Academics
Contact Us:
Dean's Office
600 Linden St., 3rd Floor
570-941-7560
Glossary of Academic Terms
Glossary of Academic Advising Terms
Every attempt has been made in the creation of this glossary to adhere to current University policies and procedures. Many of the entries have been taken directly from The University of Scranton’s Undergraduate Catalog. If there is doubt about the material contained in this glossary, please consult the dean’s office or the Office of the Registrar.
Academic Advisor
Academic advisors are available throughout every
student’s University career to help in many ways, including course
registration, changing majors, reviewing academic progress, and developing
double majors, minors and concentrations. Faculty and professional academic
counselors are available through advising offices located in each of the three
undergraduate colleges.
In the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Scranton, freshmen are advised through the CAS Advising Center, which is located at 600 Linden Street. The hours are 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Sophomores, juniors and Seniors are advised by a faculty member in the student’s declared major. The advisors of upper-class students will have their office hours posted on their doors or with the department’s administrative staff.
Academic Code of Honesty
Plagiarizing papers and cheating on examinations are examples of violations of
academic integrity. Academic dishonesty trivializes the students' quest for
knowledge and hinders professors from accurately assessing the individual
talents and accomplishments of their students. To avoid these problems, to
educate all scholars about the nature of academic dishonesty, and to promote a
healthy academic community, The University of Scranton has implemented an
Academic Code of Honesty and an on-line tutorial to support it that can be
found at http://academic.scranton.edu/department/wml/academicintegrity.html
Academic Difficulty
Students experiencing academic difficulty should speak to the professor
of the course to better understand their academic problem. They should also make an appointment to see
their advisor or academic dean to discuss possible sources of academic support,
such as the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). Semester specific deadlines for drop and
withdrawal dates can be found on the Academic Calendar at http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/registrar/academic-calendar.shtmll
Academic Level
Academic levels for undergraduate students at The University of Scranton are
based on the completed credit hours.
Credits for courses in which you are currently enrolled are not
counted. Students in the College of Arts
and Sciences are coded with the letter A.
|
CLASS |
HOURS TOWARD GRADUATION |
CODE |
|
Freshman |
0.00 – 29.5 credit hours |
A-1 |
|
Sophomore |
30.00 – 59.5 credit hours |
A-2 |
|
Junior |
60. 00 - 89.5 credit hours |
A-3 |
|
Senior |
90 credit hours and above |
A-4 |
Academic Probation
One semester
of probation is granted to students whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 or
are in danger of dismissal.) A second semester of probation is not
automatic. Students who do not remove themselves from probation after one
semester are subject to dismissal, unless an exception is granted by the
student’s dean. Students who receive an F while on probation are subject to dismissal,
as are students who incur two F’s in one semester, or who accumulate three F’s
that have not been successfully repeated. Students on academic probation are allowed to take no
more than 14 credits (undergradates in the College of Graduate and Continuing
Education, no more than 12 credits) during the fall or spring semesters
without explicit written approval of the appropriate dean. Students on
academic probation are ineligible for participation in extra-curricular
activities.
Academic Progress
Academic Progress is typically defined as the earning of
credits that lead to the completion of a degree in a timely manner. For many scholarships and financial aid
programs, academic progress means the successful completion of 24 credits in an
academic year.
Attempted Credits
Attempted hours include all of the coursework on record for
a student: courses passed, courses failed, advanced placement (AP) credit,
credit by exam, and courses transferred from other colleges or universities.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all scheduled meetings of courses in which they
are enrolled. Students are responsible
for all material presented and announcements made during any class. Attendance policies for individual courses
are determined by the instructor and must be promulgated in writing in the
course syllabi. Many professors count
attendance towards class participation grades and students who miss classes may
receive lower grades.
Auditing a Class
An audit occurs when a student attends a class but does not receive a grade for
the class. It has no effect on the GPA or on credits applied toward degree completion. Entry of the audit grade (AU) on a transcript
assumes satisfactory attendance. The student should consult with the instructor
as to what constitutes satisfactory attendance. A grade change to audit can be
made only by passing students and before the end of the first half of a
semester.
Catalog
The
catalog defines policies; e.g., Probation, Dean's List, Leaves of Absence, etc.
