Academic Requirements

Grades

The School of Nursing follows the University of Maine Grades and Grading Policy located on the Office of Student Records website. Grades and other student information is confidential and protected by University of Maine policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Additional information regarding FERPA is available from the University of Maine Department of Student Records.

Definition of Grades

The School of Nursing participates in the +/- grading system. Individual faculty may choose to award a plus (+) or a minus (-) grade in nursing courses. The following criteria have been adopted for plus and minus grades:

Letter GradeNumber Grade
A100-92
A-91-90
B+89-88
B87-82
B-81-80
C+79-78
C77
C-76-70

Students who need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability are directed to Student Accessibility Services, 207.581.2319, for guidance.

Nursing students who find it necessary to request withdrawal from a course due to serious illness or injury, or to take a leave of absence or to withdraw from the University, should discuss this with their academic advisor. Withdrawals resulting in less than required course credits for a semester and withdrawals/leaves of absence from the University will be processed through the graduate school.

Grades are assigned as whole numbers are not rounded up. This applies to individual quiz and exam scores, course assignments, and final course grades.

Appealing assignment or course grades: The University of Maine has formal procedures by which students may appeal the assignment of grades by an instructor, accusations of cheating or plagiarism, or certain aspects of classroom procedure. The details of these appeal processes are on the Office of Student Records website.

Written Assignments

Grading criteria for course assignments are described in each course syllabus. All assignments in nursing courses are due on the date designated in each course syllabus. Assignments received after the designated date and time may be subject to late penalty as specified in the course syllabus. Exceptions to the due date will be made only under extraordinary circumstances and should be negotiated with faculty in advance if possible. School of Nursing adheres to the guidelines of the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Academic Integrity

The School of Nursing adheres to the University of Maine policy on Academic Integrity . Violations of academic integrity such as cheating or plagiarism may result in a failing grade for an assignment or an entire course and may be subject to action under the University of Maine System Student Conduct Code. University faculty use Safe Assign, a program for the detection of plagiarism.

Undergraduate Health Assessment by Examination

Applicants to the graduate program who possess a baccalaureate in nursing degree but who do not have a distinct undergraduate health assessment course on their transcript may fulfill this admission requirement in one of two ways:

Take an undergraduate health assessment course which is equivalent to the University of Maine School of Nursing NUR 300 Health Assessment through the Lifespan, earning a grade of “B” or higher. This option is recommended for applicants who have limited health assessment experience in their clinical practice.

Or:

Demonstrate competency in health assessment through a testing option. The testing option consists of two parts:

  1. Health Assessment Written Examination developed by school of nursing faculty based on undergraduate health assessment knowledge
  2. Demonstration of knowledge through a practicum examination

The written examination and practicum grade must each be at least 80%. There is a non-refundable fee of $100 for the competency testing. Further information will be provided upon request.

Acceptance of Courses toward Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS-FNP)

Students with a previous Master of Science degree seeking certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner must demonstrate competency in Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Advanced Pharmacology. Competency is defined by earning a final grade of B in each course in their previous APRN coursework, or they are required to retake the course at UMaine. Students whose Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Pharmacology courses were taken more than five years prior to admission will be required to repeat the courses. Students whose MS-Nursing was in a non-APRN concentration (e.g. nursing education) will have a gap analysis conducted to determine which of these courses may be considered toward the CAS. Laboratory and/or clinical components of Advanced Health Assessment may be required.

Academic Progression

Students must achieve a mean score of 80% on written exams in order to pass the course. Regardless of other grades achieved for written work assignments, and 80% average is required on exams. If the exam average is <80%, then the student will be awarded a grade no higher than “C” and will not be considered passing.

Students are expected to achieve a grade of “B-” or higher in all courses. If a student earns a “C” or lower in any course, the student is counseled and may be dismissed from the nursing major.

Students who wish to return to the graduate program in nursing after a leave of absence or to re-enroll after withdrawing will re-enter under current curricular requirements. If a significant amount of time has lapsed, additional coursework may be required.

Change in Program of Study

If a student deviates from their original Program of Study as outlined during their interview, seats and registration for future classes cannot be guaranteed and will be provided on an as available basis.

Withdrawing from a Graduate Nursing Courses

All graduate students in the School of Nursing may only withdraw once from any course.

Non-Degree Status

If you do not intend to pursue a graduate degree, but want to take graduate level courses for personal or professional development or to apply for degree status at a later date, you may seek admission as a non- degree graduate student. You can apply for non-degree graduate status on this site.

Up to twelve credit hours may be transferred from appropriate course work taken at UMaine before matriculation in a graduate degree program if no other work is being transferred.

Violations

If a student experiences any bias-related or hate crimes (including, but not limited to, any acts of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, age, ability, genetic information, or veteran’s status), the student is encouraged to report the incident to the UMaine Bias Response Team or Dean of Student Office. This enables the university to provide resources and assistance to those individuals.

