Student Registration Policies and Grading
All student registration is managed by the GSM registrar using the Registration and Payment System (RaPs). If instructors or students have questions or concerns, contact the GSM Registrar for additional policy information.
Students register for classes online via our Registration and Payment system, RaPS. Once registered, students will be listed on your course roster. Students who do not appear on your course rosters are not permitted to attend your class. GSM policy strictly prohibits auditing of courses.
With limited exceptions, non-GSM graduate students may be given permission to enroll in full-time elective courses. Students inquiring should be directed to the GSM Registrar.
Cross-Registration Policy
The GSM allows students to cross-register in courses outside their home campus based on availability (i.e. a full-time student may enroll in a Sacramento/Bay Area course or vice versa). Students with questions should be directed to the GSM Registrar.
Independent Study
A student may design a course of independent study (299/499) and approach you as a faculty member to sponsor the project. GSM policy does not permit visiting faculty or lecturers to supervise independent studies projects. For such requests, please refer students to a faculty member or the Graduate Advisor.
Waitlisted Students
Once a course is full, students who register for that class will be automatically added to the waitlist. The only way to be added into a course once it is full, is through the waitlist. Registered students will need to drop the course in order for a waitlisted student to be added. Waitlist questions can be directed to the GSM Registrar.
Add/Drop
Students must use the RaPS course registration system to add or drop courses. Dates are available on the GSM Academic Calendar.
Grading
Grading Guidelines
The basis for grading is class performance, which should be documented sufficiently such that you can demonstrate how you arrived at the grading judgment.
Class performance can be based on examination (written or oral), presentation, attendance, class participation, or a combination thereof. You should indicate how you will combine the various performance factors into an overall (weighted) measure of performance. A final (examination or presentation) should be given during finals week. Recommended grading policies can be found under “Responsibilities of the Faculty” in the Code of Academic Conduct.
Grading System
| A+ | Premium grade, awarded in rare instances when a student has performed far above the standard expected for a class. |
|---|---|
| A+: A | Premium grade, awarded in rare instances when a student has performed far above the standard expected for a class. |
| A, A- | Awarded to students for outstanding performance, well above the standard for completion of the class. |
| B+, B | Awarded to students who have fully met all the requirements of the class. |
| B- |
Given to students whose performance in a class has been deficient but exhibits basic understanding of class material. |
| Grades of C+ and lower | Indicates serious deficiencies in performance. |
| Grades of D+ and lower | Means that the course units will not count toward degree requirements. |
Attendance
Faculty members do not reserve the right to require student attendance on the first day of class in order to remain enrolled. Information about student responsibilities in accordance with Academic Senate regulation are available online (Senate Regulation DDR 539).
If faculty members wish to increase student attendance, they are advised to primarily and clearly state in their course syllabus the expectations of student participation, and that they will assign students who miss class a penalty grade. Faculty members should also provide a compelling pedagogical reason for establishing such policy.
Final Exams, Final Presentations
GSM policy is that each instructor has complete control over these issues, and what one instructor does has no bearing on what others do. It is the responsibility of each student to understand the individual requirements and policies of each instructor. We strongly encourage faculty to provide clear guidelines on these issues on their syllabus. In order to meet the grading deadline, all coursework (including projects and/or presentations) needs to be completed/submitted no later than the last day of instruction for the quarter.
Submitting Final Grades
All grades are due within 72 hours of the course’s scheduled final or last class meeting (if no final is scheduled). If you anticipate being more than 24 hours after this deadline, please contact the GSM Registrar.
Every enrolled student needs to receive a grade when submitting grades to the Registrar’s Office. If a student will be delayed in completing their course work, see the “Incomplete Grade” section that follows.
Course grades are submitted online via Canvas or MyUCDavis. Instructions for the different ways to submit grades can be found on the online grade submission website. For information on the various grading criteria and codes please see the grades and notation page.
Meeting the deadline to submit grades is particularly important for Sacramento and Bay Area courses as many of the students must submit grades to receive employer reimbursement for course work. A delay in submitting grades can jeopardize the student’s reimbursement compensation. Course evaluations will not be released until final grades have been submitted.
Incomplete Grade
On occasion, a student may find it necessary to delay finishing their course work due to extenuating circumstances. GSM policy states that the “grade of Incomplete shall be assigned only when the student’s work is of passing quality but incomplete for good cause as determined by the instructor.”
The timeline to make up the Incomplete grade and the work required is at the discretion of the instructor. The Office of Academic & Student Services will have the appropriate form needed to remove an Incomplete grade from a student’s record once the course work is complete. If you are not a full-time instructor at the GSM, it is recommended that you provide the GSM Registrar with the timeline and course work needed to make up the Incomplete grade for the student’s file.
Email: gsmregistrar@ucdavis.edu
A student will have up to three quarters to remove the Incomplete grade with a final letter grade. After three quarters, the Incomplete grade rolls to an “F” grade on the student’s record.
Releasing Grades to Students
Grades are not official until they are submitted to the Registrar’s Office at the end of the quarter. It is recommended that grades not be released to students prior to their submission to the Registrar’s Office. Students will have access to their grades online within 24 hours of grades being submitted to the Registrar’s Office.
A student may request grade information for reimbursement purposes prior to the university date for posting grades. In that case, the student should provide documentation on company letterhead from their manager stating the reimbursement policy date so than an exception to provide the grade (if it is available) can be made prior to it being released. If the date is prior to the end of the quarter, no exception can be made, but an instructor can provide a letter stating what the expected grade might be.
Students are welcome to have their manager contact the GSM Registrar directly to discuss the timeline of when grades could be released.
Grade Changes
Academic Senate Regulations mandate that grades are final when filed with the Office of the University Registrar by the instructor. A grade can be changed only if a “clerical or procedural error” can be documented. If there is an error in calculating a student’s final grade, please contact the GSM Registrar for procedures on having the grade correction made. For more information, visit the Office of the Registrar web site.