Academic Policies
The Graduate Division recognizes superior academic achievement, and requires that students meet certain minimum performance standards in order to continue in the program. All students should also be aware of the MBA Code of Ethics that sets norms of acceptable behavior in satisfying course requirements.
GRADING SYSTEM
1. Wharton’s MBA courses are graded on a traditional lettergrade system of A through F, with + and - distinctions. The letter grades carry the usual point values A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. The +’s and –’s trisect the interval between full letter grades; i.e., a ‘+’ grade will be 0.33 above the full grade value and a ‘–’ grade 0.33 below. A+’s are allowed but still carry a 4.0 point value, a University of Pennsylvania policy.
2. For MBA classes with an MBA enrollment of 20 or more at the conclusion of the course, the Class MBA Grade Point Average (CMGPA) may not exceed 3.33. This upper limit CMGPA is raised by 0.04 for every enrollment count below 20. CMGPA is defined as the average point value of the grades assigned to all MBA students in a class who are governed by this grading system.
3. Faculty are required to notify theMBA Program Office of all students whose performance falls in the lowest 10% (LT) of theirWharton classes when total enrollment is greater than or equal to 20. Students who are consistently in the lowest 10% of theirWharton courses may be subject to academic discipline. See the section on Academic Performance Standards.
4. While the grades A+ through D- are relative performance indicators (i.e., they depend on how other students in the class perform), the F grade is based on an absolute performance standard in every course.
5. The F grade does not earn credit toward graduation and when students receive it in a core course, they are required to re-enroll in the course and obtain a passing grade in order to graduate unless an alternate remedy is deemed appropriate by the faculty member. The courses in which students receive F grades are counted toward the maximum course load for tuition purposes and F grades remain on the transcript.
6. Pass/Fail Option: Each student may take up to one elective credit unit on a Pass/Fail basis each semester (with the instructor’s permission). Pass grades will be excluded from individual GPA calculations. Fail grades will be included. Pass grades are not eligible for LT designations, but Fail grades are. The Pass/Fail option does not supersede departmental requirements for majors. [Please note that MGMT 656 (GIP) and MGMT 891 (CPT) are graded as Pass/Fail and do not count toward the one credit unit limit for Pass/Fail courses.]
7. Students who withdraw from courses after the semester has begun may receive a grade of “Withdrawn” (W). The final decision on awarding a “W” rests with both the course instructor and the MBA Program Office. This grade is not included in the calculation of GPA (see Academic Honors). Courses in which students receive a “W” after the drop deadline count towards the 21 cu maximum course load.
8. Re-grade requests: Students who believe that there are errors in the grading of an assignment, exam, or any other course component may request that their instructor re-grade that component. These requests should be made as soon as possible and must comply with the requirements and time limits set by the course instructor. Students should be aware that, because of the CMGPA limit and the LT requirement, a change in one student's grade or LT status can affect another student's grade or LT status.
WHARTON GRADE DISCLOSURE POLICY
The Wharton School policy on grade disclosure states:
COURSE ATTENDANCE
Learning is a collaborative process.Wharton students are admitted in part because of the experiences they bring to the community and what they can add to class discussions. As such, attendance is an important aspect of the Wharton commitment. Absences are only appropriate in cases of personal emergency. In addition, late arrival is disruptive to the learning environment and promptness is expected. Most courses meet twice a week during the day. Normally there are no MBA classes scheduled on Friday or in the evenings, but there are exceptions. Please make note of the start of the term and the end of the exam period as you make travel plans for the periods between terms.
Faculty are the final arbiters of who enters and remains in their classes. If a student’s in-class performance has become disruptive to the class as a whole, the instructor can request that the MBA Program Office remove a student from the course roster. Faculty may also have attendance requirements. Some may require attendance in the first few classes as a necessary condition of enrollment in the course regardless of the student’s status in the course registration auction. Some faculty may also require attendance in a minimum number of sessions to remain enrolled in the course. It is the student’s responsibility to find out in advance if the course has such a requirement.
Most professors choose to base part of your course grade on attendance or participation and have a limit on the number of classes you may miss. If you find it necessary to miss a class or turn in written work late, you should seek permission from the instructor in advance. In case of illness, the professor may require a letter of confirmation from Student Health Services.
