Scholastic Standing Guidelines
To complete the Doctor of Pharmacy program, the student must demonstrate satisfactory academic performance and, professional and ethical conduct. Accordingly, with input from the faculty, the scholastic standing committee will assess these factors at the end of each grading period.

Grading and Course Completion
1. Academic performance is evaluated on the basis of the grade point average (GPA) and the successful completion of all required courses. The grading system described in the Academic Policies section of the Bulletin is used to assign merit grades.

2. Exemption of courses may be accomplished either by transfer credit or by examination. Exemption requests must be made in writing to the Associate Dean prior to registration for the next academic term in which the course is offered. Requests must include a written statement of approval by the appropriate MUSC course coordinator.

a. For transfer credit the student must submit an official transcript to the Associate Dean’s office. Merit grades will be included in the student’s MUSC transcript in accordance with the Academic Policies section of the Bulletin.

b. Exemption by examination may be possible if a student has completed a similar (but not equivalent) course. The appropriate MUSC course coordinator will determine the examination format and the minimum grade required. The MUSC transcript will denote courses completed by examination as “EX.” These courses do not carry merit points and grades are not included in the GPA.

3. When a course is failed, a merit grade of 0.0 is permanently recorded in the student’s transcript and included in the GPA. If the failure is a required course, this deficiency must be removed to be eligible for promotion to the next academic year. If a student wishes to repeat a failed course at another institution, the student must first furnish the scholastic standing committee with a written statement from the appropriate MUSC course coordinator of course equivalency.

4. With the exception of regularly scheduled externships, students will not be permitted to take required courses for the first time during a summer session. The Associate Dean, upon recommendation of the scholastic standing committee, may grant exceptions.

Requirements for Promotion and Graduation

1. To be eligible for promotion, students must pass all required courses in their current academic year and have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. If these criteria are not met by July 31, and if the student is not on probation (see definition), the student will be placed on suspension (see definition) for one calendar year.
2. To be eligible for graduation, students must pass all courses required for graduation, have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, be recommended for graduation by the faculty and, meet all financial obligations to the Medical University.

Definition of Terms

1. Suspension means that a student will be prohibited from advancing in the curriculum for one calendar year. A suspended student may repeat required courses to remove deficiencies and strengthen areas of weakness.  Additionally, the student may have 8 hours of electives to improve GPA and strengthen areas of weakness during their academic matriculation.  However the student may have only a total of 8 hours of electives. A suspended student who meets the requirements for promotion will be placed on probation (see definition) and allowed to progress in the curriculum. Suspended students will not be allowed to seek or hold office in any professional organization at MUSC. Failure to remove all deficiencies and to attain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher by the conclusion of a period of suspension will result in dismissal (see definition) from the College of Pharmacy.
2. Probation is a permanent status in which a student must consistently and satisfactorily progress in the curriculum. Probationary students must attain a GPA of 2.0 or higher and meet the requirements for promotion by July 31 each year. Senior probationary students must meet the requirements for graduation by July 31. Probationary students will not be allowed to seek or hold office in any professional organization at MUSC. Failure to satisfy the terms of probation will result in dismissal.
3. Dismissal is the mandatory and permanent withdrawal of a student. The college will not accept any course work, completed at MUSC or other institutions, relative to a dismissed student’s attempt to complete the program.

