Academic Progress
Degree Audits
Degree audits are automated checklists of graduation requirements. These reports are similar to transcripts because they list all academic activity. They are different from transcripts, however, because they organize the coursework attempted into logical blocks that represent what is required. They also clearly flag what has been taken and what has yet to be taken.
There are four parts to an audit:
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Student Information
The top of the first page lists the student’s name, the academic program being evaluated, the catalog year that the requirements are being checked against, and the student’s anticipated graduation date (based on the date of admission). This section may also contain one or many text messages specific to the student, depending on his or her status at Pratt. -
Credit and GPA Information
This area lists the total credits required for graduation, the number required to be taken at Pratt (residency), and the GPA required for graduation. -
Required Course Information
This section is usually the longest. It lists the entire range of requirements and electives specific to the academic program being evaluated. Fulfilled requirements will be listed with the grade earned (or CR for transfer credit). Missing requirements are also noted with credits needed. -
Other Courses
Courses that usually do not count toward a program’s requirements are listed in this bottom section. Sometimes a course will not count toward graduation because it was dropped, or carries a grade that makes it ineligible for consideration such as an F or an INC. Also, some students choose to take an extra class for additional knowledge even though it doesn’t fulfill any particular degree requirement.
Students may view or print an audit at any time using Academic Tools.
- Log in to OnePratt with your OneKey.
- Find Self Service under the Academics menu.
- Navigate to "Student Planning" and then "My Progress" to view your degree audit.
Students may go online and receive a degree audit at any time. If you do not have a computer or access to a computer lab, come to the Office of the Registrar. Students who have questions about how to read the audit should visit their academic adviser's office or stop by the Office of the Registrar during office hours for an explanation.
Change of Academic Program
Each student must follow the academic program for which they have been admitted to Pratt. The Institute will not recognize a change of program as official unless the change is processed with the appropriate approvals and recorded in the student information system. A student who wants to change an academic program must first speak with their academic adviser. Course requirements for the new academic program reflect the current catalog year. Hence, a change in academic program may result in more credits being required to graduate. It may also have an effect on the number of transfer credits allowed.
Applying for a Change of Academic Program (Same School)
If the departments are in the same school, a Change of Academic Program form (available online or in the Registrar’s Office) needs to be completed and signed by the student and the chairs of both the current and new department.
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Meet with an academic adviser to review the effect the change of Academic Program will have. Be sure to print out a degree audit for the new Academic Program before the meeting to see the difference in the requirements.
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Download an application from the website or pick up at the Office of the Registrar; complete and sign the form.
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Turn in the completed form, with required signatures, to the Registrar’s Office.
Applying for a Change of academic program (Different Schools)
If the departments are in different schools, students must apply for this change in the Admissions Office (for example, School of Architecture to School of Art or School of Design).
Addition of a Minor
Students may not be in two majors at the same time; however, they may choose to add a Minor to their program of study. The form must include the signed approvals by either the Department Chairperson or Minor Coordinator. The degree and the minor programs must be complete before graduation.
Grading System
Letter Grades That Affect the Academic Index
| Grade | Quality Point | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.00 | Excellent |
| A- | 3.70 | Excellent |
| B+ | 3.30 | Very Good |
| B | 3.00 | Good |
| B- | 2.70 | Good |
| C+ | 2.30 | Above Average |
| C | 2.00 | Average |
| C- | 1.70 | Below Average (UG Only) |
| D+ | 1.30 | Less Than Acceptable (UG Only) |
| D | 1.00 | Less Than Acceptable (UG Only) |
| F | 0.00 | Failure |
| WF | 0.00 | Failure Due to Lack of Attendance |
Note: The +/- grading system and numerical values within went into effect as of the fall 1989 semester and is not acceptable for recording purposes for prior semesters. A+ and D- are not accepted as part of the grading system.
Spring 2020 semester only: Pass/Fail grading accepted due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Grades That Do Not Affect the Academic Index
AUD (Audit)
Students must register for courses they plan to audit by contacting the Registrar’s Office in person or by way of their Pratt email account.
CR (Credit)
Grade indicates that the student’s achievement was satisfactory to assure proficiency in subsequent courses in the same or related areas. The CR grade does not affect the student’s academic index. The CR grade is to be assigned to all appropriately documented transfer credits.
The CR grade is applied to credit earned at Pratt only if:
- the student is enrolled in any course offered by a school other than the one in which the student is matriculated, and had requested from the professor at the start of the term a CR/NCR option as a final grade for that term; and
- the instructor has received approval to award CR grades from the Office of the Provost. (This does not apply to liberal arts courses within the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.)
