Friday, October 19, 2007

SGCO
http://gsc.mit.edu/sgco
sgco@mit.edu

This document describes a system to allow MIT graduate students to
take some subjects outside their program requirements on a
Pass/D/Fail (P/D/F) basis, similar to the option available to
undergraduate juniors and seniors. The proposed system has been
unanimously endorsed by both the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and
the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP).

The MIT Mission states, "The Institute is committed to generating,
disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to
bring this knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges." We
propose a plan to address the objectives outlined in this statement as
pertaining to graduate students.

As fields are becoming more and more interdisciplinary, there has
been an increased demand on students to have a breadth of knowledge.
Students interested in exploring tangential fields may not have all
the background for a subject, but would still benefit from the
material covered. A P/D/F option would lower the barrier to this
type of exploration. There are also various other benefits to the
operation of graduate level courses by having a P/D/F option
available, including stabilizing enrollment and allowing more
appropriate allocation of resources to subjects.

We propose the following policy:

  * Regular graduate students are allowed to take up to one subject
    per term on Pass/D/Fail (P/D/F).
  * Subjects taken on P/D/F cannot be used to satisfy any of the student's
    degree or program requirements.
  * Subjects taken on P/D/F count towards any unit limit restrictions,
    like any subject taken on grades.
  * Registering for a subject designated as P/D/F in the Catalogue and
    online subject listing does not count as using the P/D/F option.
  * All MIT subjects, both at the undergraduate and graduate level,
    may be taken as P/D/F option by graduate students.
  * A P grade is not used in the computing term and cumulative GPAs but
    D and F grades are used.
  * With the instructor's approval, students have until Add Date to:
      -- add a subject on P/D/F status,
      -- change a subject from listener or grades to P/D/F status,
      -- change a subject from P/D/F to listener or grades status.
  * Students have until Drop Date to:
      -- drop a subject registered under the P/D/F option.

The above proposal mirrors that of the Junior/Senior P/D/F option.
Although not explicitly described in the policy points, our aim is
to leave a considerable amount of discretion in the hands of the
departments and instructors. For example:

  * Pursuant to the educational goals of their respective programs,
    and with the approval of the Committee on Graduate Programs,
    individual departments may implement policies that restrict how
    the P/D/F option is to be exercised by students in their programs.
  * Instructors may regulate the enrollment of students exercising
    the P/D/F option in their subjects.