Credit Points & Grades

Assigning Credit Points

Each Board of Studies decides on the number of credit points awarded for each course. Therefore, students from different fields of study may be awarded a different number of credit points for the same course.

Each year the Board of Studies may review the credit assignments for courses, and change them. However, once you have received a grade in a course, the number of credit points may not change.

Each lecturer may choose one of two grading methods: Pass/Fail or numerical (on a scale of 100). The Feinberg Graduate School does not permit a combination of the two methods in one course.

Ranking System - MSc Students

MSc students will receive two types of evaluations:

  • The first will be their absolute grade in the courses.

  • The second ranking is based on relative success: 

The ranking will be determined by comparing a student’s grade to his/her peers’ grades. This is a three-tier ranking system that will divide each class as follows:

Tier 1 - the top third of the class

Tier 2 - middle third of the class

Tier 3 - the lower third of the class

    The above-mentioned ranking is relative per course and overall for the entire degree. This will appear on the student’s transcripts, degree confirmations, and on the Students’ Portal.

     

    Study Requirements

    For comprehensive information about study requirements set by each Board of Studies please consult the MSc Study Requirements, or, PhD Study Requirements pages. These pages present up-to-date information on current study requirements including details on obligatory, core and elective courses, and also (where applicable) lists of particular external courses (including online courses like Coursera).

    Online Transcript

    MSc and PhD students may view their grades online and print a report. You may access this service only after submitting your online feedback on courses you have taken.

    Participating in Courses at other Institutions

    You must receive authorization from your Board of Studies if you wish to participate in courses offered by other institutions of higher learning. The request to recognize such credits must be submitted in advance, no later than the second week of the semester. Only your Board of Studies is empowered to decide how many credits you will receive if you successfully complete the course (often independent of the number of credits awarded by the institution giving the course).

    Approved external courses will not be recorded in your FGS grade transcript. This is also true for intensive courses offered to participants at international conferences. If you wish to provide proof to a third party of your participation in external courses, you must request a transcript from the external institution, and keep it for future reference.

    International Courses and Workshops

    FGS encourages you to participate in international courses and workshops during your time at the Institute. The policy regarding credit points and transcripts is similar to that of courses taken at other institutions of higher learning (see Participating in Courses at Other Institutions).

    Enrichment Courses

    No credit points are awarded for enrichment courses. However, each Board of Studies may recognize your participation with credits, provided the courses are specifically in your field of study. A Board of Studies may recognize your participation in up to two such courses, with a maximum of 4 credit points per degree.

    Teaching Assistants

    Teaching assistants may not be awarded credit points for courses in which they are paid to teach, tutor, and/or grade exercises and exams. Furthermore, these courses cannot be listed on their transcripts.

    Deleting Grades

    Grades may not be deleted from your grade transcript. However, additional credits may be accrued for inclusion in your grade average.