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The mission of the 51���� College of Dental Medicine is to improve the health of Northern New England as well as rural and underserved areas while shaping the future of dentistry through excellence in education, discovery, and service.

The College offers the Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) as the professional degree that prepares students for careers as dentists in a variety of practice settings. Students will matriculate with an undergraduate education (minimum 3 years, Bachelor's degree preferred). The D.M.D degree is awarded after successful completion of four years of professional study in the College of Dental Medicine.

The first two years of the program focus on integrated biomedical sciences and dental sciences including extensive utilization of dental simulation and early clinical experiences. Students will work closely with faculty and peers while attaining foundational biomedical knowledge and its relationship to patient care. Students commence dental patient simulation in the first term of the program in order to attain, practice, and eventually demonstrate competency in all of the clinical disciplines of dentistry.

Students engage in clinical experiences across all four years of the program, commencing during the first semester of the program primarily through peer-to-peer experiences. During the second year, students begin to provide limited patient care and then progress to providing comprehensive patient care in the University-based dental clinic in Portland, Maine with continued didactic and seminar studies. As their clinical education continues, students will be responsible for providing comprehensive general dental care to their family of patients. Throughout their clinical experiences, students will practice as associates in a group practice led by clinical faculty mentors and will provide patient care commensurate with their individual level of education and training.

The College of Dental Medicine has also established a robust community-based education program that encompasses extramural experiences throughout all four years of the D.M.D. program. Students are introduced to service learning in their first year and enter into community-based dental education venues in their second year. Their community-based experiences, which emphasize the development of communication skills through direct patient contact, take place in a variety of settings, and students interact with many at-risk populations (e.g., pregnant mothers, infants/toddlers/children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, special needs patients, and senior citizens who are housed in long-term care facilities). As dental students progress through the D.M.D. curriculum, they transition into providing more comprehensive patient care at these extramural sites.

The fourth year of the program focuses on clinical practice in a distributed, community-based clinical network across Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) and beyond. Specifically, students participate in up to three clinical externships across the region in federally qualified community health centers, Veteran’s Administration dental clinics, other non-profit clinics, etc. The College of Dental Medicine shares 51����'s global initiatives and philosophy to strengthen our students' competencies in the global economy and prepare them to work successfully in a demographically changing United States by embedding their education and training in a variety of diverse cultural environments. International practice and research opportunities allow our students to find common solutions to diverse access to care issues.

In addition to the experiences in the biomedical sciences, dental sciences, and clinical sciences, students will develop knowledge and skills in the areas of professionalism, practice management, public health, and research and scholarship. Students become sophisticated consumers of science through the hands-on, application-oriented professional academic program in which faculty serve as facilitators of knowledge and students are engaged in learning.

The College is committed to providing a safe and effective environment in which students can learn; apply knowledge; develop skills and values; provide patient and community-centered, evidence-based care in an interprofessional practice model; and develop to the level of an independent, competent oral health care provider.

The College of Dental Medicine is fully accredited by CODA, the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

First Year

First Semester (Fall) Courses	Credits
DMD5101: Foundations of Biomedical Sciences	6
DMD5140: Clinical Dentistry 1	8
DMD5155: Foundations of Patient Care 1	8
DMD5165: Introduction to Dental Sciences	6
DMD5170: Principles of Epidemiology	2
DMD5195: Professional Development 1	1
Total	31

Second Semester (Spring)	Credits
DMD5201: Biomedical Systems 1	6
DMD5245: Clinical Dentistry 2	8
DMD5265: Foundations of Patient Care 2	12
DMD5285: Principles of Public Health	2
DMD5295: Professional Development 2	1
Total	29

Second Year

First Semester (Summer) Courses	Credits
DMD6100: Prosthodontics 1	8
DMD6101: Biomedical Systems 2	3
DMD6160: Clinical Dentistry 3	12
DMD6165: Foundations of Patient Care 3	12
DMD6190: Patient Care 1	4
DMD6195: Professional Development 3	1
Total	40

