DBA Academic Policies

Graduation Requirements

To receive the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree, a student must meet the following requirements:

For students entering the program who have obtained an MBA, 60 semester credits are required for graduation. As mentioned above, those without an MBA may have additional prerequisite hours.
Students must have an overall GPA of at least a 3.00.
No course grade of C- or below will count toward graduation.
Application for graduation must be completed by October 31 for December diplomas and by December 31 for May or August diplomas. Graduation requirements are defined by the student's "graduation year" catalog or the catalog immediately preceding his/her graduation year.

There is no qualifying exit examination.

Withdrawal from Courses

The last day to drop out of a course in progress with a grade of W is by the end of day 21 for most courses or day 35 for a 12-week course during regular business hours. If the student attends/participates after that time, a letter grade must be assigned.

Any student who wishes to withdraw must contact his/her academic advisor immediately to report that decision. Failure to do so will result in the student's earning Fs in the classes for which he/she is registered and not receiving reimbursement.

Withdrawing from a class will result in a graduated refund and may affect financial aid, so the student should contact his/her financial aid counselor. Failure to attend class does not constitute a withdrawal, and students will receive an F if not properly withdrawn.

Withdrawal from Programs

Students who drop out of a group due to an academic issue may continue in a later group with the approval of their academic advisor. The student must be in good standing and the group he/she selects must have space available. Any student withdrawing from a program for the second time must seek reinstatement through the Admissions Committee if a third or subsequent re-enrollment is desired. A fee of $100 is charged for changing groups. The $100 fee will officially hold a place in the group requested but is not applied towards tuition.

Any student withdrawing from an entire program will be governed by the above regulation for the grade in any module in progress and be given a grade of W for any subsequent modules for which registration has been completed. Any refund of tuition or fees will be governed by the Refund Policy which appears in the financial information section of this catalog.

Grading System

The grading system for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program includes the letter grades A, B, C, D, and F, as well as S and U where appropriate. Pluses (+) and minuses (-) may also be employed. Courses with grades below C or S must be retaken.

All courses in the DBA program are gate-keeping benchmarks and must be completed in the prescribed sequence and passed with the final grade of C or above to proceed in the DBA program.

The first final grade of F earned in the DBA program will lead to academic suspension. Students interested in being reinstated into the DBA program should consult the Reinstatement Policy.

The second final grade of F earned in the DBA program will likely lead to permanent termination from the program, unless an emergency circumstance arises or the student files a successful program appeal. Students are welcome to appeal to the program director.

Description	Grade	Quality Points
Above Expected	A	4.0
	A-	3.7
Expected	B+	3.3
	B	3.0
	B-	2.7
Below Expected	C+	2.3
*Passing	C	2.0
	C-	1.7
	D+	1.3
	D	1.0
	D-	0.7
	F	0.0

*Note: A grade lower than a C in a course must be repeated.

Incomplete	"I"	Given for sickness or emergency reasons near end of a course. The incomplete must be approved by the teacher and the program director. The "I" must be removed within six weeks or the grade will be based on points earned for completed work.
Withdrawal	"W"	Granted to a student who officially withdraws from a class before the end of day 21 for most courses or day 35 for 12-week courses. The grade of "W" may be assigned by the program director or the school dean in extenuating circumstances.

DBA Academic Probation and Suspension

Each student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to remain in academic “good standing.” If the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 after the completion of one semester, the student will be placed on academic probation for the next twelve (12) hours. Upon gaining the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, the student will again be in "good standing."

If the student does not increase the cumulative GPA to a minimum of 3.0 during the probationary period, the student will be placed on academic suspension for three (3) months. Students interested in being reinstated should consult the Reinstatement Policy.

No grade below C will be counted toward the degree.

DBA Academic Reinstatement

After a three-month waiting period, students who are on academic suspension may request permission to be reinstated in the program based on a review of the circumstances and information in the particular student’s case. Students on suspension may request permission to be reinstated in the program from the SGCS Reinstatement Committee. Requests for reinstatement must include a letter addressed to the SGCS Reinstatement Committee that addresses the circumstances that resulted in suspension and a plan of action as to how the student expects to be successful in completing the program.

If the student is granted reinstatement into the program by the SGCS Reinstatement Committee, then the student will once again be placed on probation and be given twelve (12) hours to bring their GPA up to a 3.0. The Reinstatement Committee may also provide additional requirements to be met during this probationary period.

After the student attains a 3.0 GPA by the end of this probationary period, the student will once again be placed in good standing and may continue the rest of the program However, if the student does not increase the average to a 3.0 during the probationary period, the student is placed on academic suspension for three (3) months.

If the request for reinstatement is denied, then the student is terminated from the program for a minimum of 1 year.

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The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program