so heres a question that has been bugging me:

what happens if you fail a class?

heres what i understand of it: you fail, and the failing mark is on your average.

what i want to know: UNITS!! for my program next year i need my full 30 units. so how does that work? if i fail one class (an elective), which means i have 27 units as opposed to 30 units... does that mean i cant get in to my program next year? and if so, is there a way to make up the lost units before the start of next year? oh, and i am in humanities going into philosophy (in case you were wondering)

Originally Posted by Jackxer0

so heres a question that has been bugging me:

what happens if you fail a class?

heres what i understand of it: you fail, and the failing mark is on your average.

what i want to know: UNITS!! for my program next year i need my full 30 units. so how does that work? if i fail one class (an elective), which means i have 27 units as opposed to 30 units... does that mean i cant get in to my program next year? and if so, is there a way to make up the lost units before the start of next year? oh, and i am in humanities going into philosophy (in case you were wondering)

http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...nt/pg2068.html

"Admission
Completion of any Level I program and a Cumulative Average of at least 6.0 and an average of at least 7.0 in six units of Level I Philosophy or, if no such course was taken, in six units of work acceptable to the Department of Philosophy."


Completed means having done all 30 units. Failing a class would require you to take it in summer school if you want to get into Philosophy by September 2011.


I don't think failing a class would disqualify you from your/any program, especially if it's an elective, but I haven't looked too hard at the website.


And yes, a failing mark puts a huge hit on your CA.

What qualifies as failing a class?

Does it depend on the class? Where could I find this info?

Originally Posted by lt93

What qualifies as failing a class?

Does it depend on the class? Where could I find this info?

Unless otherwise stated, assume failing is getting less than a 50%.

I just heard of one Finance class in 4th year having a fail as anything below a 43, so while it's not unheard of to have a different failing standard, it's few and far between.

I'm sure you'd be told at the beginning of your class if it wasn't < 50%.

The class isn't done yet, assuming there's a final exam (or final project, or whatever) just ace that. I highly doubt you'd fail a class if you got 90% on the final exam.

study hard, there's time for improvement, a good chunk of marks haven't been assigned yet... for example I'm awaiting 65% of my mark for one class still, and I'm only getting a 60 in that class so far

I don't know what the rule is for philosophy, but I was accepted into the B.A. Gerontology program even though I didn't have all 30 units. If you're really concerned, I'd contact the Philosophy department and ask them.

If you don't get into the program right away, it's really not a big deal. I didn't pick my major until the beginning of my third year, and then I added Religious Studies to it half way through my fourth year. If I hadn't added Religious Studies, I would've still graduated on time. So if you don't get accepted into Philosophy next year, just continue to take the courses necessary for the program and re-apply next year.