Director's Database

Professor Dave Binkley, Graduate Program Director

Ask any professor and they will tell you that the least enjoyable part of the job is assigning grades. This is especially true when a student has not lived up to his or her potential.

Alas, grades form an important part of your journey through the program. In the hope of heading off some future grade-related issues, let me highlight several requirements from the graduate catalogue.

Unfortunately, we must part company if you
  - earn a single F
  - earn two grades of C+ or lower
  - fail to maintain a QPA (quality point average) of at least 3.0.

I emhasized earn above to dissuade the thought that an instructor "gives" you a grade.

If you foresee a problem in earning a good grade, perhaps due to unexpected travel, a conversation with your instructor before is way better than after. Options include doing the work while traveling, requesting that I approve an incomplete for the semester, or withdrawing from the course and taking it again when your schedule allows.

Finally, to help you earn that good grade, the CS Department can point you to tutors. Sometimes, correcting a single conceptual problem early on is all it takes.

I hope you earn all A's in the years ahead!