UPDATE: Wright State University is in the process of revising websites and program materials to accurately reflect compliance with Ohio Senate Bill 1. While this work occurs, language referencing protected class status or other activities prohibited by the law may still appear in some places. As of June 27, 2025, all programs and activities will be administered in compliance with the law.

Student Success Policy

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Student Success Policy

The WrightCurriculum is a Pass/Fail curriculum, with Honors/Pass/Fail in the core clerkships and a possibility of earning additional honors designations (Excellence in Foundations; Excellence Across Clerkships) in the Foundations Phase and Doctoring year, respectively.

  • Pass (≥70%)
  • Fail (<70%)

There is no rounding of grades. Students must achieve a 70.00% to pass.

The following sections include the objectives and policies for successful completion, appealing, and repeating of each component of the curriculum in accordance with Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Elements 9.9 and 10.3:

LCME Element 9.9 states that, "A medical school ensures that the medical education program has a single set of core standards for the advancement and graduation of all medical students across all locations."

LCME Element 10.3 states that, “the faculty of a medical school establish criteria for student selection and develop and implement effective policies and procedures regarding, and make decisions about, medical student application, selection, admission, assessment, promotion, graduation, and any disciplinary action. The medical school makes available to all interested parties its criteria, standards, policies, and procedures regarding these matters.”

BSOM Objectives in Foundations, Doctoring, and Advanced Doctoring

Students must meet or exceed all of the identified BSOM institutional program objectives in each module, clerkship, or elective to pass the module, clerkship, or elective.

  • Students may fail a module, clerkship, or elective for professionalism violations regardless of their academic and/or clinical performance
  • Students who fail a module, clerkship, or elective due to professionalism violations will be referred to Student Promotion Committee (SPC)

Policy for Pass/Failure of Module in Foundations Phase

For modules with final exams:

  • Students must have a cumulative passing score (≥70%) across all graded activities in the module to be eligible to sit for the final exam
    • Students who pass the final exam pass the module, and move on to the next module
    • Students who fail the final exam have one (1) opportunity to retake the final exam at a time to be determined by the Department of Medical Education (DME)
      • Students who fail a final and have an individual MCQ average <70% will be required to develop an individual learning plan contract with the Vice Chair of Foundations that is approved by the Associate Dean of Medical Education to determine the timing of the retake.
      • Students will move on to the next module while waiting to retake the final exam
      • Students who pass the retake final exam pass the module
        • Students who pass will receive the minimum passing grade, regardless of their actual score on the retake final exam
      • Students who fail the retake final exam fail the module, and will be referred to SPC
      • Students are permitted to retake the final exam in only two (2) modules per academic year, excluding longitudinal modules. Students requiring retake exams in additional modules will be referred to SPC with the recommendation to repeat the academic year. (Effective July 1, 2026)
  • Students who do not have a cumulative passing score in the module (≥70%) are not eligible to sit for the final exam, and therefore fail the module and will be referred to SPC
  • In modules without an NBME final exam (currently Human Architecture 1 & 2), all students will be eligible to sit for the final exam, regardless of their scores in the module or on individual MCQ exams
  • Students on monitoring status include:
    • A student who has a cumulative individual exam score average of <70% OR
    • An individual MCQ exam score of <60% on a single exam
    • Students can be removed from monitoring status if their individual MCQ average is ≥70% and the most recent individual exam score is ≥60%.
  • Students on monitoring status are required to meet a member of the Academic Support Team (AST) to develop and implement a study plan to increase success in the module
    • Proctored exam review may substitute for one of these required meetings, as long as this is communicated and documented with the AST in advance.
    • Students who fail to meet with a member of the Academic Support Team will be referred to Honor Council / SPC for professionalism violations.
    • Students are highly encouraged to reduce their engagement in extracurricular activities during the time they are in monitoring status
    • Students will be notified via email, by the Vice Chair of Foundations, when they are in monitoring status

For modules without final exams, including longitudinal modules:

  • Students who have a cumulative passing score in the module pass the module
  • Students who do not have a cumulative passing score are eligible to address deficiencies as determined by the module director
    • Students who satisfactorily address the deficiencies pass the module
    • Students who fail to satisfactorily address the deficiencies fail the module, and will be referred to SPC

For modules in which there is a summer repeat opportunity, a student will not be permitted to take more than one (1) summer repeat module total.

