All core course requirements must be satisfied by completion with a minimum grade of B.  Students who receive a grade lower than B will have one opportunity to retake the course and achieve the required grade.  Any student who twice receives a grade below B in a core course will not be permitted to remain in the program.

All students in the program are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA average in order to be in good standing.  Any student whose GPA drops below 3.0 will be immediately placed on academic probation.  In addition, any student who withdraws from a core course after the add/drop deadline or who receives an incomplete in a core course will also be immediately placed on academic probation.  Students will be notified of their being placed on academic probation within one month of the end of the semester in which it is triggered, and a copy of the notification will be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies (University of Pittsburgh) or the Vice Provost for Education (Carnegie Mellon).  Removal from academic probation will occur automatically at the end of the next semester in which the student maintains a 3.0 GPA and has successfully completed with a grade of B- or better any required course(s) which had been dropped or in which an incomplete had been given.  Students will be notified of their being removed from academic probation within one month of the end of the semester in which they meet the requirements for removal, and a copy of the notification will be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies or the Vice Provost for Education.