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Academic Policies

The UNF School of Engineering (SoE) has specific academic policies that supersede the general academic policies of the university. The policies that apply specifically to SoE students are detailed below. The general academic policies of the university may be found here: UNF Academic Policies

Selective Admission Policy and Exploratory Status

All students who enroll at UNF, who intend to major in engineering, will be classified as “Exploratory” majors under a special code for intended engineering majors unless they have already completed the following courses (or their equivalent) with a C or better:

  • MAC2311 (GM) Calculus I (4 credits)
  • PHY 2048 or PHY 2048C Calculus-Basked Physics I Lab (4 credits)
  • CHM 2045 General Chemistry I (3 credits)
  • CHM2045L General Chemistry I Lab*

*CHM2045L is not required for those wishing to declare Electrical Engineering as their major.

Exploratory status applies to all entering freshmen and transfer students who haven’t completed these courses with a grade of C or better.  Chemistry and Physics courses may have separate but associated lab courses that are required for certain engineering majors, but those labs are not considered in selective admission. Students should consult their intended major requirements to ensure the appropriate labs are taken. Upon satisfactory completion of all three courses (either transferred in or completed by the second attempt at UNF), students will choose one of the four engineering undergrad majors. Students are required to speak with an advisor from the School of Engineering in their intended major to ensure they are on track. Success and timely completion of these courses is critical (see SPP and MGPA policy below) to remain in good standing in the engineering programs.

Satisfactory Progress Policy (SPP)

To facilitate timely graduation, all undergraduate engineering students based at UNF must maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree. Freshmen who enroll at UNF are required to demonstrate their progress by meeting specific milestones. Failure to maintain satisfactory progress will lead to a "Probation" status on the student's record, and they will be unable to enroll for subsequent terms until they have met with an academic advisor to revise their Academic Plan. Satisfactory progress is determined by achieving two milestones within the early curriculum.

  • Milestone 1 occurs after completion of the 3rd term (semester) of study
  • Milestone 2 occurs after the completion of the 6th term of study
Summer terms are counted only if a student enrolls in summer classes. Students who fall off track during the fall or spring terms are strongly encouraged to utilize the summer to fulfill milestone courses. These courses, common to all engineering majors* at UNF, are collectively known as the Milestone Courses.
 
Furthermore, alongside the timely completion of milestone courses, an aggregate Milestone Grade Point Average (MGPA) will be calculated and monitored for each student, as outlined below:

 

 

*Electrical Engineering does not require the Chemistry Lab section, only the lecture.

All milestone courses taken at UNF MUST BE COMPLETED WITH A GRADE OF "C" OR BETTER BY THE SECOND ATTEMPT. Failure to complete a milestone course with a "C" or better by the second attempt will require a student to change to a non-engineering major (see the "One-Repeat Policy" below).

MGPA Requirements

The MGPA will be calculated using the most recent attempt of the Milestone courses taken while enrolled at UNF and all transferred grades from equivalent milestone courses from other universities. Grades that have been forgiven by the UNF  "Grade Forgiveness Policy" or "Term Forgiveness Policy" are not calculated in the MGPA.

Upon completion of the Milestone Courses, students must have a minimum MGPA of:

  • 2.0 for Civil Engineering
  • 2.0 for Advanced Manufacturing
  • 2.5 for Electrical Engineering 
  • 2.5 for Mechanical Engineering

A student who doesn't meet the MGPA requirement for their intended major at Milestone must meet with an Engineering Advisor. 

Students will be required to raise their MGPA to the required level by the completion of all Milestone Courses. Failure to meet the MGPA requirement after completion of all milestone courses must result in the student changing majors. A student may change to a different engineering major with a lower MGPA requirement if they meet that program's requirement. If the MGPA is below 2.0 at after completion of the Milestone Courses, the student is suspended from SoE and must change to a non-engineering major.

Students are discouraged from repeating successfully completed course(s). Students repeating a completed course may not repeat a course if it has already been attempted twice (See SoE One Repeat Policy).

