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, and engagement between instructors and students, 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 Study page details the grades and grade points in use.

Auditing a Course

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 remove themselves by dropping or withdrawing from the course by published deadlines. When situations outside a student’s control arise, preventing timely course completion, a grade of I indicates that work is outstanding. McKelvey students may request an incomplete grade of I only in 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 (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) following 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 (see 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.

N Grades – No Grade Submitted

In the rare event that an instructor is unable to submit a grade by the grade deadline, an N, signifying that the grade has not yet been submitted, may temporarily appear as a transcript notation on the student's record. N grades will change to final failing grades four months (120 days) following the last day of the term in which the course was taken if the instructor does not submit a final grade.

Course Retake Policy

Students whose performance in a course has not met their expectations are permitted to retake courses in which they have earned a B‐ or lower (grades of Pass, A+, A, A‐, B+, B, and Incomplete are not eligible for retakes; audits — whether successful or unsuccessful — are also not eligible for retakes). When a course is repeated, the attempt with the best grade will be used to calculate credit and will factor into the student’s GPA. The other attempt(s) will have the letter R (denoting the retake) placed next to the grade. All registrations will show on the transcript; however, only the grade and units of the enrollment with the best grade will be used to calculate the student’s GPA.

If an engineering student repeats a course elsewhere (i.e., as a preapproved transfer course from another university), the student must take the course for credit and earn a C or better for the units to transfer to Washington University. After an official transcript showing the final grade for the repeated course is received, the symbol R next to the first enrollment's grade indicates that the course was later retaken. The original grade will no longer figure into the student's GPA, nor will the transfer course grade figure into the GPA. The grade for the transfer course does not display on the student's Washington University record, but the units for the transfer course will count toward the degree program.

Course Descriptions

The McKelvey School of Engineering is subdivided into five academic departments: Biomedical Engineering (BME); Computer Science & Engineering (CSE); Electrical & Systems Engineering (ESE); Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (EECE); and Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science (MEMS). Each department may offer courses leading to one or more bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees.

The courses of instruction are numbered according to the following system:

• 1000 to 1999 are primarily for first-year students.
• 2000 to 2999 are primarily for sophomores.
• 3000 to 3999 are primarily for juniors.
• 4000 to 4999 are primarily for juniors and seniors, although certain courses may carry graduate credit.
• 5000 and above are offered to graduate students and to juniors and seniors who have met all stated requirements. If there are no stated requirements, juniors and seniors should obtain permission of the instructor.

One unit of credit is given for each hour of lecture, and one unit is given for each two and one-half hours of laboratory. Each course description shows the course's credit. Courses assigned the course tag "topics" in Workday carry topics units of the same value as the credit of the course. 

Definition of Class Levels

For classification purposes, a student's undergraduate class level is defined according to the year in which they intend to graduate.

Pass/No Pass Option

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. Other than these courses, only elective courses may be taken with this option, including courses in other divisions of the university but that are still contingent upon and subject to departmental requirements. Humanities, social sciences and some technical electives specifically allowed by individual engineering programs, as well as some engineering courses (both undergraduate and graduate that are not specifically required for the student's major program), may be taken with the Pass/No Pass option. Some programs do not allow any courses (either required or elective) to be taken with the Pass/No Pass option. Graduate courses taken on a Pass/No Pass basis cannot be transferred later for credit toward a graduate degree.

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.

Academic Standing

This policy applies to all McKelvey undergraduate degree-seeking students. Students who enter as Dual Degree 3-Year Option (3/3) students pursue a McKelvey undergraduate degree for two years and then a McKelvey master's degree during the third year. While pursuing the undergraduate degree during the first two years, this policy is applied to these students. McKelvey graduate academic standing rules are applied during the third year, when these students are primarily pursuing master's degree requirements.

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. 

