Students may continue in the Materials Science and Engineering Department if they maintain satisfactory academic performance and satisfactory progress toward completion of their degree program(s). Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 each quarter in which they are enrolled. Students must also earn a minimum grade of 2.7 in any individual course that is counted toward their graduate degree.
PhD students must earn a minimum grade of 3.0 in each required PhD core course. In addition, PhD students must maintain a minimum average grade of 3.2 across the three core courses in Bonding, Defects, and Kinetics.
Students in research-based programs must also maintain satisfactory progress in independent study and research, thesis or dissertation research and writing, and completion of degree milestones within established timelines (e.g., Qualifying Exam, General Exam, Thesis Defense, or Final Exam).
Applicable to all students
Each quarter, the Department reviews the students whose quarterly GPA and/or cumulative GPA falls below 3.0. The Department Graduate Program Adviser review the academic records of these students and make recommendations to the faculty Graduate Program Coordinator based on the following guidelines.
Quarterly low academic scholarship
No formal action will be taken for students in multi-year programs whose names appear on this list because their quarterly GPA is below 3.0, unless the condition is caused by circumstances requiring immediate corrective attention. Examples include receiving a grade of 0.0/NS/NC in a course or receiving multiple grades below 2.7 in a single academic quarter. In such cases, a student may be placed on “Notify” status or recommended for placement on “Academic Alert” status.
Students in one-year Graduate Certificate programs with a quarterly GPA below 3.0 will be treated as requiring immediate corrective action. The Graduate Program Advisers and/or faculty advisers will notify students of the low scholarship standing and will be available to help them develop a plan to address the issue.
Cumulative low academic scholarship
The Department does not generally enforce cumulative low scholarship “Notify” or “Academic Alert” status until a student has been enrolled for two quarters, unless the condition is caused by circumstances requiring immediate corrective attention. Examples include receiving a grade of 0.0/NS/NC in a course or receiving multiple grades below 2.7 in a single academic quarter. In such cases, a student may be placed on “Notify” status or recommended for placement on “Academic Alert” status.
Cumulative low academic scholarship - "Notify"
Students whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 at the end of their second quarter will be placed on “Notify” status. This status applies when a student has not met expectations for academic performance or progress, with the goal of resolving concerns before escalation to official “Academic Alert” status. Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Students must meet with their Graduate Program Adviser and/or faculty adviser(s) to discuss a plan and timeline for academic improvement and any other conditions associated with “Notify” status.
If the condition is caused by circumstances requiring immediate corrective attention, the student may instead be escalated directly to “Academic Alert” status.
Cumulative low academic scholarship - "Academic Alert"
Students whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 at the end of their third quarter will be recommended for placement on “Academic Alert” status. This status applies when a student has not resolved concerns regarding academic performance or progress that have previously been documented and communicated.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.* Students must meet with their Graduate Program Adviser and/or faculty adviser(s) to discuss a plan and timeline for academic improvement and any other conditions associated with “Academic Alert” status.
Cumulative low academic scholarship - "Final Academic Alert"
Students who are on “Academic Alert” status and whose cumulative GPA remains below 3.0 will be recommended for placement on “Final Academic Alert” status if they appear on the Low Scholarship list a second time. This status applies when a student has not resolved concerns regarding academic performance or progress that have previously been documented and communicated.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Cumulative low academic scholarship - "Academic Drop"
Students who are on “Final Academic Alert” status and whose cumulative GPA remains below 3.0 will be recommended for “Academic Drop” if they appear on the cumulative Low Scholarship list for a third time. “Academic Drop” is an official action that terminates a student’s enrollment in a graduate program because the student has failed to resolve documented concerns while on “Final Academic Alert” status.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Applicable to students completing research
Quarterly lacking research progress or milestone attainment
Students who are identified by their supervising faculty member (instructor of their 600/700/800 credits) as lacking concrete research progress or milestone attainment may be placed on “Notify” status or recommended for placement on “Academic Alert” status.
The Graduate Program Adviser and student’s faculty adviser will notify the student of the identified deficiency and help develop a plan to address it through concrete and unambiguous deliverables. Subsequent quarters of insufficient research progress or milestone attainment may result in escalation to “Final Academic Alert” or “Academic Drop” status.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Lacking research progress or milestone attainment - "Notify"
This status applies when a student has not met expectations for research progress or degree milestone attainment, with the goal of resolving concerns before escalation to official “Academic Alert” status.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Students must meet with their Graduate Program Adviser and/or faculty adviser(s) to discuss a plan and timeline for improvement and any other conditions associated with “Notify” status.
If the condition requires immediate corrective attention, the student may instead be escalated to “Academic Alert” status.
Lacking research progress or milestone attainment - "Academic Alert"
This status applies when a student has not resolved concerns regarding research progress or degree milestone attainment that have previously been documented and communicated.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.* Students must meet with their Graduate Program Adviser and/or faculty adviser(s) to discuss a plan and timeline for improvement and any other conditions associated with “Academic Alert” status.
Lacking research progress or milestone attainment - "Final Academic Alert"
This status applies when a student on “Academic Alert” status has not resolved concerns regarding research progress or degree milestone attainment that have previously been documented and communicated.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Lacking research progress or milestone attainment - "Academic Drop"
Students who are recommended for “Academic Drop” status will be recommended to be dropped from the Department. “Academic Drop” is an official action that terminates a student’s enrollment in a graduate program because the student has failed to resolve documented concerns while on “Final Academic Alert” status.
Please see UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 for additional details.*
Additional notes
Students will be required to satisfy specific criteria as part of resolving “Notify,” “Academic Alert,” or “Final Academic Alert” status. All criteria required to return to satisfactory academic progress will be detailed in the “Notify,” “Academic Alert,” or “Final Academic Alert” letter sent to the student.
*Appeals must follow the process outlined in Graduate Policy 3.8.