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Eastman School of Music

Grading

Each faculty instructor determines the grading criteria for their courses and must publish them in the class syllabus. The syllabus must include learning outcomes, assignments and exams, specific stipulations for successful course completion, a statement on disability accommodations, a statement on Eastman’s academic integrity policy, and attendance policies for the course.

Semester hours of credit are assigned to courses in accordance with the recommendations of the National Association of Schools of Music and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. In general, for classroom subjects, one semester hour of credit is assigned for each hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work per week per semester. Exceptions to this policy are made for large ensembles and chamber music, where less out-of-class time is required; and applied lessons, where significant out of class work is expected. For large ensembles and chamber music, two to four hours of instruction per week may be required for each hour of credit, while weekly applied lessons will receive two to four credit hours due to the significant amount of preparation required for each meeting.

Grades for undergraduate students are reported on one of the following two systems:

  • Letter grades: “A” excellent; “A-“; “B+”; “B” good; “B-“; “C+”; “C” fair; “C-“; “D+”; “D” poor; “D-“; “E” failure
  • “P” pass; “F” failure

In general, courses taken for an undergraduate degree at Eastman must receive a letter grade in order to count for degree credit. Exceptions involve the following required registrations that carry no credit and are to be graded on the “P/F” basis:

  • ESM 201/202: Degree Recitals
  • ESM 385/399: Continuation Registrations
  • ACY 100: Studio Accompanying
  • SAB 200: Study Abroad
  • JCM 291/292: Jazz Department Forum
  • EIC 090: Student Success Strategies
  • EIC 100: Cross-Cultural Understanding
  • EIC 101: ESM Colloquium
  • EIC 251/252: Senior Project
  • ESM 275: Music Education Certification Workshops
  • WLN 101/105: Wellness Courses

A grade of “F” in a pass/fail course is considered a failure and may cause the student to be placed on academic probation.

A grade of “INCOMPLETE” (I) will be assigned when a student is unable to complete all course requirements within the prescribed period and receives the instructor’s permission to complete certain requirements at a later date.  Before the end of the examination period of the semester during which the “Incomplete” is to be given, the student will negotiate with the instructor a mutually acceptable method for completing the class work, and an agreement signed by the student and the instructor outlining the agreed upon method must be submitted to the Registrar. The final grade, once recorded, will be preceded by an “I” on the official transcript. For example, a grade of “A” will appear as “IA”. A final grade of “E” will be awarded if work is not completed by the specified deadline.

A grade of “NO GRADE” (N) will be assigned when a student is unable to complete all course requirements due to serious illness or other similar incapacitating circumstances within the prescribed period. The “No Grade” request form, along with official documentation (medical/other), must be submitted to the Registrar’s office before the end of the examination period of the semester during which the “No Grade” is to be given. The final grade, once recorded, will eliminate the “N” on the official transcript. For example, a grade of “A” will appear as “A”.

Should a passing grade be earned for a given course, students receive the number of semester credit hours assigned to the course. For the purposes of calculating a student’s grade point average, each grade is assigned a particular point value; this information appears on the back side of the official academic transcript.

Any River Campus course counting towards an Eastman undergraduate requirement must be taken for a grade. After the required twenty-one additional credits of humanities and science electives have been completed, additional general studies courses taken on the River Campus may be graded with the Pass/Fail Option. No humanities courses may be taken at the Eastman School with the Pass/Fail Option.