  • Only the Human Architecture I module can be repeated over the summer break between the first and second year
  • Human Architecture II repeat must be completed prior to sitting for the Step 1 examination

Due to their unique nature, there will be no option to complete repeat courses through other universities/colleges/medical schools to replace modules in the WrightCurriculum.

Students must successfully complete all curricular requirements including any retakes/repeats to participate in summer BSOM-approved activities, electives, certificate or dual-degree programs.

Policy for Honors/Pass/Failure in Doctoring Phase

To Pass a clerkship, students must:

  • Have a cumulative passing score (≥70%) in all graded activities
  • Receive an average score of ≥58.33% on total clinical evaluation items
  • Meet expectations for professional behavior during the clerkship
  • Satisfactorily complete all activities such as mandatory workshops or skills sessions
  • Satisfactorily complete the clerkship logging requirements

The final grade for a clerkship is assigned by the Clerkship Director.

Students who do not meet all of the passing criteria fail the clerkship and will be referred to SPC.

To be eligible to receive Honors for a clerkship:

  • Students must consistently exceed expectations for professional standards, obtained via faculty/staff feedback and accolades, and without any documented issues either via email or evaluations.
    • Professionalism issues may include:
      • Cheating and/or issues with academic integrity (including AI use)
      • Complaints of inappropriate patient/staff interactions
      • Unexcused or repeated tardiness
      • Unexcused absence(s)
      • Unexcused late completion of assignments
  • Students must consistently exceed expectations in clinical performance without any level 1 ratings ("below expectations") on preceptor evaluations.
  • Students must demonstrate dedicated and strong performance in education sessions and clinical setting. Final grade will consist of a combination of academic and clinical components as determined by each individual clerkship.

To Pass Clinical Medicine Doctoring, students must:

  • Have a cumulative passing score (≥70%) in all graded activities
  • Have a cumulative score ≥70% on the three Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)
    • One Doctoring Bootcamp OSCE
    • Two mid-Doctoring year OSCEs
  • Meet expectations for professional behavior during the module
  • Satisfactorily complete all activities such as mandatory workshops or skills sessions

The final grade for the module is assigned by the Module Director(s).

Students who do not meet all of the passing criteria fail the module and will be referred to SPC.

To be eligible to receive Honors for this module, students must exceed expectations for professional behavior and clinical performance during the module.

For longitudinal modules within the Doctoring year:

  • Students who have a cumulative passing score in the module pass the module
  • Students who do not have a cumulative passing score are eligible to address deficiencies as determined by the module director
    • Students who satisfactorily address the deficiencies pass the module
    • Students who fail to satisfactorily address the deficiencies fail the module, and will be referred to SPC

 Excellence Across Clerkships in the Doctoring Year

  • Students who receive Honors in a clerkship/module will be submitted to the Director of Assessment by Doctoring clerkship/module directors at the end of each clerkship block/module
  • The Director of Assessment will compile a list of students who have been nominated for honors by one or more clerkships/modules, sorted by students who have been nominated by the most clerkships/modules
  • Doctoring year clerkship/module directors will meet at the end of Doctoring to review the students who have been nominated by multiple clerkships/modules
  • An ‘Excellence Across Clerkships’ designation for the Doctoring year will be awarded to students who demonstrate sustained superior performance in the Doctoring year
    • ‘Excellence Across Clerkships’ in the Doctoring year shall be awarded to no more than 25% of the class

Students who consistently perform below expectations in two or more clerkships may be referred by the clerkship/module directors of the Doctoring year to SPC to be considered for a repeat of the Doctoring year. Core areas of performance are knowledge, clinical skills, and/or professionalism as evaluated by clerkship evaluations, clerkship assessments, NBME Comprehensive Clinical Science Examination (CCSE), and/or OSCE.


