7.0 Academic Standards

Dean’s List

Students completing a minimum of 12 graded credit hours with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for any given term will be named to the College of Public Health Dean's list for each term in which they registered as a Bachelor of Science in Public Health major or pre-major. Courses graded pass/non-pass (PA/NP) do not count toward the minimum 12 graded hours, and a grade of U, E, EN, or NP will disqualify the student from making the Dean's List, even if they meet the 3.5 criteria.

Program Actions for BSPH Majors

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be admitted to the major. Once admitted and matriculated into the major, students are required to maintain a semester and cumulative GPA of 2.50 (after a minimum of 24 credits) or higher until they graduate from The Ohio State University.

Students are also required to earn at least a C- or higher in all major courses (major core courses and specialization courses). Students who do not maintain those academic standards can be placed on Program Action.

The three levels of Program Action are: Program Warning, Program Probation, and Program Disenrollment. All students will be notified of Program Action and conditions associated with the Action via official university email.

Reasons for Program Warning

  • A semester GPA below 2.5 (after a minimum of 24 credits). To be removed from Program Warning, the student must have a semester GPA of 2.5 or higher the following semester of enrollment.
  • Earning a grade below C- in a foundation or specialization course. The student has one calendar year (12 months) in which to repeat the course and must earn a grade of C- or higher the next time they complete the course. The student will be placed on Program Probation if the student fails to complete the course within a year, and/or fails to earn a grade of C- or higher in the course.

Program Warning is not indicated on the student’s permanent record.

Reasons for Program Probation

  • A cumulative GPA below 2.5 (after a minimum of 24 credits). A student has two terms following Program Probation to earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher or they are at risk of Program Disenrollment.
  • Being on Program Warning for 2 consecutive terms.
  • Two or more causes of Program Warning occur in two out of three terms.
  • Earning a grade below a C- in two core or specialization courses in one term. A student has two terms to repeat the 2 courses. If, after 12 months, the student has not earned above a C- in those courses, then they are at risk of Program Disenrollment.

Probationary status shall continue until either the requirements for removing probation have been achieved, or the student has been disenrolled from the College of Public Health or dismissed from The Ohio State University.

Students who voluntarily leave the College of Public Health while on Program Probation and who are subsequently permitted to reenroll in their program will resume their probationary status when they return. Before enrolling in classes, students must meet with their academic advisor. Students who are placed on Program Probation will have their schedules locked until they have met with an advisor.

Program Probation is not indicated on the student’s permanent record.

Reasons for Program Disenrollment

  • Not meeting the conditions for removing Program Probation outlined in the letter of Program Probation.
  • Incurring another reason for Program Warning or Program Probation while on Program Probation.
  • Incurring two reasons for Program Probation in the same term.

Program Disenrollment is indicated on the permanent student record.

Reinstatement to the Major

A student is eligible for reinstatement to the major after waiting two consecutive semesters following Program Disenrollment. To apply for reinstatement, the student must petition in writing for readmission to the major. The petition will be reviewed by the ASGC, which will decide whether or not to readmit the student.

Program Actions for BSPH Pre-Majors

Program Standing

A Program Standing policy is in place to identify students who, while in good standing with the University (achieving a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA), are not competitive for the BSPH major.

During the break between terms, all pre-major student academic records are reviewed. Academic advisors complete the review in consultation with the OAPSS Director. Advisors will also review the past term’s action and the OnCourse University Notes system. Individual grades in critical pre-major courses will also be considered when making decisions. After the review process, students not making adequate progress may be placed on Program Standing. Program Standing consists of two standards, Pre-Major Probation and Pre-Major Dismissal.

Pre-Major Probation

Pre-Major students will be placed on Pre-Major Probation when they are unlikely to be admitted into the BSPH major based on their GPA. Students will have to make a significant improvement in their GPA the following term or they risk being programmatically dismissed. Pre-Major Probation results in the following term registration lock. Students are required to meet with a College of Public Health undergraduate academic advisor to unlock their schedule. This program action does not appear on the official transcript.

Pre-Major Dismissal

Pre-Major students who have been placed on Pre-Major Probation and haven’t met adequate progress towards improving their cumulative GPA are subject to Pre-Major Dismissal. Students who have been programmatically dismissed are no longer eligible to reapply to the Public Health major after their dismissal. Program Dismissal results in the following term registration lock. Students are required to switch to another Ohio State academic unit (other than College of Public Health) in order for their schedule to be unlocked. This program action does not appear on the official transcript.

Academic Sanctions for BSPH Majors and Pre-Majors

Academic Warning

Students may be placed on academic warning if their grade-point average falls only slightly below a 2.0 after their first semester and they have not been placed on special action probation. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor about possible strategies to improve their academic standing. Once the student’s cumulative GPA reaches a 2.0, they are considered to be in good academic standing and may be removed from academic warning.

Academic Probation

Students will be placed on academic probation when their cumulative grade-point average is below a 2.0. The College of Public Health will notify students of their status and specify the conditions of probation, including the minimum grade-point average they must achieve in the following term to avoid academic dismissal. Once the student’s cumulative GPA reaches a 2.0, they are considered to be in good academic standing and may be removed from academic probation.

Special Action Probation

Students may be placed on special action probation, even if they have a cumulative GPA above 2.0, when the College of Public Health has determined, by a review of a student’s grades and course work, when a student is not making satisfactory progress toward a degree. The College of Public Health will inform students of their status, as well as the conditions of probation, including the minimum grade-point average a student must achieve in the following term to avoid academic dismissal.

Academic Dismissal

Any student in academic difficulty is at risk of being dismissed from the University. There is no Cumulative GPA that warrants a dismissal. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and given serious thought. Students are likely candidates for dismissal if they are on academic probation and do not show steady academic progress. The College of Public Health reviews academic records at the end of each autumn semester, spring semester and summer term. Dismissed students will be notified of their status by letter and by e-mail. As a consequence of dismissal, a student is dropped from all the classes in which the student may have been enrolled for the next term.

Reinstatement

Students who have been academically dismissed from The Ohio State University may apply for Reinstatement. Applying for reinstatement does not guarantee it will be approved. The student will need to complete a petition and include a statement providing detailed evidence the student has the capability to succeed academically at The Ohio State University.

Fresh Start

Students who have been away from Ohio State for at least 5 years and have an Ohio State University cumulative GPA under a 2.0 or have been dismissed from the University may want to petition to use Fresh Start. This will remove any deficiency points the student may have earned previously and will permit the student to start at The Ohio State University with a clean cumulative Ohio State GPA (0.00). While all courses will remain on the student’s permanent record, only courses in which the student received a C- or higher will be counted for credit. Other course work will not be counted for credit, towards any requirement, or toward graduation. Students eligible for Fresh Start will return to Ohio State with a recalculated Cumulative Point Hour Ratio of 0.00. The student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours after using the Fresh Start Rule before they are eligible to graduate.

Students who use Fresh Start should be aware that when applying to graduate or professional schools, or even to other colleges at The Ohio State University, all earned college grades and may be included in the student’s GPA. Once a student has been approved for Fresh Start, it can’t be revoked. All course work taken at The Ohio State University will be calculated in determining eligibility for Latin honors.

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