Student Incident Process

  1. Faculty, adjunct faculty, or staff will document any violation of professional, clinical, course, or laboratory standards using an electronic Student Incident Report (SIR). The SIR will outline the specific incident, location of the incident, time/day of the incident, and any communication or evidence surrounding the incident. The SIR will be sent electronically to the student’s academic advisor and the Director of the School of Nursing.
  2. The academic advisor will notify the associated course coordinator in which the incident occurred to schedule a meeting with the student. During the meeting, the course coordinator and student will review the incident. The student will have an opportunity to provide input or data regarding the incident from their perspective. The course coordinator will discuss potential implications (failure to pass a skill competency assessment, removal from lab or clinical site, dismissal from the program, remediation plan, etc.).
  3. The student will receive a formal letter from the course coordinator via email and snail mail that outlines violations of the Student Handbook and associated consequences, if applicable, along with the appeal process.
    • The School of Nursing may remove students from the class, lab, or clinical rotation and recommend dismissal from the program for any student who engages in unsafe practice, illegal or unethical conduct.
    • Students identified as deficient in knowledge or skills will be required to complete remediation and demonstrate competency prior to returning to the clinical practice site. The SIR will also outline the remediation process and activities to address the identified concerns with a timeline for
    • Students who have a previous remediation for unsafe patient care and then commit the second act of unsafe patient care are at risk for immediate dismissal from the program.
  4. When violations and associated consequences cannot be resolved with the mechanism listed above, the student may file an appeal to the Policy Advisory Committee.
  5. Student appeals require a written letter from the student that provides objective, factual evidence that rejects the incident and associated consequences outlined in the SIR letter the student received from the course coordinator.
  6. Appeal letters will be submitted to the School of Nursing Policy Advisory The committee reviews all academic and professional conduct cases within the school. The committee consists of two academic advisors, the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and two additional faculty members voted by the full faculty. The committee will review the letter received from the course coordinator to the student, the incident report, and the student’s appeal letter. Next, the committee will discuss the case. Finally, the committee will vote on the outcome adhering to Roberts Rules. The Director of the School of Nursing is the committee chair and doesn’t have voting privileges to maintain equity. The student’s academic advisor will notify the student of the outcome within the day of the hearing. The student will receive a formal letter from the committee that outlines the outcome.

Infringement of any of these will result in the following procedure:

  1. Student problem behaviors may be identified by any University of Maine faculty, staff member, agency personnel, fellow students, clients, or If action is taken, this will be based on facts and/ or surmise from evidence and not hearsay.
  2. If the behavior is limited to one course, the student will be asked to meet with a School of Nursing faculty member associated with the course in which the behavior took If the behavior occurred in more than one course or outside of nursing courses, the student will meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator and/or Family Nurse Practitioner Track Coordinator. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, the Director of the School of Nursing may also be asked to attend. The complainant may choose to bring witness(es) to this meeting. A faculty member may also be invited to serve as a witness.
  3. A written statement describing the problem behavior, and, if appropriate, a plan of action for improvement (contract) will be given to the student, with a copy of all written materials placed in the student’s permanent If the behavior is not remediated within the stated time frame, there are several possible outcomes. These include a lowered clinical/course grade, failure in a course, conditional status (requires a specific contract), suspension and/or dismissal.
  4. There are times when a clinical agency requests that a student be removed from a clinical If the faculty member concurs that the behavior warrants such action, no attempt will be made to secure another clinical placement. This will result in a failing grade for the clinical experience.
  5. In the case where the behavior may pose risk of harm to others, the student may be removed from a clinical placement, the classroom, suspected or dismissed from the major without the opportunity for counseling and improvement plan. This type of decision will be made by the Director, the Graduate Program and/or Family Nurse Practitioner Coordinator, and at least one other faculty member. Examples of behavior which may lead to immediate removal are dishonesty, aggression, serious violation of the professional code of conduct including professional boundaries, and the commission of felonies such as diversion of The Director of the School of Nursing will notify the student in writing if such a decision is made.
  6. The student has the right to utilize the formal appeal process of the University of Maine Graduate School if they disagree with the decision made. The School of Nursing reserves the right to remove from clinical any student who, according to the judgment of faculty, poses risk of harm to clients or others until the matter is formally resolved.

Student Appeal Process

  1. A student who wishes to appeal the School of Nursing programmatic academic action (for example, suspension or dismissal from the program, removal from the lab or clinical site) is required to:
    1. Communicate with their academic advisor as soon as possible for guidance regarding the academic appeal process and timeframe.
    2. Submit an appeal letter to the chairperson of the Policy Advisory Committee, which is the Director of the School of Nursing within 7 days of the last official day of the semester. The letter should include specific and objective extenuating circumstances that led to the academic violation and a remediation plan.
  2. The Director and the faculty members of the School’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) will review the appeal letter and the student’s academic record:
    1. The committee will decide the appeal
    2. The student will be notified of the Committee’s decision in writing as soon as possible
  3. A student who has been suspended from the University but wishes to return to the School of Nursing is required to apply for re-admission.
    1. Students who have been suspended from the University are guaranteed readmission to the University
    2. An interview with a nursing faculty advisor is required prior to re-admission to the Nursing
  4. A student who has been dismissed from the university or the School of Nursing but wishes to return to the School of Nursing is required to send a letter of appeal for readmission to the School of Nursing
    1. The student’s appeal for re-admission will be reviewed by the Director and the School of Nursing Policy Advisory Committee to decide on re-entry.
    2. A student who has been dismissed from the University is not guaranteed re-admission