<Faculty of Science and Engineering

III. Regulations Governing Examinations and Academic Standards

Grading System

Refer to Grades and Grading Schemes within the Academic Information section of this calendar.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

A pass/fail grading option is available to Faculty of Science and Engineering students under the following guidelines.

Academic Standing. This option is available only to students who are in good standing (i.e. not under academic or debarment warning).

Minimum Number of Courses Completed. Students must have successfully completed at least 24 credits before they may apply to take a course under this option.

Elective Courses Only. The following types of courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis: courses in the major and minor subject area(s), general education courses, 1000-level science courses required to satisfy the Faculty of Science and Engineering general regulation 4 (see the Faculty of Science and Engineering Regulations Governing Undergraduate Degree Requirements section of this calendar), non-major courses required to satisfy program requirements.

Maximum Number of Pass/Fail Credits.

• Honours program: a maximum of 12 (passed) credits from pass/fail graded courses may be counted towards a BSc Honours degree.
• Bachelor program: a maximum of six (passed) credits from pass/fail graded courses may be counted towards a BSc degree.

Grade Point Average Calculations. The grade obtained (passed or failed) in a pass/fail graded course is not included in grade point average calculations in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Deadline to Select Pass/Fail Option. Eligible students may exercise the option within the first two weeks (10 class days) of the term in which the course begins. They must obtain the signature of the course director on a form to be made available from (available on the Current Students Web site at http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/cs.htm), and returned to, Student Client Services.

Deadline to Change from Pass/Fail back to the Letter-Grade System. At the student's request, the student may change the designation of a course from pass/fail back to the letter-grade system until the last day for withdrawal without academic penalty from the term in which the course is offered. Formal notification, with the student's and course director's signatures, must be received by the Registrar's Office by this deadline.

Repeated Courses

Students are allowed to retake a failed course once for academic degree or certificate credit. Students should note that course availability and space considerations may preclude the possibility of repeating a course in the session they choose.

When a student is allowed to repeat a course for academic degree or certificate credit, the second grade will be the grade of record and the only grade calculated in the student's grade point average. Regardless of whether or not the student repeats a course a third time, the second grade remains the grade of record. Students are required to petition in order to gain permission to repeat a passed course more than once for academic credit towards a degree or certificate program. The record of both the first and second time the course was taken will appear on the student's transcript, with the first course designated as "No Credit Retained".

Students assigned an F or lowered grade as a penalty for academic honesty will not be allowed the benefit of excluding the impact of this `penalty' grade from their academic average after repeating the course. Both the second grade and the original grade will contribute to the cumulative grade point average.

A student must be declared eligible to proceed in a degree or certificate program in order to be eligible to repeat a course. That is to say, when a student fails to achieve sufficient standing to proceed in a degree or certificate program, or when they are required to withdraw, they would not be eligible to repeat a course or courses.

Academic Standards for BSc and BSc Honours Programs

Bachelor Programs (BSc)

To Graduate in a Bachelor Program. A minimum overall grade point average of 4.0 (C) is required in order to be eligible to graduate in an undergraduate bachelor program.

Students in a bachelor program who have passed 90 credits in accordance with Faculty and program requirements, but whose cumulative overall grade point average is below 4.0 (C), may attempt to raise their average by taking up to 12 additional credits, to a maximum of 102 credits. These courses must be above the 1000 level and must be taken at York University. Regulations on equivalent and excluded courses apply.

Honours Programs (BSc Honours)

To declare Honours requires successful completion of at least 24 credits and a minimum cumulative credit-weighted grade point average of 5.0 (C+) over all courses completed, subject to the exception in the note below.

To proceed in each year of an Honours program requires a minimum cumulative credit-weighted grade point average of 5.0 (C+) over all courses completed, subject to the exception in the note below.

To graduate in an Honours program requires successful completion of all Faculty requirements and departmental required courses and a minimum cumulative credit-weighted grade point average of 5.0 (C+) over all courses completed, subject to the exception in the note below.

Note: Some programs may require a higher standard - consult the program of study requirements in the Faculty of Science and Engineering Programs of Study section of this calendar.

Designation of Honours or Bachelor Program

Automatic Honours Designation. Students are automatically considered to be in an Honours program provided they achieve and maintain the minimum grade requirements for Honours described under the Academic Standards for BSc and BSc Honours Programs section above.

Automatic Bachelor Designation. Students are automatically considered to be in a bachelor program if they fail to achieve or maintain the minimum grade requirements for Honours described under the Academic Standards for BSc and BSc Honours Programs section above.

Option to Graduate with a BSc Degree (Bachelor Program). Students registered for a BSc Honours degree may opt to graduate with a BSc degree if they fulfill bachelor program requirements. See Graduation in the Faculty of Science and Engineering Advising, Enrolment, Registration, Graduation and Other Administrative Procedures section of this calendar for details.

Examinations

Most courses in the Faculty of Science and Engineering schedule three-hour final examinations. Examinations are scheduled during day and evening hours.