Its primary content includes a list of all majors, course requirements for each
major and descriptions of the courses offered by each department. Many of the
terms defined in this guide are defined in more detail in the catalog, which is
updated yearly. Students are responsible for knowing the information in the
catalog, such as academic policies, course prerequisites, and major
requirements. Ordinarily, all entering students – both
freshmen and transfer students – are held to the requirements in the catalog of
the year in which they enter. The University reserves the right to change any
of the policies, rules, and regulations in the catalog. The catalog can be
found at http://www.scranton.edu/catalogs
CAPP Sheet (Curriculum Advising and Program Planning)
The CAPP is a working document that shows all requirements completed and requirements
that need to be completed. It is not a
degree audit and therefore should not be used as the sole basis for degree
completion. An updated copy of the CAPP
is available to students when registration material is available, usually early
in October for spring registration and early in March for fall
registration. At other times in the
semester, a student can request a copy of his or her CAPP from the CAS dean’s
office.
Cognate
Cognate is a term used by some departments to describe the part of an
academic program which complements courses in the major. Some majors have specific courses that are
required in the cognate and other majors have flexible cognates, which allow
students to select from a broad range of courses to complete the cognate. Cognate areas, in conjunction with the free
area and general education courses, are often used to complete minors and
second majors.
College
The University of Scranton is a university made up of four colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management, Panuska College of Professional Studies and College of Graduate and Continuing
Education. Colleges house departments, which in turn offer majors.
Concentration
The term concentration applies to programs that are interdisciplinary. The
University of Scranton offers concentrations in Asian
Studies, Catholic Studies, Environmental Studies, Human Development Program,
Italian Studies, Judaic Studies, Latin American Studies, Nutrition Studies,
Peace and Justice Studies and Women’s Studies.
Core Curriculum
Classes required of all students who complete a bachelors degree, regardless of
major, are called the Core Curriculum.
Some colleges and majors have their own core curriculum, which may
include specific requirements that also fulfill some of the University’s
General Education Core areas. (For instance, the Department of History requires
HIST 110, 111, 120, 121, and 140 as its major core but HIST 110 and 111 also fulfill two of the four
Humanities requirement of the general education.)
Co-requisite
A course that must be taken at the same time as another course; for
example, Biology 141Lab is a co-requisite for Biology 141, meaning that there
is material in Bio 141 that students
need to be learning at the same time they take Bio 141 L.. Co-requisites are
part of the course description in the undergraduate catalog, and they should
also be listed on the syllabus for the class. STUDENTS SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE
COURSE DESCRIPTION IN THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG BEFORE REGISTERING FOR A
COURSE.
This five-digit number identifies a specific section of a course during a particular term. The first digit of the CRN indicates the term in which the particular course is offered.
1 = Course offered in the Fall semester
2 = Course offered in Intersession
3 = Course offered in the Spring semester
4 = Course offered in Summer I
6 = Course offered in Summer II
The CRN is the number the scheduling computer uses to enroll a student in a section of a course for a particular semester. Always be careful to use the correct CRN for the term of registration because class times, places and CRNs change each term.
Course NumbersUnlike CRNs, course numbers always remains the same. The number starts with an abbreviation of the department offering the course. This department abbreviation is followed by a number. For instance, the course number designating Public Speaking is COMM 100. COMM represents the department offering the course and 100 represents the number assigned to Public Speaking. Because there are many sections of COMM 100 offered during a semester, and each individual class of COMM 100 has a different CRN and section number. (e.g., 11025 COMM 100 5)
Course Substitution
A course substitution allows one course to replace another course. The substitution is identified on CAPP report with an S in the right hand
margin. Students must have an acceptable reason for not completing the required
course and must go through an approval process to request a substitution.
Students should contact either their major department chair or dean for
procedures.
Credit Hour
In a sense, a credit hour is a unit of measure for college courses. Courses vary in their number of credit hours
because they vary in the amount of intellectual effort they require. For
instance, a lecture course that meets for 150 minutes a week (three days for 50
minutes each day, or two days for 75 minutes) is usually a three-credit course,
whereas a physical education class that meets for the same amount of time each
week is only a one-credit class. A lab that might meet for two to four hours
per week might carry only one credit because labs are considered to require
less preparation outside of class and to consist mainly of activities that
reinforce what is learned in a lecture course.
