Policies

Core GPA Requirements

The Lower Division Core for Biomedical Engineering Majors

The Lower Division Core is defined as the following set of courses or their equivalents taken at other colleges:

  • Math 30,* Math 31,* and Math 32*
  • Chem 1A* and Chem 1B*
  • Phys 50* and Phys 51*
  • Biol 30*
  • BME 25*
  • Engr 10,* CE 99, MatE 25, and EE 98

The Lower Division Core (LD Core) must be satisfied with a GPA of 2.0 or better in order to graduate.

Those with an asterisk (*) must be completed with a GPA of ≥2.0, and no individual course grade < C- before enrolling in Junior Core classes. The entire Lower Division Core, must be completed, also with a GPA of ≥ 2.0, & no individual course grade < than C- before enrolling in Senior Core classes. Co-enrollment of EE 98 with BME 198A is permitted.

The Junior Core for Biomedical Engineering Majors

The Junior Core: Math 133A or Math 123, BME 115, BME 117, BME 130, BME 174, BME 177, and Engr 100W, must be completed with a GPA ≥ 2.0, and no individual course grade < C- before enrolling in Senior core classes.

The Senior Core for Biomedical Engineering Majors

The Junior Core must be satisfied before enrolling in the Senior Core courses which consist of: BME 147, BME 167, BME 175, BME 178, BME 198A AND BME 198B. The entire Senior Core must be completed with a GPA ≥ 2.0 and no individual course grade < C-.

Conditions for Probation and Disqualification

Definitions

Upper Division students are those who have successfully completed all Lower Division Core courses and are eligible to enroll in BME 115.

'Major GPA' represents the GPA of all upper-division (100/200-level) courses counting towards the major (appearing on the Major Form)as well as Lower Division Core courses.

Probation

Any BME undergraduate student will be placed on departmental probation if at any time the cumulative major GPA falls below a "C" average (2.0). The BME office will make reasonable attempts to notify any undergraduate student who is subject to probation; however it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of their GPA. Students on probation must earn a Major GPA 2.1 or better every semester until their cumulative major GPA is at least 2.0 to be removed from probation and restored to clear standing

Disqualification

BME undergraduate students who are on departmental probation may be disqualified from the program if their semester major GPA is 2.0 or less.

Special Conditions

  • If a student repeats a course for academic renewal purposes, the previous course grade will be replaced by the grade of the second attempt (provided it is better than the one of the first attempt) and the major GPA will be determined accordingly.
  • If a student does not retake a course under academic renewal, both grades will be averaged in determining his/her major GPA by the University; however for the purposes of departmental probation the new grade will replace the old one.
  • Grades earned during the summer semester will be included in determining the major.
  • Withdrawal from the University while on probation in the major will not result in such disqualification. However, the same major GPA requirement will apply upon re-enrollment to the University.

Reinstatement to the BME Department after Disqualification

The deadline for filing a petition for reinstatement to BME shall be the same as the deadline for filing a petition for reinstatement to the University. The departmental undergraduate committee along with the student’s Academic Advisor shall review the petition, the disqualified student's academic record and the underlying circumstances leading to the disqualification. If favorably inclined, the committee shall approve the petition and, in the case of petition for Program of Study, proceed, through the student’s Academic Advisor, with the drafting and signing of a Program of Study.No other faculty member shall sign a reinstatement petition form or a Program of Study for the Department.

A copy of all current Programs of Study shall be kept in a binder in the BME Office until fulfilled. In early January and June, the BME Academic Advisor shall check the grades of those students with Programs of Study and approve or reject their reinstatement petition accordingly. Each time a Program of Study is signed, a special file shall be initiated for that student for the purpose of tracking his/her progress.

The Program of Study for upper division students shall include a minimum of 2 courses (at least 6 semester units total) required by the major and must be taken at 91ÁÔÆæ in a single semester. The student must achieve a minimum average GPA of 3.0 in the two courses. These courses may not necessarily be limited to prior coursework in which the student received unsatisfactory grades. No more than two Programs of Study shall be provided to students.

Unauthorized Enrollment in BME Courses

To prevent unauthorized enrollment in BME courses, disqualified students shall not be allowed to take BME courses except those included in the Program of Study.

The following actions shall be taken:

  • Each semester the Census Day class roster will be reviewed. If an unauthorized enrollment is found, the student shall receive a warning letter and will be instructor dropped from the course. Additionally students that do not have the necessary pre-requisites (or prior consent of the instructor) or have been prohibited from enrolling in the course due to department academic performance guidelines shall receive a warning letter and may be dropped from the course.

The BME faculty discussed a BME Disqualification policy intermittently during several meetings from Fall 2001 to Spring 2005. The final wording as presented above was passed by unanimous vote of the faculty at the faculty meeting on January 18, 2006.