Second Semester (Fall) Courses	Credits
DMD6200: Prosthodontics 2	8
DMD6201: Biomedical Systems 3	4
DMD6260: Clinical Dentistry 4	8
DMD6265: Foundations of Patient Care 4	7
DMD6285: Patient Care 2	4
DMD6295: Professional Development 4	1
Total	32

Third Semester (Spring) Courses	Credits
DMD6300: Prosthodontics 3	8
DMD6302: Biomedical Systems 4	2
DMD6340: Clinical Dentistry 5	8
DMD6375: Social and Behavioral Health	4
DMD6389: Patient Care 3	16
DMD6395: Professional Development 5	1
Total	39

Third Year

First Semester (Summer) Courses	Credits
DMD7110: Professional Development 6	1
DMD7125: Orthodontics	3
DMD7130: Patient Care 4	36
Total	40

Second Semester (Fall) Courses	Credits
DMD7210: Professional Development 7	1
DMD7230: Patient Care 5	36
DMD725#: Elective Seminar	2
Total	39

Third Semester (Spring) Courses	Credits
DMD7310: Professional Development 8	1
DMD7330: Patient Care 6	36
DMD735#: Elective Seminar	2
Total	39

Fourth Year

First Semester (Summer) Courses	Credits
DMD8100: Patient Care 7	39
DMD8110: Professional Development 9	1
Total	40

Second Semester (Fall) Courses	Credits
DMD8200: Patient Care 8	39
DMD8210: Professional Development 10	1
Total	40

Third Semester (Spring) Courses	Credits
DMD8300: Patient Care 9	39
DMD8310: Professional Development 11	1
Total	40

Academic Program Standards

Complete confidence in the honor and integrity of the health professions student and health care professional is essential. Such confidence depends entirely on the exemplary behavior of the individual health care provider in his/her relations with patients, faculty, and colleagues. Strict honesty as a personal way of life should be nurtured during the period of education for professional service. The dental student shall conduct all aspects of his/her life with honor and integrity. This includes accountability to oneself and to relationships with fellow students, future colleagues, faculty, and patients who come under the student’s care or contribute to his/her training and growth, as well as members of the general public. This applies to personal conduct that reflects on the student’s honesty and integrity in both academic and non-academic settings, whether or not involving a University-sponsored activity. Upon accepting admission to the University, each student subscribes to and pledges complete observance to the University Conduct Policies as outlined in the University of New England Student Handbook program. A violation of these standards is an abuse of the trust placed in every student and could lead to suspension or dismissal.

Technical Standards

Abilities and Skills

Candidates for the Doctor of Dental Medicine program must have the intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities, with or without accommodations, to acquire the knowledge, technical, and clinical skills needed to successfully complete the curriculum in order to pursue a career in dentistry. The essential academic standards presented in this document are pre-requisite for matriculation, subsequent promotion from year to year, and ultimately graduation from the University of New England College of Dental Medicine. These standards pertain to all matriculated students. All required courses in the curriculum are necessary in order to develop essential skills required to become a competent Dentist.

Students, including students with disabilities, must have the capacity to manage their lives and anticipate their own needs. Students must be able to demonstrate the following abilities and skills with or without reasonable accommodation(s):

Observation

A student must be able to observe a patient accurately, at a distance and close up, interpreting non-verbal communications while performing dental operations or administering medications. A student must be able to perform dental examinations and treatments that require the use of sight and touch. He or she must be able to see fine detail, focus at a variety of distances, and discern differences and variations in color, shape, and texture that are necessary to differentiate normal and abnormal soft and hard tissues. He or she must be able to use tactile senses to diagnose directly by palpation and indirectly by sensations transmitted through instruments. A student must also possess the visual acuity to read charts, records, radiographs, small print, and handwritten notation.

Communication

A student must be able to: communicate effectively and sensitively with patients; convey and exchange information at a level allowing development of a health history; identify problems; explain alternative solutions; and give directions during treatment and post-treatment. A student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with all members of the healthcare team. A student must have sufficient facility with English to: retrieve information from texts and lectures and communicate concepts on written exams and patient charts; elicit patient backgrounds; describe patient changes in moods, activity, and posture; and coordinate patient care with all members of the health care team. A student must be able to communicate in lay language so that patients and their families can understand the patient’s conditions and, thereby, be more likely to comply with treatment and preventative regimes.