Students must successfully complete all curricular requirements including any retakes/repeats to participate in summer BSOM-approved activities, electives, certificate or dual-degree programs.

Policy for Pass/Failure in Advanced Doctoring Year

Required clerkship and selective/elective requirements for Advanced Doctoring (class of 2025) include:

  • 4 weeks of Advanced Doctoring bootcamp
  • 4 weeks Emergency Medicine clerkship at BSOM
  • 4 weeks of a BSOM Sub-Internship in either Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Surgery, or Ob/Gyn
  • 30 weeks of electives, including:
    • Maximum of 1 longitudinal 4-week elective
    • Maximum 8 weeks (2 blocks) of non-clinical electives (this includes all online/virtual electives)*
    • Maximum 16 weeks (4 blocks) of 2-week electives
    • Maximum 12 weeks (3 blocks) of identical electives
    • Maximum 20 weeks (5 blocks) of extramural electives

Required clerkship and selective/elective requirements for Advanced Doctoring (class of 2026) include:

  • 6 weeks of Advanced Doctoring bootcamp
  • 4 weeks Emergency Medicine clerkship at BSOM
  • 4 weeks of a BSOM Sub-Internship at BSOM
    • Sub-Internship in the following specialties: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Surgery, or Obstetrics & Gynecology
    • Please note: Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine 4th year electives cannot count towards this requirement
      • SIE's will not count toward this requirement
  • 30 weeks of electives, including:
    • Maximum of 1 longitudinal 4-week elective
    • Maximum 8 weeks (2 blocks) of non-clinical electives
    • Maximum 12 weeks (3 blocks) of identical electives
    • Maximum 16 weeks (8 half blocks) of 2-week electives
    • Maximum 16 weeks (4 blocks) of SIE (student initiated electives)
    • Maximum 20 weeks (5 blocks) of away (extramural and/or SIE) electives

Required clerkship and selective/elective requirements for Advanced Doctoring (class of 2027+) include:

  • 4 weeks of Advanced Doctoring bootcamp
  • 4 weeks Emergency Medicine clerkship at BSOM
  • 4 weeks of a BSOM Sub-Internship at BSOM
    • Sub-Internship in the following specialties: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Surgery, or Obstetrics & Gynecology
    • Please note: Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine 4th year electives cannot count towards this requirement
      • SIE's will not count toward this requirement
  • 30 weeks of electives, including:
    • Maximum of 1 longitudinal 4-week elective
    • Maximum 8 weeks (2 blocks) of non-clinical electives
    • Maximum 12 weeks (3 blocks) of identical electives
    • Maximum 16 weeks (8 half blocks) of 2-week electives
    • Maximum 16 weeks (4 blocks) of SIE (student initiated electives)
    • Maximum 20 weeks (5 blocks) of away (extramural and/or SIE) electives

To Pass the Emergency Medicine clerkship, students must:

  • Have a cumulative passing score (≥70%) in all graded activities
  • Receive an average score ≥58.33% on total clinical evaluation items
  • Meet expectations for professional behavior during the clerkship
  • Satisfactorily complete all activities such as mandatory workshops or skills sessions
  • Satisfactorily complete the clerkship logging requirements

The final grade for a clerkship is assigned by the Clerkship Director.

Students who do not meet all of the passing criteria fail the clerkship and will be referred to SPC.

For electives within the Advanced Doctoring year:

  • To Pass, students must have a cumulative passing score in all components of the elective
  • Students who do not have a cumulative passing score in the elective fail, and will be referred to SPC

For longitudinal modules within the Advanced Doctoring year:

  • To Pass, students must have a cumulative passing score in all phase requirements for the longitudinal module
  • Students who do not have a cumulative passing score are eligible to address deficiencies as determined by the module director
    • Students who satisfactorily address the deficiencies pass the module
    • Students who fail to satisfactorily address the deficiencies fail the module, and will be referred to SPC

Students must successfully complete all curricular requirements including any retakes/repeats to participate in summer BSOM-approved activities, electives, certificate or dual-degree programs.

