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Frequently Asked Questions About the Graduate Pass/D/Fail Option

 

General

What exactly is the graduate P/D/F option?

From Spring 2006 until Spring 2008, the Students for Graduate Curriculum Options (SGCO), which is a task force under the Graduate Student Council, has been working to change MIT policy to allow graduate students the option of taking subjects beyond their degree requirements on a Pass/D/Fail (P/D/F) basis. This would enable students to broaden their intellectual experience without the pressure of grades yet with a higher level of commitment than listener status would entail.

The graduate P/D/F option was formally approved by the MIT Faculty in March 2008.


When can graduate students begin to exercise the P/D/F option?

Students can begin exercising P/D/F in Spring 2009.


How is P/D/F grading different from normal grading?

With grading on a P/D/F basis, the passing grades of A, B, or C grades are compressed into a P (Pass) grade. Plus (+) and minus (-) grade modifiers do not affect the mapping of A, B, or C grades into a P grade. As such, P means C or better performance. More information can be found at http://web.mit.edu/catalogue/overv.chap5.shtml#grades.


Is grading on a P/D/F basis a new concept?

No, undergraduate Juniors and Seniors have the option to take up to a total of two subjects on a P/D/F basis. See http://web.mit.edu/catalogue/overv.chap3-acad.shtml#junio for more details.


I am aware of subjects that are already graded on a P/D/F basis. How is this new graduate P/D/F option any different?

Prior to the proposal for a graduate P/D/F option, certain subjects such as seminars have been designated as “P/D/F” in the course catalog, meaning that all students who take these subjects will be graded on a P/D/F basis. The site http://student/catalog/search.cgi?search=p%2Fd%2Ff&style=verbatim lists some of the subjects that are graded solely on a P/D/F basis.

We use the phrase “P/D/F option” to emphasize the elective nature of this proposed new option for graduate students.

Each term, students can choose to use the P/D/F option for at most one subject, but subjects designated as “P/D/F” in the course catalog will not count towards this one-subject limit.


Can the graduate P/D/F option be used to fulfill requirements?

No, the graduate P/D/F option cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements. In other words, in assessing whether a student has fulfilled the requirements for graduation, subjects taken using the P/D/F option are ignored.

Exemptions (i.e. usage of the P/D/F option to fulfill degree requirements) can be made with approval from the appropriate parties.

In addition, departments and programs may choose to relax this rule. For example, they may decide to allow a portion of required subjects to be taken using the P/D/F option.


Motivation

What are the main reasons for introducing the graduate P/D/F option?

There has been a rise in demand on students to have breadth of knowledge, due to increasingly interdisciplinary research. P/D/F grading lowers the barrier to exploration of new disciplines or topics while maintaining a minimum standard. It is also a middle ground between regular grading and listener status, allowing students to learn a substantial amount of material without imposing undue burdens on time and effort. Furthermore, P/D/F provides feedback and a record that a certain amount of competence in the subject has been demonstrated.


What advantages does P/D/F grading have over regular grading?

If the purpose of taking a particular class is to explore an unfamiliar field or to gain a rudimentary understanding of a new topic, then P/D/F grading allows students to achieve this without diverting too much time and effort away from other important activities.

In addition, P/D/F allows students to customize subjects to meet their individual goals. For example, they may choose to focus on specific topics, or they may decide to focus on more urgent and important activities during particularly busy periods.


What advantages does P/D/F grading have over listener status?

With P/D/F grading, a P grade certifies that a minimum level of competence and understanding was demonstrated. This grade is reflected on both internal and external transcripts. Listener status does not make any guarantees; a student could sign up as a listener without attending a single lectures or taking a single exams.

P/D/F grading can also function as a motivational aid. By having students do problem sets and take exams, P/D/F grading provides feedback to students on their learning process. By having grades that will be permanently recorded on their transcripts, students may be motivated to put more effort into these subjects, thereby also increasing the amount of knowledge that they gain. For listeners, as the semester progresses and gets busier, it is often very tempting to stop attending classes altogether.

For the rare student who is already sufficiently motivated to put substantial effort even as a listener, P/D/F grading provides recognition of that effort.


Which other universities have grading policies similar to P/D/F?

A check with the grading policies of Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley and Harvard shows that similar policies exist at these institutions. In some cases, subjects taken on P/D/F can even be used to fulfill requirements.


Policy Details

Can the graduate P/D/F option be used for undergraduate subjects?

Yes.


Can we use the graduate P/D/F option on cross-registered subjects at Harvard or other schools?

Yes (with permission of instructor). This is consistent with the policies regarding the P/D/F option for juniors and seniors.


What are the restrictions regarding the use of graduate P/D/F?

Graduate students may take up to one subject per semester using the P/D/F option.

Like all other subjects, subjects taken using the P/D/F option must undergo a approval process, i.e. obtaining the appropriate signatures on registration and add/drop forms.

Instructors for subjects may choose not to allow any students or to limit the number of students taking their subjects on graduate P/D/F.

Individual departments may choose to restrict the usage of the P/D/F option by graduate students in their programs. For example, departments could decide to only allow doctoral students who have passed their qualifying exams to exercise the P/D/F option.


Is registering for subjects using the graduate P/D/F option subject to the approval of advisors or graduate officers?

Currently, the appropriate signature(s) for a registration or add/drop form need to be obtained. With the introduction of the graduate P/D/F option, this process would not be any different, even for subjects using the P/D/F option.

In practice, however, departmental graduate officers will implement policies on how their students may exercise P/D/F (see previous question). We also hope that students discuss their academic course plans with their research advisors.


How will the different grades under P/D/F grading count towards my GPA?

Like other subjects taken on a P/D/F basis, P grades will not count towards your GPA, but D and F grades will count towards your GPA in the usual manner.


Why P/D/F grading? Why not just Pass/Fail grading?

Since P/D/F grading already exists for undergraduates (see 2nd question on this FAQs list), a graduate version should be the same. Creating a new Pass/Fail grading system would add unnecessary complexity for students, instructors, and the Registrar’s Office.


In what ways could the P/D/F option affect instructors?

What is likely to happen is that a percentage of students who would have taken a subject either as a listener or otherwise, may now decide to exercise the P/D/F option instead.

For subjects that are over-subscribed, enrollment can be controlled via existing mechanisms (e.g. lottery system or “permission of instructor” as a prerequisite).

Since students would have the option of changing from regular grading to P/D/F grading instead of dropping subjects entirely, it is possible that subject enrollment would be more stable than previously.


Logistical Details

How would students designate subjects as P/D/F?

The procedure would be the same as for designating “listener” subjects, i.e. via pre-registration, registration forms or add/drop forms. The respective websites and forms would be updated to have an additional checkbox or column for P/D/F.


What are the policies regarding adding and dropping?

The add/drop policies regarding the graduate P/D/F option are similar to those for the undergraduate P/D/F option. That is, graduate students will have:

-       until Add Date to

o       Add a subject on P/D/F grading

o       Change the grading of a subject to or from P/D/F

-       until Drop Date to drop a subject under P/D/F grading.




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