INC (Incomplete)
Designation given by the instructor at the written request of the student and available only if the student has been in regular attendance, to indicate the student has satisfied all but the final requirements of the course, and has furnished satisfactory proof that the work was not completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond his or her control. The student must understand the terms necessary to fulfill the requirements of the course and the date by which work must be submitted. If the work is not submitted by the understood date of submission, the incomplete will be converted to a failure. If unresolved at the end of the following semester, the grade is changed to failure with a numerical grade value of 0.
IP (In Progress)
Designation used only for graduate student thesis, thesis project for which satisfactory completion is pending, or Intensive English course for which satisfactory competence level is pending.
NCR (No Credit)
Indicates that the student has not demonstrated proficiency. (See CR for conditions of use.)
P (Pass)
Indicates that the student has demonstrated proficiency and passed the class.
WD (Withdrawal From a Registered Class)
Indicates that the student was permitted to withdraw from a course in which he or she was officially enrolled during the drop period for that semester.
Grade Point Average
A student’s Grade Point Average is calculated by dividing the total Grade Points received by the total Credits Earned. Grade Points are computed by multiplying the Credits Attempted for each class by a numerical value, called Quality Points, earned for completing that class.
Take the following example in which an A, B+, and B- were earned for three 3-credit classes. Multiple the Quality Points by Credits Earned for each class to find the Grade Points earned. Divide the total Grade Points by total Credits Attempted to find the Grade Point Average, which is 3.33.
| Grade | Quality PointsxCredits Earned | =Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.00x3 | 12.00 |
| B+ | 3.30x3 | 9.90 |
| B- | 2.70x3 | 8.10 |
| 30.00 |
Grade Point Average = Grade Points (or Quality Points x Credits Earned) ÷ Credits Attempted.
Only credits evaluated with letter grades that earn quality points are used in GPA calculations. Final grades for credit transferred from other institutions to the student’s Pratt record are not computed in the GPA.
Repeated Courses
A repeated course must be the same course as the one for which the previous final grade was awarded. When a course is repeated, the initial grade will remain, but only the subsequent grade earned will be averaged in the cumulative index from the point of repeat onward. Undergraduate students must repeat all required courses in which F is the final grade. (HMS 101 and 201 courses must be repeated if a grade of C is not earned.) No undergraduate student may choose to repeat a course that was passed with a grade of D or higher without specific authorization from the chair or dean.
Academic Standing
Pratt Institute’s policies on academic standing intend to ensure that all students receive timely notification when they are subject to academic discipline or achieve academic honors.
Each student is responsible at all times for knowing their own academic standing. These standings are based on the published academic policies, regulations, and standards of the Institute. Students subject to academic discipline are encouraged to take advantage of support services available to them, including Undergraduate Advising, Student Success, the Learning/Access Center and the Writing Center to help them meet Institute academic standards.
All students’ records are reviewed at the end of each semester to determine whether any student who has failed to remain in good standing may continue in the program.
GOOD STANDING
All undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 (equivalent of a C) to remain in good standing. An undergraduate student whose GPA falls below a 2.0 at any time may be subject to academic discipline. Written notification will be furnished to the student by the Department of Undergraduate Advising.
QUALITATIVE STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC STANDING
The Registrar and Undergraduate Advising staff evaluate the academic standing of its students twice during the academic year. The evaluations take place at the end of each major semester (fall and spring).
Academic standing is based on cumulative GPA (for academic discipline) and term GPA (for academic honors). A student’s GPA above 2.0 will be rounded to one decimal point in evaluating eligibility for President’s List and Dean’s List honors and eligibility for restricted and/or endowed scholarships.
Standard notification letters are sent to students in the following categories:
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President’s List Honors recipients
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Academic warning or probation standing
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Candidates for academic action (warning, probation, dismissal)
Semester-based distinctions are only available to undergraduate students registered for 12 or more credits. Semester-based distinctions are only available to students without any incomplete grades.
President’s List Honors recipients are defined as students whose term GPA is 3.6 or higher, and who have completed 12 or more credits in that term with no incomplete grades.
Dean’s List Honors recipients are defined as students whose term GPA is between 3.0 and 3.59, and who have completed 12 or more credits in that term with no incomplete grades.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require students to make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward the completion of a degree or certificate program in order to receive Title IV financial aid, which includes Federal Pell and SEOG Grants, Federal Work Study, Federal Perkins Loans and the Federal Direct Loan Program. Satisfactory academic progress is measured qualitatively and quantitatively by two components: a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) and the amount of credits they have earned relative to their year in school and enrollment status. The full Satisfactory Academic Policy is available here.
