Graduate Catalog

Class Attendance and Grading

Attendance is vital to student success. Therefore, students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. Students are permitted 1 hour of unexcused absence per hour of course credit. This means in a 2-hour course, students can miss up to 2 hours of class. In a 3-hour course, students can miss up to 3 hours. Additional absences may be excused under certain extenuating circumstances (e.g., an injury or illness, a death in the family, or an unexpected personal or family emergency) at the discretion of the instructor. Requests for excused absences must be made before the absence, when possible.

Students may appeal an instructor’s decision regarding absences to the dean of the school in which the student is enrolled. Beyond the permitted unexcused absence, additional absences will result in a 1-level course grade deduction (e.g., A drops to A-). Students who accumulate more than 3 unexcused absences in a 15-week course may automatically fail the course. Students who accumulate more than 2 unexcused absences in a 7.5- or 10-week term may automatically fail the course. At their discretion, faculty may count lateness as an absence. Students who miss class because they register late or change sections are subject to the same policy. These policies apply to all courses in the School of Counseling and the School of Ministry.