GRADUATE FINAL GRADE POLICY
1.0 Definitions
1.1 The following words and expressions have the meaning hereby assigned to them:
1.1.1 Academic Advisor: A representative of the University who helps and advises Students on their academic plan, appropriate Course selections, academic progression, and learning outcomes.
1.1.2 Academic Calendar: A representation of the periods associated with the University’s operations, containing the teaching periods, exam and holiday dates, and key deadlines, which is approved by the University’s Board of Trustees.
1.1.3 Academic Members: Faculty Members and Instructional Members.
1.1.4 Academic Standing: The standard set by the University to determine a Student’s eligibility to remain and/or progress in a Program.
1.1.5 Academic Unit: An entity within the University that delivers Courses for Programs or for entry into Programs.
1.1.6 Academic Year: Means the 12-month period defined in the University's Academic Calendar, as approved by the Board.
1.1.7 Add/Drop Period: A period of time at the beginning of each Semester when Students can adjust schedules by cancelling their Course registration, registering into additional Courses or changing Course Sections, defined in the approved Academic Calendar.
1.1.8 Audited Course: A non-factorable Course in which a Student is enrolled that cannot be graded for Credit.
1.1.9 Audit of the Final Grade: A Student initiated request to re-calculate the Final Grade Components for the Course.
1.1.10 Challenge Examination: An examination that assesses a Student's existing knowledge that may exempt the Student from completing a Course.
1.1.11 Course: A set of Learning Sessions in a particular subject, with a defined scope and duration, and specific learning outcomes.
1.1.12 Course Learning Outcome: The specifications of what the Student should learn as the result of the specified and supported study in a given Course.
1.1.13 Course Repetition: Re-enrollment in a Course previously completed to improve the Final Grade or strengthen knowledge of a particular topic.
1.1.14 Course Requirement: Assessments and/or deliverables that a Student is required to complete, such as assignments, papers, reports and other coursework.
1.1.15 Credit: A unit of measurement assigned to a Course based on the total amount of learning time that counts toward a Program or credential completion, at a particular level of the Qatar National Qualification Framework.
1.1.16 Cumulative GPA: The overall cumulative grade point average across multiple Semesters in a Student’s Program.
1.1.17 Deferred Examination: An exam that is taken at a time other than the scheduled time or date.
1.1.18 Drop Course: The action where a Student drops Courses during the Add\Drop Period thereby cancelling his/her Course registration.
1.1.19 Excluded from GPA: A Final Grade of EX replaces the Final Grade in a single Course and is not factored in the Cumulative GPA calculation.
1.1.20 Exemption from Course: A grade type indicating that a Student has satisfied a Course Requirement through Course transfer or Challenge Examination.
1.1.21 Faculty Members: Members of the teaching and/or research staff, whether on part- or full-time, holding the following ranks: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer/Senior Technical Instructor, or Lecturer/Technical Instructor.
1.1.22 Final Examination: An assessment for measuring the achievement of specific Course Learning Outcomes, which is administered at the end of a Course.
1.1.23 Final Grade: The grade assigned for the entire Course when all Final Grade Components of the Course are completed.
1.1.24 Final Grade Components: The elements which, when computed, total the Final Grade for the Course.
1.1.25 Grading Scheme: The grading scale adopted by the University.
1.1.26 Incomplete Grade: A non-factorable placeholder grade assigned when the mandatory components of the Course are not completed.
1.1.27 In Progress: A non-factorable placeholder grade assigned for a Course that extends beyond the regular Semester.
1.1.28 Instructional Members: Members of the teaching staff, whether on part- or full-time, holding the following titles: Assistant Lecturer/or Workshop/Lab/Clinical Instructor, Assistant Technical Instructor, Trades Technical Instructor, or Teaching Assistant.
1.1.29 Non-factorable Grade: A grade that is excluded from the Cumulative GPA calculation.
1.1.30 Passing Grade in Course: Denotes the minimum Final Grade required in order to succeed in a Course, or a Final Grade of P for Courses designated as Pass / Fail.
1.1.31 Program: A prescribed set of Courses leading to a qualification, including a Certificate, Diploma (2 years), Advanced Diploma (3 years), Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate, according to the Qatar National Qualifications Framework.
1.1.32 Registration Period: A period of time prior to the beginning of each Semester when Students can enroll in Courses.
1.1.33 Re-Read: A formal re-marking of the Student’s Final Examination which may result in a change of Final Grade.
1.1.34 Semester: A division of an Academic Year where a Student is enrolled in a Course(s) followed by an examination period.
