All Haas classes that students take to satisfy the 42-unit graduation requirement must be taken for a letter grade.
However, some courses are offered only on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grade basis (e.g. EWMBA 293.1: WE Innovate; EW 298X.1: Exchange Program). If a class is designed as a S/U, it can count toward your 42-units required to graduate.
Grades in the EWMBA Program are based on the four-point system:
A+ = A = 4.0; A- = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3.0; B- = 2.7; C+ = 2.3; C = 2.0; C- = 1.7; D+ = 1.3; D = 1.0; D- = 0.7; F = 0.0.
Core Grades
Effective Fall 2012, Haas faculty adopted the following grading policy for core courses:
The maximum mean GPA in any class section will be 3.45.
Electives Grades
Effective Fall 2012, Haas faculty adopted the following grading policy for elective courses:
For electives with enrollments of 18 or more students: the maximum mean GPA will be 3.50.
Deviations for classes with fewer than 18 students must be approved in advanced by the Dean’s Office. In the event of such an approved deviation from the policy, the mean GPA of any course should not exceed 3.65.
Note that a student can not repeat any course for credit in which a grade of C- or higher was earned.
Grading Policy
The faculty at the Haas School of Business developed a grading policy for all degree programs. The policy has three goals:
- To ensure that grading is fair and consistent across courses;
- To encourage students to take their coursework seriously; and
- To hold faculty accountable to the rigorous standards of the Haas School of Business.
All instructors are required to follow this grading policy.
Core Courses
Effective Fall 2012, the maximum mean GPA in any class section will be 3.45. The grade distribution is flexible as long as the mean does not exceed this cap.
Electives
For electives with enrollments of 18 or more students, the maximum mean GPA will be 3.50. The grade distribution is flexible as long as the mean does not exceed this cap.
Deviations for classes with fewer than 18 students must be approved in advanced by the Dean’s Office. In the event of such an approved deviation from the policy, the mean GPA of any course should not exceed 3.65.
If you have questions about the Berkeley Haas grading policy, please refer to the FAQ’s listed below.
FAQs
1) Why does Berkeley Haas have a curve?
Berkeley Haas courses do not have a forced “curve.” There is a grading policy which requires that the mean GPA not exceed the stated caps above. In the past, grading curves were used in Berkeley Haas classes, as is the case across the campus and in large prerequisite courses. The variance of curves used in the Berkeley Haas classes and issues of grade inflation led the faculty to develop a recommended distribution for courses back in 2006, which had a mean GPA of about 3.00. Now, there is no longer a forced curve for Berkeley Haas courses. The grade distribution is flexible as long as the mean GPA does not exceed the cap.
2) Do other business schools use curves/mean GPA guidelines?
Most business schools (and other professional schools) have such policies. Berkeley Haas has a grading policy that is comparable to other peer top-tier business schools.
3) Who created the policy?
The Faculty Policy and Planning Committee (P2), which is an elected group of faculty responsible for long-range planning, proposed the policy at the request of faculty and students. The Proposal was adopted by the Faculty at the Faculty and Academic Planning (FAP) meeting on April 29, 2011. It was later amended on October 21, 2011 and May 3, 2013 for courses to move from a forced distribution to a maximum mean GPA of 3.45 and 3.50/3.65 for core and electives, respectively. This more closely reflects the historical mean for core and allows for evaluation based on the performance of the class.
4) What are the main reasons behind creating a policy?
- To establish clear and consistent academic standards within and across the undergraduate and graduate professional degree programs at Berkeley Haas
- To establish clear and consistent academic standards across multiple sections of the same course, particularly when sections are taught by different instructors
- To establish clear and consistent guidance on grading policy for ladder-rank and professional faculty teaching in Berkeley Haas undergraduate and graduate professional degree programs and to set expectations for students
- To encourage students to come to class, and to come to class prepared
- To be responsive to requests from student leadership for clear and consistent grading standards
- To enforce the existing grading policy in the undergraduate and full-time MBA programs
5) Are there any exceptions to the policy?