Appeal of Module, Clerkship, & Elective Grades

Appeals are documented in the Appeals Policy (Policy 14430).

Policy for Repeating in the Foundations Phase

The Foundations phase consists of three (3) components:

  • Component 1
    • Origins
    • Human Architecture I
    • Host & Defense
    • Staying Alive
    • Clinical Medicine I
      • Clinical Skills
      • Professional Skills
      • Upstream Medicine
      • Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine
  • Component 2
    • Human Architecture II
    • Beginning to End
    • Balance, Control & Repair
    • Clinical Medicine II
      • Clinical Skills
      • Professional Skills
      • Upstream Medicine
      • Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine
  • Component 3 – Longitudinal Components
    • Biostatistics I & II
    • Interprofessional Engagement (IPE)
    • Scholarship in Medicine
    • Service Learning

Students must pass all modules within a component to pass the component.

A student who fails a module will be referred to SPC. SPC may:

  • Allow a student to repeat the entire component containing the failed module,
  • Allow a student to repeat the entire academic year containing the failed module, or
  • Recommend a student for dismissal to the Dean of Medicine

For repeating Foundations components:

  • Requires approval by SPC
  • Students will have a maximum of one (1) opportunity to repeat an entire component or module
  • If the student is only repeating the failed module(s), they will have a single attempt at the final examination and will not be given a retake attempt. Students repeating and entire component will not be subject to this requirement.
  • Students who successfully repeat a component or module will receive the minimum passing grade in each module and final (if applicable), regardless of their actual scores

Students must complete all required Foundations components within three (3) academic calendar years

  • Students who are unable to meet this requirement will be referred to SPC

After successful completion of a repeat Foundations component:

  • Students who fail another module, necessitating a repeat of a second component, will be referred to SPC, as students would be unable to complete the required Foundations Phase in three academic calendar years

Due to the unique nature of each module, there will be no option to complete courses through other universities or colleges to replace modules in the WrightCurriculum.

Policy for Repeating in the Doctoring Phase

A student who fails a module, clerkship, elective, or longitudinal module requirements in the Doctoring phase will be referred to SPC. SPC may:

  • Allow a student to repeat the module, clerkship, elective, or longitudinal requirements,
  • Allow a student to repeat the entire academic year, or
  • Recommend a student for dismissal to the Dean of Medicine

For repeating Doctoring modules, clerkships, and longitudinal module requirements:

  • Requires approval by SPC
  • Students will have a maximum of one (1) opportunity to repeat an individual clerkship, module, or longitudinal module requirements
  • Students who successfully repeat an individual clerkship, module, or longitudinal module requirements will receive the minimum passing grade in each clerkship or module, regardless of their actual scores
  • Students will not be eligible to receive Excellence Across Clerkships

Students must complete all required Doctoring phase components within three (3) academic calendar years

  • Students who are unable to meet this requirement will be referred to SPC

Policy for Promotion

Advancement and Graduation are documented in the Advancement and Graduation Policy (14420).

Approval Dates

Approved by FCC on June 28, 2017
Revised and approved by FCC on May 22, 2019
Revised and approved by FCC on July 24, 2019
Approved by FCC on March 24, 2021
Approved by FCC on 7/28/2021
Approved by FCC on 8/12/2021
Approved by FCC on 9/22/2021
Approved by FCC on 10/27/2021
Approved by FCC on 7/27/2022
Approved by FCC on 10/26/22
Approved by FCC on 11/30/22
Approved by FCC on 3/22/23
Approved by FCC on 6/28/23
Approved by FCC on 5/22/24
Approved by FCC on 8/28/24
Approved by FCC on 9/25/24
Approved by FCC on 12/4/2024
Approved by FCC on 3/26/2025
Approved by FCC on 10/22/2025
Approved by FCC on 3/25/2026