Undergraduate policies for the McKelvey School of Engineering are listed in the sections below.
Additional policies related to academics are listed in the University Policies and Undergraduate Policies sections of this Bulletin. Students are expected to be familiar with policies listed throughout the Bulletin; this reminder is intended as a courtesy.
Academic Standing (Process)
A fundamental requirement for all students is to make sufficient academic progress toward degree completion. In order to make sufficient academic progress, students must earn adequate grades and complete enough units in order to satisfy degree requirements in a timely manner. Academic Standing statuses and standards are defined in the Undergraduate Policies section of this Bulletin. In support of those standards, the McKelvey School of Engineering has certain practices to work with students in the statuses listed below.
If a performance indicator contributing to the status of an academic standing category is raised above the threshold (e.g., by the resolution of an incomplete grade or the change of a final grade), then that academic standing may be reconsidered if the student has not yet graduated. However, retaking a course which then results in the first grade earned in the course no longer counting in the GPA will not result in a past academic standing status being reconsidered.
Academic Concern
Academic Concern is noted only the first time that a student qualifies for an academic action based upon a semester GPA of less than 2.0 and/or earning fewer than 12 units. When a student qualifies for Academic Concern in another semester by earning a semester GPA of less than 2.0 and/or by earning fewer than a total of 12 units in a regular semester, then the second (or additional) Academic Concern qualification will immediately convert to Academic Notice or Academic Time Away.
Academic Notice
As stated above, if a student qualifies for Academic Concern more than once by earning a semester GPA below 2.0 and/or by earning fewer than 12 units in a regular semester, their status will convert to Academic Notice or Academic Time Away.
Academic Time Away
Academic Time Away is not viewed as punitive. Rather, it is an academic pause applied when it is clear that something is interfering with a student's ability to complete degree requirements. It is not in a student's best interest to continue with their studies unless changes are made that will enable successful and consistent academic progress toward graduation.
Students placed on Academic Time Away are given the option to appeal. Students choosing to appeal must follow a prescribed appeal process within provided specific deadlines. Students who successfully appeal their Academic Time Away will be allowed to continue their enrollment and their academic status category will change to Academic Notice. Students deciding not to appeal, or if their appeal is unsuccessful, will have their registration cancelled for the upcoming semester and their academic record will be closed. When this occurs, it is possible for the student to request reinstatement with McKelvey at a future time. Students in this situation will need to show that they have successfully completed challenging coursework at a different institution (normally, at least for one year), or be employed in a paid position (normally, at least for one year), or a combination of the two (school and work). Students who have been placed on Academic Time Away will be allowed to return when it appears that they are genuinely ready to successfully complete coursework at Washington University.
Dual Degree Students
A student who enters as a Dual Degree 3-Year Option (3/3) student pursues a McKelvey undergraduate degree for two years and then a McKelvey master's degree the third year. While pursuing the undergraduate degree during the first two years, undergraduate academic standing rules are applied to the student. McKelvey graduate probation and suspension rules are applied during the third year, when the student is pursuing the master's degree.
Academic Integrity and Conduct
All students in the McKelvey School of Engineering are expected to conform to high standards of conduct. To review our school statement and university policies on Academic Integrity as well as our violation allegation process, please visit the Academic Integrity at McKelvey webpage.
Attendance
Each professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering decides how many absences a student may have and still pass the course. Professors are expected to give reasonable consideration to unavoidable absences and to the feasibility of making up work that has been missed. Students are expected to explain to their professors the reasons for any absences and to discuss with them the possibility of making up missed assignments.
Credits and Grades
Credits (often called "units" at WashU) are assigned to courses based on measures of time in class and academic activities as well as engagement between instructors and students, as defined in university policy. Grade points per course are calculated by multiplying the number of units of a course by the grade points earned. The Undergraduate Policies page details the grades and grade points in use.
Audit
A student may register for some courses as an auditor. The criteria for a successful audit are determined by the course instructor, and the student should work with the instructor to ensure that these criteria are understood. Generally speaking, the completion of homework and the taking of exams are not required. The grade L signifies a successful audit, and the grade Z signifies an unsuccessful audit. Neither grade affects a student's grade point average, and the course's units do not contribute to the student's total cumulative degree-seeking units. Audit courses do not count toward any degree nor do they count toward full-time status determination. They do count toward the 21-unit cap per semester, and audit units are charged at the standard full-time or part-time per-unit rate. Class attendance is normally required to earn a grade of L; unsatisfactory attendance will result in a grade of Z. Computer science courses do not allow students with auditor status.
Incomplete Grades
Incomplete Coursework
Washington University expects students to finish their coursework on time or to remove themselves by dropping or withdrawing from the course by published deadlines. When situations outside of the student's control arise and prevent timely course completion, a grade of I indicates that work is outstanding. McKelvey students may request an incomplete grade of I only for a course in which they have substantially completed the work, including any requirements of attendance or engagement. Students must also be passing the course based on materials submitted thus far to be eligible for an incomplete I grade.
This policy allows but does not compel I grades in the above circumstances. Grading is the purview of the faculty, as governed by school policies, and they may choose to deny requests for incomplete grades.
Impact of Incomplete Grades
An Incomplete will prevent a student from moving forward in a sequence of courses when the unfinished course is required (i.e., when it is a prerequisite) to move ahead. An Incomplete is also factored into academic standing reviews and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reviews.
