Academic Intervention Course Remediation
Academic Intervention and Course Remediation Document
Finalized July 7, 2023
Posted 10/5/2023
Academic Progression, Promotion and Academic Probation of PharmD Students
Academic Progression of Students – Approved August 7th 2023
Approved: August 2023
Posted: October 2023
Academic Resignation
Students may resign from the program at any time prior to two weeks before the beginning of final examinations for the term. Students who wish to resign must officially communicate this in writing to the assistant dean of students. Once approval is granted from the assistant dean of students, the School registrar will be notified to withdraw the student from all classes. Students may not “unofficially resign” by failing to attend classes. Resignation constitutes withdrawal from all courses being taken. Students who have resigned from the program must petition the assistant dean of students, who may consult with the APC, for re-admission.
Course Withdrawal
Students may withdraw from professional course(s) only after written permission has been obtained from the course coordinator and the assistant dean of students. The course withdrawal must be processed through the School registrar within the time period specified by the University. Students are not permitted to “unofficially withdraw” by merely not attending classes. Under no circumstances will withdrawal from a professional course(s) be granted solely on the basis of poor performance in the professional course(s), except in the event of resignation from the program.
Dean’s List and Graduation Honors
The School of Pharmacy awards Dean’s List and graduation honors in accordance with University guidelines. To be on the Dean’s List for a term students must complete at least 12 credits for letter grades, with a term GPA of 3.5 or greater and no grades lower than a C.
Graduation honors: Based on the overall GPA for the first three years of the professional program.
- Cum laude: GPA 3.25
- Magna cum laude: GPA 3.50
- Summa cum laude: GPA 3.75
Dismissal and Readmission to the Program
Petition for Re-admission
Students who have resigned from the program or have been dismissed (not permitted to register) from the program will not be considered for re-admission for at least six months after the date of dismissal. After this time, students may submit a petition for re-admission to the chair of the APC. If the APC determines that there are sufficient grounds for re-admission, and class space is available in that current professional year, students will be re-admitted, will follow acourse of study determined by the APC, and must conform to any curricular changes that have occurred since they were last enrolled.
Dismissed Students, Three Years Later
Students who have been dismissed and who petition for re-admission two calendar years from the time of their dismissal are not eligible for re-admission with advanced standing. Such students must apply for re-admission as new P1 students, on a competitive basis with all other applicants for that year. Such students, if admitted, will be expected to follow the PharmD program applicable to other students admitted that year.
Regulations for Re-admitted Students
All re-admitted students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater and make satisfactory scholastic progress (i.e., not again be placed on academic probation) for all remaining terms to continue in the PharmD program. Re-admitted students will be evaluated at the end of each term, and failure to meet the requirements for continuing in the PharmD program will result in permanent dismissal.
Due Process and Right of Appeal
Students will be notified in writing of their placement on academic probation or dismissal from the PharmD program, including the reason for this action. Students may appeal this action by submitting in writing to the chair of the APC, within two weeks of the date of the letter from the APC, evidence of extenuating circumstances for the APC to consider. Students may appear before the APC to further explain their particular situation prior to the committee’s making its final decision.
Students may appeal decisions of the APC to the dean by providing a written petition, within two weeks of the date of the letter from the APC, outlining the extenuating circumstances or an alternative solution to the decision made by the APC. The dean may choose to consult with the APC prior to arriving at a decision, which will be final.
Grade point Average (GPA) and Minimum GPA
Calculation of grade point average (GPA) will include all required professional courses and approved electives taken while enrolled in the PharmD program. Cumulative GPA will be calculated at the end of each term. All PharmD students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00. Students who fail to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above will be placed on academic probation and given one opportunity to repeat selected courses in order to raise their cumulative GPA above 2.00. Students failing to increase their cumulative GPA above a 2.00 during this period of academic probation will be dismissed from the PharmD program. Term GPA will be calculated at the end of each term. Students with a term GPA under 2.00 will be placed on academic probation and must achieve a GPA of 2.00 or above during the following term. Students failing to achieve a term GPA of 2.00 or above during this period of academic probation will be dismissed from the PharmD program.
Grading Options, Grade Changes
The PharmD curriculum is intensive. Students are expected to devote full time to the academic program once enrolled. Thus, the School of Pharmacy schedule of classes, assignments, practice experiences, examinations, and other activities take precedence over outside employment or extracurricular activities. Course sessions, practice experience and examinations may be scheduled outside the usual business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Grade Options, Grade Point Average (GPA) and Minimum GPA to progress and graduate, Grade changes.
All PharmD courses and elective courses are taken for letter grades with the exception of Experiential Learning courses taken each semester and for which students receive honors, satisfactory or unsatisfactory (H/S/U). At the discretion of Course Coordinators plus and minus grades may also be given in letter graded courses. GPA’s for the pharmacy students are based on grades earned during the first three years of the professional curriculum and are calculated each semester and at the end of each professional year. One of the requirements for advancement to the next professional is maintenance of a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater at the end of each professional year. Students must earn passing grades in all required professional and elective courses and have a 2.0 or greater to graduate from the PharmD Program.
