2018-19 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

Changes in a student’s course schedule must be made through the drop/add process. This may be completed online within three calendar days after courses begin. After this time, a drop/add form is required to complete a schedule change. Forms for course changes are available in the Office of the Registrar and must be signed by both the course instructor and the student’s academic advisor. The student is required to make up any work missed due to late entrance. Changes in a schedule caused by cancellation of courses will not result in financial penalty. When a course is dropped, the action is recorded as follows: Date of Change Action: 16-Week and 14-week Classes Through the first full calendar week No Record on transcript Second full calendar week through end of the ninth calendar week W – Withdrawn During the 10th and 11th calendar weeks WP-Withdrawn Passing or WF-Withdrawn Failing 12th week through the end of the semester Drops not permitted 12-Week Classes Through the sixth weekday from start of class No Record on transcript Seventh weekday from start of class through end of the Seventh calendar week W – Withdrawn During the eighth and ninth calendar weeks WP-Withdrawn Passing or WF-Withdrawn Failing 10th calendar week 12 through the end of the course Drops not permitted 8-Week Classes Through the sixth weekday from start of class No Record on transcript Seventh weekday from start of class through end of the fourth calendar week W – Withdrawn During the fifth calendar week WP-Withdrawn Passing or WF-Withdrawn Failing Sixth calendar week through the end of the course Drops not permitted 4-Week Classes Through the second weekday from start of class No Record on transcript Third weekday from start of class through 10th weekday from start of class W – Withdrawn 11th weekday from start of class through 14th weekday from start of class WP-Withdrawn Passing or WF-Withdrawn Failing 15th weekday from start of class through the end of the course Drops not permitted 3-Week Classes (or less) Through the second weekday from start of class No Record on transcript Third weekday from start of class through fifth weekday from start of class W – Withdrawn Sixth weekday from start of class through the end of the course Drops not permitted All Other Classes 10% from start of class No Record on transcript 11% from start of class through 50% from start of class W – Withdrawn 51% from start of class through the end of the course Drops not permitted Note: A weekday is defined as Monday through Friday. A day ends at 5 p.m., eastern time. Course changes are complete when the Office of the Registrar receives the completed drop/add form. The effective date of the course change is the date the Office of the Registrar receives the completed form. Failure to properly drop a course will result in a grade of “Z”, which counts the same as an “F”. Refund information is listed in the financial information section of the catalog. This information is also available on the Registrar’s webpage. Independent Study Independent study allows students to develop a high degree of independence in their ability to choose and investigate problems. The objectives of the program include providing opportunities to explore areas not covered in normal course structure, recognizing foreign travel experiences, rewarding self-motivated students, and encouraging joint study by faculty and students on specialized projects. Individual students and faculty members develop the specific criteria that must be met for the successful completion of specific independent study projects. However, the following guidelines govern the independent study program: 1. Only one independent study project may be undertaken in an academic term, unless permission is granted from the department chair or the associate/assistant dean of the school of the student’s primary major. 2. The maximum credit that may be earned for an independent study project is three semester hours. 3. The faculty member supervising the independent study, the student’s advisor, and the associate/assistant dean or the department chair must sign the student’s independent study form. Registration for the independent study must occur at the beginning of the semester in which the work is to be completed. 4. No more than six semester hours in independent study may be counted toward the major field, no more than three semester hours toward a minor field, and no more than 12 semester hours toward graduation. Independent study taken outside major and/or minor fields must be approved by the associate/assistant dean or the department chair of the supervising faculty member. 5. Supervising an independent study is a privilege a faculty member may extend to a student. It is not a right that a student has. 6. Supervising faculty members determine the grade (letter grade or credit/no credit) for the independent study. Internships Many of the major fields of study include opportunities to receive credit for supervised, on-the-job activities. Interested students should contact the respective department for details. Out-of-Class Courses In order for students with irreconcilable conflicts to be able to complete graduation requirements on schedule, it is sometimes necessary to allow instruction in an out-of-class setting. To take a course out of class: 1. The course must be 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level. 