Academic Regulations & Standards

The following academic regulations and standards information is a summary of a selection of critical student regulations. Information in this section is intended as reference material and is not the official language of the Montgomery College Academic Regulations. A complete and updated list of the official regulations can be viewed in the College’s Policies and Procedures, posted online at www.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp.

Definition of Full-Time Student

A full-time student at the College is defined as one who is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours (billing hours) per semester.

Course Structure

A credit hour or semester hour is equivalent to approximately 15 hours of lecture, 30 hours of laboratory or studio, or 45 hours of an alternative instructional situation, such as an internship. Fall and spring courses are usually taught for 14-15 weeks, including final examinations. A three-credit lecture course may meet three days a week for 50 minutes each session, two days a week for 75 minutes each session, or once a week for 150 minutes. Condensed courses (same total hours of instruction but taught over fewer weeks) are also available. Two summer sessions offer courses varying in length from four to eight weeks. A winter session offers a limited number of intensive courses over a three-week period.

For lecture courses, it is expected that most students will spend two hours of study or preparation for each hour of class.

Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend all class sessions. The instructor may drop the student from the class in cases involving excessive absences. “Excessive absences” is defined as one more absence than the number of classes per week during a fall or spring semester; the number of absences is prorated for accelerated sessions.

Grading System

* The grade of D may not be accepted for transfer credit.

Incomplete grades are exceptional marks that students earn after they attend the majority of a course and complete satisfactory work but, for circumstances beyond their control, are unable to complete a small portion of the course work. The instructor will provide students with incomplete forms stipulating work to be done by a certain date, usually by the fourth week of the following fall or spring semester.

The grade of W (withdrawn) will be recorded if a course is dropped after 20 percent of its length has been completed. A student may officially withdraw from a course and receive a grade of W until 73 percent of its length has been completed.

Students who stop attending classes but do not officially withdraw by the 73 percent deadline will receive a grade of F.

The grades of S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory) may be earned only in courses not included in computing the grade point average (GPA).

Unless the catalog states otherwise, a student may only attempt a course three times. The grade of record will be the most recent grade. The grade of AU will not be considered an attempt.

Calculating a Grade Point Average

A student’s GPA is calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours in a certain course by the appropriate number of quality points (4 for an A, 3 for a B, etc.) and then dividing that number by the course’s credit hours. For example, a student taking a three-hour course and earning an A will be entitled to 3 times 4, or 12, quality points. Those 12 points are then divided by the number of credits (3) to give a GPA of 4.0.

The cumulative GPA, which factors in courses taken throughout a student’s career at Montgomery College, is calculated by dividing the total number of quality grade points earned in all semesters by the total number of credit hours. Only courses that have a recorded grade of A, B, C, D, or F may be factored into the computing of quality grade points or overall GPAs.

Note that credit hours and semester hours are one and the same when it comes to calculating GPA.

Academic Standing

Students are expected to maintain a level of competent achievement in their courses. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for a student to achieve and remain in good academic standing. Students not in such standing will be placed on academic alert, academic restriction, or suspension as appropriate. Information on these three statuses is published in the Academic Regulations section of the College’s Policies and Procedures on the web at www.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp.

Dean’s List

To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must earn a 3.4 GPA with a semester load of no fewer than five credit hours.

Student Cumulative Records

Any past or present student cumulative record as maintained by the College is considered confidential, and access to the record is limited to the current student/College alum, or those persons who have legitimate requests for the information contained in the record. Student cumulative records are maintained in the Office of Admissions and Records on each campus. Detailed information about student rights to and release of records can be viewed in section 41003 of the Policies and Procedures posted online at www.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp.

Graduation

To qualify as a candidate for the associate’s degree, a student must have earned a minimum of 60 hours of academic credit, which must include (a) the General Education requirements (see the Curricula section of this catalog) and (b) all courses required in the curriculum elected by the student. No more than 45 of the 60 hours required for the associate’s degree may be earned outside of the College (70 percent of the required credit hours for certificates). Health Science students may have additional requirements. Students should consult a program coordinator for more information.

To qualify as a candidate for a certificate or a degree, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a 2.0 GPA in the curriculum in which the degree or certificate will be granted. To receive the associate of arts in teaching (AAT), students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and must present acceptable scores on one of the following state-approved standardized tests: SAT, ACT, GRE, or Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Test.

To qualify for graduation honors, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.4. The general obligations of the candidate are published in the Academic Regulations section of the College’s Policies and Procedures (on the web at www.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp).

An annual commencement is held at the end of the spring semester. Diplomas are awarded at the end of each semester and summer session. All students graduating during an academic year are eligible to participate in the spring commencement.

Prior to a student’s graduation, the Admissions and Records Office must conduct an official graduation review. To ensure that graduation candidates can make any final changes to their final semester schedules, these students are expected to file applications for candidacy with their campus registrars no later than:

February 15 for spring graduation
June 1 for summer graduation
October 1 for fall graduation

There is no guarantee that applications received after this date will be processed in time for the resulting degree audit to be useful in planning a student’s last semester. Students should see a counselor for assistance with a graduation audit before applying for graduation. A degree audit tool is also available for student use through the MyMC portal.

Students who plan to graduate from Montgomery College should select one catalog during their enrollment and follow the curriculum outlined in that catalog, provided they graduate within seven years of the catalog chosen. If there is a consecutive two-year break in enrollment, the student must use a catalog issued during the enrollment period following the two-year break in enrollment. Time limits may be appealed.