Credit Hour Definition
All programs follow a semester calendar with two long terms (Fall and Spring) consisting of 15-weeks of instruction including final exams, a January Term intersession, and multiple Summer Term sessions. Graduate and professional programs may feature courses that only occur during a portion of the Fall or Spring terms, to increase flexibility. The following credit hour definition applies equally to all courses of varying credit, duration, and modes of instruction.
In 15-week semester courses, students are expected to engage in three hours of work per week to receive one Carnegie unit of credit (1 academic hour = 50 clock minutes). The same number of hours will be compressed into a shorter period of time for January Term, Summer Term, or partial-term courses. Approximately one-third of student time should be in the form of direct faculty instruction. In some cases, the ratio of contact to non-contact activity may be adjusted in order to achieve learning outcomes according to pedagogical standards in a particular area of study. Courses requiring more than the amount of contact time described in the standard policy (such as laboratory courses, language courses, studio courses and practica) may require commensurately less non-contact time than others. Courses requiring less than the standard amount of contact time (such as independent studies, internships, service-learning courses and courses utilizing online or hybrid instruction) may require commensurately more non-contact time. In all cases, students should expect to complete the total amount of work regardless of the ratio of contact to non-contact time.
Course Numbers
Saint Mary’s offers courses numbered on a scale between 100-999. Courses numbered 499 and lower are intended for undergraduate students, while courses numbered 500 and higher are graduate-level courses.
100-199: Engagement with disciplinary knowledge and skills at a foundational level. These courses contain academic content that is normally studied in the first year of full-time study. These courses may be satisfied through AP, IB, or community college transfer credit.
200-299: Expanding on introductory knowledge and skills. These may require prerequisite coursework, build upon the foundations laid by the Core Curriculum, or represent breadth and depth in lower-division transfer credit. These courses contain academic content that is normally studied in the second year of full-time study, and may function as a gateway into a major or minor program.
300-399: Demonstration of coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. These courses may require prerequisite coursework, solid foundations laid by the Core Curriculum, or a maturity of perspective and capacity for more significant rigor and workload. These courses contain academic content that is normally studied in the third or fourth year of full-time study.
400-499: Typically reserved for capstone or other experiences that involve synthesis of complex material, higher level evaluation and/or student research.
500-599: Graduate and professional courses. Open to undergraduate students with approval. Used for graduate courses that may be double-numbered (convened jointly) with undergrad and graduate courses.
600-779: Graduate and professional courses. Not open to undergraduate students.
780-799: Master’s thesis
800-899: Graduate courses open to both master’s and doctoral students.
900-979: Graduate courses limited to doctoral students.
980-999: Doctoral dissertations
Grades
Course Grades and Grade Changes
Faculty report final grades to the Registrar’s Office. Course grades are available online for students. Grades are released directly only to the students themselves.
Saint Mary’s College employs the following course grades: A, excellent; B, very good; C, satisfactory; D, barely passing; and F, failing. All final grades affect grade point average computation (on an A = 4 points scale), and P (passed), Z (audit), I (incomplete), and W (withdrew) do not affect grade point average computation. Plus/minus grading is permitted. A plus or minus changes the point value of a grade by 0.3 grade point upward or downward respectively (e.g., B+ carries 3.3 points; B-, 2.7); there is no A+.
Final grades are considered permanent and not to be changed except in case of an error in computing, recording, and evaluating a student’s work, subject to the approval of the Registrar. When necessary, faculty may secure grade change petitions from the Registrar’s Office. Students wishing to appeal a specific grade assigned by an instructor may do so under the Academic Appeals Process. Information on this process may be obtained from the Vice Provost for Academic Success. Grade changes for prior terms may not occur more than one year from the initial posting of the grades.
Pass / Fail Grading
Some graduate courses are offered on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis. In courses where a student elects P/F grading, the pass grade (the equivalent of C- or higher on the regular grading scale) will not affect the student’s grade point average. A grade of F will count as 0 toward a student’s GPA.
Incomplete Grade
In cases of unanticipated or unavoidable circumstances, a student may request an I (incomplete) grade, which provides additional time to complete coursework. Requests must be approved by the course instructor prior to the deadline for the submission of term grades, who must verify that the student had reasonable attendance through the official withdrawal date for that term and was passing the course when the circumstances prompting the petition arose. The student must satisfactorily complete the coursework, and the instructor’s change of grade must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office within the deadline (37 days past the end of the Fall term, 30 days past the end of the January and Spring term), otherwise the I (incomplete) grade will expire and be changed by the Registrar to an F (failure) grade. In exceptional circumstances, a student may request a one-time extension of the due date, at the instructor and Registrar’s discretion. Students may not re-enroll in a course in which they have an uncleared I (incomplete) grade.
Repeating a Course
A course may be repeated at this College or at another college. Unless indicated otherwise in the course description, only the most recently earned grade will be used in computing the grade point average, and only the most recent units earned will count toward graduation. A student must pay tuition for repeating a course.
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