Motor, Strength, and Mobility

A student must possess sufficient motor functioning to execute movements essential to providing oral health care to patients. A student must possess the motor skills to perform palpation, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers; basic laboratory tests; and diagnostic and restorative procedures. Such actions require coordination of gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional uses of the senses of touch and vision. A student must be able to perform basic life support including CPR, to transfer and position patients with disabilities, to physically restrain himself or herself around the patient and chair in a sitting or standing position. A student must promote and support the ability of coworkers to perform prompt care. A student must be able to operate controls, use high-speed or low-speed dental handpieces for tooth preparation, and use hand instrumentation including scalpels for surgical procedures. A student must be able to maintain strength and posture and to reach and manipulate equipment to all positions in order to control the operating environment.

Sensory

A student must be able to acquire a predetermined level of required information through demonstrations and experiences in basic and dental science courses. Such information includes, but is not limited to, information conveyed through: a) physiologic and pharmacologic demonstrations, b) microscopic images of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states; and c) demonstration of techniques using dental models. A student must be able to acquire information from written documents, and to evaluate information presented as images from paper, films, slides, or video. A student must be able to benefit from electronic and other instrumentation that enhances visual, auditory, and somatic sensations needed for examination or treatment.

Cognitive

A student must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, and synthesize. A student must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of structures. Problem solving requires all of these intellectual abilities. A student must be able to perform these problem-solving skills in a timely manner.

Behavioral and Social

A student must possess the emotional health required for full use of his or her intellectual skills, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. A student must be able to endure physically-taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. He or she must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interests, and motivations are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the admissions and educational processes. A student must be able to manage apprehensive patients with a range of moods and behaviors in a tactful, congenial, personal manner so as not to alienate or antagonize them. A student must be able to interrelate among colleagues, staff, and patients with honesty, integrity, respect, and nondiscrimination.

Disabilities

Graduates of the D.M.D. program must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical, administrative, and leadership situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient cares.

The University of New England College of Dental Medicine acknowledges and complies with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, as amended, and requires minimum technical standards be present in students accepted into the Doctor of Dental Medicine program. The college will engage in an interactive process with applicants with disabilities, but the College reserves the right not to matriculate any applicant who cannot meet the technical standards set forth in this section, with reasonable accommodations.

Reasonable accommodation for persons with documented disabilities will be considered on an individual basis, but a student in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program must be able to perform in an independent manner. Every applicant is considered without regard to disability. Once accepted, students must complete all elements of the curriculum with or without reasonable accommodations. In the case of a documented disability, the College must be fully satisfied that the applicant can make progress throughout the curriculum.

Throughout the D.M.D. program, a student will be expected to maintain the technical standards and demonstrate them through their coursework, interaction with peers and faculty, and in their professional experiences. Students who fail to demonstrate the technical standards while in the program will be evaluated and appropriate action (e.g., remediation, counseling, or dismissal) will be taken. Because this expectation is separate from the academic achievement, simply maintaining a passing grade is not sufficient. Additionally, individuals who would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of others are not considered suitable candidates for continued matriculation.

Applicants are not required to disclose the nature of their disability(ies), if any, to the Admissions Committee. However, any applicant with questions about these technical standards is strongly encouraged to discuss his/her specific issues(s) with the Student Access Center prior to the interview process. If appropriate, and only upon the request of the applicant, reasonable accommodations will be provided.

When a letter of acceptance to the D.M.D. Program is mailed, a detailed copy of the technical standards for completion of the curriculum will be included. The applicant will be asked to respond in writing either he/she can meet the standards with or without accommodation. The provision of or request for an accommodation for a disability is always voluntary for the student. An applicant should be able to evaluate him or herself for compliance with these technical standards. In the event that accommodation is requested, the student must submit documentation of disability with the proposed accommodation from a certified specialist to 51����’s Student Access Center. A continuing student who develops a disability should request accommodations based on the limitations of the disability through the Student Access Center. Individuals unable to meet the technical standards for the D.M.D. program may be unable to progress and/or complete the D.M.D. program.