Academic Warning
Undergraduate students whose grade point average (GPA) for the semester is below a 2.0, but maintain a cumulative GPA over 2.0, are still in good academic standing with Pratt Institute. However, students will be sent a warning notice alerting them of being in danger of losing their good standing if their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 (equivalent to a C). An undergraduate student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 at any time may be subject to academic discipline. The student will be encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to discuss strategies for academic success and to meet with support offices such as Student Success and the Learning/Access Center.
Academic Probation
Students are, without exception, placed on academic probation in the first semester that their cumulative GPA falls in the ranges shown below:
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 24-58 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 59 or more | <2.00 |
4-YEAR DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 24-58 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 59-97 | 1.700-1.999 |
| 98-126 | <2.00 |
| 127 or more | <2.00 |
5-YEAR DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 24-58 | 1.500-1.999 |
| 59-97 | 1.700-1.999 |
| 98-126 | 1.700-1.999 |
| 127 or more | <2.00 |
No indication of academic probation will appear on a student’s transcript, but a record of probation will be maintained in the student’s academic file.
Academic advisement staff schedules progress meetings as necessary with each student during his or her probation semester.
Academic Dismissal
Students are limited to two nonconsecutive probation semesters. Students who complete their first probation semester without achieving the required 2.0 cumulative average are subject to dismissal as described in item 1. If a student has been granted two prior probationary semesters, and their cumulative average falls below 2.0 for a third time, that student is subject to final dismissal. Students who are dismissed can apply for readmission to Pratt after one semester and can seek advice on readmittance from the Department of Undergraduate Advising.
Students are subject to academic dismissal if their cumulative GPA is 2.0 or less at the end of an academic probation semester. Students are also subject to dismissal without prior probation if they do not meet minimum cumulative averages for their grade classification:
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | <1.500 |
| 24-58 | <1.500 |
| 59 or more | <2.00 |
4-YEAR DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | <1.500 |
| 24-58 | <1.500 |
| 59-97 | <1.700 |
| 98-126 | <2.00 |
| 127 or more | <2.00 |
5-YEAR DEGREE
| Credits Completed | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-23 | <1.500 |
| 24-58 | <1.500 |
| 59-97 | <1.700 |
| 98-126 | <2.00 |
| 127 or more | <2.00 |
Students who have been dismissed and successfully appealed or readmitted are reinstated under strict probation for a conditional semester. If a reinstated student does not meet the terms and conditions described in their reinstatement notice, they are subject to final dismissal upon review of their academic performance and reinstatement conditions by the Committee on Academic Standing.
Appeal to Dismissal and the Committee on Academic Standing
The Committee on Academic Standing is composed of 5 full-time faculty voting members and non-voting representatives from campus support offices. The committee is chaired by the Director of Undergraduate Advising and meets twice a year at the end of each semester.
Extenuating circumstances such as serious medical or personal situations can lead to a waiver of the academic dismissal after further review by the Committee on Academic Standing. Probation may be offered to a student who submits an appeal to the Committee on Academic Standing. Students are encouraged to submit an appeal to the Committee on Academic Standing via the Director of Undergraduate Advising. When writing an appeal to dismissal, students should consider the following:
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An appeal should always be typed and grammatically correct.
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Avoid the blame game or lengthy excuses/explanations.
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State the facts in a responsible and honest manner.
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Give consideration to how you intend to avoid such circumstances in the future.
In support of an appeal, students can include letters of support from an academic department chairperson, faculty, or the offices of Health, Counseling, Learning/Access Center, or others. Keep in mind that these letters are not to be thought of as an automatic exemption from the dismissal, rather they are additional information for the Committee on Academic Standing to consider.
Appeals are vetted by each voting committee member individually and then are reviewed in a committee meeting and a consensus decision is reached. The decisions reached by the Committee are final and non-negotiable. Once the committee has decided on the appeal, a communication from the Department of Undergraduate Advising with notice to the dean of the school and academic department in which the student is enrolled will be sent to the student and relevant campus partners.
Note that a dismissal action carries with it some financial consequences (possible loss of financial aid, Presidential Merit Scholarship, HEOP scholarship etc.) or international ramifications (SEVIS record termination). It may be in your best interest to appeal for reinstatement for a future semester, allowing you to recoup financially.
