LEP-Benchmark requirements

students in the biological sciences major must complete specific courses for two benchmark reviews.

  • The courses evaluated for BENCHMARK ONE (45 credit review) have Special LEP Requirements to follow.

  • Additional courses are evaluated for BENCHMARK TWO (75 credit review).

  • ALL BENCHMARK COURSES need to be completed with a grade of at least C-

LEP = Limited Enrollment Program.

—These requirements are also viewable on the Biological Sciences LEP webpage.

1. Only ONE course from BENCHMARK ONE may be repeated to earn a passing grade of “C- or better” and the course may only be repeated ONCE

2. When more than one course offering can satisfy a BENCHMARK ONE requirement, taking the alternate course after an initial attempt will count as a repeat

3. A grade of "W" for any major course requirement is considered an attempt and the course must be repeated

4. Students who were directly admitted to the BSCI LEP and who DO NOT meet the benchmark review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply

5. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 after admission to an LEP. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major

6. Any student denied admission or dismissed from the major may appeal this decision in writing to the College of CMNS

7. Students may only apply ONCE to an LEP

Benchmark one

DIRECT ADMIT FRESHMAN - complete by end of 3rd semester

TRANSFER STUDENTS - complete before entry into major (see Switch to BSCI for more information).

  • MATH135 (or) MATH140 (or) MATH130 [Discrete Math or Calculus I]

  • BSCI160 + 161 [Ecology and Evolution w/ lab]

  • BSCI170 + 171 [Molecular and Cellular Biology w/ lab]

  • CHEM131 + 132 [General Chemistry I w/ lab]

  • CHEM231 + 232 [Organic Chemistry I w/ lab]

Benchmark two

DIRECT ADMIT FRESHMAN - complete by end of 5th semester
TRANSFER STUDENTS- complete by end of 2nd semester in major

  • MATH135 + 136 (or) MATH 140 + 141 (or) MATH 140 + 135 (or) MATH130 + 131 (or) MATH130 + 135

  • BSCI160 + 161 [Principles of Ecology and Evolution w/ lab]

  • BSCI170 + 171 [Molecular and Cellular Biology w/ lab]

  • BSCI207 [Principles of Biology III, Organismal Biology]

  • BSCI222 [Principles of Genetics]

  • CHEM131 + 132 (and) CHEM231 + 232 (and) CHEM241 + 242 (and) CHEM271 + 272 [4 semesters of Chemistry]

If a course required for the BSCI Major has already been attempted at the University, then it needs to be completed at the University.*

APPLICABLE TO MAJOR BSCI, CHEM, MATH, PHYS, and BCHM COURSES.

* Requests for Permission to Enroll (PTE) [CLICK HERE] at another institution are filed through and ultimately decided by the College of CMNS, not the Biological Sciences Program.

PTE Policy #4. - Requests to REPEAT a course at another institution once it has been attempted at UMD will be automatically denied. If you wish to do this, please submit a Petition for Exception to Policy form [CLICK HERE] through the College of CMNS.

For any questions about the PTE process or exceptions, please email cmnsque@umd.edu.

Repeating Courses

—the following repeat course guidelines apply to ALL courses that may not be repeated for additional credit. These policies can also be found in the Academic Catalog.

  1. The following students are required to follow the repeat guidelines effective Fall 1990:

    All new freshmen who began at University of Maryland, College Park Fall 1990 and after. AND Transfer students from schools other than Maryland community colleges who began at University of Maryland, College Park, Fall 1990 and after. This includes transfer students from another University of Maryland institution.

  2. There is a limit to the number of times a student may repeat a course. Students may have one repeat of any course in which they earned an A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, P, S, W, NG or Audit; they cannot be registered (after the schedule adjustment period) for any given course more than twice. A student’s dean’s office may grant an exception allowing an additional course repeat. In this case, students must present a plan for successfully completing the course. All attempts will be counted toward the total limit for repeatable credits. Students may not choose the Pass-Fail option when re-registering for a course in which a grade of I has been noted.

  3. Students may repeat no more than 18 credits. Additionally, if a student withdraws from all courses during a semester, those courses are not included in this limit.

    FRESHMAN FORGIVENESS

  4. The grade point average will include all attempts at a given course that result in a grade of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F. However, to help freshmen and transfer students adjust to the University of Maryland, College Park, the following two exceptions allow for the cumulative GPA to be calculated so that only the higher grade is included:

    When the repeated course was taken within the student's first semester at the University of Maryland, College Park,

    OR

    When the repeated course was taken within the student's first 24 credit hours attempted (including transfer credits) or within the semester during which the student reached the 24th credit hour attempted. Advanced Placement Exam credits do not count toward the 24 credit count.

  5. Any grade earned in prior attempts of a repeated course will appear on the student's transcript, regardless of whether the grade is dropped from, or included in, the cumulative grade point average.

  6. Repeat by transfer: If a student repeats by transfer a course that was taken before or during the semester in which the student reached 24 credits attempted (including transfer credits) and the transfer grade is higher, then the original grade in the course will be excluded from the GPA calculation.

    • If the course was taken after the semester in which the student reached 24 credits attempted, the original grade remains in the GPA calculation.

Frequently Asked Question

Is it possible to get an extension to complete THE Major LEP-benchmark requirements?

Students who study abroad for a fall or spring semester, or who are away from the University for a semester are eligible for an extension to their benchmark reviews.