This document1 amends and supersedes the grading policies of the Peabody Conservatory as stated in the Academic Catalog: Academic Regulations › Grading System and Regulations. The amended policies apply to graduate students and undergraduates as noted below for the fall semester 2020. This amended grading policy will continue for the Spring 2021 but some details about process may change.
All enrollments in the fall semester 2020 will be reconfigured to be graded as satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U). Students may elect to have courses, lessons, and recitals graded for a letter grade instead of S/U by changing grading format for each individual course by 7 December 2020.2 After 7 December, the grading format for courses may not be changed. Note that ensembles may not be changed from the S/U grading format.
THE HOMEWOOD SCHOOLS haves also adopted the default S/U format for classes, but their policies will differ slightly with regard to deadlines and processes to change the format. Please note that not all class may be available for a letter grade. In all cases, the policies of the division that offers the course will apply: Peabody policies for Peabody classes, and ASEN policies for ASEN classes.
DUAL DEGREE students will follow the policies adopted for Homewood students.
The grades S and U are new to Peabody and will be implemented for the first time in the fall semester. S/U grading is similar to P/F grading with one important difference: F is a failing grade that typically counts for 0 quality points in a student GPA, whereas U does not factor into the GPA. Courses that are graded S/U will not factor into a grade point average.
THE GRADE S indicates that the student has passed the course and satisfied the degree requirement. In a course sequence, a grade of S in a course indicates that a student may advance to the next course.
THE GRADE U indicates that the student did not pass the course and satisfy the degree requirement. The student will need to retake and pass the course before advancing to the next course.
Peabody has adopted S/U grading as a default specifying only that S is the minimum passing grade to satisfy the requirement and advance. The Homewood Academic Council has also recommended that, “S grades be mandated to satisfy all degree requirements that ordinarily require a letter grade including those that would require a grade of C or higher.”
This information amends and supersedes the section Academic Regulations › Academic Standing in the Academic Catalog for the fall semester 2020.
For S/U grading, the criteria for inclusion on the Dean’s List are:
Students who achieve the Dean’s List with a semester grade point average of 3.90 or higher are designated “High Honors.
This policy amends the standard policy only in noting that at least 12 credits must be taken for a letter grade.
1 This is version three, dated 4 December 2020. This version notes that S/U grading will continue in the spring, further specifies policies for Homewood classes, and adds information about Dean’s List. <return>
2 Grades must be changed by 7 December 2020. This date replaced the prior announced date of 23 October. <return>