Credit/No credit
The “credit/no credit” option is designed to encourage students to take courses
of interest but outside their concentrated areas of study. Courses used to fill
free elective and free cognate requirements are eligible to be taken with this
option. Courses taken under the “credit/no credit” option count toward the
accumulated credit hours for the degree, but they are not included in the grade
point average calculation.
Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.67 or greater who have accumulated at least 60 credits toward their degree may elect to take some courses on a “credit/no credit” basis. Students may apply for the “credit/no credit” option by seeking approval from their dean’s office and filing the completed forms with the registrar by the end of the second week of the semester (or by the second day of summer sessions and intersession). The option cannot be reversed after the fourth week of class (or the fourth day of summer sessions and intersession). Courses used to fulfill general education requirements, courses in the major and cognate, as well as courses in a minor or concerntration, and those used to fulfill requirements in the Honors, SJLA and Business Leadership programs may not be taken under the “credit/no credit” option. Students may take no more than a total of four courses under this option, and no more than one per semester (other than internships, practicum’s, or physical education courses). Students receive the following transcript notations under the “credit/no credit” option: A grade of C or higher yields a CS (credit satisfactory) notation; a passing grade less than C (C-, D, D+) yields a CD (credit deficiency) notation; a grade less than passing (F) yields an NC (no credit) notation.
There are some courses that are in two course sequences that have cross registration, such as General Biology 141 and 142. Students registered for the fall Bio 141 course will have seats reserved in the same section of Bio 142 in the spring semester. Often, students will be permitted to change sections once everyone has registered.
Dean
A dean is an administrator in a college. The dean oversees the affairs of the
college. Most colleges have a Dean and
Associate and/or Assistant Dean. When
the students are required to see their Dean, it is the Associate or Assistant
Dean for undergraduate or academic programs they should contact. At The University of Scranton, departments do
not have deans; they have department chairs.
Department
A department is an administrative unit at the University that offers classes
and degree programs in a subject or discipline. For example, faculty in the
Chemistry Department who teach the chemistry courses establish degree
requirements to graduate with a major in Chemistry.
Dismissal
There are several ways in which a student can be academically dismissed. Students who do not remove themselves from
probation after one semester are subject to dismissal, unless excepted by the
appropriate dean. Students who receive an F while on probation are also subject
to dismissal, as are students who incur two F’s in one semester, or who
accumulate three F’s that have not been successfully retaken. Another way to be academically dismissed is
if the student is not making satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Satisfactory progress toward degree
completion is typically defined as earning a minimum of 24 credits in an
academic year.
Double-Dipping
Some courses have more than one general education (GE) designation. For example, a course with a "S"
and a "W" designation will meet a GE Social/Behavioral requirement
and fulfill a GE writing intensive requirement. In a sense, the course
"double-dips" into GE Social/Behavioral and GE Writing Intensive
requirements, even though the number of credit hours is only counted once
toward degree completion. (A student can't graduate in CAS without having
successfully completely a minimum of 130 credit hours and double-dipping does
not double the number of credits earned.)
Sometimes courses required in a major will double-dip with a GE requirement. For example, S/CJ 215 Statistics in Social Sciences is required of all Criminal Justice majors, but the course simultaneously fulfills the GE Q requirement. Thus, this three-credit course "counts" in two ways (i.e., toward the major and toward GE), but only three credits are earned.
Double-Dipping Between a Minor and a GE Requirement
In a similar manner, a course can double-dip with a minor and GE. For example, when a student with a SOC minor takes the required SOC 110, Introduction to Sociology (designated with a GE S), the course also meets the requirement for a GE Social/Behavioral class. Again, the course only contributes three credits to degree progress even though it serves two purposes.
Double-Dipping between a
MAJOR and a Minor/Concentration
For “double-dipping” between a
major and a minor/concentration, 15 credits
of the minor must "belong" to the minor. In other words, the 15
credits of a minor/concentration cannot
be "shared" with a major. For example, a student has a PSYC major, which
requires SOC 110. The student then declares a SOC minor, which also
requires SOC 110. The complete SOC minor requires 18 credits so the 3
credits from SOC 110 can be used to meet both the PSYC major requirement and
the SOC minor requirement. You can find the policy under
the heading "Minors" in the undergraduate catalog.
