Global Grading Systems For Universities

[Mekong]

Over the past few years I have been taking distant learning courses, primary Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering followed up with a Master of Science in Oil and Gas Engineering,

 

GPA's awarded were 3.30 for the Bachelors and 3.18 for the Masters. In the UK I would assume this would relate to a 2.1 honors and / or B Grade.

 

I was wondering if any Americans on board could please explain the GPA rankings and advise if my GPA's are actually a decent ranking.

 

Kong

[Flashermac]

US universities - at least in my ancient student days - used a 0 to 4 scale. O = failure, 1 = D (below average and a course you'd probably have to repeat), 2 = C (average), 3 = B (above average) and 4 = A (excellent). Students had to maintain at least a 2.0 average to graduate; falling below it two terms in a row meant "retirement" (kicked out!).

 

Classes were rated by credits. A 3 hour a week class (which most were) gained you 3 credits. A normal course load was 15 hours a term, total 45. Suppose you got 4 B's and a C. That meant you had 12 hours X 3 = 36, plus 3 hours x 2 = 6. Total ... 42 credits. Divide 42 by 15 hours and you had a gpa for the term of 2.8 = C+ (not quite a B ).

 

An overall gpa of 3.0 for all four years was 2nd honours, 3.5 first honours.

 

In other words, you are well within the honours range and have something to be proud of. When I was a grad student, however, you had to have a minimum of 3.0 to receive your degree. Grad students are all supposed to be capable of receiving honours.

 

Some Thai universities have a system I so wish the U of Cal had had. At UC the highest B+ counted no more than the lowest B. At Thammasat at other Thai unies a B+ gets you 3.5, instead of merely 3.0. Likewise a C+ is 2.5, not 2.0. My gpa would have looked much better if I'd got credit for those pluses so often got.

 

 

[Mekong]

Clear as mud Flash Cheers.

 

Now I can B.Sc and M.Sc printed on my business cards

[Horneytorney]

welcome to the club!

[Flashermac]

Clear as mud Flash Cheers.

 

Now I can B.Sc and M.Sc printed on my business cards

 

It's not suppose to make sense. It was invented by EdD's. I had a friend who went to Rutgers, where an A was 1 and a D a 4 - completely the reverse. He had a fine time trying to explain that he had honours, when they were trying to figure out how he had even graduated with a 1.5 gpa.