1.1.35 Student: A person who is presently enrolled at the University in a credit Course or who is designated by the University as a Student.
1.1.36 Section: A Course offering distinguished from other identical Course offerings by date, time, location, instructor, etc.
1.1.37 Transcript: An official document of the University summarizing the entire academic records of a Student including essential information pertaining to the Student's courses, grades, academic standing and credential attainment.
1.1.38 University: University of Doha for Science and Technology established by Emiri Resolution No. 13 of 2022.
1.1.39 Withdraw: An action where the Student withdraws from a Course during the Withdrawal Period resulting in a Withdraw Grade.
1.1.40 Withdraw Grade: The Final Grade of W assigned and entered on the transcript to indicate the Student’s official withdrawal from a Course within the Withdrawal Period.
1.1.41 Withdrawal Period: The timeframe determined by the University and extending from the end of the Add\Drop Period until the middle of the Semester.
1.2 Where the context requires, words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice-versa.
1.3 Where a word or phrase is given a particular meaning, other parts of speech and grammatical forms of that word or phrase have corresponding meanings.
2.0 Policy Purpose
2.1 This policy:
2.1.1 Covers the specifics of assigning and changing Final Grades.
2.1.2 Defines the University’s Graduate Grading Scheme.
3.0 Policy Scope
3.1 This policy applies to:
3.1.1 Academic Units and Academic Members;
3.1.2 Admissions and Registration Directorate;
3.1.3 Students in Graduate Programs.
4.0 Policy Statement
4.1 General
4.1.1 Regardless how the Course is being delivered, all Students taking a Course at the University must be assigned a Final Grade.
4.1.2 Final Grades are awarded by Academic Members to each Student enrolled in a Course(s) at the end of the Semester.
4.1.3 The Academic Unit is responsible for ensuring that Academic Members assign all Final Grades by the Final Grade submission deadline.
4.1.4 Questions regarding grading for a specific Course should be addressed to the Academic Member of the Course in question.
4.2 Deferred Examinations
4.2.1 Students who fail to attend their Deferred Examination will receive a grade of zero (0) on the Final Exam.
4.2.2 All grade changes for Deferred Examinations and updates to Academic Standing will be processed by the third day of classes of the subsequent Semester, in accordance with the pertinent procedures.
4.3 Re-Read of Final Examinations
4.3.1 The mark obtained in a Re-Read, whether higher or lower than the original mark, stands as the official mark in the Final Examination.
4.4 Incomplete Grades
4.4.1 An Incomplete Grade is assigned when the Final Grade Components of the Course are not completed. An Incomplete Grade must be cleared by the end of the third week after the beginning of the subsequent Semester. If an Incomplete Grade is not cleared by this date, Students will receive a failing grade in the Course.
4.4.2 Where extenuating circumstances warrant, the Director, Admissions and Registration, at the request of the Department Chair, may approve the extension of the deadline to clear an Incomplete Grade.
4.5 In Progress Grades
4.5.1 Certain Courses, including thesis, research, and practicums, can continue beyond the normal Semester. Students who are unable to complete the Course Requirements for these Courses within the Semester may be assigned a Final Grade of IP (In Progress) until Course completion and issuance of the Final Grade.
4.6 Fail Grade for Absenteeism
4.6.1 The maximum allowable limit for absenteeism is 15% of Learning Sessions per Course during a Semester. Students exceeding the allowable limit for absenteeism in a Course receive an Attendance Fail (AF) Final Grade for that Course.
4.7 Fail Grade for Absenteeism – Extenuating Circumstances
4.7.1 In extenuating and unforeseeable circumstances, Students who exceed the maximum allowable limit for absenteeism can petition the Attendance Fail (AF) Final Grade to the Department Chair at the conclusion of the Semester. Careful consideration will be given to the extenuating nature of the circumstance and when the absenteeism occurred in the Semester. Successful petitions will result in the Student being Withdrawn from the Course and a Final Grade of a W assigned and entered on the Transcript.
4.8 Course Repetition
4.8.1 Only Courses with a Final Grade of C+ or lower can be repeated.
4.8.2 Students are allowed to repeat a Course only once.
4.8.3 Students who failed a Course must obtain the approval of their Academic Advisor before registering the Course for the 2nd time.
4.8.4 Students can register in a Thesis Course a maximum of 4 Semesters. Students are assessed tuition for each registered Semester. A Final Grade of IP is recorded for all registered Semesters prior to the Semester in which the
Final Grade is awarded.