Double-Dipping between
Double Majors
For double-dipping between
double majors, the second major must have 18 or more credits that are NOT counted as part of the first
major.Additionally, students
with a second major must complete all MAJOR and all REQUIRED cognate courses and any GE courses that are explicitly required as part of
the second major; these courses are listed by dept. name and course number on the CAPP sheet of a double
major. The policy about using courses
to meet requirements in two majors can be found
in the Undergraduate Catalog.
Students may choose a second area of study by declaring a double major. Students must secure permission using the Change of Curriculum form that is available in the Registrars Office. Signatures are required from the student’s advisor, Chairperson or program director and appropriate dean. Dropping a Course
Courses may be dropped until the Last Day to Drop date in the Academic Calendar. Students must complete a Change of Schedule Form, obtain the professor’s signature and submit the form to the Assistant Deans Office. Dropped courses will not appear on the students transcripts. After the Last Day to Drop, students may withdraw from a course, but a “W” will appear on student transcripts to indicate withdraws.
Elective
Generally speaking, an elective is a course the student can choose to
take, as opposed to a specific course that is required for a degree. There are
several kinds of electives.
Free elective – Courses that you are free to choose (provided that you are eligible to take it). The number of free electives varies from major to major. Often students use free electives to add minors or concentrations. You must take free electives to complete the required number of credits for graduation.
Major elective- Courses you choose in your major. Major electives are usually chosen from a list of courses approved for your major.
Cognate elective- Courses you choose in the cognate that is approved by your department. Consult with your advisor for appropriate courses to fulfill cognate electives. Cognate electives may also be used in minors or concentrations.
Faculty Student Research Project (FSRP)
The Faculty/Student Research Program (FSRP) gives students an opportunity to engage in a variety of activities ranging from relatively routine tasks to more sophisticated research.There is no cost for the FSRP and the program is open to all students in good academic standing including incoming freshmen. While students do not receive academic credit, they do receive transcript recognition.
To participate in the program, students must identify a faculty sponsor with whom they want to work. This can be done either by talking to individual faculty members directly about their research interests or by consulting the FSRP Directory, which includes information on research projects and any student prerequisites. When a student and faculty member agree to work together, they complete a learning contract that outlines the nature of the research, the tasks involved and the hours to be worked. A copy of the current FSRP Directory may be found at http://academic.scranton.edu/department/ors/fsrp.htm. The Office of Research Services coordinates the FSRP program. The office is located in O’Hara Hall, (570) 941-6190.
General Education Requirements:All students at the University of Scranton have the opportunity to become liberally educated in the Ignition tradition. The liberal education will include development of general skills. The general education requirements are outlined in the General Education Summary in the University Catalog. This can be found at http://academic.scranton.edu/department/casadvise/faculty/general-education.shtml
Some majors have specific courses that are required to complete the general education requirements. For example, Criminal Justice majors must take S/CJ 215, Statistics for Social Sciences, to complete the Quantitative Reasoning or Math requirement, but History majors may take a variety of courses to complete the same requirement. Courses that complete general education requirements are coded to clearly indicate which courses complete the requirements. The University Catalog lists all requirements for specific majors, as does the CAPP report.
GPA (Grade
Point Average)
Grade Point Average (GPA) is a means of measuring academic performance.
The computation of GPA means the value of each semester hour of credit earned is converted into a number, which is called quality points. The quality points for each letter grade are as follows: a grade of A is valued at 4 quality points; A- at 3.67 quality points; B+ at 3.33; B at 3.0; B- at 2.67; C+ at 2.33; C at 2.0; C- at 1.67; D+ at 1.33; D at 1.0. An F yields no quality points. Thus, for example, a 3-credit course with a grade of A yields 12 quality points; a B yields 9; a C yields 6.
The GPA is computed by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total of grade point average credit hours. For example, 15 GPA credit hours, all at C grade, would earn 30 Quality Points or a 2.0 GPA (30 divided by 15).
The total number of grade point average credit hours includes those courses with final grades of F as well as A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+. C, C-, D+ and D. The grade designations of AU, CD, CR, CS, I, IP, NC, NG, S, W, TC and U do not count toward the GPA. This grade point average applies only to courses taken at The University of Scranton. Grades from other institutions are not computed into students’ grade point average with the exception of those earned at Marywood University through The University of Scranton/Marywood University cross-registration agreement.
