How is grading done in graduate school in Engineering in US?

cosmicfish
Wed, 17 Dec 2014 08:34:42 +0000

In my experience, C’s are handed out rarely - it is essentially a failing grade and there is no expectation of failure so you really have to earn it.

As to A’s and B’s, I have seen what appears to be anywhere from 1/3 of a class getting A’s (the rest B’s) to ALL of them getting A’s. For the most part there is no curve - you get an A if the instructor thinks you really got it, a B if they think you did okay, and a C if you really screwed up. Some departments have guidelines on the proportions, but faculty politics being what they are, more senior professors are often able to flout those guidelines with impunity.