The College’s Admissions Committee will consider the applicant based on the criteria for admission of all applicants. An applicant who discloses a disability and requests accommodation in the admission process may be required to submit, in writing, the request for accommodation and pertinent supporting documentation. The pertinent information may include a history of accommodations granted previously in other education programs. Request for accommodation may be initiated with 51����’s Student Access Center.

For more information on disabilities and accommodations, please contact the 51���� Student Access Center.

Academic policies have been revised for the Class of 2025, entering in the fall of 2021. Students who are remediating Year 1 (D1) will re-enter Year 1 under these new policies.

Academic and Professional Standards Committee

The College of Dental Medicine’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee (APSC) is charged with the development, distribution, and implementation of policies to aid in the evaluation of dental student academic, clinical, and professional development. The APSC is responsible for overall review of student progress and making decisions regarding promotion, potential disciplinary and corrective actions, and completion of graduation requirements for each student. The APSC will convene to evaluate student progress at the conclusion of each academic term, generally within 15 business days. Students who have not successfully maintained academic, clinical, ethical, technical, and/or professional standards will be invited to meet with the APSC to offer additional information for the committee to consider before it makes a decision regarding an appropriate course of action. The APSC shall follow guidelines in full accord with the rules of the University of New England and the requirements of due process. The Dean of the 51���� CDM will appoint faculty and staff to the APSC and designate a chair of the committee.

The APSC may also be convened to address a student’s alleged violation(s) of an ethical and/or professional standard, University Conduct Code, or for other circumstances that the Dean (or designee) deems appropriate. The review of the matter by the committee will be afforded due consideration and process as governed by University policy.

A student under review by the APSC will be notified in writing of the reason and given the opportunity to meet with the committee at a specified date, time, and location. The student will inform the chair at least one day before the meeting if he or she wishes to be present at the APSC meeting. The student will be afforded at least 15 minutes, though time allotted may be increased at the discretion of the committee chair. The student may request that the committee consider other sources of information, such as witness testimony or other supporting documents. The student may ask a 51���� faculty representative to accompany him or her to the meeting. The faculty representative cannot address the APSC in any way during the student’s comments, though they may confer with the student. If available, a designee from Graduate and Student Affairs will be present at the meeting should the student need additional consultation. The student and faculty representative will not be present for deliberations; however, the Graduate and Student Affairs designee will participate in the deliberations. The APSC will have an opportunity to review the additional information, if presented, and will then make a final decision and inform the student in writing. The Dean, or designee, will review the decision with the student.

Grading Policies

All courses within the curriculum are evaluated as Pass/Fail. Students should refer to the course syllabus for the grading policy specific to each course.

The grade designations on the transcript are:

• Pass (P): Student earned an overall grade of 69.50 and above and met all requirements stated in the course syllabus
• Fail (F): Student earned an overall grade of 69.49 or below or did not meet all requirements stated in the course syllabus
• Incomplete (I): Student has completed a majority of the work in a course but extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control have resulted in the student being unable to finish all required work for issuance of a final grade. Examples of valid extenuating circumstances may include illness, family emergency, or other non-academic and urgent matters. University policy states that all grades of "I" will automatically convert to an "F" after four to six weeks, depending on the duration of the academic term in question.
• Pass (P) with notation “F grade remediated” beneath the course title: Student has completed a course remediation (see Course Remediation)

Letters of Commendation (LOC) are awarded to students achieving superior performance in a course, as determined by the Course Director and outlined in the course syllabus. A student will not be eligible for an LOC in a course they have to remediate or retake. LOCs are not noted on the official transcript.

If a course will permit a student to retake assessments and/or redo assignments while the course is in progress, the syllabus must outline the assessments retake and/or assignments redo criteria and plan.

Official grades are submitted to the Registrar by Course Directors, at which time the online student records system is updated. Official grade reports and unofficial transcripts will be available on the student records system throughout the academic year. Class rank is not reported on transcripts.