The following key performance indicators are used to determine whether a student pursuing an undergraduate degree in McKelvey remains in good academic standing at the end of each fall and spring semester: 

• Minimum semester GPA of 2.0
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
• Completion of 12 units with passing letter grades (D- or higher) or Pass with the Pass/No Pass grade option
  • Course units that will not count as being successfully completed include the following:
    • Courses with an incomplete grade
    • Courses taken for audit credit
    • Courses receiving a failing course grade
    • Courses withdrawn (W)
    • Courses without any final grades posted

An inability to maintain each indicator above will result in a student being placed into one of the three academic standing categories described below, which is a signal that minimum standards for graduating are in danger of not being met. Unless a student demonstrates improvement, thereby indicating their ability to fulfill degree requirements within a reasonable time period, the student may be dismissed from the university.

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, repeating a course which then results in the first grade earned in the course to no longer count in a GPA will not result in a past academic standing status to be reconsidered.

Academic Concern

Any of the following performance indicators at the end of a semester will cause the student's standing to be reviewed and may cause the student to be placed on Academic Concern: 

1. Receiving an incomplete final course grade (first occurrence and all subsequent occurrences)
2. Earning a semester GPA of less than 2.0 (first occurrence) 
3. Earning fewer than a total of 12 units in a regular semester (first occurrence) 

When a student qualifies for Academic Concern in more than one semester by earning a semester GPA of less than 2.0 (1.b. above) and/or by earning fewer than a total of 12 units in a regular semester (1.c. above), then the second (or additional) Academic Concern qualification will immediately convert to Academic Notice or Academic Time Away as described below. 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.

Example: In semester A, Justin earns less than a 2.0 semester GPA and is placed on Academic Concern. In semester B, Justin earns fewer than 12 units and is placed on Academic Notice.

After an incomplete grade is changed to a grade, the semester GPA and cumulative GPA for that semester may be reevaluated in a future semester to determine if the student has become eligible for a different academic action for the semester the incomplete grade was changed. If a different academic standing category is identified, the student will be notified of the new academic standing category.

Example: In semester A, Bailey earns an incomplete grade and is placed on Academic Concern. The incomplete work was not submitted, so the incomplete grade is converted to a failing F grade, which changed the semester A GPA to less than 2.0. Bailey would be notified that they are placed on an academic action (Academic Concern, Academic Notice, or Time Away, as appropriate) due to semester A GPA being less than 2.0.

While a student placed on Academic Concern remains in good academic standing, this status is a signal to the student that academic performance is below minimum standards and, if continued, will likely cause the student to fall out of good standing. This status is not noted on the official transcript. Because it does not cause the student to fall out of good standing, it will not be incorporated into enrollment verifications requesting confirmation of academic standing. 

Academic Time Away 

Any of the following performance indicators at the end of a semester will cause the student’s standing to be reviewed and may cause the student to be placed on Academic Time Away, which is a pause in enrollment at Washington University:

1. Any third time a student becomes eligible for Academic Notice
2. Any second sequential semester a student becomes eligible for Academic Notice
3. Any semester in which a student was enrolled in courses but earns no degree credit that semester (e.g., fails all courses)

Academic Time Away status indicates that a student is not in good academic standing. Because this status is marked by a break in enrollment, this status is noted on the official transcript.

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.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Title IV Financial Aid

Federal regulations require that students receiving federal Title IV financial aid maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The minimum GPA requirements needed to maintain eligibility for SAP are dictated by the specific program of study. In each case, per the requirements of 34 C.F.R. 668.34(a)(4(ii), the federal student aid program requires a minimum of a C average to maintain eligibility for aid, but an individual degree or certificate program may have a higher minimum GPA for federal SAP.

SAP is evaluated annually at the end of the spring semester. In order to maintain SAP and thus be eligible for federal financial aid, a student must maintain minimum requirements for cumulative GPA (>2.0 for undergraduates, >2.70 for master's students, and >3.0 for doctoral students). A student must also maintain minimum requirements for pace (credit earned for at least 67% of the credits attempted). In addition, the degree must be completed within the maximum time frame allowed for the program (defined as 150% of the required credits). Students who are not maintaining SAP will be notified by the McKelvey Registrar and, barring an approved appeal, are ineligible for aid for future semesters. 

