General Academic Regulations

In addition to the aforementioned graduation requirements, Albion College expects each student to meet the following academic regulations:

Grading System

Students are graded according to the following designations:

4—represents work outstanding in quality. The student not only shows unusual mastery of the required work for the course, but also has independently sought out and used additional related materials, demonstrating the ability to discover new data, to develop new insights and to bring them to bear on the work at hand.

3—represents work which is higher in quality than that of a 2.0, or more than satisfactory. The student has shown the ability and the initiative to fulfill more than the basic requirements of the course.

2—represents work which fulfills all of the basic requirements for the course. It means that the student has a grasp of the material and techniques or skills sufficient to proceed with more advanced courses in the area.

1—represents work seriously attempted but which is below the 2.0 level in quantity and quality. The student is advised not to continue advanced work in the field.

0—represents work unsatisfactory in either quantity or quality. It results in the student's not being able to continue with further work in the field and results in no credit, although it is recorded on the permanent record.

Note: intermediate grades of 3.7, 3.3, 2.7, 2.3, 1.7 and 1.3 may be awarded.

CR/NC—credit/no-credit. A credit or no-credit grade is given in a course selected for unit credit without quality points. CR is equivalent to a grade of 2.0 or better. The purpose of CR/NC is: (1) to allow students to explore new areas of study outside their majors at no risk to their grade point averages; (2) to provide a method for evaluating academic experience different from usual course work, e.g., internships. Students are limited to one unit of CR/NC per semester except for some internships and off-campus programs, and to no more than eight units in the total of 32 units required for graduation. Students should note that the College is unable to predict how graduate schools and prospective employers will evaluate CR/NC. The CR/NC grading option may only be elected up to the end of the second week of classes each semester. See the academic calendar for exact dates. I—incomplete. Incomplete grades are given only because of illness or other unavoidable circumstances as defined by the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions. A grade of incomplete must be removed within seven weeks of the end of the term in which the incomplete was given. At the end of the specified time period, the faculty member will assign a grade based on the amount of work satisfactorily completed. The grade of "I" carries no quality points. AU—audit. Students are expected to attend classes, complete all assignments, etc. Students receive a numeric grade but no credit. P—work in progress. This grade is awarded only for directed study and thesis work that requires an extension of time for completion. Students must re-register for the course in their next semester of attendance. Failure to complete the work during this time will result in a grade based on the amount of work satisfactorily completed. The grade of "P" carries no quality points. This grade may also be awarded to students who are enrolled in courses that extend past the end of the semester. Failure to complete the work during the scheduled course time will result in a grade based on the amount of work satisfactorily completed. The grade of "P" carries no quality points.

Grade Reports—Grades are available via the Albion College Information System (ACIS) at mid-semester to first-year students, all students on academic probation and other students performing below a 2.0 in a particular course. Final grades are available via ACIS to all students at the end of each semester. Final grades become a part of the official academic record of each student.

Withdrawal from Courses—A student may withdraw from a course up to and including the Monday of the eleventh week of the semester by turning in to the Registrar's Office a request form bearing the signatures of the student's instructor and adviser. Performance in the course will be recorded on the permanent record as a grade of W. The grade of W does not carry grade point value. This decision may not be reversed if the student later wants to be given a grade.

Course Grade Appeal—Students who wish to appeal the final grade received in a particular course must first consult with the professor of the course in question. Following consultation with the professor, if the student concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed, the student may then consult with the department chair and then finally with the provost.

A final appeal can be made to the Faculty Steering Committee, which will review the steps taken and recommend a solution. If the College is not in session, the chair of the Steering Committee will convene a representative group of faculty to review the grade change appeal.

If a student doubts the wisdom or propriety of personally appealing a final grade, then the student is urged to discuss the matter with his/her faculty adviser, the department chair or a staff member in the Registrar’s Office. As a result of these discussions, an intermediary—either the student’s faculty adviser or another full-time faculty or staff member selected by the student—should evaluate the course grade appeal before acting for the student in pursuing a change of grade.

All final grade changes must be approved by the provost with the advice and consent of the registrar.

Student Classification

Students are classified as follows:

Course Schedules

Repeat Courses—A student taking a course for the first time who receives a final grade of 0.0, 1.0, 1.3, or 1.7 may repeat said course without the permission of the student's advisor or the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions. A student wishing to repeat a course more than once may do so only with the permission of the student's advisor and the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions. Although both original and all repeated grades appear on the permanent academic record, only the most recent grade for the course is included in calculating the grade point average and in meeting graduation requirements. A student may not repeat a course in which the final grade was 2.0 or higher.

A student may not repeat a course in which the final grade was 2.0 or higher. This policy cannot be petitioned.

Repeat course work to improve grades must be taken at Albion; grades from another institution may not be transferred for this purpose.