2. Students must obtain approval from the associate/assistant dean of the school or the department chair, the faculty member teaching the course, and the advisor. Out-of-class course approval forms are available in the Office of the Registrar. Exceptions to the course level requirement listed above must be approved by the respective faculty member, advisor, and the associate/assistant dean of the school or department chair. Grading System A Recognizes excellent achievement. It is indicative of superior quality work and reveals a thorough mastery of the subject matter. The student receiving this grade should demonstrate enough interest to do some independent investigation beyond the actual course requirements. B Indicates work and achievement that are well above average. The student receiving this grade should be capable of doing advanced work in this field. The quality of the work should be considered better than that achieved by the average student. C Indicates average achievement and a satisfactory meeting of requirements. D Reveals inferior accomplishment and is generally unsatisfactory from the standpoint of course requirements. This is the lowest grade for which credit can be earned. F Failing grade. It indicates very unsatisfactory work. No course credit is earned. AU Given when a course is audited. To receive this notation, the student must attend and participate in the course. No credit is earned. CR Given when credit has been granted. It also applies to the credit/no credit program in which credit is received for satisfactory (“C” average or higher) performance in the course. A course in which a CR has been earned counts toward the total graduation requirements but is not used in the computation of GPAs. CE Credit for the course has been earned by an examination administered by the University or another recognized testing agency or program. I Signifies an incomplete and is a temporary grade given when a student is unable to complete the coursework on time because of extraordinary circumstances, such as illness, emergency, or other reasonable cause. This temporary grade does not influence the student’s GPA. To be considered for an incomplete, the student must be passing the course and have completed the majority of the coursework. The instructor giving the incomplete will establish an appropriate completion date with the student. This date may extend to the end of the semester following the one in which the course was taken. If the work is not completed by the designated date, the “I” will be changed to an “F” and will be calculated as such in the student’s GPA. INC Indicates a permanent incomplete, a grade assigned in special situations by the faculty member with the approval of the Vice President for Academics. This permanent grade does not influence the student’s GPA. To receive a permanent incomplete, the faculty member should submit the appropriate form to the Registrar identifying the circumstances warranting this special grade. If a permanent incomplete is awarded, the grade may not be changed at a future date. To receive credit for the course, the student must again register for the course and complete the course requirements. K Signifies credit and accompanies courses transferred from other colleges or universities. It has no effect upon cumulative GPA. NC Indicates no credit has been earned. Credit hours for which an “NC” has been earned are not used in the computation of GPAs. NP Indicates that the student did not pass a course where the credits do not count toward the graduation requirements. Basic English and Intermediate Algebra are examples of such courses. NR Indicates that the faculty member did not submit the grade in time for it to appear on the grade card. P Indicates that the student performed satisfactory work (“C-” average or better) in a course where the credits do not count toward graduation, such as Basic English or Intermediate Algebra. W Indicates that the student withdrew from the course between the second and ninth weeks of the semester. WP Indicates that the student is passing when a course is dropped during the 10th and 11th weeks of the semester. WF Used during the 10th and 11th weeks of the semester if the student is failing at the time of withdrawal. Z Indicates that the student did not complete the course but did not officially withdraw. A “Z” is treated in the same manner as an “F” grade when figuring the GPA. Credit/No Credit Program The grade designation “credit/no credit” may be assigned by faculty members in courses such as student teaching, laboratories, independent studies, electives, and one-hour courses in physical education and music. The opportunity to take elective courses on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis offers students the opportunity to develop background in new areas of study without threatening cumulative GPAs. The following guidelines govern involvement in the program: 1. A student of any classification may choose to earn credit/ no credit or a letter grade in one semester hour, non-major physical education courses. This choice may be made at the end of the semester. 2. To earn credit, a student must maintain an average of “C” or better in the course. 3. A student must be at least a junior in classification (have earned at least 61 semester hours) to take an elective course on a credit/no credit basis. An elective is a course that will not count toward the student’s general education, major, minor, or cognate requirements. 4. A student may take just one elective course per term under the credit/no credit designation. 5. The total number of courses (other than one-hour physical education courses) that may be taken under the credit/no credit designation is determined by the student’s cumulative GPA: 2.0–2.49 one course 2.5–2.99 two courses 3.0–3.49 four courses 3.5 and above six courses 6. A student taking an elective course who wishes to change from the credit/no credit designation to the regular grading designation must do so before the end of the fourth week of the semester. 7. A student who wishes to change an elective course to the credit/no credit designation must do so before the end of the first full calendar week of the semester. Page 28 2018–19 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2018–19 Undergraduate Academic Catalog Page 29 Academic Information Registration for Courses Academic Information Registration for Courses