A grade point average listing is made at the end of each semester. On the basis of his or her cumulative grade point average, a student’s rank in class and eligibility for Latin honors at graduation are determined. See “Graduation Honors.”
There is a Grade Point Average Calculator on the Registrar’s web. The web address is http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/registrar/gpa-calc.shtml
Grade Appeal Procedure
If a student feels that a grade received is unreasonable, the student should
discuss the matter with the professor of the course, whose decision is normally
final. If discussion between the
instructor and student cannot resolve the issue, the student should appeal to
the faculty member’s chairperson, who will make a recommendation in writing to
his or her dean. The student may request
the dean to review the matter. The
decision of the college dean is final.
Ordinarily, no grade change will be considered unless it has been
reviewed by the dean’s office within one month from the time the original grade
was available to the student.
Graduation
The University of Scranton provides the opportunity for students who have
completed degree requirements to graduate at one of four points throughout the
academic year: summer graduation (graduation date: August 31), fall graduation
(graduation date: December 31), intersession graduation (graduation date:
January 31), or spring graduation (graduation date coincides with the annual
Commencement exercise). Commencement exercises are held once each academic
year at the conclusion of the spring semester; the date is published in the
official University academic calendar. Normally students who are certified to
graduate in the summer, fall, intersession or spring may participate in
Commencement.
Certification of graduation, receipt of a degree, and permission to participate in Commencement are not automatic. Seniors expecting to complete degree requirements in time for spring graduation must make formal application through the Registrar’s Office or the College of Graduate and Continuing Education by February 15. Students expecting to complete degree requirements for summer, fall or intersession graduation must make formal application a minimum of four weeks prior to the end of the appropriate term.
Undergraduates who are within 6 academic credits of fulfilling all graduation requirements and are in good academic and disciplinary standing may request to “walk” at Commencement in the spring. They must present to their dean a plan to complete their remaining credits at The University of Scranton during the summer or fall sessions and receive the dean’s approval. Students may not participate in a second commencement upon completion of all degree requirements.
Graduation Honors
To be eligible for graduation and for Latin honors at Commencement, a
baccalaureate degree student must have completed a minimum of 63 credit hours
of course work at The University of Scranton. Note: Latin honors are
based upon a student’s final cumulative GPA at the completion of the
baccalaureate degree program.
1. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or greater are graduated Summa
Cum Laude.
2. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.6-3.7999 are graduated Magna Cum
Laude.
3. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.4-3.5999 are graduated Cum Laude.
(Special Jesuit Liberal Arts[SJLA], Business Leadership Program [BLDR], and the Honors Program)
There are several special academic programs in which students must be invited to be a member. Special classes and seminars, as well as specialized advising, are part of these programs. Incomplete Grade (I)
An incomplete grade notes that a course in not completed due to illness or other serious reason. To remove the “I”, students must satisfy all course requirements by mid-point of the following semester or the grade will be converted to an F.
Independent Study
The purpose of an independent study course is to enable University of
Scranton students in good academic and disciplineary standing to pursue a course
of study that meets one of the following descriptions: (1) non-honors courses that, like honors tutorials, are based on a set of
readings, discussions, and writing assignments; (2) they may be based on
experimental work; (3) or they may involve intensive research activity. These
specially designed courses are designated with numbers ending in _82 or _83.
Independent studies may not ordinarily be used to fulfill general education requirements. Students may take no more than one independent study per term and no more than one independent study per year, on average, during the course of their degree programs.
Independent studies may not ordinarily be used to repeat failed courses. Independent studies intended for the major, minor, and cognate are graded under the normal grading mode (A, A-, B+, etc.) unless excepted by the student’s dean; other independent studies usually are graded under the Credit/No Credit grading mode (“CS: Credit Satisfactory” for grades equivalent to C or higher; “CD: Credit Deficiency” for grades equivalent to C-, D+, and D; “NC: No Credit” for grades equivalent to F). Exceptions to these policies must be approved by the dean of the student’s college and by the dean of the school offering the course.
Intersession
Intersession is an intense term during January.
Students may take courses during intersession to make up failed courses,
earn prerequisites for the spring semester courses or to get ahead in their
curriculum. Students may register for
intersession at the same time they register for spring semester courses and
then should consult the Academic Calendar for deadlines for intersession. Flat tuition usually does not over tuition in
the intersession.