More information about Satisfactory Academic Progress is available from Student Financial Services.

Full-Time and Part-Time Enrollment

Engineering undergraduate degree programs are full-time programs. All undergraduate students are automatically charged full-time tuition each semester. Full-time enrollment is 12 to 21 units of credit per semester. Courses taken in audit status do not count toward full-time enrollment status. Students may not enroll in more than 21 units without special permission. An additional per-unit tuition charge is assessed for enrolled units exceeding the 21-unit limit in a semester. 

Part-time enrollment is not allowed unless it is formally approved by Disability Resources or the Student Health Center. Students approved for part-time status may enroll in 1 to 11 units and are charged part-time tuition, along with all standard undergraduate fees. Each semester, these students should contact the Engineering Registrar and request to have their tuition adjusted to reflect their part-time enrolled units. Financial aid may not be available for part-time enrollment, so students should contact Student Financial Services to discuss their specific situations.

Seniors who need to enroll for an extra semester in order to graduate may request part-time enrollment and part-time tuition charges for that additional semester of study. These students will not have full-time student status if they are enrolled in less than 12 units. For students who enrolled as first-year students, part-time enrollment may be requested after their eighth academic semester of study. For dual-degree undergraduate students, part-time enrollment may be requested after their fourth academic semester of study. Prior to the add/drop deadline for the semester, these seniors may petition the Engineering Registrar to have their tuition adjusted to reflect their part-time enrolled units. Students approved for reduced tuition will have their bills adjusted after the add/drop deadline has passed. Summer sessions are not counted as academic semesters.

Leaves of Absence

Engineering students may request to take a leave of absence. For information on how to request a leave of absence, please visit the university's Time Away: Leave of Absence, Withdrawal, and Reinstatement Process webpage. For a leave of absence, students in good standing are assured re-enrollment within the next year. In order to return, students should notify the McKelvey School of Engineering and request a reinstatement in Workday at least six weeks prior to the beginning of the appropriate term.

A student wishing to take a medical leave of absence or be reinstated from a medical leave of absence must have a recommendation from WashU Cares. Additional steps are required in this case and are outlined at the link above. After review of the recommendation made by WashU Cares, the school will decide whether or not to grant the leave or reinstatement request.

Tuition Refunds

All full-time undergraduate students in Engineering are assessed tuition at a full-time tuition rate and do not receive refunds for dropping individual courses. Students who officially withdraw from the university (drop all semester courses) will receive a tuition refund as outlined on the Undergraduate Tuition & Fees page of this Bulletin. After the date of the first class meeting, refunds are not granted for short courses, which run less than the full semester length.

Transfer Credit

A student must get prior approval before taking a course at another university. After completing the course, the student must have an official copy of the transcript sent to the McKelvey School of Engineering for evaluation. If the credit is accepted, the course will appear on the transcript with the units but not the grade. Only units of credit for courses with a grade of C or better will transfer. No transfer credit will be accepted for courses taken while a student is suspended from Washington University for violations of the University Student Conduct Code or the Academic Integrity policy. The transfer course approval process is outlined on the McKelvey School of Engineering website.

Transfer credit is never accepted for online courses.

School of 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 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. Consult with your four-year advisor in Engineering Undergraduate Student Services (Lopata Hall room 303) if you have questions.

CAPS courses completed by engineering undergraduate students are counted as free electives, but will not fulfill specific engineering degree requirements (e.g., humanities, social science, natural science).

Exceptions

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.

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 sections 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, the class rank, 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.

Online Courses

Online courses taken by engineering undergraduate students will not count toward graduation requirements. Exceptions include only those courses offered by McKelvey departments and courses offered by Arts & Sciences departments.

Academic Integrity

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.

Academic Calendar

In addition to the university's academic calendar, McKelvey maintains an Engineering Academic Calendar with dates and deadlines that are specific to McKelvey students. This calendar includes course information, which is also helpful for non-McKelvey students taking engineering courses.

Contact Info