Satisfactory Progress and MGPA for Transfer Students

Students who transfer to UNF from another university, or who have used accelerated mechanisms such as advanced placement or dual enrollment, may come in with various required milestone courses already completed, and, therefore, must meet with an advisor before registering for their first term to assess their current state of progress or selective admission status.

Advisors will create an Academic Plan worksheet that details a schedule for the remaining milestone courses to be taken in the fewest number of terms and establish Milestones 1 and 2, if applicable. In addition, the worksheet will include the transfer student's incoming MGPA, to ensure awareness of their current standing with respect to major-specific MGPA requirements. Transfer students are required to meet the same major-specific MGPA requirements as they progress toward their intended major. The MGPA for transfer students will be calculated based on all transferred grades and all milestone courses taken at UNF. If it is determined at the time of enrollment that the transfer student cannot mathematically achieve the requisite MGPA, the student must change their major before enrolling for the Term. Transfer students must sign their Academic Plan worksheet to acknowledge they have been made aware of their current standing and the effects of these SoE policies.

The "One Repeat" Policy

The School of Engineering enforces a ‘one repeat’ rule for all courses required by the engineering programs of study. Students who do not successfully complete a required course on the first attempt (i.e., earn a grade of ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘U’, ‘W’, or ‘NG’) must repeat the course for it to count toward satisfactory progress. Students must pass the course with a grade of ‘C’ or better by the second attempt at UNF, including transferred grades; otherwise, the student will be suspended from the engineering program and advised on the selection of a new major. This rule applies to all courses required by the program of study, including courses from other departments. The only exceptions to the ‘One Repeat’ rule include withdrawals for medical, military, and fully refunded withdrawals (i.e., WM, WS and WR, respectively). The use of the ‘Term Forgiveness’, ‘Grade Forgiveness’, or ‘No Credit - NG’ policy does not excuse an attempt at a course.

Academic Probation Policy

According to University policy, a student is placed on probation if their overall GPA is below 2.0. In addition, the SOE has several more restrictive conditions for academic probation:

  • A single semester where the Term GPA is below 2.0, referred to hereafter as "Term GPA Probation"
  • Failure to satisfy the SPP Milestones or meet the MPGA requirements

Probation is a warning to the student. Any student on Academic Probation status will receive a hold on their records and will not be able to register for the next Term until they meet with an Engineering Advisor to complete an SoE Academic Probation Form acknowledging that they understand the consequences of Academic Probation, including possible suspension from the School of Engineering if another probation is received.

Suspension Policy

The UNF School of Engineering has implemented a suspension policy that is stricter than that of the university. Under this policy, an SoE suspension restricts students solely from enrolling in SoE classes. Moreover, in addition to the university's suspension policy, an SoE student may face suspension if any of the following conditions are met:

  • The student fails to pass any required course on the second attempt with a grade of "C" or higher (refer to the One Repeat Policy).
  • The student is placed on Term GPA-based Academic Probation status for two consecutively enrolled terms (i.e., if you take a term off, the next Term you enroll is the consecutive Term).
  • The student fails to meet both SPP Milestone requirements, leading to two Academic Probations for insufficient progress. However, students failing to meet the MGPA requirement of their intended major may avoid suspension by switching to another engineering major with lower requirements, provided the MGPA meets the new program's requirement and there are no consecutive probation violations.
  • The student is placed on Academic Probation status for a third time (including probation for failure to meet either individual SPP Milestones, Term GPA, or attain the necessary MGPA after completing the milestone courses), regardless of the timing of the occurrence of the first two Academic Probations.
  • If the student fails to meet an MGPA of 2.0 by the completion of the Milestone courses (regardless of how many terms it takes), they are suspended from any engineering major.

Any student suspended from an engineering program will not be allowed to register for engineering courses starting the following semester. This suspension is effective as of the following semester and remains in effect until an appeal for reinstatement in the engineering program is approved.

