Graduate Grade Guidelines

The university guidelines stipulate that graduate students must have a minimum 3.50 CGPA to be eligible for most awards, including the Graduate Fellowship, and must maintain a minimum 3.0 CGPA to remain in the program and to graduate. The former equates to a letter grade between an A- and B+, while the latter equates to a B grade.

In each course, MSc and PhD students are evaluated and assigned grades using the same criteria. However, grades for MSc and PhD students are interpreted differently by the Department of Mathematics. PhD students are generally expected to achieve higher grades.

The following grading guidelines are intended for use in all 700-, 800- or 900-level MATH or APMA courses.

A+
Excellent performance.

A
Very good performance. An MSc student achieving a grade of A or better in an 800- or 900- level course would be considered a promising candidate to pursue a PhD in the area of the course. 

A-
Good performance for an MSc student and satisfactory performance for a PhD student. 

B+
Satisfactory performance for an MSc student and marginally satisfactory performance for a PhD student. 

B
Marginally satisfactory performance for an MSc student and marginally unsatisfactory performance for a PhD student.
A meeting between the student and their Supervisory Committee is recommended to discuss strategies and milestones for improving the student’s performance.

B-
Unsatisfactory performance.
A meeting between the student and their Supervisory Committee is strongly recommended to discuss strategies and milestones for improving the student’s performance.

C,F
Unsatisfactory performance.
A meeting between the student and their Supervisory Committee should be arranged to discuss whether or not the student is capable of successfully completing the program.