Course Withdrawal and Leave of Absence Policies

1. Course withdrawals and leaves of absence disrupt a student’s progress and are discouraged. A student who must interrupt study for compelling circumstances beyond his or her control may petition the Associate Dean for approval to withdraw from specific courses or from all courses. Withdrawal from all courses constitutes a leave of absence. The following policies apply:
2. A Drop/Add Period extends through the first five days of each semester (three days in summer). Course change forms (available from the Dean’s office and from Enrollment Services) must be appropriately signed and returned to Enrollment Services. Courses dropped during this period do not appear on the academic record.
3. Course Withdrawal after the drop/add period requires the approval of the Associate Dean. Withdrawal from a course without approval will result in a merit grade of 0.0. Both approved and unapproved course withdrawals may affect a student’s scholastic standing and progress in the curriculum. If the approved course withdrawal occurs during the first 80% of the scheduled class meetings, a grade of either WD, WP, WF or WR (as defined in the Bulletin of the Medical University of South Carolina) will be recorded. If the course is required, the student must repeat it in its entirety. If the approved course withdrawal occurs during the last 20% of the scheduled class meetings, a grade of IN (incomplete) will be recorded. The student must then complete the missed course work during the next formal grading period (i.e., fall, spring, or summer). The course coordinator will establish the procedure and timetable for completing the missed course work. A merit grade will be recorded upon the course’s completion. IN’s not removed during the next grading period will be converted to merit grades of 0.0 unless an extension has been approved by both the course coordinator and the Associate Dean.
4. A Leave of Absence for a specified time period, usually not to exceed one year, must be approved by the Associate Dean. If the leave begins while course work is in progress, the policies for course withdrawals apply. If incomplete course work results, all grades of IN must be removed before reentering the program. A student returning from a leave of absence must reenter the curriculum at the point at which his or her progress was interrupted. If a student fails to return at the conclusion of the specified leave period, it will be presumed that the student has voluntarily and permanently withdrawn from the College. Readmission will require that the student receive the approval of the scholastic standing committee and the admissions committee. To reenter the program, completion of the entire application process may be required.

Appeals Process

1. A student may appeal any action taken by the scholastic standing committee. The appeal must be made in writing to the committee chairperson and must be received within 10 calendar days following receipt of notice by the student of the committee action.
2. The chairperson will set a date to review the committee action. Both the student and faculty will be notified at least 7 days in advance of the scheduled review. If a faculty member or the student wishes to provide information for consideration, it must be submitted in writing to the committee at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled review.
3. The student may attend the review to state any additional information and may be accompanied by a faculty advisor.
4. The committee will then reevaluate the previous action and make a recommendation to the Dean in writing.
5. The Dean will review the record, consider the recommendation of the committee, and render a decision. This decision will be forwarded to the student in writing. This decision will be final and no further appeals regarding the matter will be considered.

Attendance Policy

1. Attendance is expected at all scheduled classes. It is the responsibility of the student to document and communicate the reason for absences and to keep informed in regard to his or her status of attendance in all courses. It is the responsibility of each course coordinator to enforce this attendance policy.
2. The maximum number of unexcused absences during a semester will not exceed the number of credit hours of the course. If additional unexcused absences occur, a grade of 0.0 will be recorded and withdrawal from the course will be required.
3. If an absence is due to illness or other unavoidable reasons, a written excuse and supporting documents should be presented to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs immediately upon the student’s return to class. The Assistant Dean will maintain a record of each student’s absences. A copy of this record will be given to the student to be presented to the course coordinator(s) involved. The course coordinator(s) will have final authority to excuse the absence and to establish procedures for making up missed course work.

Requirement to Withdraw  

1. The faculty reserves the right to sever the connection between the college and any student at the end of any semester in which he/she has done consistently poor work.  
2. A student who is found guilty of a violation of the MUSC Honor Code may be permanently dismissed from the College. A student convicted of a second cheating offense will be required to withdraw.
3. A student may be required to withdraw if, in the opinion of the faculty, he/she is mentally or physically incapable of practicing the pharmacy profession based on adequate medical evidence.
4. A student who has been convicted of a drug charge by a court of law will be required to withdraw from the college immediately. Any student who has been indicted on a drug charge will be permitted to continue classes until such charges are satisfied. The faculty will not consider the student for graduation if any drug indictment is pending. Once the indictment is satisfied, the student being found not guilty, the faculty may then consider him/her for graduation. If he/she is found or pleads guilty, he/she will immediately be required to withdraw.
5. A student who has been convicted or pleads guilty in a court of law to any misdemeanor or felony, other than drug charges, will have his/her case reviewed by the Management Team of the college. Based on the nature of the offense, the Management Team may require the student to withdraw from the college. The student will be permitted legal counsel at such a hearing.

Requirements to Practice
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be qualified to apply for licensure examination with the South Carolina Labor, Licensing, and Regulation Board of Pharmacy provided that all additional requirements of the Board have been met.