The letter grade (LG) grading system identified below is used to calculate GPA (value times the course credits/by total number of semester credits)
A+ = 4.00
A = 4.00
A- = 3.75
B+ = 3.25
B = 3.00
B- = 2.75
C+ = 2.25
C = 2.00
C- = 1.75
D+ = 1.25
D = 1.00
D- = 0.75
F = 0.00
The following grades carry no quality points:
G – Unfinished Class Work: no quality points are earnedClass work unfinished because of extenuating personal circumstances. Grade changes may occur after required class work is finished.
H – Honors
Honors (exceptional) completion of class requirements.
R – Resignation
Student resigned from the University for the term.
S – Satisfactory
Satisfactory completion of class requirements.
U – Unsatisfactory
Unsatisfactory completion of class requirements.
W – Withdrawal
Missed or Incomplete Course work
G Grades and I Grades: Students who, for good and valid reasons, are unable to complete some portion of the required material in a professional course may receive, at the discretion of the instructor, a G grade if in the P1 or P2 year, or an I grade if in the P3 or P4 year. The instructor must be convinced, by appropriate documentation, that the reasons for the incomplete work are valid. The incomplete work must be made up as soon as possible, and no later than the end of the following term (spring or summer). If there are extenuating circumstances students may have up to one year (University’s guidelines) to complete work in courses for which they have received a G grade. Students who have been given a G or an I grade in a course that is a prerequisite for another course may not take the next course in the sequence until the G or I grade has been replaced with an acceptable grade. Students cannot advance to the next professional year until all G or I grades have been resolved. If a G or an I grade is not resolved in the designated time, students will be under academic probation as outlined below.
The cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) is based upon all University of Pittsburgh credits completed for the PharmD curriculum (i.e. the first three professional years) in accordance with the University Grading Policy. Effective with the fall 2005 term and the implementation of a new student administration system (PeopleSoft), the cumulative GPA will appear on the student’s Transcript. Awards including Dean’s List and graduation honors are based on the GPA
Grade Changes
Grade changes may be necessary after grades have been submitted by Course Coordinators to the University’s Registrar. Grade changes may be given if students receive a G grade because they have not completed all course requirements. After satisfactory completion of all required work a grade change is initiated. All grade change forms are completed by the Course Coordinators for the PharmD courses and processed by the School’s Registrar.
Add/Drop Courses
Students enrolled in the 4 years of the professional curriculum take a pre-determined full course load each semester. There are two exceptions to this: students in the Program who are on academic probation or students who have been exempted for a course. In these situations students who must add or drop a course must do so before the end of the add/drop period (approximately two weeks after classes start). If you drop a course, no grade is recorded and tuition is recalculated if enrollment falls below 12 credits. Note: you will no longer be considered a full-time student if you drop below 12 credits, and this status change could have an effect on your housing and financial aid. Add/drop requests will be processed by the School’s registrar.
Registration Procedure and Course Load
Registration for PharmD Courses and Credit Loads: Students in the PharmD program are expected to carry a full course load during each term of residence. The School’s Registrar completes a block registration each semester for all PharmD students enrolled in each of the 4 years of the Program. The course structure, credits and meeting times for the curriculum are pre-determined. (PharmD Course Listing) Students in the first two professional years are classified as undergraduate students and are enrolled in 15 and 16 credits respectively for each of the first two years. During Professional year 3 and 4 students are classified as graduate students. During the third professional year students may select 3 credits of professional elective each term for a total course load of 15 credits each semester. The School’s registrar also completes registration for elective courses as well.Professional year four spans three semesters (Summer, Fall and Spring) with several options for units earned per semester for a total of 37 units for the year.
Student Absences from Class
Student Absences from Class: Class attendance policies are established by Course Coordinators and other course instructors in the course. In courses where attendance is mandatory absences will be excused for medical or other serious reasons. Studies have shown that missing class is the primary reason for low grades.
Leave of Absence
Students in good academic standing may, for valid reasons, petition in writing to the assistant dean of students for a leave of absence from the program. In the written petition, the students must specify, the reason for the request and the length of the leave of absence. Unless special permission is granted by the assistant dean of students, the leave of absence may not exceed one academic year. Students who are granted a leave must notify the School registrar of theirintent to re-enter the program at least one month before the beginning of the term for which they intend to return. Students will not receive credit for any courses taken at this or any other university or college during the leave of absence. In the event that students are not able to return to the professional program by the agreed upon date, the students must submit, in writing, to the assistant dean of students the reason for not meeting this date of return and his or her intentions regarding returning to the professional program. Students who do not intend to return to the professional program must submit in writing a request for academic resignation no later than one month prior to the agreed upon date of return.
View the full Leave of Absence policy
Academic Policies
PharmD Academic Progression Policy
PharmD Academic Performance Improvement Plan
University of Pittsburgh Transcripts
Current and former students can now order transcripts and enrollment verifications online! Not only can you order these documents online, but you can also choose to have these documents delivered via email through our secure, electronic PDF delivery process.
Please visit: http://www.registrar.pitt.edu/transcripts.html