Students enrolled in the MMarE program are expected to enroll in core courses prescribed in the MMarE curriculum and to work with an advisor to select elective courses that will satisfy their interest and needs. Students are expected to complete the program in five (5) years and meet the program graduation requirements.
The minimum requirements for graduation are:
- Complete the required MMarE syllabus pervoulsy noted.
- Successfully complete the required core courses with a minimum grade of “C”. Grades of “C-” will not be accepted. Students who earn a grade of less than “C” in a core course will be required to repeat the course. Students who earn a grade of less than “C” in an elective course will be permitted to repeat the course or select a substitute elective.
- Earn a Cumulative Quality Grade Point Average of 3.0 for all courses taken, including any courses with a grade less then “C”.
All courses for the USMMA Master of Sciece in Marine Engineerin (MMarE) are 3 credit courses. A three-credit course is defined as a combination of two hours of asynchronous and one hour of synchronous course work. The weekly asynchronous lessons are downloaded from the course management system The weekly one hour of synchronous presentation/class discussion are conducted through the use of a web-based meeting program.
Design project or thesis coursework (three or six credits, respectively) will contain an appropriate level of effort to the credit load of structured courses.
Courses forming part of the MMarE program and completed elsewhere with a grade of “B” or better(3.0 on a 4.0 scale) will be consider for transfer if the course is equivalant to a MMarE program course. The transfer proposal must be by copies of the catalog description of the course and the course syllabus obtained from the college or university at which the course was taken. Additionally a sample of the work associated with the course must be submitted. A maximum of two (2) courses will be permitted for transfer into the MMarE program. For transfer consideration, the course must have been completed within the past five years of the date of the transfer proposal.
For a student who has completed a USMMA Power Certificate, and has been accepted into the MMarE program, all four courses from the Power Certificate may be applied to Master of Science degree.
For a student who has completed the MMarE program, and has enrolled in the USMMA Power Certificate, up to two courses (the core electrical engineering course, and one elective electrical engineering course) from the MMarE degree may be applied to Power Certificate.
Although the normal student load is two courses per semester, students who wish to accelerate their graduation may take up to four courses per semester. Enrolling in more than two courses per semester requires special approval from the MMarE Program Director.
Enrolled (matriculated) students are expected to complete the program in five (5) calendar years. Students who do not complete more than one (1) course in three (3) semesters will be considered as not making progress toward the degree and will be reviewed by the MMarE Academic Review Committee.
At the commencement of individual courses, each faculty member shall inform the students of the grading standards to be used in evaluating the student’s performance. These standards will normally be included in the course syllabus posted by the faculty member.
Grade changes are restricted to cases in which an error was made in computing a final course grade, or when an instructor re-grades an exam, paper or project that had been submitted while the course was ongoing. Requests for grade changes will not be approved for other reasons such as work submitted after the course ended. Grade change forms are submitted by the instructor and require the MMarE Program Director’s, Engineering Department Head’s and the Academic Dean’s approval.
Students may petition to add a required or elective course within five business days of the start of the academic semester. Students have up to six (6) weeks from the start of the class to drop a course. Under extraordinary circumstances, such as illness, the MMarE Program Director may recommend to the Academic Dean to extend the add/drop period.
Authorized grades for the MMarE program are:
A — Outstanding
B — Above Average
C — Average
D — Miniimally passing, but does not satisfy graduation requirements
E — Exempt
F — Unsatisfactory/Failing
I — Incomplete
W —Withdrawal
A plus suffix (+) may be assigned to the grade of “B”, “C” or “D” to show strong performance at the grade level. A minus suffix (-) may be assigned to grades of “A”, “B” or “C” to show below average performance at the grade level.
The grades of “E”, “I”, and “W” must have the approval of the MMarE Program Director, the Engineering Department Head and the Academic Dean.
“I” grades must be completed by the date specified on the approval Incomplete Grade Form.
Incomplete Grades “I”
An “I” grade may be given where a faculty member determines that, due to special circumstances, the requirements of the course could not be met by the end of the semester. The work required to resolve the Incomplete must be completed by the date specified on the Incomplete Grade Form.
Normally, an incomplete grade will be resolved by the end of the seventh (7th) week of the succeeding semester. An extension beyond the seventh (7th) week requires the approval of the MMarE Program Director and the Academic Dean. A grade of “I” that has not been resolved, or that is not approved for extension beyond the seventh (7th) week of the succeeding semester, will be converted to an “F”.
Quality Point Averge, (QPA)
The QPA is calculated at the end of each semester by dividing the quality points earned in the semester by the credit hours attempted during the semester.
Cumulative Quality Point Average, (CQPA)
The CQPA is calculated at the end of each semester by dividing the total quality points for the duration of the student’s enrollment in the MMarE program by the total credit hours the student attempted since
enrolling in the program.
Quality Points Earned
The quality points earned for taking a given course will be calculated by multiplying the credit value of the course by the unit quality points associated with the earned grade. The following table will be used in the calculation of quality points:
|
Letter Grade
|
Unit Quality Points
|
Letter Grade
|
Unit Quality Points
|
|
A
|
4.00
|
C-
|
1.67
|
|
A-
|
3.67
|
D+
|
1.33
|
|
B+
|
3.33
|
D
|
1.00
|
|
B
|
3.00
|
E
|
0
|
|
B-
|
2.67
|
F
|
0
|
|
C+
|
2.33
|
I
|
0
|
|
C
|
2.00
|
|
* -Not be use to satisfy the MMarE graduation requirements. C-, D+, and D must be repeated or, if it is an elective, it may be replaced by another elective course
Repeat Grades
For courses failed, or repeated in the attempt of earning a higher grade, the student’s CQPA will be charged for the initial credits attempted and for the credits associated with the repeat courses. Grades of “I”, “P” or “W” will not be included in the QPA or CQPA calculations.
