Undergraduate Catalogue - UPRM

58Academic Standards
The first digit of the four-digit numbers which
follow the alphabetical code indicates course
level according to the following guide:
0- Remedial courses.
1- First-level courses corresponding to a
technical two-year associate degree program.
2- Second-level courses corresponding to a
technical, two-year associate degree program.
3- First-level courses of undergraduate
programs. Usually, courses offered during
the first two years of a program which leads
to a bachelor's degree.
4- Second-level courses of undergraduate
programs. Usually, courses offered in the
third and fourth year of a program which
leading to a bachelor's degree.
5- Advanced undergraduate courses that may a
be taken for graduate credit.
6- Graduate courses.
7- Doctoral courses.
GRADES
Unit of instruction: One-credit hour
comprises one hour of lecture-discussion or two
to four hours of laboratory practice, language
drill, or any other work of a similar nature each
week during the semester. One hour of
academic work is equivalent to a fifty-minute
class period. A semester comprises a minimum
of fifteen weeks of instruction exclusive of final
examinations.
At UPRM grades are awarded as follows:
A - excellent 4.0
B - good 3.0
C - satisfactory 2.0
D - passing but deficient 1.0
F - failure 0
P - passing
W - authorized withdrawal
In the case of thesis or research in progress, the
grades S (Satisfactory) and NS (Not Satisfactory)
will be used, but like the grade P, they will not
be considered in computing the grade point
average of a student. The same rule may apply
in some seminars.
The minimum grade for passing any graduate
and major course in the Colleges of Business
Administration, and Engineering and in the
major courses in the Departments of Nursing,
Mathematics, and Physical Education is C. The
minimum grade for passing other undergraduate
courses is D.
Grade point average (GPA): This is the
official measurement of the merit awarded to
student work. It is computed by dividing the
total number of honor points acquired by the
total number of units of credit in which the
student has received final grades. Honor points
are assigned for each grade as follows: A= 4,
B= 3, C= 2, D= 1, F= 0. Grades received in
courses marked "W," "S," or "P" make no
contribution to the student's GPA.
GPA is computed after considering all courses
completed. In determining academic progress,
grades received in courses taken during summer
sessions are considered in the computation of the
GPA for the following academic year.
Provisional grades: A provisional grade or
"Incomplete" (I) may be given to a student when,
for justifiable reasons acceptable to the
instructor, he or she has been unable to complete
the academic requirements of a given course.
The provisional grade will be computed on the
basis of assigning a grade of F to the incomplete
work. If the student has made up the deficiency
before the end of the following semester, the
instructor shall notify the Registrar of the final
grade. Provisional grades that have not been
changed become final at the end of the following
semester. The academic calendar specifies
applicable deadlines.
Repetition of courses:
(1) Courses in which students obtain a grade of
D, or F, or are not approved may be repeated
without restrictions.
(2) If requested by a student and, after analyzing
the specific academic circumstances, the
Dean of the College may authorize, in
exceptional cases, the repetition of a course
in which a student has obtained a grade of C.
The Registrar has to be notified of the
authorization in a written communication.
(3) If a student repeats a course, only the higher
grade will be counted in the computation of
the GPA, but all grades will appear on the
official transcript.
58 Undergraduate Catalogue 2004-2005