School of Medicine

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Academic Requirements

School Academic Requirements

Medical Student Promotions Committee

The School of Medicine Medical Student Executive Promotions Committee shall be the primary body to act upon matters of student academic evaluation for promotion, recommendation for graduation, withdrawal, and dismissal. The committee shall consist of faculty members in appropriate teaching departments in the School of Medicine.  The chair of the Promotions Committee shall be appointed or designated by the dean. The School of Medicine Student Executive Promotions Committee shall be responsible for decisions regarding promotion and academic status in each year and for recommendation for graduation to receive the MD degree. These recommendations shall be sent to the Dean and shall be presented to the Executive Faculty of the School of Medicine for review prior to final implementation or notification of the student.

Academic Status

This policy defines the rules and responsible entities for grading, promotion, leave of absence, withdrawal, dismissal, and appeal.

Good Academic Standing

This policy establishes criteria for a student to be considered in good academic standing.

Leave of Absence

Leave of absence from medical school may be granted by the dean or his/her administrative designee under the following conditions:

  1. Students are in good academic standing to pursue training as a medical scientist (i.e. to pursue research experience or to complete a Masters or Ph.D. degree).

  2. Leave of absence for students with academic, personal, financial, or medical problems may be granted in special circumstances. 

If the leave of absence is granted during the academic year for the remainder of that academic year with the potential of returning to repeat the entire academic year, final grades in courses which have been completed will be recorded in the Office of Enrollment Management. Grades in courses in progress shall be reported to the Office of Enrollment Management as "withdrawn."

Withdrawal

A student with academic, personal, or health problems precluding satisfactory performance or continued enrollment which require more than one academic semester of leave, may be allowed to withdraw.

At the time of withdrawal, final grades in courses which have been completed will be recorded in the Office of Enrollment Management. Grades in progress shall be returned to the Office of Enrollment Management with a determination of "withdrawn."

Any withdrawal by a student shall be presented to the appropriate Medical Student Promotions Committee, which shall determine conditions under which a student may be readmitted, if at all, and shall make such recommendations to the dean and executive faculty. The student shall be informed of readmission eligibility status and requirements.

Students who voluntarily withdraw may not be readmitted except as a beginning first-year student (i.e., no advanced standing) if over two years have elapsed since withdrawal. If two years or less have elapsed since withdrawal, a student may be admitted to advanced standing but must repeat entirely any course/block not previously completed. Alternatively, depending on academic standing and time elapsed; a student may be required to repeat the entire academic year from which he/she withdrew.

In the event of withdrawal prior to the end of the first semester of the first year, the student will not be eligible for readmission except that he/she may apply for admission to the first year class as any other new student.

A student who withdraws and has been declared eligible for readmission must apply for readmission by petitioning the dean, stating the reasons for his/her withdrawal and why he/she now believes he/she is able to pursue academic studies successfully. This petition shall become a part of the student’s permanent record.

Dismissal

A student dismissed from the School of Medicine shall not be eligible for readmission in advanced standing. Such students shall not be precluded from applying for readmission to the first-year class as any other new candidate. Dismissal from the School of Medicine may be for:

  1. Academic failure. Included are: (a) students who have academic deficiency in the current school year, (b) students who have a repeat failing grade in any repeated course or block or who failed any course or block in a repeated year, (c) other failure as determined by the Medical Student Promotions Committee.

  2. Health reasons. In this category are students who by reason of health, including behavioral and psychiatric disorders, are precluded from satisfactory academic performance or satisfactory performance as a physician in the practice of medicine.

  3. Conviction of a felony.

  4. Unethical behavior. Conduct deemed to be other than honorable or ethical (i.e., cheating on examination, taking credit for work not one’s own, etc.).

  5. Unlawful acts. Any student who commits an unlawful act on or off the Medical Center campus or whose conduct discredits the Medical Center in any way will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.