Attendance
Regulations
Classroom Attendance
There are no formal institutional
regulations regarding class attendance. Each classroom or laboratory instructor
sets his or her own attendance policy. Within the first calendar week of
classes, or the first laboratory meeting, of the term the instructor will
notify the students in writing of the attendance policy for that class.
It is the prerogative of the instructor to determine and impose grade penalties
for absences. Students are responsible for all course material covered
and any academic consequence of their absences.
Student Activity Absence
Students who are absent
because of participation in approved university activities such as field
trips and athletic events will be permitted to make up the work missed
during their absences.
Late Instructor
Should the instructor be
late in meeting a class or a laboratory period, students will wait a minimum
of fifteen minutes. If during the fifteen-minute waiting period no notification
to remain is given, students may leave without penalty.
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Credit for
Duplicate Courses or Dual Credit
Credit may not be awarded
for the same course twice, or for courses deemed so similar as to be considered
the same. For example, if a student completes PHYS 1111K (Trigonometry
based Physics I) and then takes PHYS 2211K (Calculus based Physics I),
only one may be counted as hours earned, and only one may be used for graduation
purposes.
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Auditing Classes
The following rules apply
to Audit courses:
| Fall and Spring | Student Type | Maximum Hours |
| Undergraduate | 18 | |
| Graduate | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| Undergraduate | 14 | |
| Graduate | 12 | |
| Students on Probation | ||
| Undergraduate | 13 | |
| Graduate | 12 | |
| For an exception to these maximums, see your program head. | ||
Withdrawing After the
Mid-Point
Students who withdraw after
the midpoint of the term are not eligible for a grade of "W” except in
cases of hardship or extenuating circumstances as approved by the faculty.
(See Administrative Procedures for instructions.) Students withdrawing
after the withdrawal deadline date receive a grade of "WF" for the course(s),
which counts the same as an "F" for grade point purposes.
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Progress
Reports
Instructors will provide
academic feedback as the course progresses. Each course will have
a portion of the cumulative class grade reported to the student prior to
the midpoint of the total grading period. Prior to the midpoint of
the total grading period, all assigned and "turned in" graded class assignments
and examinations will be graded and available to the student. Instructors
will make every effort to be available during their office hours for discussion
of the student's progress in the course prior to the midpoint of the total
grading period.
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Disruptive Behavior
and Academic Dishonesty
A faculty member reserves
the right to remove any student from his or her course if the student's
behavior is of a disruptive nature or if there is evidence of academic
dishonesty. In instances of disruptive behavior and/or academic dishonesty,
the faculty member will discuss the circumstances with the student(s) before
taking final action. In the event the student cannot be reached, he or
she will be given the grade of "Incomplete" until such time as he or she
can be reached. The student shall have the right of appeal of the faculty
member's decision
Grading System
Regular Grades
The following letter grades
are used to specify the level of performance in academic courses and are
computed into the semester and cumulative grade point averages:
| A | Excellent | |
| B | Good | |
| C | Satisfactory | |
| D | Poor | usually must be repeated if required for graduation |
| F | Failure | course must be repeated if required for graduation |
| WF | Withdrawal After Deadline | A grade of "WF" in a course is assigned upon official withdrawal after the midpoint of the term, and is counted in the student's scholastic average as a failing grade. |
Lab Grades
For subjects including both
class and laboratory work, both portions are considered essential and the
grades on each will be combined at the end of the semester and reported
as one. Failure in either class or lab may result in failure of the entire
course.
Other Grades
The following symbols are
used in the cases indicated but are not included in the calculation of
semester or cumulative grade point averages:
| I | Incomplete | This symbol indicates that
a student was doing satisfactory work but, for nonacademic reasons
beyond his or her control, was unable to meet the full requirements of
the course.
|
| IP | In Progress | This grade indicates that credit has not been given in courses that require a continuation of work beyond the term for which the student signed up for the course. The use of this symbol is approved for thesis and project courses. This symbol cannot be substituted for an I (incomplete). |
| V | Audit | The "V" grade is assigned when a course has been audited. No credit is given. This grade may not be used at any future date as a basis for receiving course credit. |
| W | Withdrawal | A grade of "W" is assigned when a student officially withdraws from a course before the midpoint of the term. Courses carrying the "W" grade will not be counted in the student's scholastic average. |
| S | Satisfactory | This symbol indicates that credit has been given for completion of degree requirements other than academic course work. |
| U | Unsatisfactory | This symbol indicates unsatisfactory performance in an attempt to complete degree requirements other than academic course work. |
Courses Taken at Other
Institutions
Only courses taken at Southern
Polytechnic State University are computed in the cumulative grade point
average. Credits earned at other institutions, credit by examination, credits
for which quality points are not assigned, institutional credit courses,
and courses otherwise excluded by institutional policy are not considered
when calculating the cumulative grade point average for graduation purposes.
