Hi all, Just a curiosity question here... For the 18 hours requirement, will a grade of a C in a class satisfy the hours requirement? In other words, if someone earned a C in a class, could that class be counted towards the 18 hours? The only C I've ever earned was in my second semester of Calculus as an undergrad, and I'm not expecting to get a C in any of my grad classes. However, I'm just wondering if this happened, would the class count. I'm taking a four week course with WNMU in July, and my second child is due July 3rd. If I get super busy and don't do as well in the course (which I hope won't happen) I'm just wondering if a C would be acceptable for teaching purposes. Thanks! -Matt
If you're talking about a grade of a "C," in a graduate level course, my answer would be most likely no. The reason is that most graduate programs require a GPA to be at least a 3.00, which means that you would have to earn at least a "B," for the course to count. There are some situations, however, where schools will allow a course to count that is lower than a "B," but this would require that you would have to earn an "A," pretty much to offset the low grade of "C," in one course to keep your GPA at 3.00. Some schools consider a "B-," the equivalent of a 3.00, depending upon the college or university you're attending. But, this is very rare as most colleges and universities will be straight "B," or higher, or if they do have the - for the letter grade that "B-" would be the lowest it could possibly go. If you were to transfer to another graduate school some will allow a couple "C," grades, but this is very rare and hardly done. If that were to happen this would be transferred in, and you would start over with a new GPA with another college or university. However, you most likely would be admitted on a probational basis until you could get your GPA up to at least a "B," or higher, or have an overall GPA of 3.00. The only exceptions to the graduate courses of grades being "C," or lower being accepted are ministry type of courses. But, in most professional settings a "B," or GPA of 3.00 is required in order to continue without having any problems. If this course is an undergraduate then this wouldn't necessarily have an impact on your graduate level situation, but keep in mind that most colleges require a GPA of 3.00 for undergraduate and/or you would also need to take exams such as the GRE, or one that is designated by the college or university in order to demonstrate competence at the graduate level. The thing that you would need to do is to contact the school that you're attending directly and find out if you were to get a "C," in a graduate course if it could count, and if so, my bet is that they would say that if this is the case then you would have to get a higher grade in another course, most likely an "A," in order to offset the low grade of "C," and keep your GPA of 3.00 in tact. That's the thing that you need to keep in mind is that if you get a "C," in one course and it was able to count that it would almost surely have to be an "A," in another course in order to offset it as other courses that you get a "B," in would hardly raise the GPA.
It is difficult to say in all instances, since it completely up to the discretion of the hiring institutions. A single "C" grade in your graduate studies probably would not be a "deal breaker". In our masters programs, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0. They are allowed up to two "C" grades during their masters degree work (if a student earns a third "C" grade, he or she must repeat one of the three courses and earn an "A" or "B" to continue in the program.
In my MS program, I had all A's. So far in my MA program, I have all A's. I don't anticipate getting a "C", but I'm just trying to plan ahead. I MUST complete six credits this summer, and with a four week class and a newborn, I know I'm going to be stressed. -Matt
>> You know I think you're awesome Matt, but as you know, my husband and I have 4 children - what you may not know is that we have an awesome marriage. Unlike the headlines you read, I think having a great marriage is really very simple. And, I think if people are honest, they would think so too. Marriage isn't the kind of thing that usually comes up on a forum like this, but it seems appropriate since you mentioned that you'll be juggling your new baby and 2 classes this summer. I'm going to be blunt- in your life, there are things you can undo, but this summer isn't going to be one of them. Your marriage has to trump school. A "C" is grade- who gives a flying flip? You don't HAVE to do anything, we all have control over our lives- even if we feel like we don't. Being unavailable, for you, is a choice. (It's not like you are deployed) In my opinion, being unavailable would be a deal breaker. Some experiences, like being there for your wife postpartum while she makes changes under the stress of hormones, a new baby, feeling fat, and all the while trying to be a great mom to Reagan- this is going to rock your world (and if not, it's going to rock her world, and she'll need you). Being an awesome husband who steps up will mean more to her than this grade will mean for your career. Don't take both classes, take one and get a "B" and keep your family on top. The rest is just stuff. Just keeping it real. P.S. If you really want to make her happy, and decide not to take 2 classes, don't tell her the truth (that you can't have a C) Instead, tell her that you had a brain fart and just realized that OMG she's having your baby (!) and you were crazy to direct your attention anywhere but on her and the kids this summer. (She'll like that answer better
I'm going to chime in and agree with Jen on this as well. I took time away from the dissertation (took a leave of absence for a quarter when my last son was born) so I could support my wife. We are so glad I did that Shawn
Shawn & Jennifer, Thank you for your concern. I'm touched The nice thing about DL is that I won't have to go away for class. We have a great support system because we live right in "Brent Family Central" where I have a family member just a stone's throw away in every direction. When I said I MUST take 6 credits, I was referring more to an obligation. However, my school and students are counting on me completing the coursework. I will be saving them tens of thousands. If I don't complete the courses, the school could pull the insubordination card. I don't think they would dare do that, but considering some of the crap they pulled this year, I wouldn't put it past them. The good news is that I spoke with (or emailed with, I suppose) my prof for the four weeker. The demands aren't going to be nearly as bad as I thought. I'll definitely be able to handle everything. I was taking my last class of my MS when Reagan was born. It might sound weird, but Reagan was the motivation I needed to finish. I'm hoping that Parker (yes, we finally chose a first name) will be the same motivation for my MA. -Matt
As mentioned, each school will have different standards. In my current program, anything less than a "B" means you have to re-take the course. A second sub-"B" grade gives you your walking papers.
I just checked the catalog for WNMU. We have to have a 3.0. No problems there. We can have a maximum of one C. So, worst case scenario, if I end up with a C, I'll be okay. -Matt
