Academic Standing

Graduate Services reviews students’ academic progress each quarter to ensure Satisfactory Academic Progress is being made.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is real and measurable progress toward degree completion. Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at all times to remain in good academic standing.

Satisfactory Academic Progress is determined by the following criteria.

  • minimum grades
  • cumulative grade point average
  • pace of degree completion
  • maximum completion timeframe
  • program or department specific criteria.

Minimum Grades

Students must earn a grade of C or higher for courses to count toward the student’s degree requirements. Two grades of C or below in applied studies may result in dismissal. Students may have no more than three incompletes.

Grade Point Average Requirements

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.

Pace of Degree Completion

Students must complete and pass two-thirds (67%) of all attempted units. Only coursework at the 300, 400, and 500 levels may count towards graduate study. The intended length of coursework (number of quarters) for each degree program is taken into consideration.

Maximum Completion Timeframe

Students must complete degree requirements within the intended length of each degree. Please refer to the specific degree requirements for the intended length of each degree.

Program or Department Specific Criteria

Each program and/or department within the Bienen School of Music may require additional criteria for students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Examples might include thesis projects, studio class attendance, foreign language requirements, portfolios, etc.

Academic Probation

Academic probation constitutes notice of unsatisfactory academic performance and warns that minimum standards for graduation (Satisfactory Academic Progress) are not being met. Failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress by having two or more grades below C (including C-, U, and Y grades) in any one quarter, or dropping below the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, are some examples of grounds for probationary status. Students who do not demonstrate significant academic improvement as outlined in the academic probation letter by the end of the probation period are subject to dismissal and/or cancellation of any merit aid from the Bienen School of Music.

Academic Suspension & Dismissal

The Academic Review Committee reviews academic progress candidates for probation and students on probation. The Committee consists of three to five faculty members, and is convened by the Assistant Dean for Admission, Financial Aid and Graduate Services.

Students who do not make satisfactory degree progress may be suspended or dismissed from the University by vote of the Academic Review Committee. Dismissed students may submit a written appeal to the Director of Graduate Studies no later than 10 days from the date of dismissal. The Academic Review Committee reviews the appeal and informs the student of their final decision within 14 days of receipt. Dismissed students’ official transcripts may include the designation “Dismissed for Academic Performance.” Suspension terms are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Integrity

It is each student’s responsibility to be aware of all rules and policies applicable to their program. All students registered for classes at Northwestern must adhere to the University's standards of academic integrity. Bienen’s procedures, described here, operate within the broader Northwestern policy framework detailed on the academic integrity page of the Office of the Provost’s website, which includes Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide, a resource containing essential information and a section on how to avoid plagiarism.

I. Initiation of a Complaint

All cases of alleged violations of academic integrity by students in courses in Bienen must be referred to the Assistant Dean for Admission, Financial Aid, and Graduate Services (the Assistant Dean).

A. Suspected cases of academic integrity violations should be reported to the course instructor or the Assistant Dean. Reports must be brought within 1 month of the date the reporting individual becomes aware of the alleged incident. The Assistant Dean will review the report and decide whether to bring a charge. The review may include electronic searches of plagiarism resources, websites, and other databases. Students charged with an academic integrity violation may not change their registration or grading basis in a course in which a charge is pending, or in which a finding of an academic integrity violation has been made.

B. If the Assistant Dean determines that there is cause for further investigation, they shall provide the student with written notice of: the facts and evidence underlying the charge of an academic integrity violation; the principle(s) of academic integrity said to have been violated; and the procedure by which the accuracy of the charge will be determined.

C. The student will have reasonable time, if requested, within which to prepare a response to the charge. Ordinarily, an initial meeting with the Assistant Dean will take place within 7 business days of receiving written notice of the charge.

D. If the student does not schedule a meeting to take place within 7 business days, the Assistant Dean may decide whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. The Assistant Dean may, at their discretion, grant reasonable requests for an extension of this deadline.

II. Meeting with the Assistant Dean for Admission, Financial Aid, and Graduate Services

A. The Assistant Dean has the authority to determine whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity.

B. In meeting with the student, the Assistant Dean will describe the allegation and detail the evidence provided by the instructor. At this initial meeting, the student may decline to discuss the matter and/or request that the Assistant Dean defer making a determination until after a subsequent meeting between the student and the Assistant Dean, at which time the student may present other relevant information or evidence. This second meeting must be requested at the initial meeting and must be scheduled for a time within 7 business days of the initial meeting.

C. After reviewing evidence and the statements made by the student in the meeting, the Assistant Dean shall inform the student in a written statement of decision on whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity, and the sanction. Any finding of violation must be supported by a brief description of both the process used to come to that determination and the evidence supporting the finding. Except in cross-school cases, the statement will include the sanction to be imposed.

III. Sanctions

A. Sanctions will be imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled. (Note: For dual degree students, sanctions will be jointly decided by the relevant administrators in the applicable schools.) More information about possible sanctions (as well as grade modifications by the instructor) can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.

IV. School-Level Appeal

A. The Assistant Dean’s finding of violation and/or school-level sanctions imposed as a result of the violation may be appealed to the Dean’s Council by the student filing a written notice of appeal within 10 business days of the date of the Assistant Dean’s written statement of decision. Grades modified by the course instructor following a finding of violation may not be appealed.

V. Provost Review

A. Final review of an unsuccessful appeal may be requested in writing by the student within 10 business days, by the Provost or an advisory committee designated by the Provost. The Provost will review unsuccessful appeals only after a finding and a sanction have been issued. Bases for review can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.

VI. Cross-School Cases

A. When a student who is enrolled in another school is suspected of an academic integrity violation in a Bienen course, the authority of Bienen will extend only to determining whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. Any finding of violation will be referred to the relevant administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled for imposition of a sanction.

B. When a student who is enrolled in Bienen has been found in violation of academic integrity in a course based in another school, the Assistant Dean will contact the student in writing to request a meeting to take place within 7 business days, at which the student may present any evidence of mitigating circumstances, but not regarding the finding of violation. If the student does not schedule an appointment within the allotted time, the Assistant Dean may determine a sanction based on the available information.

C. The Assistant Dean will inform the student in writing of a sanction to be imposed and of the student’s right to appeal that sanction within the school.

D. In a cross-school case, an appeal of a finding of violation will take place in the school in which the course is based (i.e., the school in which the finding of violation was made). An appeal of a sanction imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled should take place in that school (i.e., the school that has imposed the sanction). A sanction will not be determined until the appeal process of the finding has been completed.

Last revised September 2024