Course Load—The standard student course load is four units per semester. The minimum student load is three units. Approval from the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions must be obtained if a student wishes to carry less than the minimum course load. A student is eligible for a course load of 4.75 or five units with a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or greater. A student who wishes to carry an overload and does not meet this eligibility requirement must petition to carry an overload.

Additional tuition and fees apply for a course load above 4.5 units. If, during the first week of classes, a student drops from an overload status, a refund will be made. Following this period, if a student withdraws from a course overload, the course will remain on the student's bill as a billable unit. No refund will be made of any portion of tuition or fees related to the withdrawn course.

Course Schedule Changes (Dropping/Adding a Course)—All schedule changes or dropping or adding of courses must be made and confirmed either via the Albion College Information System (ACIS) or in the Registrar's Office. Changes made from the first day of classes through the first week of classes will be permitted upon application to the Registrar's Office. Normally, no changes may be made after the first week of classes. In exceptional cases it may be to the best interest of the student to adjust his/her program after the first week. Such changes will be recognized only when they have been approved in advance by the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions. It is the responsibility of the student to petition through the Registrar's Office for any change whatsoever to his/her program. The student is expected to continue with the original class schedule until changes are formally approved.

Class Attendance

Instructors may drop from their courses any student who is registered for the course and not present during the first scheduled meeting. However, students should not assume that they have been dropped from a class if they are not present at the first scheduled meeting. If a student cannot be present at the first class session, he/she must make special arrangements with the instructor prior to the first class meeting in order to maintain a place in the course. Each semester, all students must arrive on campus, complete the final enrollment process, and attend classes no later than the last day to drop and add a course as listed on the College's academic calendar. If circumstances prevent a student from arriving on campus for the first day of classes each semester, the student must notify the Student Affairs Office. A student should always process a drop/add or schedule change form in the Registrar's Office if he/she wishes to drop a course. Furthermore, regular attendance in all classes is expected throughout the semester. Every absence from class is inevitably a loss--usually one which can never be made up. At their discretion, individual instructors may include attendance and class participation as one of the criteria for evaluation of the final grade. Students who are absent from class assume full responsibility for the loss.

Examinations—Students are expected to be present for written examinations at the close of each semester. Students who are absent from a final examination will be allowed to take the omitted examination only if such absence is caused by illness or other unavoidable circumstances approved by the Committee on Academic Status and Petitions.

Academic Honesty

Albion College expects its students to take responsibility for their academic endeavors and to accept the consequences. No student should act in a manner that would harm the academic atmosphere of the institution or diminish the experience of any member of the academic community. Strict standards of academic honesty apply to all academic work at Albion College. Students are expected to do their own work. Cheating on examinations or plagiarism is a clear violation of the College's standards and policies. In preparing essays, reports and other projects, any use of the words or ideas of someone else as though they were one's own constitutes plagiarism. Any student found to have violated the College's policy on academic honesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will be subject to penalties in the course and possible disciplinary sanctions, up to and including expulsion from the College. A Judicial Board finding of academic dishonesty may be noted on the student's transcript. A complete explanation of College policy and procedures concerning academic honesty may be obtained from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs or viewed online in the Student Handbook.

Special Studies

Seminars—A seminar is usually a small class dealing with a selected topic for each semester. Requirements for enrollment in seminar courses are determined by the individual department.

Directed Studies—A directed study enables a student to do in-depth research on a topic or to carry out a creative project at a level beyond that offered in course work. Directed studies are open only to juniors and seniors and are taken in a department under the numbers 411 or 412, for either one-half or one unit.

To do a directed study, a student must prepare a proposal in writing, which must be endorsed by the proposed faculty supervisor and reviewed by the department chair. The proposal must be filed with the Registrar's Office for credit to be received.

Students doing a directed study must meet with their faculty supervisor weekly for one hour for a directed study. In addition to meeting with their faculty supervisor, students are expected to work a minimum of five hours a week for a one-half unit directed study and 10 hours a week for a one-unit directed study. Faculty and departments are not obligated to offer directed studies.

Directed studies are ordinarily graded credit/no credit. However, under special circumstances, students may request a numerical grade for their directed study with the approval of their faculty supervisor and the department chair. Students who choose the numerical grade option must submit complete grading criteria developed by the faculty supervisor to the Registrar’s Office and should inquire with the department chair about any departmental policies regarding numerical grading of directed studies. Students must request the numerical grade option no later than the end of the second week of classes.

As with other courses, regular feedback from the faculty supervisor throughout the semester on student work is necessary for student learning and the development and completion of an acceptable directed study.

Tutorials—In a tutorial, a student works individually with a faculty member on a course not available to the student in the current semester, but at a comparable level. To do a tutorial, a student must prepare a proposal in writing, which must be endorsed by the proposed faculty supervisor and reviewed by the department chair. The proposal must be filed with the Registrar's Office for credit to be received.