Finishing Incomplete Coursework
Incomplete grades will change to final failing grades four months (120 days) after the last day of the term in which the course was taken if the student does not submit missing work and the instructor does not submit a final grade. Therefore, students must complete missing work and submit it with enough time to allow the instructor to evaluate the work and submit the grade before the 120‐day window ends. For example, a student working with a fall semester Incomplete must submit their work to the instructor in time for them to evaluate the work and assign a final grade by mid‐April of the following year. Instructors may establish an earlier deadline than Washington University's deadline in this policy. Students and instructors are strongly encouraged to establish an agreement specifying the work remaining and the deadline for it to be submitted; some schools may require this (please consult school-specific policies).
Students must not re‐enroll in an upcoming section of the unfinished course to make up the incomplete; re‐enrollment invokes the course retake policy. Students planning to graduate before the grade change deadline must complete courses and receive grades before graduating. Incompletes remaining at the time of degree conferral will be changed to final grades of failure. Grade changes are not permitted after a degree has been conferred.
Pass/No Pass
All undergraduate engineering students are eligible to register each semester for up to 6 units with the Pass/No Pass option, for up to a maximum of 18 units attempted. Some departments require students to take certain courses Pass/No Pass; credits in these courses do not count toward either the semester limit of 6 units or the cumulative limit of 18 units.
Core and elective courses counting for major and minor course requirements are normally never allowed to be taken Pass/No Pass.
Courses taken to fulfill McKelvey’s Humanities and Social Sciences requirement can be taken Pass/No Pass, provided they are not courses also used to satisfy requirements a major or a minor.
General elective courses are normally allowed to be taken Pass/No Pass.
Changes from the regular grade basis to Pass/No Pass or vice versa may not be made after the last dates specified in the current McKelvey Academic Calendar. The normal regulations for withdrawal or change to auditor status also apply to Pass/No Pass courses.
It is the student's responsibility to discuss with the faculty member what constitutes a pass in a particular course. Although the general pass mark is a C–, instructors have the discretion to set the pass mark higher in their course(s).
A final grade of Pass will earn degree credit where applicable. A final grade of No Pass will not earn degree credit. Neither Pass nor No Pass will affect the GPA.
Quality Grades
All courses must be taken for a quality (letter) grade unless otherwise specified in the Pass/No Pass section above.
Undergraduate GPA in Workday for Students with Both Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Records
Workday Student is the system of record for academic administration, including advising, course management, student records and registration, and student financials.
A student enrolled in both an undergraduate degree program and a graduate degree program (e.g., BS/MS students) will have two academic records in Workday: an undergraduate academic record and a graduate academic record.
Workday automatically calculates separate GPAs for undergraduate academic records and graduate academic records. The specific GPAs are determined by the course grades earned in each of those separate academic records. Students with two different academic records will likely have different GPAs for each academic record.
Several McKelvey academic policies rely on the use of undergraduate GPAs, such as meeting minimum GPA graduation requirements, dean's list eligibility, Latin Honors eligibility, and academic standing rules.
Whenever GPAs are listed in a McKelvey undergraduate policy, unless otherwise stipulated within a specific policy, it is the undergraduate academic record GPA (semester and/or cumulative) that is used when reviewing and applying an undergraduate academic policy.
Interschool Transfer
Students in other traditional undergraduate schools may apply to transfer to the McKelvey School of Engineering. To learn more, please visit the Interschool Transfer Policy on the Office of Undergraduate Programs website.
Pre-Matriculation Credit
Policies about pre-matriculation credit are listed in the Admissions section of this Bulletin.
Registration in Special Programs
Military Training
Army and Air Force ROTC programs are available at Washington University. These courses are counted as free electives. The last course in the sequence, MILS 4020, will count for social science credit.
Course descriptions for Air Force ROTC and Army ROTC can be found in the appropriate section of this Bulletin.
Sever Institute Courses
Sever graduate courses are allowed to count as general units and in the GPA for all undergraduate and graduate McKelvey students. The units earned in Sever graduate courses will count as general units needed to satisfy any McKelvey degree, and they will count toward the general Washington University residency requirement for undergraduate degrees. However, they will not count toward the engineering ("E" course) residency requirement for McKelvey undergraduate degrees. The GPA earned in Sever graduate courses will count toward the cumulative GPA, the semester GPA, the dean's list, and Latin honors. Unless approved by the McKelvey department offering the student's degree program, Sever graduate courses will not satisfy any course requirement (core or elective requirement) for any McKelvey undergraduate degree, graduate degree, second major, minor, or certificate program.
WashU Continuing & Professional Studies Courses
The focus of the WashU School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) is to serve working adults in the St. Louis region. It is specifically oriented toward part-time students who are balancing work, family, and educational goals.
Engineering undergraduate students in their final year of study may enroll in one in-person CAPS course each semester, provided CAPS allows day-school students to enroll in those specific courses. Other engineering undergraduate students may only enroll in CAPS courses that have been preapproved by the Engineering Undergraduate Studies Committee. Students should consult with their four-year advisors in the McKelvey Engineering Office of Undergraduate Programs (Lopata Hall, Room 303) if they have questions.
CAPS courses completed by engineering undergraduate students are counted as free electives, but they will not fulfill specific engineering degree requirements (e.g., humanities, social science, natural science).
Exceptions to the above rules may exist for a student's declared degree program when working toward a non-Engineering minor or a dual degree program.
Transfer Credit
School Policy or Process
In addition to the Transfer Credit policies outlined in the Undergraduate Policies section of this Bulletin, certain additional policies apply to McKelvey students. The transfer course approval process is outlined on the McKelvey School of Engineering website.
Online Courses
Transfer credit is never accepted for online courses.