Students must earn a grade of "Pass" in all courses. Students who receive a "Fail" in a course will be reviewed by the APSC. The APSC, after consultation with the Course Director and review of the student’s overall performance in all other 51���� CDM courses (concurrent and previous), may decide on one of the following courses of action for the student:

1. Remediate the course
2. Repeat the course
3. Repeat the academic year
4. Dismissal from the program

The student will be notified of the decision in writing by the Dean (or designee). Notification must be either sent by USPS mail or hand-delivered to the student.

Promotion

Promotion is defined as academic and professional progression from one academic year to the next. The APSC will review student progress and make decisions regarding promotion of each student. Students may be ineligible for progression from one academic year to the next if any of the following apply:

• The student has a grade of "I" or "F" in a required course without an approved course remediation plan
• The student has a grade of "I" or "F" in the remediation of a previously failed course
• The student needs to repeat one or more courses
• Failure to meet or maintain ethical and/or professional standards as outlined in the Code of Professional Conduct found in the Student Handbook
• Failure to meet or maintain technical standards
• Unpaid tuition and fees
• Failure to meet the National Board Dental Examinations Policy found in the Student Handbook

An essential element of the academic program is professionalism. Professionalism will be emphasized throughout the curriculum and is a stand-alone element in determining academic advancement and achievement. Students may be ineligible for progression from one academic year to the next if the student has unprofessional conduct violations.

The end-of-academic-year promotion process does not preclude the APSC from deciding on an adverse action (e.g., dismissal, repeat the year, etc.) as a result of a student review at any other APSC meeting (e.g., mid-year, etc.) if the student has failed to meet or maintain the academic, clinical, technical, ethical, and/or professional standards deemed appropriate by the APSC.

Course Remediation

Remediation is the process for addressing deficiencies in a student’s knowledge, skills, and/or professional behavior. The educational objectives that underlie remedial teaching and evaluation should be the same as the educational objectives that underlie regular courses in the curriculum. Students receiving an “F” grade in a course may be offered a formal course remediation plan developed by the Course Director and approved by the APSC. Alternatively, the course director may determine that a student is “not remediable.”

Decisions to allow a student to proceed with remediation of a failed course will be made by the APSC on an individual basis after considering all pertinent circumstances. The APSC will base its decision on the student’s overall performance in all other 51���� CDM courses (concurrent and previous) and other considerations after consultation with the student’s faculty advisor/Group Practice Leader, Course Director, Dean (or designee), clinical preceptor, and the student involved, as is appropriate.

Students who are offered the opportunity to remediate a course failure may have a modified academic or clinical schedule, which can lead to a delayed graduation and additional tuition and fees.

Upon the student’s successful completion of a course remediation, a “Pass” will be reported to the Registrar’s Office and become part of the official student transcript, along with the notation “F grade remediated.”

Students will be offered no more than one attempt to remediate a failed course. Failure to earn a passing grade on the course remediation will result in one of the following courses of action for the student:

1. Repeat the course
2. Repeat the academic year
3. Dismissal from the program

The APSC will base its decision on the student’s overall performance in all other 51���� CDM courses (concurrent and previous) and other considerations. Grades earned during an attempted remediation of a course will be reviewed critically by the APSC. The student will be notified of the decision in writing by the Dean (or designee). Notification must be either sent by USPS mail or hand-delivered to the student.

Course Repeat

Decisions to allow a student to proceed with repeating a failed course will be made by the APSC on an individual basis after considering all pertinent circumstances. Courses in the CDM program are offered once per year, therefore, the student must wait until the next time the course is offered to repeat the course and will be responsible for all tuition and fees. The APSC will base its decision on the student’s overall performance in all other 51���� CDM courses (concurrent and previous) and other considerations after consultation with the student’s faculty advisor/Group Practice Leader, Course Director, Dean (or designee), clinical preceptor, and the student involved, as is appropriate.

Students who are offered the opportunity to repeat a failed course may have a modified academic or clinical schedule, which can lead to a delayed graduation and additional tuition and fees.

Upon completion of a repeated course, a new listing and assigned grade are placed on the student's transcript. The original course listing and grade remain on the student's transcript.

