Bouvé College of Health Sciences

Office of Student Services
Behrakis Health Sciences Center
617.373.3320
617.373.8994 (fax)
bouvestudentservices@northeastern.edu

The Bouvé College of Health Sciences strongly supports the mission of Northeastern University as a practice-oriented, student-centered, experiential research institution. The college is committed to the goals of the university, which include excellence in education, research, scholarship, clinical practice, experiential learning, access to educational opportunities, and a strong professional orientation. 

Bouvé offers students an education in health, health profession fields, and public health that features a curriculum of highly relevant, closely integrated, basic and applied courses in the physical, biological, behavioral, social, environmental, and health systems sciences. Students engage in interprofessional patient care, interdisciplinary translational research, and experiential learning opportunities through the university’s signature cooperative education program, as well as through service-learning, research, and global experiences.

Bouvé leverages interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration to tackle the world’s most pressing health challenges. The college seeks to prepare students to become clinicians, researchers, and leaders in healthcare and in the promotion of health of individuals and populations.

Students are provided a broad range of services and programs to ensure their academic success and enhance their overall educational experience at Northeastern University, from their first year through graduation. Faculty are deeply committed to student success, as students interact with world-class healthcare and educational institutions nationally and globally, to advance health for all.  

Academic Requirements

Students are responsible for following the program requirements for their respective major, pattern of attendance, and graduation year. Students are responsible for monitoring their own progress through the curriculum by registering for the courses stipulated by their curriculum plan, abiding by course prerequisites, regularly checking their degree audits, and knowing the consequences for unsatisfactory academic progress. Any exceptions to a student's curriculum plan will be determined by protocols established by the program, after consultation with the student's academic advisor.

The minimum passing grade for a course within a curriculum is stipulated in the program requirements published in this catalog. The minimum passing grade required for certain NUpath writing-intensive courses is established by the university and can be viewed here.  For a course where the minimum passing grade is not established in the program requirements published in this catalog, the university's minimum passing grade for the course will be accepted.

Academic Progression within Bouvé

• First-year students must complete the minimum semester hours outlined by the university Academic Progression Standards and meet all major/program prerequisite course requirements to progress to sophomore status. 

• Students who incur an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course may not progress into the subsequent courses(s). Any exceptions will be determined by protocols established by the program, after consultation with the student's academic advisor. See Clearing an Academic Deficiency and Requesting and Clearing an Incomplete Grade in this catalog for more detail. 

• Please see each major/program's requirements page in this catalog for progression requirements specific to that program.

Grade-Point Average 

Bouvé College does not permit the use of a hand-calculated GPA under any circumstances. All GPA calculations will be performed by the university's standard process.

Academic Dismissal from Major

Students in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences will be dismissed from their major/program effective the following academic semester for failure to earn the minimum required grade in the same course twice. Additional grounds for academic dismissal specific to each major can be found on the program requirements page of the major in this catalog.

Note: Students dismissed from their major/program but who are otherwise in good standing with the university are allowed to remain at Northeastern University for up to two semesters as a provisional Bouvé student, by the end of which, the student is expected to move into a new major. If not moved into a new major by the end of two semesters, the student will be blocked from further registration.

Academic Dismissal from the University

When a Bouvé College of Health Sciences student is dismissed from the university, they are not permitted to remain registered for courses in the immediate next academic term. If the university dismissal is successfully appealed, a student may register for classes in the following academic term.

Undergraduate Student Academic Petitions

Students must submit petitions to relevant offices on campus to request any of the following:

• A leave of absence.
• A waiver of policy (see department-specific web forms).
• A change in major (see Bouvé Change of Major form).
• A declaration of a Bouvé minor (see Bouvé Minors Request form).
• A Late Course Registration.
• A directed study request (see Individual Instruction Registration).
• A request to take two courses while on co-op (see Petition Registration form). Please note: Taking one course while on co-op does not require this form. Taking any course(s) while on co-op requires “I Am Here” participation.
• Preapproval for a course to be taken for transfer credit (requires petition process with academic advisor).
• A different course of action regarding their academic standing, progression, probation, or dismissal. This is also known as an Academic Appeal, see below. This requires a formal petition to the unit’s academic standing committee, see department-specific web forms.

Academic Probation Procedure

Academic standing is determined at the conclusion of every term, and students on academic probation are notified via email.

Students on probation are required to meet with their advisor before the end of week 2 of their probationary semester to complete an Academic Probation Contract. 

Once the contract is completed and signed, students are required to submit it to both their program and their Student Services designee, no later than the end of week 3 of the probationary term. Failure to submit an Academic Probation Contract in a timely manner may result in dismissal from the college.

The program will review the student’s contract and provide any additional feedback or recommendations for the student and return a signed copy to the student.

Advisors will meet with students on academic probation throughout the semester to benchmark progress and assess compliance with the contract during weeks 4, 10, and 12. 

A review of the student’s progress will occur at the end of the term.  

• If a student returns to good standing, they will no longer be on academic probation. 
• If a student does not return to good academic standing, their compliance with their contract will be reviewed: 
  • If a student was compliant with the contract, they will be required to submit a second Academic Probation Contract to the unit.
  • If a student did not comply with the contract, they may be dismissed from Bouvé with an option to appeal.

Undergraduate Student Academic Appeals

Students who believe that they were erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated in an academic or cooperative education decision may petition to appeal the decision. Details about the process for undergraduate students may be found in Appeals Policies and Procedures in the university Undergraduate Student Handbook supplemented by the college-specific policies and procedures below. 

Other Policies and Procedures 

In addition to policies and procedures referenced here, the following policies and procedures published in Bouvé’s graduate catalog also apply to Bouvé’s undergraduate students:

• Health Certification
• Requirements for Clinical, Internships, and Practicum Courses
• Background Checks
• Liability Insurance