In Mason Gross School of the Arts, outstanding work is graded A, and good work is graded B. Candidates for all degrees normally are expected to earn a grade of B or better in all coursework. For the master of fine arts degree, the school accepts no more than 9 graduate credits bearing grades of C or C+. For the master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees, only 3 credits of C or C+ work are accepted. At the doctoral level, no grade below a B may be counted toward the degree without petition to and approval of the Graduate Performance Committee. A grade of F is assigned to students who fail to earn credit in a course they complete. Students who fail to complete a course and do not withdraw their registration (either from the course or from the university) in the prescribed manner of written notification to the graduate registrar also receive an F.

Additionally, the Mason Gross School of the Arts graduate school uses the following grade symbols:

IN  incomplete

S  satisfactory (used in courses taken not-for-credit)

U  unsatisfactory (used in courses taken not-for-credit)

W  withdrawal (officially withdrew)

An instructor may assign an IN grade if he or she thinks added time is warranted to allow a student to make up work that was incomplete at the end of the semester. Excluding Summer Session, the instructor may permit a student to take as many as two additional semesters to make up incomplete coursework. Incompletes generated in a Summer Session must be made up by the end of the following spring semester. Graduate program directors may establish shorter time limits for a student to complete an IN grade.

The university grants an extension of time beyond these deadlines to make up an IN grade only in cases of specific medical or extreme hardship cases. Moreover, the extension is granted only if the student provides a written statement describing the medical condition or hardship.

When a graduate student is permitted or requested to take an undergraduate course (those courses numbered below 500), the student must get specific approval for credit from the graduate program director. Credits for these courses appear on the transcript with one of the following prefixes: G (approved for credit toward the graduate degree), E (not approved for credit toward the graduate degree), or N (official audit; no degree credit; no final exam; S or U grade). For further information on this topic, see the Registration and Course Information section of this chapter.