Students will be offered no more than one attempt to repeat a failed course. Failure to earn a passing grade on the course repeat will result in one of the following courses of action for the student:

1. Repeat the academic year
2. Dismissal from the program

The APSC will base its decision on the student’s overall performance in all other 51���� CDM courses (concurrent and previous) and other considerations. Grades earned during an attempted repeat of a course will be reviewed critically by the APSC. The student will be notified of the decision in writing by the Dean (or designee). Notification must be either sent by USPS mail or hand-delivered to the student.

Academic Year Repeat

Students who are required to repeat an academic year must repeat all courses in their entirety. Failure of any course in a repeat year may result in dismissal from the program. A student may not repeat the same academic year more than once.

D.M.D. Program Duration

The D.M.D. program must be completed in a maximum of 6 years total (1.5 times the expected completion period). This is inclusive of leaves of absence and repeating an academic year.

Probation or Academic Suspension

Probation is a serious warning that student’s academic performance or professional conduct must improve in order for the student to continue enrollment at the College of Dental Medicine.

Students may be placed on Probation or Academic Suspension for the following reasons:

1. Inadequate academic progress as determined by the Academic and Professional Standards Committee. This includes, but is not limited to, receiving an "F" in any course.
2. When required to repeat an academic year for academic reasons.
3. Violating the Code of Professional Conduct as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Students on probation are expected to remove themselves from all elected officer responsibilities and leadership roles in co-curricular activities associated with the University and/or with professional associations. Students on probation must meet with a faculty member designated by the APSC at least once per month. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the faculty member to arrange these meetings.

The APSC will review all students on academic probation at each end-of-term APSC meeting to consider removal of probation status for those students that have successfully remediated a course failure or improved academic, clinical, or professional performance. Probation status for students found responsible for behavioral, ethical, and/or professional standard violations will be for a specified period of time (up to one academic year per incident). In those cases, probation will expire at the specified date identified in the letter from the Dean (or designee) that specified probationary status.

Students on academic suspension are not registered as an active matriculate and should use this time to remediate the deficiency for which the academic suspension was levied.

Dismissal

The University may require withdrawal at any time it deems necessary to safeguard its standards of scholarship, conduct, and orderly operations. The Dean of the CDM (or designee), after due consideration and process, may dismiss a student at any time before graduation if circumstances of legal, moral, behavior, ethical, professional, health, or academic nature justify such an action. The APSC is charged with reviewing student academic, clinical, ethical, and professional performance. The APSC may decide to dismiss a student in order to satisfy its obligation to maintain student performance standards. A student may be considered for dismissal when, but not limited to, any one or more of the following circumstances apply:

• Received a grade of “Fail” in one or more course(s)
• Received a grade of “Fail” in a remediated course, or for a failure to remediate a course
• Violating the Code of Professional Conduct as outlined in the Student Handbook
• Failure to meet or maintain Technical Standards as outlined in the Student Handbook
• Failure to meet the National Board Dental Examinations Policy found in the Student Handbook
• Received a grade of “Fail” in any course during a repeat year

Graduation

To be eligible for graduation, a student must:

• Not be on academic suspension or probation
• Have earned a grade of “Pass” in all required coursework and have no outstanding grades of "I" or "F"
• Meet the National Board Dental Examinations Policy found in the Student Handbook
• Have successfully completed all prescribed academic requirements, including:
  • All courses/modules (including clinical externship)
  • Final Student Progress Review meeting with Group Practice Leader
  • Have demonstrated competency for all 51���� CDM Competency Statements
  • Have completed the 51���� CDM Graduate Exit Survey
  • Completed and submitted a 51���� CDM D.M.D. Graduation Sign-Out Sheet
• Have demonstrated appropriate ethical, professional, and personal conduct, as defined in the 51���� Student Handbook and the College of Dental Medicine Academic Standards, thus making it appropriate to award the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine
• March with his/her class in the graduation ceremony, unless the Dean (or designee) has granted an exception due to unique circumstances
• Have complied with all the legal and financial requirements of the University and College

Extended, Returning, or Repeating Fourth-Year Students

Students who are deficient in meeting expectations at the time of review for graduation will be categorized as follows:

1. Extended Fourth-Year Students: Students who will complete all expectations by mid-August of the following academic year and are expected to graduate in August.
2. Returning Fourth-Year Students: Students who will complete all expectations by mid-December of the following academic year and are expected to graduate in December.
3. Repeating Fourth-Year Students: Students who will complete all expectations within one year of the original graduation date and are expected to graduate in May of the following academic year.