Tutorials are not intended to replace regularly scheduled courses except when there is no other way program requirements can be met. Faculty and/or departments are not obligated to offer tutorials. A regularly scheduled course taken as a tutorial will show the notation ``T'' after the course number on a student's transcript.

Internships and Practica—Internship experiences offer opportunity to participate in, observe and analyze the workings of a firm, agency, or organization. These may be undertaken in a practicum class, or as individual internships, offered by a department under the numbers 391-394. Credit for internship experience varies with the placement from one-half to two units. Normally a student will not undertake an internship until the junior year.

Internships and practica are offered on a credit/no credit basis with not more than four units of credit applying toward the 32 units required for the B.A. or the 34 units required for the B.F.A. degree. This includes internship and practicum experience completed in off-campus programs and at other accredited academic institutions. Unless the internship experience is for an approved off-campus program, a maximum of two units of internship credit may be earned in one semester. All students who apply for an internship or practicum are expected to have a cumulative grade point average of 2.7.

For academic credit, a student must complete the following hours at the internship site during the regular academic period.
One-half unit: 75-149 hours
One unit: 150-300 hours
One and one-half or two units: 301+ hours
For one and one-half or two units of credit, a student is expected to demonstrate a greater breadth and depth of understanding than is possible within the context of a one-half or one unit internship. No more than four units of credit received in connection with internships or practica may apply toward graduation.

Honors

Graduation Recognition—Three grades of recognition are conferred upon graduation from Albion College. For students graduating in 2006 and after, cum laude is granted to those who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50; magna cum laude is granted to those who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75; and summa cum laude is granted to those who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or above. Grade point averages are not rounded. A student must complete at least 12 units and three semesters of study at Albion College to be considered for graduation recognition.

Albion College Honors—To graduate “with Albion College honors,” a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5, have completed all four Great Issues honors seminars, and have completed an acceptable honors thesis and submitted it to the Honors Committee by the required deadline.

Thesis Honors--Qualified students not graduating with Albion College honors may also present papers to be submitted for thesis honors. Normally, such students will have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. A student whose thesis is accepted will graduate “with honors.” Each thesis must be approved by a committee comprising at least three faculty members, and the committee as a whole must be approved by the director of the Brown Honors Program. Qualified students can complete the following kinds of theses “with honors” as specified below:

For a “thesis in ------- major(s),” the thesis adviser and at least one other thesis committee member must be from the department offering the major. For majors that are not housed in departments (e.g., business and organizations, environmental science, environmental studies, public policy, sustainability studies), the thesis adviser can be from any associated department. For majors that are housed in departments with only one faculty member (e.g., ethnic studies, international studies, women’s and gender studies), the other thesis committee members can be from any department. 

For a “thesis in ------- minor(s) or concentration(s),” the thesis adviser and at least one other committee member must be from the department offering the minor or concentration. The other thesis committee members can be from any department. For minors or concentrations that are not housed in departments (e.g., business and organizations, environmental science, environmental studies, public policy, sustainability studies), the thesis adviser can be from any associated department. For minors or concentrations that are housed in departments with only one faculty member (e.g., ethnic studies, international studies, women’s and gender studies), the other thesis committee members can be from any department.  

For a thesis to qualify as an “interdisciplinary thesis,” the thesis adviser and other committee members can be from any department, major, minor, or concentration associated with the topic of the thesis (with at least two departments, majors, minors or concentrations represented on the committee).

Transcripts

Official transcripts are maintained by the Registrar's Office on all academic work attempted at Albion College. Students may request in writing individual copies of their record or request that copies of their record be mailed to other parties. All requests must bear the signature of the student. Transcripts will not be released for students who have past due accounts with the College.

Transfer Credit

Before enrolling at other accredited institutions for academic work to be applied toward the graduation requirements at Albion, students attending Albion College must secure written approval for each course from the registrar, using the Transfer Credit Approval Form. (See also the residence requirements for graduation.) To receive transfer credit, a student must submit an official sealed transcript of the completed course(s) to Albion College. The Registrar's Office will evaluate each course on the following basis: its liberal arts nature, comparability to courses taught at Albion College, and the grade earned. No courses in which the student earned below a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) will be considered for transfer credit. One Albion unit equals four semester hours or six quarter hours. Therefore, three semester hours equal three-quarters of a unit, three quarter hours equal one-half of a unit. Any transfer work which the student requests to be considered for his/her major must be approved in writing by the department chair.

Accepted transfer credit is recorded on the student's official Albion College transcript indicating where the work was completed, when the work was completed and the number of Albion units earned. No grades are recorded, and transfer credit is not reflected in a student's grade point average.

Catalog of Entry

Though departmental and graduation requirements of the College may change while a student is enrolled, it is expected that each student will meet the requirements outlined in the catalog that is in effect at the time he or she entered Albion. The "catalog of entry" philosophy is considered applicable for students who leave the College and whose interrupted course of study is not longer than five years.