6.1 Student Records

6.1.1 Grading Procedures

(Approved November 16, 1994) (Amended March 25, 1998) (Amended January 25, 2012) (Amended June 8, 2016)

A graduate student's performance will be evaluated by giving a letter grade as described below:

The A grade states that the student has shown excellent insight, competence, and great depth of understanding in attaining course outcomes in the aspect of the discipline under study. For graduate students in graduate level courses, this implies mastery of course content at the highest level.

The B grade states that the student has shown competence and an acceptable level of understanding in attaining course outcomes in the aspect of the discipline under study. For graduate students in graduate level courses, this implies an adequate level of achievement, although a B- grade indicates a marginally acceptable performance.

The C grade states that the student has shown marginal to unsatisfactory performance and understanding in attaining course outcomes in the aspect of the discipline under study.

The D grade indicates unsatisfactory performance and an inadequate level of understanding in attaining course outcomes. The D grade states that the student has given little to no evidence of understanding or ability in the discipline.

The X grade indicates unacceptable performance.

Quality Points are assigned to letter grades as outlined in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1 Quality Points and Letter Grades

A student's total quality point rating, herein referred to as TQPR, is calculated as:

See Table 6.1

This score is based only on graded courses taken at NPS. The graduate QPR, GQPR, is defined to be the QPR constructed from courses numbered 3000 and above. CQPR is a QPR which is constructed from courses taken as part of the student's designated curriculum. Students enrolled in multiple degree programs may require a separate CQPR for each. Graduate level students should also note that while a B- grade (2.7) is considered marginally acceptable for an individual course, it is cause for concern as the cumulative GQPR must still be a 3.0 to qualify for graduation.

Course hour value is defined as the scheduled number of weekly lecture hours plus one-half of the scheduled number of laboratory hours as listed in the NPS Course Catalog. Courses which do not follow the lecture/laboratory framework shall have hour-equivalent course hours designated.

The grades of "P'' and "F'' are intended for use in courses of such a nature that it is difficult to establish reference levels for the award of traditional grades. Courses often subject to this difficulty include seminars, directed study, and experimental courses.

Courses may be listed as pass/fail only after such a designation is approved by the Council.

A student in a degree program who wishes to take courses not in his or her normal program may also elect to take them in the Pass/Fail mode. Approval must be granted by the student's cognizant Program Officer and academic unit Chair. It is the responsibility of the student to exercise the P/F option by informing the instructor in writing at the time of enrollment that a P/F grade is desired. A copy of the approval request shall be forwarded to the Registrar. Students electing to receive the P/F grade in letter graded courses may not apply the hours toward the degree and curriculum requirements of any program. P/F grades are not counted in computation of the student's QPRs.

6.1.2 Course Credit for Master's Thesis Work

(Approved November 16, 1994)

Credit hours of 0 lectures, 8 laboratories (0-8) will be granted for each thesis slot registered for provided it is on the student's course matrix. Thesis credit shall be graded pass/fail, thus it is not used in computation of the student's QPRs.

6.1.3 Credit Hour Policy

(Approved May 16, 2012) (Amended September 13, 2023)

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than:

1. one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
2. the equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by NPS, including short courses, laboratory work, internships, practica, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. For a full-time, exclusive activity in this category (e.g., a two-week intensive short course), the maximum number of credit hours awarded should not exceed the number of weeks in the activity multiplied by 1 credit hour and 0.5 laboratory hours.