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THE CALENDAR COURSE NUMBERING Courses numbered 100-199 are primarily for freshmen; 200-399 are primarily for sophomores and juniors; and 400-level courses are primarily for seniors. If prerequisites are completed, students may register for courses beyond their classification. All courses are semester long unless noted otherwise in the course descriptions. Courses with "RM" suffix are taught on the Rome campus; courses with "W" suffix indicate writing proficiency requirement may be fulfilled. SEMESTER HOURS Each semester hour represents 50 minutes per week of lecture or recitation. The length of a laboratory period depends upon the requirements of the course. Normally, one semester hour of credit is awarded for satisfactory work in one hour of class or two hours of laboratory or studio work per week for a semester. REGISTRATION ACADEMIC LOAD ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE ADD/DROP A course may be added during the first seven class days of a semester. A course may be dropped without penalty during the first five weeks of the semester with the approval of the office of academic affairs. To drop or add a course, a student may do so on PRISM or must submit the relevant form with the appropriate signatures.
WITHDRAWAL FROM A COURSE After the fifth week of classes, a student may withdraw from a course with the permission of the office of academic affairs or the freshman office and the instructor of the course, or on the recommendation of a physician for health reasons. If the student is passing the course at the time of withdrawal, or if she withdraws from all classes upon recommendation of a physician for reasons of health, the grade of "W" is recorded. If the student is failing the course at the time of withdrawal, or withdraws without permission, a grade of "F" is recorded.
MIDTERM DEFICIENCY NOTICES Instructors are required to provide deficiency notices to all students whose work is not satisfactory at midterm. Failure to receive a midterm deficiency notice does not preclude the possibility that the student may still fail the course, nor does it imply that the student will automatically pass the course. No notation of a deficiency notice is made on the student's permanent record. Copies of deficiency notices are sent to parents of all freshmen and sophomores as well as juniors and seniors on academic probation, unless the student furnishes proof that she is independent. Parents of juniors and seniors (excluding students on probation) will not receive this information unless they request it and furnish proof of dependency. EXAMINATIONS Final examinations are generally held in all courses at the end of each semester. Only for serious illness or other legitimate reasons may an examination be taken at any other than the scheduled time. GRADE SCALE At the end of each semester the student receives a final grade in each course based upon the instructor's evaluation of course requirements. The following grades are used in calculating the GPA:
Grades not included in calculating the GPA:
INCOMPLETE The grade of "X" is used to indicate the course has not been completed due to circumstances beyond the control of the student. It will revert to an "F" on the record if not changed to a passing grade within 30 days after the beginning of the next semester. Extenuating circumstances must be explained in writing by the instructor when recording an "X" grade. REPEATED COURSE Students may, at their option, repeat any course. If a course is repeated, both grades appear on the permanent record and both are used in calculating the GPA. Credit hours earned are awarded only once. GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) A grade point average is determined by dividing the total grade points earned by the number of graded semester hours of the coursework taken. The quality points for a particular course are found by multiplying the grade points assigned to the letter grade by the number of semester hours of the course. Saint Mary's computes a semester GPA and a cumulative GPA for all graded courses taken. The GPA does not include the grades of courses transferred from another college; however, it does include courses taken through the Notre Dame Co-Exchange or NICE . The student's official GPA is maintained in the registrar's office and is truncated at three (3) decimal places. GRADE REPORTS At the end of each semester students can view their final grades via PRISM. Paper copies may be requested. If a student has not met all financial obligations to the College the report is withheld.
