Continuation Policy for the Informatics Major

(Revised to include Freshman Direct Admissions)
Approved by faculty 5/9/05

This document clarifies what constitutes satisfactory progress towards degree for undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Science in Informatics program. While the University has regulations governing scholastic eligibility for continuance1, the Information School seeks additional requirements in order to make the best use of the limited facilities and resources available and to provide reasonable assurance for academic success. The following will apply to all students in the Bachelor of Science in Informatics program.

General Expectations of Satisfactory Progress:

  1. Students are expected to make satisfactory progress towards the attainment of the Informatics degree. Under normal circumstances, an Informatics major attending full-time would be considered making satisfactory progress if he/she completes all major prerequisites by the end of the Sophomore year (within 90 cumulative units) and completes the major requirements (core courses, major electives, and capstone) during Junior and Senior years. Lack of academic progress may be evidenced by low scholarship as well as excessive course repeats, course drops, or University withdrawals and cancellations.
  2. Informatics majors are expected to be enrolled full time, beginning the autumn quarter in which they were admitted to the program. Full-time students typically complete 12 or more credits per quarter towards degree completion.
  3. The cumulative GPA of prerequisite courses taken after admission to the major must be 3.00 or better.
  4. Students must maintain a minimum quarterly GPA of 2.00.
  5. Students must earn a numerical grade of 2.0 or above in each class used to meet major requirements (e.g., core courses, major electives, and capstone). Courses used to satisfy major requirements cannot be taken on a satisfactory/non-satisfactory basis.
  6. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00, and thereby avoid appearing on the University's Low Scholarship list2.

Conditions Warranting Recommendation to Alter a Student's Standing:

The Office of Student and Academic Services will review the performance of undergraduate students after each quarter. If a student fails to meet the general expectations of satisfactory progress outlined above in any quarter in the program, the following actions will be invoked.

Students will be notified of academic warning, probation, or dismissal by letter as soon as practicable after review of the previous quarter's grade reports. Failure to meet one or more of the general expectations of satisfactory progress may also result in the following actions.

Warning
The warning letter will be issued to Informatics majors who do not meet the general expectations of satisfactory progress in their first quarter in the program. Students who receive the warning letter should meet with an adviser to discuss any difficulties impacting the student's academic performance and to resolve problems to avoid probation.
Probation for the Major
If at the end of any quarter, the student fails to meet the general expectations of satisfactory progress, the student will be placed on probation. Once on probation, the student must achieve a quarterly GPA higher than 2.50 in the following quarter. If any single grade for a course required for the major is below 2.0, the student is required to meet with the Office of Student and Academic Services by the third week of the following quarter to develop an individualized educational plan to remove the deficiency. Students are strongly advised to discuss with the Office of Student and Academic Services any special circumstances that may be affecting their academic performance so that these matters may be taken into consideration when drafting the IEP and that timely assistance may be provided, as appropriate.
Dismissal from the Major
The student will be dismissed from the Informatics major if, while on probation, the student fails to meet the minimum quarterly GPA of 2.50, or fails to meet one or more of the general expectations of satisfactory progress. The student will be notified in writing of the change in major status, and transferred to the College of Arts and Sciences and coded as a pre-major or extended pre-major.

Appeal Procedures

A student who has been placed on probation or has been dismissed from the major and believes that some facts in the student's documentation have been overlooked or misinterpreted may request reconsideration of the probation or dismissal from the major by writing a letter to the Associate Dean for Academics of the Information School. Included in the letter should be any additional information in support of the student or any other information that the student believes is relevant. In general, appeals to alter the student's status without evidence of new or additional information will not be considered. The letter and supporting material will be transferred to the Academic Standards Committee, which will carefully review all the available information and make a recommendation to the Associate Dean on whether or not academic probation should be considered for another quarter. The appeal must be made within 30 days of the notification of placement on probation or dismissal from the major. The committee (or a designated subcommittee during the summer quarter) will make a recommendation to the Associate Dean in response to the appeal within 30 days.

Footnotes

  1. Available on the web are the University's Satisfactory Progress and Low Scholarship policies. ↩
  2. Item 6 comes from the University policy on Low Scholarship. ↩