Policies
Normal Course Load
A course load of at least 9 credits is considered full-time; 5-8 is considered half-time. Students typically enroll for 9 credits during the first Fall and Spring semesters, 12 credits for Summer, and 6 credits for the final Fall semester. Students must maintain part-time enrollment to qualify for financial aid
Registration
A student is considered registered after having obtained any necessary approvals from faculty advisors or instructors and having entered their classes into the computer registration system. The University reserves the right to cancel or restrict the registration of students who are delinquent in meeting their financial obligations to the University.
Financial Aid Eligibility
Students must be registered for at least 5 credits to be eligible for financial aid. Federal rules may affect financial aid eligibility for students who do not show satisfactory progress; refer to the Financial Aid section of this catalog for more information.
Program Standing
Good standing in the College of Business requires regular and prompt attendance, satisfactory academic performance, appropriate professional conduct, and adherence to policies and procedures.
The following is required to maintain satisfactory progress in the MBA program:
- Obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above at graduation. If a student’s cumulative GPA at graduation is 2.99 or lower, the student is required to take additional coursework until the cumulative GPA is 3.00 or higher.
- Earn a grade of B- or higher in each course. However, a grade of C is acceptable, provided that the student maintains a cumulative 3.0 GPA. If a student receives a grade of C- or lower in a course, the student will need to retake it.
Students who do not maintain satisfactory academic standing will receive a warning; failure to improve standing may result in dismissal from the program.
Evaluation of Student Progress
Progression of student achievement is monitored frequently using various formative and summative methods of assessment. Examinations, papers, and projects communicating whether or not a student has mastered a particular set of competencies are scheduled regularly throughout the academic year. The College of Business reserves the right to employ additional assessment tools within or at the end of each year.
Grading
The MBA program uses the following letter grades: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, F; plus Pass (P) and No Pass (N) grades.
Incomplete Grades
An instructor may issue a temporary grade of Incomplete (I) only when the major portion of a course has been completed satisfactorily. Still, health or other emergency reasons prevent the student from finishing all requirements of the course. Before submitting an Incomplete grade, the instructor and the student complete an Incomplete Grade Contract detailing the completion and submission of all remaining work. After submission of the work, the instructor completes a Grade Change form and submits it to the Dean of the College for approval; the form then is processed by the Registrar.
The instructor and the student are required to agree upon a deadline by which all coursework will be completed and submitted to the instructor. Students may take up to two academic semesters to make up any incomplete work. If the agreed-upon work is not completed and no grade change submitted by the deadline (and an extension has not been granted), the Incomplete expires, and the grade becomes an F. Faculty may request an extension of an Incomplete before the expiration date by notifying the Registrar’s office.
Work in Progress Grade
When unanticipated situations arise that prevent the student from completing all course requirements, the course instructor may choose to provide students additional time to complete the work by issuing a work in progress (WP) grade to the student. A work in progress grade will only be issued if the majority of the course requirements have been completed at a satisfactory level. The student must make arrangements with the course instructor to complete the course requirements before the end of the following semester. When the student completes all course requirements at a satisfactory level, the course instructor will submit a Grade Change Request form to the Registrar’s Office to change the WP grade to the earned grade. If the student does not complete all course requirements at a satisfactory level by the end of the following term, the WP grade will change to an F (or No Pass) grade, and the student will be dismissed from the program.
Attendance at Instructional Periods
All students are expected to attend classes regularly and promptly. Students who miss classes are held responsible for all in-class course assignments. It is the responsibility of each student to immediately notify the course instructor before class if an excused absence is anticipated.
Students have the responsibility to take all scheduled assessments on the announced date and time. Students who report to class late on an assessment day will not be given any extra time.
An absence from an examination/assessment or course shall be considered “excused” if it occurs because of any of the following situations (valid documentation must be submitted):
- Hospitalization of the student or an immediate family member due to illness or accident
- Death in the student’s immediate family (i.e., spouse, parents, guardians, siblings, children, etc.)
- Summons of the student to appear for jury duty or before a court
- Any reason that has been approved by the Dean or course instructor in advance
Absence does not excuse a student from responsibility for meeting the requirements of the program. Excessive absences may result in dismissal from the program.
Dismissal
Students who receive a grade below a B-, or who do not maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 without successfully remediating deficiencies, may be dismissed from the program. Students also may be dismissed from the program for failure to comply with College or University rules and procedures or inappropriate professional or ethical conduct. Dismissal is decided on an individual basis by the College’s Curriculum and Programs Committee and College administration.
Appeals
Students wishing to appeal a course grade or other decision can find details of professional and academic standards, academic policies and procedures, the appeals process, and academic conduct policies in the University Student Handbook.
Academic Honesty
Students must protect the integrity of their work and maintain a high level of academic honesty. All forms of academic dishonesty constitute serious offenses. Students involved in the act of academic dishonesty may receive a grade of F for a course or examination or may be dismissed from the program.
Please refer to the Student Handbook regarding academic dishonesty and integrity for further details: http://www.pacificu.edu/studentlife/handbook/index.cfm
Transfer
Graduate-level coursework taken at a regionally accredited college or university will be considered for transfer on a course-by-course basis. For students enrolled in other graduate programs at Pacific, COB provides concurrent degree opportunities. Additional information is available at www.pacificu.edu/mba.
Time to Complete Degree
Students are expected to complete the degree with their cohort. Exceptions may be granted for extenuating circumstances.
Readmission
Students who voluntarily have withdrawn from the graduate programs of the College of Business may apply for readmission to the program.
The readmission decision will be made by the Dean of the College of Business (or his/her designee) and will depend upon a review of the following:
- The student’s prior performance in the MBA program
- The circumstances of the student’s withdrawal from the program
- The student’s financial standing with the University (i.e., no outstanding payments due)
- The time-lapse since the student’s withdrawal
The Dean may decide to readmit the student, to deny readmission or to require a student to repeat specific coursework to attain readmission to the graduate programs.
