Academic Policies
Application to Major Program of Study
Students who expect to become candidates for the bachelor's degree may, when their completed credits equal or exceed 15 semester hours earned at any college, make application for admission to a major program of study. Each department will determine eligibility requirements, admission standards, and length of validity of application, with revalidation required after 7 years. Students are encouraged to declare the major as early as possible.
Students who have completed 80 credits at St. Cloud State University and have not declared and/or been admitted to a major or a B.E.S. degree program will not be allowed to register for a subsequent term. Transfer students who completed 45 or more credits at another institution(s) before admission to SCSU, have completed 35 or more credits at SCSU, and have not declared and/or been admitted into a major or B.E.S. Degree program, will not be allowed to register for a subsequent term. Exceptions to this policy will be made by the department housing the student's intended major.
To graduate after the valid application time, a student may be required to meet new major program requirements. Majors and minors are listed in the Colleges section of the catalog, and in each department's program description.
Note: Students interested in minors should contact the appropriate departments.
Assessment
The university's effort to improve its academic programs, student learning and student services includes periodic measurement of student perception and intellectual/personal growth. All students are expected to participate in this assessment program. It may include examinations in general education, intellectual skills, and the major/minor fields of study. It also may include opinion surveys regarding specific services and/or the total university experience. The information obtained through the assessment program measures student competency, academic achievement and satisfaction and is used to improve the quality of the teaching and learning experience for current and future students.
Auditing of Classes
A student who wishes to attend the class sessions of a course but who does not wish to receive credit for it must register as an auditor. The same registration procedure is followed and the same fees charged as for credit courses. Auditors must attend class but the taking of quizzes and examinations is optional. Auditors who fail to meet the attendance requirements may receive a mark of "U" (unsatisfactory) rather than a mark of "AU" (auditor). Courses audited cannot be counted toward graduation requirements. Courses audited are counted as part of the student load. The audit option must be designated at the time of registration for the course.
To change a grading method in a course to audit after the 5th instructional day of the term, written permission from the College Dean must be obtained.
Cancellation of Classes
Classes or sections of classes which do not have sufficient enrollment may be canceled at any time.
Change of Student Class Schedule
A student may add classes to his/her class schedule through the sixth class day or drop classes from his/her class schedule through the fifth class day of the fall or spring semester. (Summer add/drop/withdrawal dates are listed in the course information on the university Web site or in the summer schedule.) After the add/drop period, courses may be added only with the permission of the department offering the course. Following the fifth day and up until 50% of the semester has elapsed, a student may withdraw from a full-term class and receive a grade of "W". (See www.stcloudstate.edu/registrar for withdrawal deadline.) During the final 50% of the class, a student may not withdraw online. For information on late withdrawals, contact the Office for Academic Affairs in Administrative Services 209. Students not attending courses for which they are registered will receive their earned grade.
Class Attendance
St. Cloud State University requires all students to attend classes in which they are enrolled. The university views class attendance as essential to student success. Students who regularly miss classes are less successful in university classes, more likely to leave before realizing their academic goals, and less likely to graduate. A student's attendance in class enhances her/his education, allows for interaction in the class discussions and activities, and is vital to the education of the other students in the class. For these reasons, faculty members often use class attendance to determine a student's grade, and excessive absences can be grounds for failure.
Correspondence, Extension, Workshop or Field Trip Credit
Correspondence credits to be applied toward the baccalaureate degree routinely are accepted in transfer from institutions holding regional accreditation. Credits from non-regionally accredited institutions will be evaluated for transfer, but additional documentation may be required.
No more than 6 credits in either workshop or field trips (tours) may be applied to a major, no more than 3 credits to a minor, and no more than 12 credits overall toward graduation. These 12 credits cannot be earned exclusively in either workshop or field trips.