The policy states that faculty wishing to violate the grading policy must explain in writing why the course, and the distribution of students who are enrolled, warrant a deviation. Written approval from the Senior Assistant Dean for Instruction and Dean of the Haas School must be obtained to proceed with a different mean GPA for the class. In the event of such an approved deviation from the policy, the mean GPA of any course should not exceed 3.65.
6) Can it be overturned?
The policy was created and approved by faculty who are members of the Academic Senate. Therefore, any changes must be made by the same faculty governing body.
7) Won’t this foster competition? Why should I work collaboratively in teams?
Competition and collaboration have always co-existed at Berkeley Haas, and there is no evidence that students will collaborate less in courses with the policy. In this case, the grading policy is based on the historical average so a significant shift in grades is not expected.
8) Where should I go to express my concerns?
You can share your concerns with the VPs of Academics or you can contact the EWMBA Program Office.
Graduate students may repeat courses in which they earned a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or U, for a total of 12 units of unacceptable grades. Any course must be repeated for which a grade below a C- was earned, if a passing grade in the course is required by the department as part of the degree program.
If a student repeats a course in which a grade of D+, D, D-, or F was previously received, the units are counted only once, and only the most recently earned grade and grade points are counted for the total of 12 units of repeated work.
A student may petition for a grade of incomplete (“I”) in the instance when the student is unable to complete all of the requirements for a course due to circumstances beyond their control. It is the student’s responsibility to request the instructor’s permission to receive an incomplete and develop an agreed-upon timeline to make up missed work. Missing classes and/or failure to submit all required work without communicating with the instructor will result in a grade of “F.”
The student should also discuss their plans for satisfying all course and graduation requirements with their academic advisor and/or the program director to ensure all necessary administrative steps are completed for removing the incomplete from the student’s transcript. After all required work is completed, the student must petition the instructor for a final grade. Petition forms and detailed instructions on how to remove an incomplete grade are available from the EWMBA Program Office. If the student has more than one incomplete grade, separate petitions are required for changing each incomplete grade to the final grade earned.
All course work must be graded and all incomplete grades removed by the last day of finals of the semester in which the student intends to graduate. Late course work automatically postpones conferral of the degree to the following semester.
This grade grievance procedure applies to all programs at Berkeley Haas.
Students must first attempt to settle a grade dispute informally through discussions with the instructor. Students may include the executive director of their degree program, the campus student Ombudsperson, or another mutually accepted third party who can attempt to mediate the dispute informally. If the informal resolution requires a grade change, the Haas School’s Senior Assistant Dean for Instruction will refer the case expeditiously to the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI), a standing committee of the Berkeley Academic Senate. After reviewing the case, COCI may instruct the campus Office of the Registrar to make the required change in the student’s record.
If you are unable to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution with the instructor informally, you may pursue a formal grievance process. This process is initiated when the student presents his/her case in writing to the Haas School’s grievance committee chair, who is the Haas School’s Senior Assistant Dean for Instruction. An ad hoc grievance committee composed of faculty members and students will be convened to review the case.
If the student or the instructor wishes to appeal the conclusions of the ad hoc committee, the case can be sent for review to the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI). Only COCI has the final authority to uphold or overturn the grade.
Both the Haas School and COCI consider grades to be a matter of academic judgment and subject to grievance only on the basis of the following grounds:
- Application of non-academic criteria, such as: considerations of race, politics, religion, sex, or other criteria not directly reflective of performance related to course requirements;
- Sexual harassment;
- Improper academic procedures that unfairly affect a student’s grade. COCI interprets the meaning of “improper” academic procedures to be those which are not consistent with “proper” academic procedures. “Proper” academic procedures for evaluation require that the grading is based solely on the instructor’s evaluation of how well a student’s performance (project, paper, exam question, or student participation) addresses a specific requirement. This evaluation can involve elements of recall of factual information, integration of material and concepts covered (in class, readings, or assignments), and application of material and concepts to new situations. As long as the evaluation is based on the relevance of the answer (project, paper, exam question, or student participation) to the question asked (assignment given), there is no basis for considering any such evaluations improper. Inherent in this interpretation is that equivalent answers or work get equivalent grades.
Time Limit – You must initiate the formal grievance process within one calendar year of the last day of the semester in which the course in question was taken.
A Formal Grade Grievance Checklist is located here and should be used to help guide you through the process.