(1) | Grades
a. | The means of assessing a student's progress and determining a student's grades may vary from one course to another, according to the nature of the course. Factors other than examination results may be used to a variable extent by instructors in determining grades. Students are informed at the beginning of each course how grades are to be determined.
| b. | Students must satisfactorily complete all components of all courses.
|
|
(2) | Reexaminations: See §23.5.5
a. | Students are advised that it is not possible to make a ruling regarding remediation or reexamination until all grades for a year are received and recorded.
| b. | The reexamination mark will replace the original final exam mark. Reexamination results do not alter the student's class standing.
| c. | Any student who, after reexamination and/or evaluation, fails to meet promotion/graduation requirements, is deemed to have failed the year.
| d. | A student who does not take a reexamination within the time period prescribed by the Faculty will not be allowed to continue in the program.
| e. | Reexamination procedure:
|
i) | The Associate Dean (Student Affairs) will specify by course the reexamination required of a failed student for the purposes of meeting promotion/graduation requirements.
| ii) | All students will take the reexamination as scheduled by June 30.
|
|
(3) | Promotion and/or Continuation
a. | Progression in the program is year by year and not by courses completed. Accordingly, all students in a particular year of the program normally should be registered in the same courses in each term (§144.1.) Students will not normally register in any core (i.e., non-elective) courses from a particular year of the program until they have satisfactorily completed core courses from the previous year of the program.
 Students accepted into the MBA/BSc in Pharmacy Combined Degrees program will be permitted to delay entrance into the fourth year by one year with no loss in standing. The duration of the total MBA/BSc in Pharmacy Combined Degrees program must not exceed six consecutive calendar years from the time of admission to the Pharmacy program.
| b. | Academic standing is assessed on the basis of
i) | the pass or failure of individual courses and
| ii) | the GPA attained in a given year of the program (including courses taken in Spring Term). In computing the GPA, grades of W and CR/NC, and grades in courses accepted for transfer credit are not included.
|
Each student's academic standing will normally be assessed at the end of the regular academic year, but in Years 1 and 2 of the program, such assessment will be delayed until grades are available for the practicums completed in Spring Term. Students who are on Academic Warning will be assessed at the end of each term. See §23.6.2(1).
| c. | A student who is awarded First-Class Standing or Satisfactory Standing, as defined below, will normally qualify for promotion:
First-Class Standing: Awarded to an undergraduate student who obtains a GPA of 3.5 or above and passes all courses while enrolled in the full normal academic course load in that year (Year 1,  28.5; Year 2, 32; Year 3, 29.5). Note: First-Class Standing is not awarded in Year 4 given the limited number of graded units taken in that year.
Satisfactory Standing: Awarded to a student who achieves a GPA of 2.1 or above if no course is failed.
| d. | Conditional Standing: Assigned to a student who achieves a GPA of 2.1 or above but has failed one or more courses.
A student who is assigned Conditional Standing will be placed on Academic Warning and must retake and pass all failed courses. Other courses are to be taken, up to a normal course load, as scheduling permits and as approved by the Faculty.
Students on Academic Warning as a result of acquiring Conditional Standing will clear their Academic Warning upon passing the repeated courses and will qualify for promotion if they achieve Satisfactory Standing on the basis of all courses taken during Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. Students who fail a course a second time will be required to withdraw from the program.
| e. | Required to Withdraw: Any student failing to obtain a minimum GPA of 2.1 in any academic year is required to withdraw from the program. Such students are not normally readmitted to the program. Students who fail to provide satisfactory criminal record checks in connection with any practicum placement, or who fail to complete their degree requirements within the five calendar years, may be required to withdraw from the program.
| f. | Probation: Students who have been required to withdraw and who have successfully appealed that decision will be placed on Probation and required to repeat the program year.
To clear probation and qualify for promotion, the student must achieve Satisfactory Standing in the probationary year. Students who fail to do so will be required to withdraw. Any student in a probationary year who fails a course in Fall Term will be required to withdraw immediately and subsequent registration will be cancelled.
Only one year of probation is allowed while registered in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
|
|
(4) | Appeals and Grievances: Decisions on academic standing are made by the Faculty Council. Appeals may be made to the Academic Appeals Committee. Certain academic standing decisions made by the Faculty Academic Appeals Committee may be appealed to the General Faculties Council Academic Appeals Committee. Enquiries concerning standing in individual courses should be made to the professor in charge of the course. If the issue is still not resolved, the student may report the matter to the Office of the Dean for enquiry. See §23.8 (Appeals and Grievances) for further information.
The Faculty's regulations governing academic appeals and grade appeals may be obtained in the Dean's Office.
|
(5) | Leave of Absence: Unless enrolled in a combined degree program, students must register in the pharmacy program on a continuous basis to ensure a place in the program. The Faculty does, however, recognize that important life events do occur that may prompt a student to request a Leave of Absence. Students who desire a temporary discontinuation of their program must obtain prior approval for a Leave of Absence by submitting a request to the Student Services Office. A Leave of Absence will not be granted automatically and will be considered only for acceptable reasons (e.g. incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction). Discontinuance without permission requires the student to seek readmission to the program, which is not guaranteed.