Minimum Standards for Satisfactory Progress
|
Credits attempted
|
COPA Equal or Greater Than
|
|
3
|
2.00
|
|
6
|
2.33
|
|
9
|
2.67
|
|
12 or More
|
3.00
|
Graduate students are considered academically proficient if their previous term QPA is at least a 3.00, their CQPA is equal or above the values noted in the following table and no “F” grades were earned for the previous semester.
Graduate students will be assigned an academic deficiency if they are not making satisfactory progress toward graduation as explained in the Minimum Standards for Satisfactory Progress table and the Academic Load section noted above.
Academic Deficiency Status Catagories
The USMMA academic deficiency status categories are:
- Academic Warning (AW) - the least serious academic deficiency
- Academic Probation (AP) - serious academic deficiency
- Referred for Disenrollment (RFD) - student’s case will be reviewed by the MMarE Academic Review Board (ARB)
Students who are on an academic deficiency status for one semester and who fail to become academically proficient the next semester will be assigned the next more serious status
Other factors affecting the down-grading of academic status categories are:
- Receiving a grade of less tha “C” for a course twice
- Failing rwo or more required courses
In assigning academic deficiency status, the worst case applies. For example, if a student meets the semester QPA and CQPA as noted in the Minimum Standards for Satisfactory Progress table, but earns an “F” grade in a course, his/her case will be placed in the next more serious status, AW. If the example student was in an AW status, based on QPA and/or CQPA, and he/she earned an “F” in a course, the student will be assigned the status of AP.
MMarE Acdemic Review Committe(MMarE-ARC)
The MMarE-ARC will consist of the following USMMA Administration and Faculty:
Academic Dean
Engineering Department Head
MMarE Program Director
Two(2) MMarE Program Faculty Members
Disposition of Refferred for Disenrollment Cases
MMarE-ARC will request input from the student in question and faculty having knowledge of the student’s ability and/or performance. It will review all of the facts at-hand and make an appropriate decision. The action decisions are:
- Assigned an appropriate academic status
- Suspend he student with instruction to take or retake prerequisite or required courses as a means of strengthening his/her academic abilities and chances for successful completion of the program
- Recommed to the USMMA Superintendent to disenroll student
If a case reviewed by the MMarE-ARC results in a recommendation for disenrollment, the Dean will transmit the recommendation to the Superintendent.
The USMMA Superintendent is the final authority in all disenrollment cases.
Leave of Absence
Students who are progressing toward a degree in accordance with the Minimum Standards for Satisfactory Progress and are not otherwise in an Academic Deficiency Category may, at any time, request a Leave of Absence. This request must be approved by the Dean. An official request for a leave of absence should be submitted to the Dean via the MMarE Program Director and the Engineering Department Head. An approved leave of absence will extend the allowable time to complete the degree by a defined period.
Each student enrolled in the MMarE program will be assigned an Academic Advisor as soon as he/she enrolls. The academic advisor will be the MMarE Program Director or his designee and will work with the student to develop a coherent set of electives to augment the required core courses.
As the student’s interest and the program goals become more focused, the academic advisor may be changed to better service the student. If a student elects to undertake a thesis or design project to satisfy elective requirements,the academic advisor may be change to be the same person as the thesis/ design project advisor.
Official academic records for students enrolled in the MMarE program will be maintained by the USMMA Registrar’s office. At the end of each semester the Registrar’s Office will issue an official grade report for the courses registered for during the semester in question.
Official transcripts documenting a student’s performance in the MMarE program will be available from the Registrar’s Office in accordance with the Registrar’s Office policies.
The MMarE academic schedule departs from the traditional three semester USMMA academic schedule and will be based on a conventional two semester academic year with occasional summer semesters for students who want to accelerate the program completion. Each graduate program semester will consist of approximately 14 teaching weeks and one week of examination. Although the starting and ending dates for each semester will vary from year to year, the starting dates for each semester will be approximately:
Fall Semester — Last week in August
Spring Semester — First week in January
Summer Semester — First week in May
Students are required to participate in all asynchronous classes, attend the synchronous class sessions and do all assignments associated with the courses. Students will be allowed to miss up to three (3) synchronous class sessions per course, but will be required to play back the synchronous class session and will be responsible for the subject matter of the lesson. In addition, the student will be required to attend the two-day, on-campus, in- residence session for appropriate courses. Under very special conditions, the on-campus, in-residence session requirement may be waived.
All homework’s, papers, projects and other assignments identified in the course syllabus will be due on the posted due date.
Course grading policy will be indicated in the course syllabus
Since the MME program depends upon online delivery, having the appropriate hardware and software is essential. Accordingly, all participants must have routine access to a personal computer. This is best accomplished by owning a laptop that can be used either at home or work as well as for travel. The computer should be at least a Pentium III MHz with a minimum of 1 MB of RAM and running a current version of the Windows operating system (Vista or later). It will also need to have a sound card (these are usually built into laptops).
The system software should include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel). The Microsoft Word equation editor will be need to be installed during initial configuration. Participants will need to obtain other software for specific courses, some of which will be free and some will need to be purchased. Information on these programs will be provided in the course outlines.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure sufficient audio reception either through an appropriate phone connection or voice-over-IP connection.
A multimedia headset that includes a microphone will be needed for the telephone connection of the voice over IP aspect of the weekly web conferences. These headsets can be purchased at any office supply or electronics store for less than $20.
Participants will also need a high speed internet connection such as DSL or cable modem. A low speed (dial-up) connection will be it will be inadequate and put participants at a disadvantage in terms of the time it takes to access program materials, participate in sessions, and complete their assignments.
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