If you find yourself in a conflict due to your career search or recruiting activity, you should work with the MBA Career Management Office to find a resolution. Employers are prohibited from requiring recruiting-related activities (e.g., interviews, events or travel) that conflict with a student’s academic commitments. An employer’s inflexibility on this issue is considered a violation of Wharton’s recruiting policies.
EXAMINATION POLICIES
Examinations (including both midterms and finals) in Wharton courses are governed by the University policies on examinations which are published periodically in the University Almanac and can also be found in the University Pennbook. You should be aware that examinations are given on Fridays and evenings, including Thursday evenings, and you should check the examination calendar carefully.
If you have documentable special circumstances such as time conflicts between multiple exams, illness, or grave personal difficulties such as a death in the family, you should petition the MBA Program Office, which will work with the faculty in appropriate cases to find a resolution. The MBA Program Office will require documentation of your conflict as a matter of course. See the University website (Pennbook) for policies covering absences resulting from religious observances. You should never approach your instructors with requests to reschedule exams or to make special accommodations.
If you find yourself with a conflict due to your career search, you should work with the MBA Career Management Office to find a resolution. Employers cannot require a student, as a condition of his or her employment candidacy, to participate in recruiting-related activities at a time that conflicts with his or her academic schedule. An employer’s inflexibility on this issue is considered a violation ofWharton’s recruiting policies. A time conflict due to a job interview, a career pursuit or travel is not an appropriate reason to request accommodation on an academic commitment.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Minimum academic standards are maintained in the following manner:
(a) Probation. Students who receive two grades of F in any grading period shall be placed on probation and warned of poor academic performance.
(b) Dismissal. Any of the following three academic conditions will lead to dismissal from the MBA program: (1) receiving three grades of F in any grading period or in any two contiguous* grading periods; (2) receiving two subsequent grades of F after being placed on academic probation; or (3) accumulating five credit units of F grades and lowest 10% (LT) indicators in the first year or eight credit units during the program.
(c) Warnings. Students receiving two credit units of F grades and LT’s at the end of the first semester, four credit units at the end of the second semester and five credit units at the end of the third semester will be warned by letter of poor academic performance and will be expected to seek academic counseling.
(d) Incompletes. Grades of Incomplete are given at the discretion of the instructor when, on the basis of work completed, the student is doing passing work, but some requirement of the course (e.g., exam or paper) is not completed. All Incomplete grades not removed from a student’s record by the end of the first three weeks in the following regular semester shall be converted automatically to F. For example, Incompletes earned in the Spring semester must be removed by the end of the first three weeks of the Summer semester. Grades of Incomplete are changed to permanent grades by the instructor, who submits a change-of-grade upon completion of course requirements. Degrees are awarded in May, August, and December. In order to be awarded a degree, a student must complete all requirements by the last day of the preceding final examination period.
(e) Students who finish any semester with grades of Incomplete shall have each Incomplete be considered as one-half of an F grade for academic standards purposes.
(f) For the purpose of paragraphs (a) and (b) above, any Incomplete grade automatically converted to F will be presumed to be an F earned in the semester the student was registered for the course. This could cause a student to be retroactively placed on probation or be dismissed from the program.
(g) A student who is dismissed from the program for academics or other reasons may appeal the decision by writing to the Chair of the MBA Executive Committee within seven days of receiving the dismissal letter. Upon receipt of the request, the committee will convene a hearing and give the student seven days advance notice. The student may appear in person or submit a written appeal. If the student wishes to appear, but cannot, the hearing will still be held. All Committee decisions are final. There is no further appellate body.
(h) The above rules shall be applied irrespective of the number of credit units the student is carrying per semester.
(i) The two summer sessions combined shall be considered as one semester (regardless of whether one or two sessions are attended) for the above purposes of probation or dismissal.
(j) Except when an error is made, only those grades initially reported by instructors will be considered in determining whether a student is subject to probation or dismissal.
*Contiguous grading periods are those that immediately succeed each other. For instance, the contiguous grading period for a full semester course would be the full semester immediately succeeding (e.g., spring follows fall; fall follows spring). The contiguous grading period for a half semester course would be the half semester immediately succeeding (e.g., Q2 is contiguous to Q1 and Q3 is contiguous to Q2; however, Q3 is not contiguous with Q1). In addition Q3 is contiguous to the fall semester. Q4 would not be contiguous to the prior fall semester, but would be contiguous to the following fall semester.