Normally, a Leave of Absence is granted only if all the following conditions are met:
a. | A minimum of one full term must be completed within the degree program before a Leave of Absence is considered
| b. | The student has a cumulative GPA of 2.1 in the pharmacy program
| c. | The reasons for the absence are considered by the Faculty to be acceptable
| d. | No transferable courses are being completed at another institution during the Leave of Absence period
| e. | The leave of absence does not by itself extend the duration of the program beyond the normal limit for completion of the program
Note: An approved Leave of Absence will be granted for a maximum 12-month period of time, and will be granted only once in a student’s academic career within the Faculty.
|
|
(1) | Time Limit for Completion of Degree:
Normally, all students must complete their degree requirements within five calendar years from the time of their initial admission. This time limit includes all time during which a student is not in attendance, either for personal reasons [see §143.3.1(5)] or as a result of suspension or requirement to withdraw. Students should be aware of the need to provide a criminal record check for placement in the Experiential courses that are required for completion of the degree in pharmacy. Failure to provide a clean check can lead to delays or even the inability to fulfill these course requirements. This may lead to an inability to complete the program within the specified five-year period. Any failure or inability to complete the program within five years may be cause for Requirement to Withdraw from the program.
|
(2) | Academic Performance for Graduation
Students must achieve Satisfactory Academic Standing in their final year of the program; present credit (CR or a minimum University of Alberta grade of D or equivalent) in all program requirements; and present a graduation average of at least 2.1. The graduation average is a cumulative measure of a student’s grade points obtained while registered in the Faculty in all years and terms, including Spring/Summer. It is the quotient of (a) the total number of grade points earned by a student in courses credited to the degree and (b) the total weight of those courses.
|
(3) | Degree With Distinction
Degrees with Distinction shall be awarded to students who achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher on the last 64.5 that are taken in, or are approved specialization electives of, the Faculty and are included in the calculation of GPA.
|
(1) | Grades
a. | The means of assessing a student's progress and determining a student's grades may vary from one course to another, according to the nature of the course. Factors other than examination results may be used to a variable extent by instructors in determining grades. Students are informed at the beginning of each course how grades are to be determined.
| b. | Students must satisfactorily complete all components of all courses.
|
|
(2) | Reexaminations: See §23.5.5
|
(3) | Promotion and/or Continuation
a. | Academic standing is assessed on the basis of:
i) | Performance in individual courses,
| ii) | CR in credit/no credit courses,
| iii) | A minimum letter grade of B- in all courses in which a letter grade is assigned, and
| iv) | Students must take a minimum of one course in each term unless prior approval is granted by the Director of the PharmD program or the Assistant Dean (Student Affairs).
|
| b. | Credit by Special Assessment: Credit by Special Assessment is available in certain courses under specific circumstances. See §14.2.4, and contact the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for any further information.
| c. | Proof of current licensure as a pharmacist with the Alberta College of Pharmacists and authorization to administer drugs by injection must be provided prior to the first rotation commencing and annually.
| d. | Satisfactory Standing: Students are in satisfactory standing when they have completed each required course with a minimum letter grade of B- or assigned a grade of CR in credit/no credit courses.
| e. | Conditional Standing: Students are placed in this category and placed on Academic Warning when upon a first attempt at a course, the student has not achieved a minimum grade of B- or a grade of CR in credit/non-credit courses. In such cases the student must retake the course involved the next time it is offered. Such students will clear their Academic Warning upon achieving a grade of B- or CR on the second attempt in order to be placed in Satisfactory Standing.
| f. | Required to Withdraw: Students who fail to achieve a minimum grade of B- or a grade of CR in credit/non-credit courses a second time will be required to withdraw from the program. Failure to provide documentation of current licensure and authorization to administer drugs by injection with the Alberta College of Pharmacists will necessitate withdrawal from the program.
|
|
(4) | Appeals and Grievances: Decisions on academic standing are made by the Faculty Council. Appeals may be made to the Academic Appeals Committee. Certain academic standing decisions made by the Faculty Academic Appeals Committee may be appealed to the General Faculties Council Academic Appeals Committee. Enquiries concerning standing in individual courses should be made to the professor in charge of the course. If the issue is still not resolved, the student may report the matter to the Office of the Dean for enquiry. See §23.8 (Appeals and Grievances) for further information.
The Faculty's regulations governing academic appeals and grade appeals may be obtained in the Dean's Office.
|
(5) | Residence Requirement: Although credit by special assessment toward the PharmD degree can be given for course work completed prior to admission to the Program, a minimum of 50 percent of the total units of course weight must be taken at University of Alberta while registered in the PharmD program before the degree can be granted.
|
(1) | Time Limit for Completion of Degree:
Normally, all students must complete their degree requirements within two years from the time of their initial admission. This time limit includes all time during which a student is not in attendance, either by personal choice or as a result of suspension or requirement to withdraw. This time will not apply to leaves granted by the Faculty to the student for medical or other reasons. Contact the Faculty regarding options for part-time PharmD studies.
|
(2) | Academic Performance for Graduation
Students must attain a grade of B- or CR in all courses in the PharmD program, and must satisfactorily complete all components of all courses.
|