Appealing School of Engineering Policies

Appealing a grade in a specific course must be executed according to the UNF Policy for Appealing Academic Grades NOT related to Academic Misconduct and is handled by that process alone. If a student is protesting a grade in a required course, that grade appeal must be submitted and ruled upon before appealing any SoE policies based on the offending grade.

Appeals of the  SOE policies stated above must be submitted electronically, using the student's official UNF email address, to the student's engineering Advisor, by the deadlines listed below. The appeal must identify the specific policy that is being appealed, contain a description of the circumstances that led to the enforcement of the policy, and provide supporting evidence to justify the appeal. The School of Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Committee will meet to review and decide on appeals at least once per Term. The decision of the committee will be reviewed by the Director of the SoE and, in the case of a disputed outcome, the Dean of the College of Computing Engineering and Construction.

In the absence of or denial of an appeal for reinstatement into the engineering program, the student will not be allowed to take engineering courses in that program at UNF, regardless of their new major. Students who are suspended from the SoE will be advised on selection of a new major provided they remain in good standing with the university.

Process and Timeline for Appealing an SoE Suspension

Students who have been suspended from the School of Engineering will be notified through their official UNF email account within two weeks after final grades are posted for the semester. To file a suspension appeal, all communication from the student must take place using their official UNF email account. To appeal an SoE suspension, students must

  1. Meet with their academic advisor to acknowledge their suspension in writing and to complete the necessary forms for their appeal. If the student does not wish to appeal, they must officially change their major by meeting with the advisor in the department to which they want to transfer.
  2. If the student wishes to appeal for reinstatement, the student must file an SoE Suspension Appeal Form with their academic advisor in the Term before the Term in which they intend to re-enroll. This form must be turned in to their academic advisor by the following deadlines:
    • Fall Reinstatement - The appeal form is due by June 30th
    • Spring Reinstatement - The appeal form is due by September 30th
    • Summer Reinstatement - The appeal form is due by February 28th.
  3. Complete the entire appeal form, which must contain both a description of the circumstances that led to the suspension as well as a discussion of the student's plan to ensure future academic success. Appeals for reinstatement to SoE must clearly demonstrate that a student has corrected inadequate academic performance. This can be accomplished through the completion of courses at another university or time away from school.
  4. Following receipt of Suspension Appeals Forms, the School of Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Committee will review suspension cases and make a decision. Students will be informed of the committee's decision by email to their official UNF email address.
  5. If the student does not agree with the decision of the Undergraduate Committee, they may appeal to the Director of the School of Engineering within 10 calendar days of receiving the committee's decision. The student must submit their original appeal paperwork to the SoE Director using their UNF email account. The SoE Director will send a written response to the student with copies to the Undergraduate Curriculum committee within ten calendar days of receiving the student appeal.
  6. If the student disagrees with the decision of the SoE Director, they may appeal to the Dean of the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction within ten calendar days of receiving the results from the SoE Director. The student must submit their original appeal paperwork to the CCEC Dean using their UNF email account. The CCEC Dean will send a written response to the student with copies to the School of Engineering Director and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee within ten calendar days.
  7. The decision of the Dean of the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction shall be final.

Possible Reinstatement to the SoE after a Suspension Appeal is Granted

Students who are reinstated through the appeal process will be allowed to register in the Term following the approval of the appeal. Students are responsible for completing all additional coursework and requirements provided to them through the appeals process in the timeline provided to do them. Failure to complete these requirements will result in their suspension being reinstated. If the student is placed on academic probation in any term after reinstatement, the student will be suspended without appeal and MUST change their major.

Students who receive Grade Forgiveness or Term Forgiveness for the offending semester that caused their initial suspension will be removed from suspension status if the Grade Forgiveness or Term Forgiveness results in them no longer meeting the criteria for suspension from the School of Engineering. This can be done without an appeal, but Advisors must be notified by email of the grade/semester forgiveness. Grade and Term Forgiveness does not excuse an attempt at a course (See One Repeat Policy).