Academic Standards: Probation & Suspension

The University catalog at http://www.belmont.edu/catalog gives specific information regarding academic performance within the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business (CEMB).  Currently, one of the stipulations that must be met by all CEMB students is to attain a minimum GPA of 2.70 each semester in order to remain in good academic standing within the college.

All CEMB students [both Music Business (MBU) and Audio Engineering Technology (AET) majors] are required to maintain a semester GPA of 2.7 or higher and must earn a minimum grade of “C” in all required courses within their major area of study (technical, tool, core, and concentration).  Students failing to maintain these requirements may be placed on academic probation within the College.  Students on academic probation may not be allowed to enroll in MBU or AET classes or may be suspended from their respective program.  Any appeal from suspension must be made to the Dean of the College.

Academic Probation and Suspension

When a student does not meet the minimum GPA requirement, s/he is placed on academic probation within the CEMB for the semester following the semester in which s/he failed to meet the minimum GPA requirement.  During the probationary semester, a hold will be placed on the student's advising/registration account and the student will be unable to participate in priority registration for the following semester and must come to the CEMB academic offices located in Barbara Massey Hall (BMH 447) in order to release their probationary hold.  A probationary student will only be eligible to register for classes during the on-line registration period reserved for stipulation students following the probationary semester.  If the student's semester GPA for the following semester is lower than 2.70, s/he will then be placed on academic suspension for the coming semester and will not be allowed to enroll in Music Business (MBU) or Audio Engineering Technology (AET) classes until s/he obtains a semester GPA of 2.70 or greater.  If the suspension student's semester GPA fails again to meet the 2.70 standard, the student will be dropped from their respective program, classified as "undecided," and asked to seek another major.

Here's How Academic Probation and Suspension Works:

----- Fall Semester Performance ----

If your GPA is lower than 2.70 during the fall semester.

We find out your fall GPA during winter break in mid December.

You go on probation for the following spring semester and since priority registration for the following summer and fall happens in the spring in which you are on probation, you are not eligible for fall/summer priority registration.

We find out your GPA for the spring semester (your probationary semester) in early summer.

If your GPA is above 2.70, you are released from probation and can register for the summer and fall during on-line registration in June/July/August and are allowed to participate in priority registration during the fall semester (for the coming spring semester).

If your GPA is lower than 2.70, you are put on suspension for the summer & fall semesters and are not allowed to register for MBU/AET classes.  However, you are still an "MBU/AET" major, BUT you can only take GenED (or minor) classes and you cannot participate in priority registration during the fall semester (for the coming spring semester).

We find out your fall GPA during winter break in mid December.

If your GPA is again lower than 2.70, you are then suspended from the MBU/AET program and must change your major.

If your GPA is above 2.70, you are released from suspension and can register for the spring semester during on-line registration in December and are allowed to participate in priority registration during the spring semester (for the summer/fall).

The cycle for you then starts over.

----- Spring Semester Performance ----

If your GPA is lower than 2.70 during the spring semester.

We find out in the summer following that spring.

You go on probation for the following fall semester and since priority registration for the following spring happens in the fall in which you are on probation, you are not eligible for spring priority registration.

We find out your fall GPA during winter break in mid December.

If your GPA is above 2.70, you are released from probation and can register for the spring during on-line registration in Dec. and are allowed to participate in priority registration for the coming summer/fall semester (during the spring semester).

If your GPA is lower than 2.70, you are put on suspension for the spring semester and are not allowed to register for MBU/AET classes.  However, you are still an "MBU/AET" major, BUT you can only take GenED (or minor) classes and you cannot participate in priority registration during the spring semester (for the coming summer/fall semesters).

We find out your GPA for the spring semester in early summer.

If your GPA is again lower than 2.70, you are suspended from the MBU/AET program and must change your major.

If your GPA is above 2.70, you are released from suspension and can register for the fall semester during on-line registration in August and are allowed to participate in priority registration for the coming spring semester (during the fall).

The cycle for you then starts over.

In short:

The semester of probation is the semester in which priority registration is affected (denied) because we will not know if a student has (or has not) brought up his/her GPA until AFTER priority registration for the following semester has already closed.