Students are admitted to the examination hall five minutes before the scheduled start time and are required to present their sessional identification cards and acceptable photo identification cards when writing final examinations. Unauthorized aids may not be taken into the examination halls. No student may leave the examination hall within 15 minutes of the end of the scheduled examination period. All students must remain seated at the conclusion of the examination period until all examination answer sheets/booklets have been collected by the invigilators. Examination booklets, used and unused, must be submitted intact, with no insertions and no pages removed.

A student observed deriving assistance from any unauthorized source is subject to the procedures and penalties defined under the Senate regulations regarding academic honesty (see the University Policies and Regulations section of this calendar).

Students must maintain a standard of work in their courses of instruction satisfactory to the departments or divisions concerned, and must attend the required examinations, unless prevented by illness or by some other special circumstance.

A student who writes a final examination under duress, or who is prevented from attending an examination by illness or by some other special circumstance, must file a request for a deferred examination within the stated time limits and provide appropriate written evidence for consideration (see Deferred Examinations below).

Final examination answer sheets/booklets become the property of the teaching unit. Students have the right to review their graded tests and examinations once the grades have been published by the Registrar's Office. Students may request a copy at cost from the teaching unit.

Deferred Examinations / Aegrotat Standing

A student may request aegrotat standing, permission to write deferred examinations (in respect of final examinations only), or permission to submit a final assignment after the Faculty's deadline for submission of term work, on the grounds of sickness or misfortune.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that full documentation (medical or other) is provided in support of requests for deferred standing or aegrotat standing. A request submitted on the grounds of illness must include the attending physician's statement form completed by the petitioner's physician. Appropriate forms and guidelines are available from Student Client Services or the Current Students Web site (http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/cs.htm).

Deferred Standing Agreement. In the Faculty of Science and Engineering, deferred standing may be arranged with the course director by means of a form called a deferred standing agreement (DSA). The DSA form and supporting documentation must normally be submitted within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit coursework.

Deferred Standing Petition. A petition for deferred standing may be submitted if the course director indicates on the DSA form a refusal to approve deferred standing. The petition application, together with other written evidence to be taken into consideration, must normally be submitted to the Registrar's Office within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit coursework.

Aegrotat Standing Petition. In exceptional circumstances, a petition for aegrotat standing may be submitted in cases where a student cannot be expected to complete coursework. If granted, the phrase AEG aegrotat standing is substituted for the grade on the transcript. Aegrotat standing is seldom granted in respect of final examinations; instead, the student may be granted permission to write deferred examination(s).

Term Work

All final grades, including those assigned after deferred examinations, are calculated in a way which assigns a specific weighting to the term work done in addition to the final (or deferred) examination. The weighting is set by the course director and must be announced and available in writing within the first two weeks of classes. If possible, information about assignments and grades for all courses should be made known to students at or before the first class meeting. A previously announced marking scheme for a course may be changed by the course director with the consent of students enrolled in the course; the new marking scheme must also be distributed in written form.

Prior to the final date to withdraw from a course without receiving a grade, some graded feedback worth at least 15 per cent of the final grade for Fall, Winter or Summer Term and 30 per cent for `full year' courses offered in the Fall/Winter Term is received by students in all courses (excepting the following: those senior undergraduate courses, such as honours theses, where course work consists of a single piece of work, practicum courses, ungraded courses, courses in Faculties where the drop date occurs within the first 3 weeks of classes, courses which run on a compressed schedule). Students who, in the absence of recognized extenuating circumstances, fail to complete such course work cannot use the lack of feedback as grounds for withdrawal.

The total value of any in-class test(s) or in-class examination(s) given in the last two weeks of classes in a term cannot be greater than 20 per cent of the final mark for the course.

All tests in a given section of a course must be given during the class or tutorial times listed in the lecture schedule for that section of the course. If a course director chooses to administer a test at a different time (i.e. during the class time of a different section of the course) special provisions will have to be made for students who have conflicts with the new time.

Term work in any course may not be submitted later than the first day of the final examination period for the course. Earlier final dates for the submission of term work may be set at the discretion of the department/division concerned.

The student is responsible for ensuring that all written term work is received by the instructor concerned.

Reappraisal of Final Grades

Examination scripts and class records of students are carefully assessed, especially in marginal cases, and there is little likelihood of the original standing being changed on appeal. In the case of final examinations, however, a formal written request for recalculation or reappraisal of a final grade may be made to the academic department/division which offers the course. Requests for grade reappraisals must be submitted within three weeks of the release of final grade reports in any term, and must state clearly why the student believes that the final grade deserves a higher rating. Recalculations and reappraisals are dealt with by the Chair/director of the department/division in consultation with faculty members.

Recognition of Excellence

Dean's Honour Roll

The annual Dean's Honour Roll recognizes academic excellence by assigning the notation "Member of Dean's Honour Roll" to the grade report and transcript of a student who achieves a sessional credit-weighted grade point average of 7.5 or higher on a minimum of 24 credits, or, in the final year of study, a minimum of 18 credits.

BSc and BSc Honours candidates coregistered in the Faculty of Education, who are registered in a minimum of 24 credits overall (of which at least 18 credits are for the BSc or BSc Honours) and who achieve a sessional credit-weighted grade point average of 7.5 or higher on their credits for the BSc or BSc Honours, are also eligible to be on the Faculty of Science and Engineering Dean's Honour Roll.

