Continuation of Program

While the University has general regulations governing scholastic eligibility for continuation, departments in the College of Engineering have adopted additional requirements in order to make the best use of the limited facilities and resources available and to provide reasonable assurance of academic success. The following criteria and procedures will be applied to all undergraduate students for determining continuance in the major program.

Basic Criteria for Continuation

1. Our undergraduate program is designed for students to enroll full-time in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters and start the 300-level core courses in their second-to-last year, completing them before the capstone series. In line with our Group Code Registration Policy, Direct-to-College (DTC) students should plan to complete the major in three academic years after admission to the major. All other students typically begin the major as juniors so should plan to complete the major in two academic years after admission to the major.
   • Full-time students must complete 12 or more credits per quarter. An average of 15 credits per quarter is required to complete the minimum graduation requirements in the conventional 12 quarters. X, NC, and NS grades do not satisfy degree requirements, and S grades may only count towards specific degree requirements in Extraordinary Circumstances Quarters. Students who fail to complete coursework applicable to the degree (including general education requirements and HCDE major requirements) for two or more quarters may be placed on departmental probation.
   • Students unable to enroll full-time should meet with HCDE Advising to put together a part-time degree plan and must complete at least one course each quarter applicable to their degree requirements. HCDE students are responsible for obtaining approval from any other relevant offices (e.g., Financial Aid, International Student Services) prior to enrolling part-time.
2. Any second major that is declared in addition to HCDE constitutes a double degree (requiring a minimum of 225 credits). Students pursuing a double degree must draft a degree plan outlining all remaining requirements for both majors and meet with advisers in both departments to determine whether the plan is feasible within UW's Satisfactory Progress Policy before the second degree is declared. Students pursuing a double degree are expected to make progress towards both degrees simultaneously.
3. HCDE students who plan to take time off from the university should meet with HCDE Advising before taking time off to discuss how this will impact their academic plan. HCDE students are also responsible for obtaining approval from any other relevant office (e.g., Financial Aid, International Student Services) prior to taking time off. Students who are not enrolled for 2 or more consecutive quarters (excluding Summer quarter) will receive a registration hold and will be removed from HCDE group codes. These students will need to complete the university's Returning Student Process and will need to meet with the HCDE BS adviser before their registration hold will be removed and any relevant HCDE group code will be reapplied.
4. In line with the UW Satisfactory Progress Policy, HCDE students are expected to graduate within a total of 12 quarters/210 credits or as soon as all degree requirements have been completed. With the exception of approved double degree plans (see above), the HCDE Department will not approve student degree plans which delay graduation beyond this 12 quarter/210 credit timeframe in order to take courses which are not required for the HCDE major.
5. Students must maintain a minimum 2.00 UW and HCDE cumulative GPA.  Any student who falls below 2.00 for either of these 2 GPAs is placed on departmental academic probation and will receive a registration hold until they meet with their academic adviser to discuss their academic progress. HCDE students are also subject to the UW Low Scholarship Policy.
6. Students whose quarterly GPA falls below 2.00 but whose UW and HCDE cumulative GPA remain above a 2.0 will be placed on departmental academic warning. Students on academic warning will be notified of their academic warning and will receive a registration hold until they meet with their academic adviser to discuss their academic progress. Academic warning students are not otherwise subject to the probationary process outlined below.

Review and Notification of Progress

The progress of each student is reviewed after grades are posted each quarter. If a student's performance fails to meet the standards outlined above, the student is placed on probation the following quarter and receives notification in writing of the reason for probation. The student will be removed from departmental probation the following quarter provided that they complete coursework applicable to the degree and their UW GPA and HCDE GPA are above a 2.0. If the student does not address the reasons for their academic probation by the end of their first probationary quarter, the student will be placed on departmental probation for a second quarter and will again receive a registration hold until they meet with their academic adviser.

If the student is unable to address the reasons for their academic probation after 2 consecutive quarters of departmental probation, the student is notified in writing that they have been dropped from the major. Students who accumulate 3 or more non-consecutive quarters of departmental probation may also be dropped from the major. A student dropped from HCDE may be changed to pre-major status within the College of Arts and Sciences or may declare another major if eligible.

Appealing for Continuation in HCDE

Students may appeal for continuation in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering by email to the Undergraduate Program Director. The appeal email should describe any extenuating circumstances and and the specific steps that the student has taken to prevent these extenuating circumstances from impacting their academics moving forward.

The appeal email will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Program Director. The appeal must be made within 14 days of notification of dismissal. A response to the appeal must be made by the Undergraduate Program Director within 14 days.

Students who have been dropped from the major and who either have not appealed by the deadline above or whose appeals have been denied will be immediately removed from HCDE registration group codes and will be dropped from any majors-only HCDE courses, provided that this occurs before the end of the first week of the quarter.

The University of Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in accordance with University of Washington policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.