Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy - Biomedical Sciences Program

Doctoral of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences (PhD)

A Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy has been established to ensure that Biomedical Sciences students complete the academic program within the acceptable time frame and the minimally accepted quality of performance. This policy also ensures that the Student Financial Aid requirements set forth by federal regulations have been met. The SAP applies to all PhD Biomedical students enrolled in Ponce Health Sciences University. A student’s academic progress is evaluated annually at the end of each academic year.

General Requirements

• Time Frame for Completion of the Academic Program
  • A student will be allowed a maximum time frame of three (3) years of enrollment beyond the standard of five (5) years required for the completion of the Program. Summer enrollment is considered part of the academic year for the purpose of this measure.
  • The total credits for completion of a degree include those graduate courses accredited on admission to the Program.

• Definition of Full Time
  • Students with an academic load of six credits or more per semester will be considered Full Time doctoral students. A student solely enrolled in Thesis Research or Doctoral Dissertation will also be considered a Full-Time student.
• Definition of Half Time
  • Students with an academic load of three to five credits per semester will be considered Half Time doctoral students.
• Definition of Part Time or Less Than Half Time
  • Students with an academic load of less than three credits per semester will be considered Part Time doctoral students or Less Than Half Time student.

• Completion of Program Requirements
  • Course requirement 
    • Students must complete all courses within the established time frame. The PhD in Biomedical Sciences requires a minimum of 70 credits.
  • Performance requirement           
    • A student must complete the first academic year (including summer term) with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
    • Any student failing to meet this standard performance will be referred to the Students Promotion Committee to be placed on academic probation.
    • Students on academic probation who do not increase their GPA to 3.0 by the end of the following semester will be referred to the Students Promotion Committee for consideration of dismissal from the Program.
    • Prior to the qualifying examination, the student must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
    • Qualifying examination requirement
      • Upon completion of all core courses, students take a Qualifying Examination. The Qualifying Exam is composed of a written and an oral component that must be completed by the end of the first semester of the student’s third year in the Program.
      • In the written part, the student must develop a research proposal (by April 15th, second year), which will be evaluated by a Qualifying Exam Committee composed of the student’s dissertation advisor and two faculty members whose interests are related to the student’s research. The committee will evaluate and score (scores 1-9) the written document based on the clarity of writing and scientific merit (significance, innovation, and approach). The student requires a score of ≤ 3 to pass the written exam. First-time takers receiving a score >3 will need to revise the proposal and re-submit for review.
      • The student who passes the written exam will progress to the second part of the Qualifying Exam, which is an oral proposal defense (by October 15th, third year). The student will defend the thesis proposal in the presence of the Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee consists of the student’s dissertation advisor, three PHSU faculty members whose interests are related to the student’s research, and a member from another institution (usually from the continental U.S.) with expertise in the field. Immediately following the oral proposal defense, the Thesis Committee will assign a grade of Pass or Fail. Students that pass the proposal defense become Ph.D. candidates.
      • The student has a maximum of two attempts each to pass the written and oral component of the Qualifying Exam. After two attempts for either part, the student will be referred to the Student Promotion Committee for dismissal from the Ph.D. Program and reclassification as candidates for a Master’s in Biomedical Sciences.
  • Doctoral Dissertation Requirement
    • A Doctoral Dissertation according to the established guidelines with oral defense is required for graduation.
  • Professional Behavior Requirement
    • Students must conduct themselves in accordance with the norms for professional conduct set forth by Ponce Health Sciences University and the corresponding accreditation agencies.

Grade Requirement

To obtain a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, the student must complete all requirements and maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Satisfactory Academic Progress is required for financial aid eligibility and will be reviewed at the end of each semester.

1. A grade of “F” in any course will be referred to the Students Promotion Committee (SPC).
   1. A student may have one opportunity to retake a failed or withdrawn (“W”) course and obtain a “C” or better grade. Failure to pass a given course on the second opportunity is grounds for dismissal from the Program.
   2. A student with more than two “F” grades or “W” on record is grounds for dismissal from the Program.
2. Repeated courses with “C” or lower grades will remain on record, but the new grade will be used to compute the grade point average.
3. Graduate courses not offered at PHSU may be taken at other institutions with permission and approval from the Associate Dean of Biomedical Sciences and Research and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
4. Grades of “P” (Pass) or “NP” (Not Pass) are applicable to thesis research/dissertation and graduate seminars. When the research/dissertation activity requires more than one semester for its completion, the student receives a notation of “In Progress” (IP) for each semester and until the research/dissertation is completed.
5. An Incomplete Grade could be assigned following the Institutional Incomplete Grade Policy. The student must remove the incomplete by the following semester or it will be replaced by the grade of “F”. The “I” (Incomplete) grades are part of the academic record as are the final grades.
6. A student with a reversed dismissal is not in satisfactory academic progress and is considered both on academic and financial aid probation.

Academic Probation and Financial Aid Eligibility

A student failing to meet the grade requirements will be placed on academic probation for one semester but will be eligible for financial aid. Students that fail to comply with grade requirements after the prescribed probation time will be referred to the School of Medicine Students Promotion Committee (SPC) and may result in dismissal from the Program.

Appeal Process for Academic

Students who are notified by the Associate Dean of Medical Education a decision of the SPC that he/she must repeat failed courses during the next academic year or to be dismissed from Program, have the right to appeal the decision within seven working days after receiving the notification.

The appeal or due process presented below must be followed.

The student will request in writing a reconsideration to SPC and include all relevant documentation to support the petition.  The Committee will evaluate the reasons and evidence submitted to determine if they change their initial decision.  The SPC has 48 hours to submit its decision to the Associate Dean for Medical Education, who will notify the student of the decision. 

If the SPC sustains the adverse decision, the student has the right to appeal to the Dean of Medicine. The appeal must be submitted in writing within seven working days after receiving the notification.  The Dean of Medicine will evaluate the appeal and the student’s academic record. The Dean can appoint a three-member Ad-Hoc Committee to re-evaluate all evidence. Rejection of the appeal by the Dean is final.

If an Ad-Hoc Committee is appointed, they will notify the student in writing of the date and the time when the appeal will be evaluated. The Ad-Hoc Committee has forty-eight (48) hours to submit a recommendation to the Dean of Medicine. The Dean of Medicine will consider the Ad-Hoc Committee recommendation and make the final decision within forty-eight (48) hours.

Any decision will be reported to the student in writing. The decision made by the Dean of Medicine is final.

The same process described above will be followed in the case that the adverse decision made by the Committee is for non-academic reasons, such as unacceptable professional behavior. The Associate Dean of Biomedical Sciences and Research, the Associate Dean for Medical Education or the VP for Student Affairs will refer the case to the SPC. If the recommendation of the SPC is to dismiss the student, the appeal process described above may be activated.    

In the event that an adverse decision is made due to non-academic reasons and the Dean of Medicine sustains the decision after the appeal process, the student may appeal to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and then to the President. 

Financial Aid Eligibility

Financial Aid eligibility is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress. Please refer to the institutional policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress published by the Office of Financial Aid.

Enforcement

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs shall have primary responsibility for overseeing this policy and will provide all students a copy of this document upon admission to Ponce Health Sciences University-School of Medicine.

The President, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Vice President for Student Affairs, as well as the Dean of Medicine, Associate Dean for Medical Education, Registrar and Financial Aid Director will receive all pertinent data to ensure proper enforcement of the policy here set forth.