Students with these designations will be responsible for applicable tuition and registration fees. It will be the student’s responsibility to complete the application to graduate. Please consult the 51���� Registrar’s website.

Student Appeal Process

Academic Progression Appeal

The APSC is responsible for the review of student academic progress. A student may submit a written appeal of an academic progression decision to the Dean of the College (or designee) within seven (7) business days of the decision according to the guidelines in the University Student Handbook. Please refer to the 51���� Student Handbook for the detailed policy and process information; it is available online at

A written appeal of an academic progression decision must be delivered to the Dean (or designee) in writing and must be based on: 1) new evidence that could not have been presented to the academic review officer or committee at the time of the original decision, or 2) procedural errors in the original review process that had a substantial impact on or otherwise prejudiced the original determination. The Dean (or designee) will make a determination whether grounds are present in the appeal to warrant a review. The appeal is not intended to afford a full rehearing of the case but to serve as a method of reviewing the written content and grounds for appealing as submitted by the student. The Dean (or designee) will inform the student of his/her decision in writing within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the appeal. If the Dean (or designee) deems that the appeal would be better addressed by a committee, an appropriate appeal committee will be convened and a review will be conducted.

Unless deadlines have been extended by the Dean (or designee), the final findings and recommendations of the Appeal Review Committee will be forwarded to the Dean (or designee) no later than thirty (30) business days subsequent to the Committee's first meeting. The Dean (or designee) will make a decision and report it to all parties involved within ten (10) working days of receipt of the Committee’s findings and recommendations. The decision of the Dean (or designee) in response to the appeal is final. If an appeal is upheld by the Appeal Review Committee, the matter may be remanded to the APSC for re-opening of the review and reconsideration of the original finding and/or sanction(s).

Grade or Penalty Appeal (excluding academic progression appeal)

Assignment of Grades

The academic standards for successful completion of a course and assignment of a grade are established by the Course Director and guided by the 51���� CDM Academic Guidelines. The Course Director bears the responsibility of ensuring that written academic standards are outlined in the course syllabus that is provided to each student at the beginning of each course. The Course Director assigns final grades based upon these published academic standards.

Basis for Appeal

Every effort should be made to resolve a difference over a grade (e.g., grade within a course or a final course grade) or penalty (e.g., exclusion from a course, lab, or clinical experience) on an informal basis through a discussion between the student and the Course Director. It is up to the Course Director’s discretion whether or not to change the grade/penalty after discussion with the student and a review of the circumstances.

If the above informal procedure does not resolve a dispute concerning a grade to the student’s satisfaction, the student may submit a written appeal of the grade or penalty. This appeal mechanism is limited to possible errors in calculating or recording a grade/penalty and to allegations of mistakes or arbitrary or capricious grading. “Arbitrary or capricious” grading means (1) the assignment of a grade/penalty to a student on some basis other than performance in the course; (2) the assignment of a grade/penalty to a student by application of standards different from the standards that were applied to other students in that course; or (3) the assignment of a course grade/penalty based on a substantial and unreasonable departure from the written academic standards for that course.

The appeal mechanism is not intended for review of the instructor’s evaluation of the student’s academic performance. If a student feels the course was poorly designed, they received poor instruction, or students were graded too severely (provided that all the students in the class were graded in the same fashion), these concerns are more appropriately communicated on end-of-semester course evaluations. Furthermore, the appeal mechanism is not to be used to dispute the published academic standards for a course, which are the prerogative of the Course Director under which the course is administered.

It is the responsibility of the student to substantiate the assertion that an incorrect final grade has been assigned.

Appeals Process

1. The first level of the appeal is the academic course from which the grade or penalty was issued. Within 5 business days after receipt of the grade or penalty in question, the student must request, in writing, a review by the Cou