S/NC Grading Policy Information for Graduate & Professional Students

University of Pittsburgh S/NC Grading Policy Information for Students
Spring 2020 Semester (COVID-19)

From: The Office of the Provost
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Communication to All Pitt Students from The Provost, March 20, 2020

The uncertainty of this unprecedented situation is a source of anxiety for many of our students and their families, and to help decrease stress and facilitate your continued academic success, the University is adopting a significant level of flexibility in course grading for the spring 2020 semester.    

The following is preliminary information for graduate and professional students about this policy.

After the end of the term when grades have already been posted, all Pitt students enrolled in courses for a letter grade during the 2204 (spring) term may choose to convert the grading of any of their courses from a letter grade basis to a satisfactory (S)/no credit (NC) basis.

  • S/NC is not a “pass/fail” grading system. S stands for Satisfactory. NC stands for No Credit.  For graduate and professional classes, this conversion differs somewhat by school. Please see the chart below for school specific conversions.
  • All courses that are awarded S grades will count toward graduation/degree requirements and satisfy future course prerequisites. Courses awarded NC grades will not count toward graduation/degree requirements nor fulfill course prerequisites.
  • Neither S nor NC grades will impact a student's GPA. That is, a term-based GPA (and cumulative GPA) is calculated solely based on those credits that maintain a letter grade.
  • Courses that are awarded NC grades will need to be repeated if the course is required for graduation in the student’s program or if a minimum grade of S is required.
  • While extension requests will be considered, students will be asked to make a decision with respect to S/NC grading one week after course grades have been posted. This will allow timely processing of graduation transcripts, thus it is especially important for graduating students to adhere to this deadline.  
  • Students are strongly encouraged to thoroughly discuss the decision with their academic advisors and mentors. It is important to recognize that these conversations can begin prior to grades being posted.
     

S/NC Conversion Chart

School Program Grade Conversion Notes
A&S ALL B– and above S  
DMED DMD D– and above S Courses A-F option, with a D option
DMED DMD C– and above S Courses A-F option, with a D option
DMED DMD G TBD Will need to address on an individual basis
DMED DMD HS S Courses with HSU option
DMED Oral Bio MS & PhD B and above S  
DMED Advanced Educ D– and above S  
GSPH All C and above S  
MED-Grad All B and above S Core/Required courses
MED-Grad All B– and above S Elective courses
Law All D and above S No D– grades exist
GSPIA All C and above S  
Katz PhD B and above S  
Katz PhD B– and below NC  
Katz MS & MBA C and above S  
Katz MS & MBA C– and below NC  
Pharmacy PharmD C– and above S Able to progress. No impact on GPA
Pharmacy PharmD D+ and below NC Must retake class. Delay graduation progression
Pharmacy MS, MPBA & PhD C+ and above S  
Pharmacy MS, MPBA & PhD C and below NC  
Social Work MSW B– and above S  
Social Work PhD B and above S  
Education All C and above S  
Education All C– and below NC  
SHRS All B and above S May need additional clarification
Nursing All B– and above S Required courses
Nursing All C– and above S Elective courses
SCI MLIS, MST, MSIS & Certs B and above S Core courses only LIS 2022 & LIS 2030
SCI MLIS, MST, MSIS & Certs B– and below NC Core courses only LIS 2022 & LIS 2030
SCI MLIS, MST, MSIS & Certs C and above S All other courses in these programs
SCI MLIS, MST, MSIS & Certs C– and below NC All other courses in these programs
SCI All other grad programs B and above S  
SCI All other grad programs B– and below NC  
Engineering All programs B and above S  
Engineering All programs B– and below NC  

Students should have a thorough conversation with an Academic Advisor or Mentor before making the decision to change their letter grade to S or NC. 

For information on the grade change process, please visit personaled.pitt.edu [note: page removed after Spring 2020 semester]. 

If you have questions or concerns, please contact VPGraduate-Urban@pitt.edu.