Academic Standing

Academic Standing

Each student's academic achievement is reviewed each semester, and the Office of the Registrar compiles a transcript1. A copy of this transcript is available to the student, the Office of the Dean, the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, the Student Progress Committee, the Office of Admissions and Student Services, the Office of Administration and Finance, and to other individuals or facilities when authorized by the student or the Dean. The transcript includes:

  • All grades earned (including remediated failure)
  • Deficiencies (incompletes, failures, etc.)
  • Term and cumulative average
  • Honors (President's List and Dean's List)
  • Probations, suspensions, dismissals, withdrawals, and/or leaves of absence

Students are expected to follow course and rotation schedules whereby their required coursework and board examinations successfully conclude by April 15 of the year in which they plan to graduate and transition into a residency program. Completing rotations or achieving a passing board (COMLEX) score beyond this date could adversely delay the student’s ability to begin residency on time. Any student who requests to complete rotations and/or expects to receive board scores beyond this date will therefore be required to meet with the appropriate clinical dean or designee for review of their academic progress and to receive authorization of the delayed schedule. If not projected to exceed the six-year limit for degree completion, a student completing degree requirements after December 31 may be considered for graduation with the next class.

Academic Promotion1

Promotion is defined as progression from one academic year to the next. A student must satisfactorily complete all course requirements in the preceding academic year in order to progress to the next academic year and be considered making satisfactory academic progress. In addition, students must demonstrate sufficient longitudinal development in each of the seven core competencies including osteopathic philosophy/osteopathic manipulative medicine, medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.  Student performance in these areas will be reviewed in addition to the student’s overall grades and taken into consideration when evaluating a student’s eligibility for promotion. For OMS-III and OMS-IV students, the COM expects that students will demonstrate progressive improvement in performance over the course of rotations. Those students who receive repeated evaluations indicating performance concerns in a given competency or who fail one or more rotations, may be deemed as not making academic progress. Concerns related to a student’s performance in a given competency may be grounds for remediation, delayed academic promotion, and/or up to dismissal from the COM.

First-year courses are considered prerequisites for second-year courses. This means that no second- year courses may be taken until all first-year courses are satisfactorily completed unless directed by either the Student Progress Committee or the Office of the Dean. Similarly, second year courses are considered to be prerequisites for OMS-III and OMS-III courses are prerequisites for OMS-IV.

To be eligible for clinical rotations, students must have successfully completed and passed all first- year and second-year courses, including all components of the required preclinical clerkship course and pre-clinical evaluation requirements. They must have met the criteria to be eligible and have taken COMLEX Level 1 examination. All administrative obligations to the College must be up to date, including payment of tuition and fees, demonstration of health insurance, have all required immunizations and titers per COM requirements. Must be in compliance with TB testing, background check screening, and drug testing as required. Documentation of this information must be on file with the College's Office of Clinical Education and COM Student Health prior to participating in any patient contact.

Students may not advance to OMS-IV until such time as all requirements of the OMS-III curriculum are met and the student has passed COMLEX Level 1 and sat for COMLEX Level 2-CE. A student may be allowed (case by case basis) to participate in clinical rotations normally taken during the OMS-IV year early, by special permission from the Office of the Dean. A student who wants to complete OMS-IV rotations early is advised to request permission in writing to the Dean for an exception to be applied. Not all requests can be approved, and requests are not guaranteed to be authorized.

The Student Progress Committee (SPC), the approved faculty body, shall annually recommend to the Council of Deans all students who are eligible for promotion into the next academic year, as well as those qualified for graduation.

Academic Deficiencies

In cases of first-year and second-year course deficiencies, the Office of Medical Education shall notify students of their grades and remedial requirements. Students who have satisfactorily remediated deficiencies will then be recommended for promotion to the Student Progress Committee and the Dean.

In cases of clinical rotation deficiencies, the Office of Clinical Education shall notify students of their grades and remedial requirements. Students who have satisfactorily remediated deficiencies will be recommended for promotion to Student Progress Committee and the Dean.

Students still having remaining deficiencies following unsatisfactory efforts at remediation will not be promoted, and may be required to appear before the Student Progress Committee and are subject to dismissal from the COM.

Good Academic Standing

A student is considered in good academic standing when they have successfully completed all required courses to date with a cumulative grade point average of 70 or better. A student in good standing must have successfully remediated any course failures.

Academic Probation

A student will be placed on academic probation when he or she has a cumulative grade point average less than a 70, any unremediated course failures, or Student Progress Committee imposed sanction. A student on this status will be prohibited from certain activities and officiating positions. Academic probation status will remain on the student’s transcript.

 
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1.6 Degree-Granting Body, 5.1 Professionalism, 9.11 Health Insurance

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