Grad school GPA requirements

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>My son got his bachelors in mechanical engineering and was accepted to his first choice grad school for biomedical engineering. He's going for his master's, has no funding. He took four courses fall semester and did not work in any labs/do any research to concentrate on his classes. The school has a B average requirement to stay in the program, and he had a tough, tough semester. He just got his grades, and although he got four Bs, one is a B-, and it's a 4 credit class, so his GPA is lower than 3.0. He's scheduled to only take two classes next semester, and start on his research. He will not be doing a thesis, as he wants to go out in the working world.</p>

<p>I'm concerned about this bad start, and I'm worried that the B- may cause him to be at least put on academic probation.</p>

<p>If he fails to get the required GPA by the end of spring semester, and the university tells him he has to leave, what would be his options then?</p>

<p>He was offered a full ride to another college, but chose this school because of its location, proximity to the industry, but I fear his poor performance will hurt his job chances. Also, since he hasn't worked with the professors yet, they won't "have his back" and may not consider recommending him for any jobs, if he's forced out into the work force before getting his master's.</p>

<p>Wonder what happens if you get "kicked out of grad school"? Do other schools take a chance on you? Do employers take a chance on you?</p>

<p>We were lucky enough to not incur debt for his undergrad, and we're paying his apartment and living expenses, while he's taking out loans for the tuition. If he leaves school, has no job, won't he have to start paying on the loans right away?</p>

<p>Hope I can get some advice, anecdotal info, comfort, in hearing how others may have handled this situation.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>If he is at University of Minnesota it looks like from the page below he needs a 2.80 to remain in good standing. Does he have that?</p>

<p><a href=“https://webapps-prd.oit.umn.edu/pcas/viewCatalogProgram.do?programID=6851&strm=1153&campus=UMNTC”>https://webapps-prd.oit.umn.edu/pcas/viewCatalogProgram.do?programID=6851&strm=1153&campus=UMNTC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>It’s his first semester of graduate school. Many people struggle that first semester, as it can be a real shocker compared to undergraduate work. There’s still plenty of time, though. It’s not like one bad semester is going to be the end of it. A semester full of A’s next time brings it up to somewhere around a 3.3, and that is perfectly fine.</p>

<p>Also, doing a thesis is generally still useful for going into “the working world”. Of course, the implication in the statement you made seems to be that research is somehow not “the working world”, which is silly.</p>

<p>The benefit of the thesis in this case is that it could certainly outweigh a low GPA. Think about it, if his only measure of competency is a GPA, then he’s got to live with it. On the other hand, if he also has a thesis that demonstrates that he did a lot of really good work and that classes were just kind of average, the thesis could prove that he is still extraordinarily competent. Additionally, the act of working closely with a professor on a thesis project generally means you can make connections that trump an average GPA.</p>

<p>I know a number of people (both MS and PhD level) who had GPAs in the low 3 range and went on to get excellent jobs in industry because of the connections they made through research. This is why I think it’s absolutely awful how many people on here proliferate the idea that getting a thesis-based MS is only for people who want to go into academia. That simply isn’t true.</p>

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<p>Thank you, Bonehead. I certainly don’t discourage the thesis part. It’s just been what he’s been leaning toward. He really is excellent in research and does want to do research in industry. But he has had little to no working world experience. All his experience has been in research, save one summer job in a manufacturing plant. He really feels that if he continues to keep doing research, does the thesis, that he’ll never be considered for a nine to five regular job. I’m hoping once he gets into the lab, he’ll reconsider, especially if he sees the thesis as a goal he’s working toward already, not something he’ll have to take on extra work for.</p>

<p>I will also point out your thesis trumping average GPA and connections when encouraging him on his thesis path.</p>

<p>And thank you, Mich, for that link. Son has been taking care of all of these things himself, and I could not even tell you what classes he’s taking much less the teachers he has. I do hope he has a 2.8, as he does have one B+, though the B- is in a four credit class, so they don’t even each other out. </p>

<p>First semester has been a lot of core courses, lots of biology, which he hasn’t taken since high school. I don’t think next semester will be a cakewalk, although he feels better about them, that they’ll be more like his engineering coursework. </p>

<p>He is very relieved at the GPA, as he had a couple of Cs in undergrad, and knew that it was very possible he could get Cs in these courses as well. I just don’t like that “just made it” lack of cushion that he’s got, and his attitude of being satisfied with what I consider to be low grades.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your comments.</p>

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<p>Getting a C in graduate school is the equivalent of failing the class in most programs. I hope he is aware of that.</p>

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<p>Yes, he is aware that a C is failing. That’s why he was so nervous when he was doing poorly in some of the classes. His classmates are all very bright, but many of them were in danger of “failing” their classes, ie, getting a C.</p>