Assignment of Academic Advisors
Each student is assigned an academic advisor by the chairperson of the student's academic department at the time the student first enrolls at the university.
Students who wish to change advisors but retain the same major should request the assignment of a new advisor from the department chairperson.
Students are required to consult with their academic advisor and to obtain the advisor's signature of approval on an enrollment form prior to enrolling for courses each semester.
The Admission and Enrollment Services office has responsibility for the undeclared major program for new freshmen. The student's UGS 100 instructor advises new freshmen enrolled in UGS 100 Freshmen Experience until a major is selected. New students with 24 or more college hours and entering as a transfer are assigned advisors through the Admission and Enrollment Services office. If students do not declare a major within their first two semesters they are advised to take PSYCH 230 Career Explorations. Students with 45-college semester hours are encouraged to declare a major. The Admission and Enrollment Services office is located in the 105-07 Student Welcoming Center - Horace Mann Building.
Selecting and Changing an Academic Major
Students should select an academic major upon initial enrollment in the university.
Students who do not wish to declare a major upon enrollment must select a department for advisement, though such department may not be the student's final major department. Selection of the major should be made no later than the end of the sophomore year.
An undergraduate student can change a major by consulting the department chairperson of the major to be declared. The chairperson will assign the student an advisor and will request that the chairperson of the previous major forward the student's advisement folder to the new major department.
Courses previously taken may or may not be accepted as part of the new degree program as determined by the department in which the new major will be taken. The student will be expected to meet all regular requirements for the new degree program as defined by the catalog in force at the time of initial enrollment in the university and any subsequent catalog.
Required Courses for Freshmen
Considering the fundamental nature and value of the freshman courses in English Composition, it is the policy of Pittsburg State University that all full-time freshman students shall enroll in ENGL 101 English Composition unless given credit by examination.
Classification of Students
Sophomore 30 hours passed
Junior 60 hours passed
Senior 90 hours passed
Enrollment in Courses Above Freshman-Sophomore Level
1. Admission to courses numbered 700-799 requires 170 grade points. These courses are primarily for graduate students.
2. Admission to graduate courses (numbered 800-899) requires admission to the Graduate School.
3. Admission to courses numbered 900-999 is open only to students with a master's degree.
Normal Academic Load
The normal academic load for an undergraduate student is 15 or 16 hours of credit per semester. An undergraduate student who has demonstrated superior academic achievement may exceed this academic load. The normal academic load for summer is eight hours of credit per eight-week session. A student who has demonstrated superior academic achievement may exceed this academic load.
Repeated Courses
Only courses in which C, D or F grades have been earned may be repeated. A course may be repeated only one time.
If a student twice fails a course required by the degree program in which there is no substitute, the student may petition the dean of the student's college for permission to take the course again.
Students may not repeat by correspondence study or credit by examination a course failed in resident study.
Grades earned on the second attempt will be used in computing the GPA. Grades earned on the first attempt will continue to appear on the transcript but will be marked as a repeat and will not be calculated in the GPA.
Duplication of Undergraduate Credit
Students may earn credit in courses which do not duplicate courses already completed.
Pass-Fail System of Grading
The Faculty Senate adopted the pass-fail system of grading certain courses under certain conditions.
I. Courses legislated on a pass-fail basis only may not be taken for a letter grade. These are noted in the course description.
II. Other courses:
Students may elect to take other courses with only a P or F grade being recorded. Such a system is advantageous to students since they may take courses that they may not otherwise attempt because of competition. Only free electives may be taken under this system of grading. The following conditions or restrictions apply:
A. Eligible students:
1. Those with at least junior standing (60 hours).
2. Those not on academic warning.
3. Those who have declared a major.
B. Courses which would be ineligible:
1. Courses used to fulfill the general education requirements.
2. Courses used to fulfill the student's major or minor requirements.
3. Supporting courses required by a student's major department.
4. Courses which have been attempted for a letter grade.
C. Other regulations:
1. A student is allowed one course per semester with a maximum of four courses on the pass-fail basis.
2. At the time of enrollment a student must apply to the registrar for approval to take a course on a pass-fail basis. The grading option may not be changed after the last day for adding new classes.
3. A student taking a pass-fail grading option would receive a grade of P or F for the course with a P (pass) being given for any grade of D or higher with respect to the rest of the class.
4. Grades of P earned under pass-fail are not used in the computation of a student's grade point average. Grades of F earned under pass-fail are used in the computation of a student's grade point average. Courses passed are counted in the total courses required for graduation.
5. A student who has received a pass in a course may not repeat the course for a letter grade.
Credit by Examination
In General
Pittsburg State University grants credit by examination for three purposes: in order to enable a student to demonstrate that a body of knowledge or skill has been attained, to validate life experiences which parallel course work offered by the university, and to gain credit for work completed at an institution not accredited by a regional accrediting institution.
Students awarded credit by examination must be enrolled at Pittsburg State University.
Pittsburg State University accepts results of the College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Programs for credit by examination. Pittsburg State University is not a College Board Test Center, thus, students who participate in these programs have their test results forwarded to the university.
Department curriculum committees recommend the courses and the number of credit hours in which credit by examination is awarded. Departments with no curriculum committee will function as committees of the whole. Recommendations for credit by exam must be ratified by the department faculty and chairperson.
The results of all tests administered for the purpose of credit by examination will be recorded as pass, fail, or letter grade on the students transcript. High school seniors taking Pittsburg State University departmental examinations may elect to accept or not to accept the grade assigned.
Courses receiving pass as a grade for credit by examination will not be used to determine students' GPA. Courses for which letter grades are awarded will be used to determine students' GPA.
The registrar will post credit by examination to the students' transcripts at the direction of the appropriate departmental faculty.
Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEBAP)
Students desiring advanced academic placement and university credit for those courses validated by such placement may do so using the CEEBAP examination.
Subject to department approval, students completing the CEEBAP examination with scores of 5, 4 or 3 will receive appropriate university credit recorded as pass. The department of biology requires scores of 5 or 4. Also see here.
Departmental Examination
Any student may attempt to earn credit by examination for any course specified by the department curriculum committee by requesting a departmental examination.
Departments may administer examinations on a scheduled basis or by special arrangement.
The determination of the maximum number of credit hours that may be earned by taking departmental examinations will be determined by the department faculty.
Department faculty will determine the standards for awarding and determining grades. These standards may vary from year to year.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Students with non-traditional educational experiences may have such experiences validated by the CLEP examination. There are two CLEP examinations: the general examination and the subject examination.
The general examination may be used to validate life experience for academic credit.
Students completing the general examination with a score at or above the 50th percentile on sophomore norms will receive university credit with a grade of pass.
A maximum of 6 semester hours credit can be earned in each of the following areas: social science, history, natural sciences, humanities and mathematics.
No CLEP general examination credit will be allowed in any subject area in which college credit was earned prior to taking the examination.
There is no fee for evaluating or posting the results of the CLEP general examination.
CLEP subject examination. Academic departments determine the degree to which they participate in the CLEP subject examination program.
Academic departments determine the norm group and the percentile at or above which credit will be awarded. Students meeting the departmental criterion will be awarded university credit with a grade of pass.
The subject examinations will be used to validate life experience on a course-by-course basis.
No CLEP subject examination credit will be allowed for any course in which college credit was earned prior to taking the test.
There is no fee for evaluating or posting the results of the CLEP subject examination. |
