresponding Dean’s approval, in accordance with policy at Polytechnic University Miami Campus.

Passed Credit Hours  Attempted credit hours taken at Polytechnic University Miami Campus in which A, B, C or D grades are obtained, except in those specific cases defined by the departments.

Grade Point Average  The measure of academic merit achieved by the student.  It is calculated by dividing the total accumulated honor points by the number of credit hours in which the student has received final grades, including outstanding F’s.

Dismissal for Academic Deficiency  A student who systematically fails to satisfy the achievement index may be permanently dismissed from Polytechnic University Miami Campus for academic deficiency.

Academic Progress  The measure that shows whether the student passes 66% of the attempted credit hour with a grade point average equal to, or higher than, the retention index.  See Table A or Table B, whichever applies.

Repeated Courses  Undergraduate courses enrolled two or more times because the student has obtained a grade of D, F or W.  For the purpose of determining the Grade Point Average only the highest grade will be used.

Year  Academic year consisting of three consecutive academic periods (called trimesters) from August to June of the following year.  The Summer academic period is optional.

Doted Courses  All courses will be extinct, expired or doted eight (8) years after being passed.  This rule applies equally to courses passed at Polytechnic University Miami Campus or to transfer courses.  The respective Director may validate some courses after evaluating each course.  The student must repeat all those confirmed doted by the Director, or in its place may be authorized by the Dean instead to take advanced equivalent courses.

Academic Term  One of the three consecutive academic periods (trimesters) consisting of twelve (12) weeks each or the Summer session which jointly constitute an academic year.

Dual Courses

Graduate courses in which the content can be validated to substitute an undergraduate course. These courses will be used in the graduate admission process as transferred and will count as part of the Master’s Degree. The maximum number of courses allowed per undergraduate program is four (4) courses. The validation of these courses in the Master’s Degree will reduce the total credits from 39 to 27. To apply for these courses the student should have a GPA of 3.00 or higher. The validation form should be approved by the Academic Dean prior to attending the course.

Retention Index (Qualitative Element)  Polytechnic University Miami Campus adopts the required retention index, as seen in Table A, in accordance with the number of completed credit hours and transferred credit hours.  (Students are required to obtain an average of 2.00 in concentration courses for graduation purposes.)  This constitutes the Institutional Policy, administered by the Registrar’s Office.

Table A                                                                                   

Retention Index

Transferred credit hours will not be used to compute the grade point average, but they will be counted to determine the level or year to which the student belongs.

Maximum Time Allowed to Complete an Academic Program Students must complete graduation requirements within a maximum time equivalent to 150% of the credit hours required by the academic degree program enrolled.

Probationary and Suspension Status  Students whose academic progress does not satisfy the qualitative elements will begin a probationary period that will not exceed two consecutive academic terms before being suspended for one year.  After suspension is effective, the student may return under a probationary status for a maximum period of one (1) additional academic year, at the end of which may be suspended for a period of three academic years.  The student may be admitted once again under a probationary status for one academic year.  In the event he/she does not succeed, he/she will be permanently dismissed.

Incomplete  If the course instructor has given an “Incomplete” in a course, the student must complete the course requirements within the date stated in the next educational period.  If the student does not comply with what is hereby stated the last day to remove grades of “Incomplete” the provisional grade given will become the final grade in the course(s).  Grades of “Incomplete” will be included to determine the general average using the provisional grade.