Credit Load – Undergraduate
An undergraduate student enrolled for 12 credits or more is considered a full-time student for academic purposes. The recommended normal load in a semester is 15-16 credits. The maximum allowable load without special approval is 18 credits. The recommended normal load during summer (the combined total for Intersession, Summer Session I, and Summer Session II) is 15 credits. The recommended maximum load in any summer term is two courses. The maximum load for the summer terms combined without special approval is 18 credits. Load includes the total credits of all courses carried, including on-campus, off-campus, on-line, and any other college courses taken concurrently with those at St. Cloud State University.
(Note: Courses offered during summer have the same content compressed into a shorter time compared to courses offered during a regular semester.)
A student who wishes to enroll for more than the established maximum must obtain approvals from his or her advisor and college dean. Applications for overload are available in the Office of Records and Registration and on the Registrar’s web site.
(Note: An advisor would not normally approve an overload for a student with a cumulative GPA below 2.75.)
Forgeries
The university considers forged signatures and fraudulent information on official documents to be a very serious matter. A student who forges a signature or records fraudulent information on an official university document will have nullified the document and may face disciplinary action as determined by the university judicial committee or other university officials.
Prerequisites
Completion of prerequisites for a course must occur before a student can start that course, unless the student obtains permission from the department offering the course to waive the prerequisites. Failure to complete prerequisites can result in cancellation of registration for the course.
Repeating Courses for Additional Credit
Students may enroll in some courses more than once. Courses in this category are specified in the course description section in this catalog. The maximum number of credits allowable is stated in the course description. For each enrollment the student receives credit hours and a grade.
Repeating Courses for Improvement of Grade
Students may repeat courses at their own discretion in an effort to improve grades. In such cases, no additional credit will be allowed. The highest grade earned will be the student's official grade for the course. No courses or grades will be removed from the transcript. The university may limit the number of times a student may repeat a course.
Residence Requirement
Residence credit is earned on the campus of St. Cloud State University or in its approved off-campus programs. To be eligible for graduation under a four-year curriculum a student must have been in residence at least 2 semesters and must have earned at least 30 semester credits in residence. However, some departments may require more than 30 semester credits in residence. To be eligible for graduation under a two-year curriculum, a student must have been in residence at least 1 semester and at least 20 semester credits must have been earned at St. Cloud State University. Six semester credits must be earned in residence during the semester immediately preceding graduation.
Transfer students are required to take at least 9 semester credits in their major field and 6 semester credits in their minor fields in residence unless waived by the department.
Withdrawal
See www.stcloudstate.edu/registrar for instructions on procedure. The deadline for withdrawing from a course may be found in the academic calendar in this catalog or on the university Web site. A failing mark will be given for courses not officially dropped except as noted in the "Grading System" section of this catalog.
The policy on refund of tuition and fees may be found in the financial information section of this catalog or the university Web site.
Military Withdrawal
[See Minnesota Statutes 2009, Chapter 192.502 for current statutory provisions.]
Students who are members of any branch of the U.S. military reserves or National Guard and who are unable to complete a semester due to having been called to active duty have two options regarding their academic records.
If less than 75% of the term has been completed, students will receive a full refund of tuition and fees and grades of "W" will be entered into their academic record for all courses. A notation that the student was called to military service will be entered on the transcript. Students should be aware that they are liable for any required refunds of state or federal financial aid funds.
If 75% or more of the term has been completed, the student may request that a letter grade or an "S" be submitted for their courses instead of a "W". If in the instructor's judgment the student has completed sufficient course work to earn a letter grade, that grade will be entered on the student's academic record. If in the instructor's judgment the student has completed sufficient course work to earn a grade of "S", that grade will be entered on the student's academic record. If in the instructor's judgment the student has not completed sufficient course work to earn a grade or if the student has not requested a grade, the student will receive a refund of tuition and fees for the course and a grade of "W" will be entered on the academic record. A notation that the student was called to military service will be entered on the transcript.
Undergraduate students should contact the office of Undergraduate Education to complete the necessary forms. Graduate students should contact the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies to complete the necessary forms. Students must provide copies of their military orders, including notification of date of departure.
The provisions of this policy do not apply to 14-day annual active duty training requirements.