PERMANENT RECORD/TRANSCRIPT A student's permanent academic record is maintained in the registrar's office. Official transcripts of the permanent record are available for $2 per copy to each student or alumna. Requests for transcripts must be submitted in writing to the registrar. Transcripts will not be issued to students or alumnae who have not met their financial obligations to the College. CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS A student meeting the requirements for admission and desiring to study for a degree is classified as follows:
A student who is non-degree seeking is classified as special. DECLARATION OF MAJOR/MINOR By the end of the sophomore year, students must petition an academic department for acceptance into a major program. The office of academic affairs sends each sophomore a Major Petition with instructions for completion. Students should then meet with department chairs and counselors/advisors about possible major programs. Freshmen may not formally petition a department for acceptance into a major program; however, they may take prerequisite and/or introductory courses in the major in the first year. Students interested in art, music or science should register for specific courses in the first year in order to complete degree requirements in four years and will be advised to do so by the freshman counselor. The Student-Designed Major (SDM) allows the superior student (3.2 GPA) in the liberal arts and sciences, with advising, to follow a course of study outside the traditional departmental structure at Saint Mary's. Interested students must submit a formal proposal no later than spring break of the sophomore year to the SDM committee. Additional requirements and information is available in the office of academic affairs. To declare a minor, a student must complete the Minor Petition form from the office of academic affairs. A brochure on optional minor programs, which includes general guidelines for minors as well as specific requirements for each minor offered is also available from the office of academic affairs. HONORS LIST At the end of each semester the names of the students on the Honors List are announced. A student must complete at least 12 graded hours and earn a 3.4 GPA or better to qualify. This honor is noted on the student's permanent record. CONTINUATION IN COLLEGE AND ACADEMIC PROBATION The standard for continuance in the College is a 1.800 cumulative GPA for students completing the first semester of the freshman year; 1.900 cumulative GPA for students completing the second semester of the freshman year; and 2.000 cumulative GPA thereafter. The record of a student whose GPA falls below these figures is reported to the Academic Standards Committee at the end of each semester. If in the opinion of this committee, the record offers little or no promise of successful completion of work for a degree, the student is advised to withdraw. Otherwise, she is placed on academic probation for one semester. Students on academic probation are not allowed to participate in major co-curricular activities, may not hold a major student government office nor participate in varsity athletics. The notations of "academic probation" and "removed from academic probation" appear on the student's permanent record. ACADEMIC DISMISSAL Any student who loses academic good standing for two consecutive semesters or three non-consecutive semesters is subject to dismissal. Dismissal will be recorded as a part of the student's permanent record. If a student is dismissed for poor scholarship, she may reapply after one year, provided she can present evidence of potential academic success to assist the Academic Standards Committee in making this decision. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COLLEGE A student wishing to withdraw from the College before the completion of a semester is required to notify in writing either the freshman academic counselor or the assistant to the vice president. The date of written notification will determine if any refund is due. When a student withdraws from the college during the semester, the transcript will read as follows:
After the official drop period, students who withdraw will
receive grades from their instructors of "W" or "F"
depending on progress to date. SUMMER COURSEWORK Students who wish to take coursework during the summer must take courses at an accredited college or university and obtain approval in advance from the office of academic affairs. Transfer credit will not be accepted if the student earns a grade below "C". ACADEMIC/SERVICE HONORS AND AWARDS Valedictorian The honor of valedictorian is conferred upon the student who has the highest cumulative grade point average in the graduating class. A student must have completed at least 80 semester hours of credit at Saint Mary's College to qualify for this honor. Graduation with Honors The following traditional honors are awarded at graduation for excellence in academics: Cum laude -cumulative GPA of 3.400 to 3.599 Magna cum laude -cumulative GPA of 3.600 to 3.799 Summa cum laude -cumulative GPA of 3.8 or above. Kappa Gamma Pi is the National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society. Seniors graduating with scholastic distinction (3.4+ GPA) and outstanding service to the Church, College and community are eligible to be nominated for membership. Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges is a national program that annually honors outstanding campus leaders for scholastic and community achievements. Seniors are nominated based on academic standing, participation in extracurricular activities and community service. The Lumen Christi Medal is bestowed annually by the College upon a senior who has been outstanding in her spirit of leadership and loyalty to Saint Mary's College and has made a significant contribution to the College or community. The Saint Catherine Medal is awarded each year by the Kappa Gamma Pi Chapter to a junior or sophomore who has shown service and leadership and who has maintained a high scholastic average.
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC HONESTY Each student shall be honest in her academic work and shall support the honesty of others. She shall, more-over, guard against any appearance of dishonesty. Each faculty member has the responsibility to refer to the College policy on academic honesty at the beginning of each course. Faculty shall foster the honesty of their students by conducting each course in such a way as to discourage cheating or plagiarism. Moreover, faculty are to investigate thoroughly any evidence of cheating in their classes. Course instructors who have evidence of cheating or plagiarism shall make the charge and any subsequent action known to the student. Only then shall an appropriate penalty be imposed. It is recommended that the instructor submit in writing to the assistant to the vice president or the freshman academic counselor the name of any student found guilty of academic dishonesty serious enough to have been penalized, along with a description of the penalty imposed. Such reports will be kept in confidence, except in the case of continued violations by a student, when the reports may be presented to the Committee on Academic Standards. The instructor of the course in which a violation of academic honesty occurs will determine an appropriate penalty. Penalties may range from a refusal of credit for an individual assignment to failure in the course, depending on the seriousness of the offense. In cases recommended to it for further consideration, the Committee on Academic Standards may also recommend other penalties, including academic dismissal from the College. In addition:
At the discretion of the assistant to the vice president or the freshman academic counselor, a case involving repeated violations of academic honesty by a student may be referred to the Academic Standards Committee for further consideration and possible disciplinary action. The student involved will be notified before any such referral is made. |
