2011-2012 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

Page 29 2011–12 Undergraduate Catalog Introduction Admissions Academic Information Academic Departments Course Descriptions Financial Information Appendix Index Prior to processing a registration, each student meets with an academic advisor to discuss career direction, course options, and class schedules. While selecting courses, students and advisors should discuss alternative courses as a contingency for course closings and cancellations. Although each student has an academic advisor to help with scheduling, the student is ultimately responsible for the chosen class schedule and course of study. Students should become very familiar with the course requirements for their chosen major. Class schedules are selected using the online registration process on the University website. The online registration process may be completed from the academic advisor’s computer or from any other computer through which the student has internet access. Instructions for using the online registration program are available on the registrar’s website or from the office of the registrar. A registration access code is required to complete the online registration process. This code is assigned by the computer services office prior to each registration period and is given to the student’s academic advisor. The registration access code may be utilized by the academic advisor to complete the student’s registration during the advising process, or the advisor may give the code to the student to enable the student to complete the registration process from another computer. After the online registration process has been completed, the student’s confirmed schedule becomes an active registration in the administrative computer system. To finalize their registration, students must make financial arrangements for payment of the amount due listed on their billing invoice (see the financial section of the catalog for information concerning costs and payment plans). Adding and Withdrawing from a Course Students are responsible to verify the accuracy of their course registration at the beginning of each semester. All registrations must be finalized by the end of the second week of the semester. No courses may be added after this time unless approval is granted from the course instructor, chair of the department that offers the course, and the dean of the respective school. In the absence of the assistant or associate academic vice president, the academic vice president may approve a late registration. A late registration fee of $50.00 will be charged to process a registration or add a course after the deadline. Changes in a student’s course schedule must be made through the drop/add process. This may be completed online within seven 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: Week Course Is Dropped Action Before the end of the 1st full No record on transcript calendar week During 2nd full calendar week W – Withdrawn through 9th calendar week 10th and 11th calendar weeks WP – Withdrawn Passing or WF – Withdrawn Failing Week 12 through the end of Drops not permitted the semester 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. Auditing Auditing involves attending and participating in a course without earning credit. A course may be changed from credit to audit before the end of the first week of the semester. Courses may be changed from audit to credit, with permission of the instructor, before the end of the first week of the semester. A student may not test out of a course already audited. Registration to audit a course will not be processed until the first day of the semester to accommodate students requiring regular registration status. 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 and assistant or associate academic vice president 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 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 department chair and the assistant or associate academic vice president 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.