2210 McKinley Avenue, Unit 4 (1 minute walk from Downtown Berkeley BART 1 block west of Martin Luther King, between Allston and Bancroft across from Bank of America Public Parking Lot - Click here for directions), Berkeley, California, 94703 USA
(1) 510-292-6696 - Please CALL US, no e-mail available (Namo AT Shurangama.com).
 

"Om Namo Aryavalokiteshvaraya Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya Maha Karunikaya Om Sarva Abhaya!"

Academic Examinations and Grading Regulations

(Click here to listen to the audio of this page)

Course objectives are provided online course catalog under the Course Descriptions for each program.  An additional detailed syllabus with more specific objectives for each course may or may not be provided at the beginning of the school year by the individual instructors.  Each student is held accountable for meeting these objectives found in the course descriptions or in more detailed syllabi.

All of the programs at the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute include a short oral or written quiz on each day of in-person classes, a mid-term and a take-home exam each trimester.  At the end of the diploma program there is an oral examination with the teachers of each course.  Students must complete their academic year with a passing grade before they can begin the Internship Program of the next level program.  An original research paper on pertinent subject matter is required at the end of the Clinical Internship Program of levels II, III, and IV. 

All grades are “pass – fail” (not letter grades or percentage grades) since the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute does not follow the competitive pitta-provoking Western method of study with grade point averages and student rivalry for best grades. All examinations are individually reviewed and returned.  Each student may inquire as to his or her standing in relationship to the rest of the class, but traditional grades are not assigned. Even the “pass – fail” grades are not published.

If two quizzes are failed during an academic year, the student will be placed on probation and will need to meet with an instructor in order ascertain the best way to assist the students progress.  Any student who is on probation needs to improve his academic status, or dismissal may ensue.  If any academic year is not successfully completed, at the discretion of the instructor, the student may be required to retake the entire year, or only a portion of the year, or given extra assignments.

Quizzes account for 25% of final grade.  Final exams account for 60% of final grade; any final exam that is failed, may be taken over one time only for free.  After that there is a $50 retake fee.  Class participation, homework, and attendance account for 15% of final grade.. 

Second year students must successfully fulfill all the requirements of the first year and have a passing grade.

At the end of each level of the four Certificate Diploma Programs, diplomas (certificates of completion) are awarded to those who successfully complete all of the course work requirements.      Those receiving a certificate of completion are considered to have been granted a religious degree (diploma certificates) with the possibility of optional ordination ceremonies for completion of training and merit to qualified Pastoral Counselors (Ministers).