Final Grades, Grade Disputes, and Grade Appeal Policies
All grades are final as assigned by the instructor. If a student feels that a grade received is an error, or that he or she was graded unfairly, it is the student’s responsibility to make prompt inquiry of the instructor after the grade has been issued. Should this procedure not prove to be an adequate resolution, the student should contact the chair of the department in which the course was taken to arrange a meeting and appeal the grade. If this appeal is unsuccessful, a further and final appeal can be made to the dean of the school in which the course was taken. It is important to note that the faculty member who issued the grade holds the authority to change the grade except in cases of appealed grades.
If a grade is to be changed, the student must be sure that the change is submitted within the following semester. Petitions of change of any grade will be accepted only up to the last day of the semester following the one in which the grade was given. Other than resolution of an initially assigned incomplete grade or of a final grade reported in error, no letter grade may be changed following graduation.
Academic Integrity Standards
At Pratt, students, faculty, and staff do creative and original work. This is one of our community values. For Pratt to be a space where everyone can freely create, our community must adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity.
Academic integrity at Pratt means using your own and original ideas in creating academic work. It also means that if you use the ideas or influence of others in your work, you must acknowledge them.
At Pratt we do our own work, we are creative, and we give credit where it is due.
Based on our value of academic integrity, Pratt has an Academic Integrity Standing Committee (AISC) that is charged with educating faculty, staff, and students about academic integrity practices. Whenever possible, we strive to resolve alleged infractions at the most local level possible, such as between student and professor, or within a department or school. When necessary, members of this committee will form an Academic Integrity Hearing Board. Such boards may hear cases regarding cheating, plagiarism, and other infractions described below; these infractions can be grounds for citation, sanction, or dismissal.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CODE
When a student submits any work for academic credit, he or she makes an implicit claim that the work is wholly his or her own, done without the assistance of any person or source not explicitly noted, and that the work has not previously been submitted for academic credit in any area. Students are free to study and work together on homework assignments unless specifically asked not to by the instructor. In addition, students, especially international students, are encouraged to seek the editorial assistance they may need for writing assignments, term papers, and theses. The Writing and Tutorial Center staff is available to clarify issues of academic standards and to provide writing and tutorial help for all Pratt students. In the case of examinations (tests, quizzes, etc.), the student also implicitly claims that he or she has obtained no prior unauthorized information about the examination, and neither gives nor obtains any assistance during the examination. Moreover, a student shall not prevent others from completing their work.
Examples of violations include but are not limited to the following:
- The supplying or receiving of completed papers, outlines, or research for submission by any person other than the author.
- The submission of the same, or essentially the same, paper or report for credit on two different occasions.
- The supplying or receiving of unauthorized information about the form or content of an examination prior to its first being given, specifically including unauthorized possession of exam material prior to the exam.
- The supplying or receiving of partial or complete answers, or suggestions for answers, or assistance in interpretation of questions on any examination from any source not explicitly authorized. (This includes copying or reading of another student’s work or consultation of notes or other sources during examinations.)
- Plagiarism. (See statement following, which defines plagiarism.)
- Copying or allowing copying of assigned work or falsification of information.
- Unauthorized removal or unnecessary “hoarding” of study or research materials or equipment intended for common use in assigned work, including the sequestering of library materials.
- Alteration of any materials or apparatus that would interfere with another student’s work.
- Forging a signature to certify completion of a course assignment or a recommendation and the like.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism means presenting, as one’s own, the words, the work, information, or the opinions of someone else. It is dishonest, since the plagiarist offers, as his or her own, for credit, the language or information or thought for which he or she deserves no credit.
Plagiarism occurs when one uses the exact language of someone else without putting the quoted material in quotation marks and giving its source. (Exceptions are very well known quotations, from the Bible or Shakespeare, for example.) In formal papers, the source is acknowledged in a footnote; in informal papers, it may be put in parentheses, or made a part of the text: “Robert Sherwood says...”
This first type of plagiarism, used without acknowledging the language of someone, is easy to understand and to avoid. When a writer uses the exact words of another writer, or speaker, he or she must put those words in quotation marks and give their source.
A second type of plagiarism is more complex. It occurs when the writer presents, as his or her own, the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else, even though he or she expresses it in his or her own words. The language may be his or hers, but he or she is presenting as his or her work, and taking credit for, the work of another. He or she is, therefore, guilty of plagiarism if he or she fails to give credit to the original author of the pattern of ideas.