ACADEMIC HONORS
The Graduate Division recognizes outstanding academic performance in the MBA Program in several different ways. Academic honors are determined on the basis of the Grade Point Average (GPA) during the fall and spring semesters (summer courses are excluded from consideration for honors (with the exception of MGMT654 and MGMT655). The GPA is determined by assigning the following numerical weights to the letter grades received inWharton MBA courses: A=4 points, B=3 points, C=2 points, D=1 point, and F=0 points, with + (plus) increasing the full grade value by .33 and – (minus) decreasing the full grade value by .33. A+’s carry a 4.0 point value, a University of Pennsylvania policy.
Courses outside theWharton MBA program are not included in the GPA computation. Courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis are not included in the GPA calculations unless a Fail grade is earned. Thus, the GPA reflected on the transcript may not be the one used to compute academic honors as the transcript GPA reflects all coursework taken at the University of Pennsylvania. Further information on academic honors can be found on the MBA Program website under the Academic Performance tab.
1. Director’s List: The Director’s List is compiled and published each semester to recognize superior academic performance in that semester and is awarded to students who rank in the top 10% of their class based on their GPA for the semester. Eligibility for Director’s List requires that the student take at least 4.5 credit units in the first semester and at least 4 credit units in each subsequent semester, 3 cu of which must be from Wharton courses taken for credit on a graded basis.
2. First-Year Honors: Students ranking in the top 20% of their class at the conclusion of the first-year will be awarded First-Year Honors. The ranking for First-Year Honors is based on the cumulative GPA during the first year and requires that students take at least 9 credit units during the fall and spring semesters.
3. Isik Inselbag Scholarship: To be eligible for the Isik Inselbag Scholarship, a grant of $7,500, a student must have a first-year GPA that places him or her among the top students in the class. In addition, the Inselbag Scholar must exemplify the spirit of Wharton through leadership, teamwork, scholarship, and service, as determined by the Vice Dean of the Graduate Division with inputs from the faculty and Graduate Division directors. Professor Inselbag, for whom the scholarship is named, served as Vice Dean and Director of the Graduate Division during 1992-95 and taught in the Finance Department for over twenty years.
4. Ford Fellowship: The student (or students, in the case of a tie) who achieves the highest academic performance during the first-year of the MBA program is awarded the Ford Fellowship, a grant of $10,000. Academic performance for the Ford Fellowship is measured by the GPA during the first year and requires that the student take at least 9 credit units during the first year.
5. Graduation with Honors: Students who rank in the top 20% of their class at graduation are awarded Graduation with Honors. The ranking for Graduation with Honors is based on the cumulative GPA earned during the program.
6. Palmer Scholars: Students graduating in the top 5% percent of the class are designated Palmer Scholars. Class rank is based on the student’s cumulative GPA earned during their two years at Wharton.
Students with any F grades are ineligible for academic honors. For the Director’s List, this applies only to the semester under consideration. The University notes all honors on the official transcript.
LEAVES OF ABSENCE
If you need to interrupt the normal two-year course of study in the MBA Program, you must request a leave of absence by writing a letter to the Director of the MBA Program stating the reason for the request and the length of the expected absence. Depending on the circumstances, a leave of absence may be granted for up to one year. The Graduate Division only grants leaves to students in good academic standing. The Division handles requests for extension of the leave on a case-by-case basis. The maximum total duration for a leave of absence from the MBA Program is five years.
TRANSCRIPTS
You may obtain copies of your transcripts by completing a Transcript Request Form which is available at the Registrar’s Office or by submitting a request in writing to:
Office of the University Registrar
University of Pennsylvania
221 Franklin Building
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6291
Telephone Number: 215.898.6411
www.upenn.edu/registrar/
You can also order transcripts online. The charge for official copies is $7.00 per copy; allow 3-5 working days for processing. Same day service costs $12.00; the online service costs $10.00; allow 1-2 working days for processing. Transcripts sent within the University are free of charge. There are additional costs for express shipping. All students receive grade reports at the end of each semester free of charge.
Transcript requests cannot be handled over the phone, and cannot be processed without the student’s written permission. The University will not release transcripts and/or grades if you have not fulfilled all financial obligations to the University.
Academic transcripts from your undergraduate programs, which were submitted for admission to Wharton, become a part of your permanent academic record and are not returned. For additional information about transcripts, see the registrar on the University website.