Leave of Absence
Students may request their dean’s approval for a leave of absence by completing
and submitting the Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Form. Graduation requirements in effect for
students at the time of their approved leave begin will remain in effect when
they return from their leave under certain conditions. See University of Scranton Catalog for
Conditions. Students who interrupt their education without an approved leave
must apply for readmission and be subject to catalog requirements in effect at
the time of their readmission.
Major
A major is a program of study, or group of selected courses, required for an
academic degree in a particular subject.
The Undergraduate Catalog
provides semester-by-semester grids of course required for a major as well as
pertinent commentary.
Major GPA (MGPA)
Students must maintain a 2.00 GPA in courses specifically required for the
major; some majors required a MGPA above 2.00.
Specified courses, which are included in the MGPA, include cognate
courses that are listed by course number.
The major GPA is calculated like the overall GPA (see GPA), except only
major and specified cognate courses are included. To determine whether a major
requires a GPA above 2.00, the department chair or dean should be consulted.
Minor
A minor is a group of courses, fewer than the number required for a major, for
students who want to pursue an interest in addition to their major. Minors vary
in credit from 15-21 credits. Each
department that offers a minor specifies the required courses in the Undergraduate Catalog.
The PASS program is a support service provided to undergraduate students by graduate practicum counseling students who are nearing completion of a master’s degree in counseling. Undergraduate students are referred to the program through the Academic Advising Office or a departmental referral. Undergraduate students will attend individual counseling/mentoring sessions with graduate students. The graduate students will receive intensive supervision throughout this process. The program is designed to accommodate students who self-refer as well as students that are recommended or required to attend as a result of academic performance or other developmental difficulties.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that consists of using someone
else's words or ideas without clearly identifying the source of those words or
ideas. The
University of Scranton’s complete Academic Code of Honesty can be found in the Student Catalog.
No specific undergraduate major is required for admission into law school, but American Bar Association describes certain skills and values that are essential to success in law school. The Pre-Law curriculum is based on the ABA recommendations.
A pre-law Advisory Council provides continuing advice on course selections, career planning and law school application process. See the University Catalog for more information. Pre-Medical Program
Many students who intend to apply to health-professional schools choose Biology or Biochemistry as their major. However, students may choose any major, provided they met the requirements for entrance to medical, dental, or other health-professional schools. Pre-Med students are advised by their faculty advisor in the majors and the Pre- Med advisor. See the University Catalog for more information.
Pre-requisite
A course which must be completed successfully before you enroll in another
course; for example, CHEM 112 is a pre-requisite for CHEM 113. The first course
is a pre-requisite because it contains knowledge or skills you need to have
mastered before you take the second course. You can find out if a course has
pre-requisites by reading its course
description in the catalog; the syllabus for a course should also list
any pre-requisites.
Probation
See Academic Probation
Reader
Readers are courses listed in the University Catalog but offered to one or two
students. Readers are reserved for a student who needs a course that is not
being offered in acute situations, such as the students needs the course in
order to graduate. The situation will be
identified and accepted by the dean are not meant to be offered routinely. Readers are not meant to ordinarily be used
for general education requirements.
Registration is the process by which students enroll in classes. Registration occurs at about the midpoint of spring and fall semesters; registration for summer and fall classes occurs in the spring semester; and registration for spring and intersession classes takes places during the fall semester. Students should try not to miss their registration, as this is their best chance to get into the courses that fill up quickly.
Repeating
a Course
Special permission is not needed to repeat courses at The University of
Scranton, however, (1) credit for a course will be granted only once; (2)
credit for the course will be lost if the course is repeated and failed; (3)
the most recent credit and grade will count toward the grade point average with
the exceptions that a W, I, IP, AU or NG grade cannot replace another grade;
(4) each attempt to complete a course will be reported on the student’s
transcript even though the credits of the earlier attempts do not count in the
cumulative grade point average (e.g., a course with a grade of F will continue
to appear on the transcript even after the course has been repeated with a
passing grade, but the credits from the initial failed attempt will not be used
in the calculation of the cumulative GPA).
Reserved Course
A restricted course is one that the scheduling computer has been programmed to
allow only students who meet certain qualifications to enter. Usually
restricted courses are open only to students in certain majors; sometimes they
are open only to students at certain academic levels.
Consult your advisor if you find that a course you want to take or that you need for a major you are considering is restricted.
