Academic Progress and Graduation

University Policy

There shall be one committee for the doctoral program in medicine. The Registrar shall act as secretary without vote. The committee shall comprise 10 senior faculty members and chair, all appointed by the Dean for renewable three-year terms as well as one fourth-year medical student who shall also be selected by the Dean. Eight members and the chair shall be appointed after consultation with the Associate Deans of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. The remaining two members, a Course Director and a Clerkship Director, shall be appointed after consultation with the chairs of the PCS and the CCS, respectively. Faculty members must represent all four curricular years. The Associate Deans for Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Diversity & Multicultural Affairs shall serve ex officio, without vote.
This Committee shall meet monthly during the academic term, and otherwise as needed at the call of the chair.
The Committee shall:
a. act in accordance with the faculty rules governing promotion.
b. report its decisions regarding student promotions to the Dean for executive action.
Medical school faculty shall participate in the promotions process of students who are in any of the early admissions programs, prior to the students’ matriculation in the doctoral program in medicine. Such participation shall be in accord with agreements between the School of Medicine and other participating schools or programs.

The faculty reserves the right to require the withdrawal of any student at any time when, in the opinion of the faculty, he or she is unfit to continue his or her course.
Departments or course instructors use methods of examining and evaluating students that are most appropriate to their course content. For the first year, the student’s record contains for each course the appropriate (P) or (F) designation and, if possible, a detailed written narrative. For the second year, the designations are (H) or (P). For the third and fourth years, the designations are Honors, High Pass, Pass, or Fail.
All medical students must take Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination in May – July of the second year. Passing Step 2 of the USMLE is a requirement for graduation from the School of Medicine.
If the student is unable to achieve a pass in any given course, the Promotion Committee determines the action to be taken.
Written guidelines concerning promotion to each academic year are distributed to each student annually and an outline of the due process of promotions and appeals is sent to each student in the first curricular year. Copies of these documents may be obtained from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs Office.