First-Class Degrees

The Faculty of Science and Engineering rewards exceptional students by designating their BSc, BSc Honours or BASc degrees "first class" or "first class with distinction".

First-class standing is normally awarded to students whose cumulative overall credit-weighted grade point average is 7.5 or higher.

With distinction is normally added to the first class BSc, BSc Honours or BASc degree of students whose cumulative overall credit-weighted grade point average is 8.0 (A) or higher.

Warnings and Sanctions

Note: The following applies to students admitted to York University for Fall 2001 and subsequent sessions. Students admitted before Fall 2001 should consult the York Undergraduate Programs Calendar of the year in which they were admitted for information regarding warnings and sanctions which apply to them.

Academic Warning

Students whose cumulative overall grade point average falls below 4.0 (C) at the end of any session or who enter the Faculty with a grade point average equivalent to less than 4.0 (C) receive an academic warning. Students on academic warning must achieve a cumulative overall grade point average of at least 3.5 by the end of the next 30 credits in order to continue; otherwise they will have failed to gain standing.

Failure to Gain Standing

Students are said to have failed to gain standing if their cumulative overall grade point average falls below 2.5 at any time after completion of 24 credits or if they were on academic warning and did not achieve the cumulative overall grade point average of at least 3.5 by the end of the next 30 credits. Students who have failed to gain standing may not register for any courses unless they are re-admitted to the University. Applications for re-admission, not normally considered within one year from the date of failure to gain standing, should be made to the director of admissions.

Debarment Warning

Students who have failed to gain standing in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, or the equivalent in another Faculty at York University or elsewhere, receive a debarment warning upon continuing their studies in the Faculty. Students on debarment warning must achieve a cumulative overall grade point average of at least 3.5 within the next 24 credits taken in order to continue. Students who do not fulfill these conditions will be debarred from the University.

Debarment

Students who have been debarred may be re-admitted in some subsequent session only if they give convincing evidence that they can profit from university work. Applications for re-admission are not normally entertained in less than two years from the date of debarment.

Academic Honesty

See the York University Senate regulations regarding academic honesty in the University Policies and Regulations section of this calendar. For further information contact the Office of Science Academic Services.

Note: Students cannot drop any courses in which they have been penalized for a breach of academic honesty.

Petitions

Students may petition on reasonable grounds, in writing, any Faculty of Science and Engineering regulation. In some instances, circumstances affecting a student's performance in initial University course work will be accepted as grounds for petition. All enquiries about regulations and petition procedures should be addressed to the Registrar's Office. For information regarding petitions for deferred examinations, see Deferred Examinations in this section of the calendar. Petition forms must be submitted to Student Client Services.

Normally petitions for late withdrawal from a course will only be considered if they are submitted within three weeks of the release of final grades. Such petitions may be considered for a period of up to one year if they are based on special circumstances.

Appeals Procedures

Appeals by students and/or faculty members against rulings of the Petitions Committee and/or the Committee on Examinations and Academic Standards of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (with the exception of appeals on academic honesty rulings - see below) must be filed in writing with the secretary of the appeals panel of the Executive and Planning Committee in the Office of the Dean, 349 Lumbers, within 15 calendar days of the date of notification of the decision.

Appeals against rulings of the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing will be heard by a panel of two faculty members of the executive and planning committee and one student member selected from student members of the Faculty council. In the rare event that a decision of a panel of the executive and planning committee, or of the Senate Appeals Committee, requires a completely new (de novo) hearing, the matter will be heard by a panel of three faculty members of the executive and planning committee and one student member selected from student members of the Faculty council. These panels will be constituted, as required, from available members, by the secretary of the appeals panel.

Members shall disqualify themselves if they are involved as a party or witness in the case, or believe that they could not be impartial. Where members disqualify themselves, alternate members will replace them.

Appeals are heard only on the following grounds:

a) new evidence; i.e. evidence that, through no fault of the appellant, could not reasonably have been presented at an earlier level; (As a guide, events or performance subsequent to the decisions of the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing are not to be construed as new evidence.)

b) evidence of procedural irregularity in the previous consideration of the case by the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing. This may be understood to include actions taken by the Faculty of Science and Engineering, its officers, committees or members with respect to the case which would violate or nullify any of the following:

• normal and written procedures of the Faculty;
• recognized custom of the Faculty;
• the principles of natural justice and fairness.

Students and faculty members have the right to represent themselves at appeal hearings to hear and answer allegations and to present their arguments. Appeal hearings are not open to anyone not directly involved in the case being considered. The committee's decision is taken in camera.

All appeal decisions are reported in writing to the students and the faculty members concerned, the Office of Science Academic Services, the home Faculty and the Registrar's Office.

Further appeals may be made to the Senate Appeals Committee. Enquiries about these appeals, and the grounds upon which they may be filed, should be directed to the Senate Office, S833 Ross.

Appeals on academic honesty rulings are also made directly to the Senate Appeals Committee. Appeals are heard only on the same grounds as cited above.