Restricted major
A major is said to be restricted when there is a limit on the number of students that
major can accept into its degree program. The Nursing major is one such
program. Admission into Nursing is very
competitive and unless a student is accepted into the major as an incoming
Freshman, the chances of declaring the major are unlikely.
Section
A course may be offered in several sections each semester, with each section
meeting at a different place and possibly at a different time and with a
different instructor, but have basically the same content. Different sections
of some courses have the same syllabus, while different sections of other
courses do not. Each section has a different CRN number, which is used to
register for the section of the course wanted.
Semester
A semester is half of the academic year, with the academic year lasting from
late August until early May. Classes at
the University of Scranton are a semester long; there are no year-long
classes. In addition, the University of Scranton has
a winter intersession and two summer terms; although
these terms are much shorter in length. Classes in intersession and the summer meet more often and for a longer
class period, which results in the same time in class and the same number of credits that a student would have in a
regular semester
Sequence
Sequence courses are a pair or more of courses where courses at the start of
the sequence must be taken before the next course. The course that must be completed before the
next course in the sequence is called a prerequisite. For
example, WRTG 105 and WRTG 106 are
sequence courses. WRTG 105 must be
successfully completed before a student can register for WRTG 106. In other words, WRTG 105 is a pre-requisite
for WRTG 106. Other courses, such as
HIST 110-111, are not sequenced even though both courses cover American History. To determine whether a
course is part of a sequence, consult the Undergraduate
Catalog and see if a course has a prerequisite.
Some courses have a service learning component, which is coded as SL. These courses require students to work in the community along with academic study in the classroom. Most courses with service learning components are in the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS), although several courses in the College of Arts and Sciences also include service learning.
Study AbroadStudents may study at other universities around the world through the study abroad program, usually done in the junior year. The International Programs and Services (IPS) office provides all the information needed for students interested in studying abroad. Students should start planning early if they want to study abroad. More information can be found on the website at http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/study-abroad/index.shtml.
Syllabus
The instructor of a class provides each student with a copy of the syllabus at
the beginning of the semester. It may include some or all of the following:
the purpose of the course; pre-requisites and co-requisites, the instructor's
name, office hours, and telephone number; a schedule of reading and/or homework
assignments; a schedule of tests; the instructor's policy on accepting late
work; and the grading policy. Students
should receive a syllabus from each of their instructors in a given
semester. If the student was absent the
day the syllabus was distributed, the student has the responsibility to request
one from the instructor and to find out how to make up any missed work.
Transcript
A transcript is the official record of coursework taken each semester. It is required for application to other
colleges or universities and often when students apply for employment. Official
and unofficial copies of the transcript may be requested at the Office of the
Registrar, St. Thomas Hall, Room 101 or (570) 941-7721l. There is a monetary charge for an official
transcript and there is generally a waiting period.
Transfer
Credit: Permission to take a Course at
another University/College
Students must secure the permission of their dean to take courses at another
institution. Students in good academic
and disciplinary standing at the University of Scranton can transfer in a
maximum of 10% of the total credits in their program. Transfer students
from another institution will be limited to a maximum of 10% of the total
credits remaining in their program from the initial point of University of
Scranton matriculation. All students must complete at least 63 credits
at the University of Scranton, including the last 30 credits.
University of Scranton students who have completed 60 or more credits must take courses at other four-year, regionally accredited institutions. Students with fewer than 60 credits may be approved for courses at two-year or four-year regionally accredited institutions. Grades below C (2.00 in a 4.00 grading system) are not transferable to The University of Scranton. Grades from other institutions are not computed into the student’s GPA. Transfer credit will be awarded only upon receipt of an official transcript from the transfer institution. The official transcript must be received in a sealed envelope from the transfer institution’s Office of the Registrar.
Students may get credit for a course only once, regardless of where the course was completed. The only exception is for some special topics courses.
Withdrawing from a class occurs after the Last Day to Drop deadline has passed. The course from which the student withdraws will be recorded on the transcript as a W. The form for processing a course withdrawal may be obtained at the Registrar's Office.
Work Study Program
Work Study is a financial aid program that enables students
to earn part of their expenses by working at certain specified jobs on campus. Students interested in work
should contact the Financial Aid Office.
Undergraduate Catalog
xxxx