4.8.5 For all Courses repeated, the lower grade(s) obtained in the attempt(s) of the Course will be excluded from the Cumulative GPA calculation and only the highest grade obtained in the attempt(s) will be used in the calculation of the Cumulative GPA.
4.8.6 Grades for all attempts of a Course appear on the official transcript.
4.8.7 Courses transferred from another accredited college or university cannot be repeated for additional Credit.
4.8.8 Course repetition does not apply to Courses that use the same Course ID (same subject and number) but where different topics are offered in different terms such as “Special Study or Special Topics”.
4.8.9 Course repetition does not apply to Courses that can extend beyond 1 Semester in duration. In such cases, a Final Grade of IP is recorded for all registered Semesters prior to the Semester in which the Final Grade is awarded.
4.8.10 Students seeking to repeat a deactivated Course for which there exists an equivalent Course that does not use the same Course ID (same subject and number) as the original Course, must receive approval for the Course repetition and Final Grade replacement from the Department Chair.
4.8.11 A Student’s Cumulative GPA does not change after a credential has been awarded even if a Course is later repeated under a different Program.
4.9 Dropped or Withdrawn Courses
4.9.1 Students have the opportunity to Add and/or Drop Courses anytime during the Registration Period and until the end of the Add/Drop Period. No Final Grade is assigned to Dropped Courses.
4.9.2 At the end of the Add/Drop Period, Students can Withdraw from a Course(s) until the end of Withdrawal Period without academic prejudice. A Final Grade of a W will be assigned and entered on the transcript to indicate an official withdrawal has taken place.
4.10 Change of Grade
4.10.1 The deadline for submission of Final Grades is specified in the Academic Calendar.
4.10.2 Once submitted, a Final Grade may be changed only at the request of the Academic Member delivering the Course, with the approval of the Department Chair.
4.10.3 Changes to Final Grades must be submitted within the timeline specified in the procedure.
4.10.4 Any grade change submitted outside of this timeframe must be approved by the Vice-President, Academic Affairs.
4.10.5 Students who feel that their Final Grade is not an accurate assessment of their Course Learning Outcome may request an Audit of the Final Grade in accordance with the relevant procedures.
4.11 Delay in Final Grade Submission
4.11.1 In the event that Final Grades are not submitted by the Academic Member by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar, a Final Grade of NS (Grade Not Submitted) is posted by the Admissions and Registration Directorate.
4.11.2 An NS Final Grade must be cleared by the end of the third week after the beginning of the subsequent Semester. If an NS Final Grade is not cleared by this date, Students will receive a Final Grade of F (Fail) for the Course.
5.0 Graduate Grading Scheme
The application of the grading scheme, Cumulative GPA calculation, and non-factorable Final Grades are outlined in the Final Grade Procedure (PR-ST-08).
Letter Grade | Percentage | Grade Points | Description |
A | 90 to 100 | 4.00 | Excellent |
B+ | 85 to <90 | 3.50 | Very Good |
B | 80 to <85 | 3.00 | Very Good |
C+ | 75 to <80 | 2.50 | Good |
C | 70 to <75 | 2.00 | Good |
F | Less than 70 | 0.0 | Fail |
AF | 0.0 | Attendance Fail |
5.1 Non-Calculable Grades:
Letter Grade | Grade Points | Description |
AB | Non-factorable | Deferred Grade |
AU | Non-factorable | Audited Course |
EN | Non-factorable | Exemption from Course |
EX | Non-factorable | Excluded from GPA |
IN | Non-factorable | Incomplete |
IP | Non-factorable | In Progress |
NS | Non-factorable | Grade Not Submitted |
P | Non-factorable | Passing Grade in a Pass/Fail Course |
W | Non-factorable | Withdraw |
6.0 Procedures
6.1 The Vice-President, Student Affairs will ensure that procedures are developed for the execution of this policy, and are implemented accordingly.
7.0 Related Documents
7.1 PL-ST-02: Academic Schedule Policy
7.2 PL-ST-03: Student Attendance Policy
7.3 PL-ST-06: Transfer Policy
7.4 PL-ST-09: Registration Policy
7.5 PL-AC-07: Examination Policy
7.6 PL-ST-17: Graduate Admissions Policy
7.7 PL-ST-18: Graduate Academic Standing Policy
7.8 PR-ST-19: Graduate Final Grade Procedure