Quality Points are assigned
as follows:
| Grade | Quality Points |
| A | Four quality points are assigned |
| B | Three quality points are assigned |
| C | Two quality points are assigned |
| D | One quality point is assigned |
| F | Zero quality points are assigned |
| WF | Zero quality points are assigned |
Graduate student grade point
averages, for the purpose of remaining In good standing In or graduating
from a program Is computed using only those courses In the major department
and those courses approved by the program faculty.
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Grade Changes
Grades that have been assigned
to a student by an instructor may be changed no later than the end of the
third consecutive term following the term in which the grade was awarded.
The instructor must initiate grade changes. Grades included in this provision
are "A", "B", "C", "D", "S", "U", and "F".
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Repeat Courses
Students are free to repeat
courses as many times as they like. However, after a grade of “C”
has been earned, repeated courses will not count in the cumulative grade
point average nor will the hours count toward graduation.
Courses that are transferred in are considered to have been completed with a grade of “C”.
A student may not use the
same course more than once in satisfying graduation requirements.
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Credit by
Examination
Awarded at the Discretion
of the Program Head
Student evaluation by standardized
and/or program examinations may be used at the discretion of the program
head as a basis for awarding credit for some courses. These evaluations
are available only to currently enrolled students. A fee will be
charged before the evaluation.
In order to receive credit by examination:
Credit for Courses
Completed More than Ten Years Prior to Graduation
Work completed more than
ten years prior to the date of graduation may be credited toward degree
program requirements with the approval of the student's major program head,
or if the student's enrollment at Southern Polytechnic State University
has been continuous since the course was taken.
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Classification
of Students
Credit Hour
Definition of a Credit
Hour - One credit hour corresponds to one hour per week of classroom
work for a semester, or to three clock hours or its equivalent of laboratory
work per week for a semester.
How a Student is Classified
- A student is classified at the end of each term on the basis of the number
of credit hours earned toward graduation. The credit hours include all
coursework for which the student has earned college level credit at Southern
Polytechnic State University, plus any transfer credit accepted by Southern
Polytechnic State University.
| Hours Earned | Classification |
| 0-29 | Freshman |
| 30-59 | Sophomore |
| 60-89 | Junior |
| 90 and above | Senior |
Full-time Students
Undergraduate students enrolled
for 12 or more credit hours are considered full-time students.
Graduate students enrolled
for 9 or more credit hours are considered full-time students. Graduate
students enrolled for 6 or more hours are considered full-time during summer
term.
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Continuous
Enrollment
To remain continuously enrolled,
a student must not have an absence of two or more consecutive terms of
matriculation at Southern Polytechnic State University, summer semester
included.
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Academic Standing
In order to graduate
Dean's Merit List
Undergraduate students who
have earned 9 or more hours with a scholastic average of 3.50 or better
for the current term and who are not subject to any disciplinary action
shall be on the Dean's Merit List, which is published each term.
Good Standing
To be considered in good
academic standing:
Continued Probation
A student whose cumulative
grade point average remains below 2.00 for two or more consecutive terms
of enrollment, but whose term average is 2.00 or higher, may continue enrollment
on probation.
A student may continue enrollment while on probation. However, if a student on probation fails to achieve a term grade point average of at least:
Academic Suspension
An undergraduate student
whose semester grade point average is below 2.00 and whose cumulative grade
point average is below 2.00 for at least two consecutive terms of enrollment
shall be academically suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship.
Transfer students admitted on “academic probation” who do not attain a 2.00 grade point average during their first term of attendance at Southern Polytechnic State University shall be academically suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship.
Reinstatement
Upon the recommendation
of the program head, and the approval of the Registrar, students who have
been suspended may be reinstated on probation.
Reinstatement after the first and second suspensions shall be approved, provided that the program head recommends approval and provides an academic plan for the student’s success. The student may be required to participate in workshops designed to improve academic performance.
Reinstatement after a third or fourth suspension shall be approved only after:
Academic Renewal
Undergraduate students who
have been readmitted or reinstated after a period of absence of five (5)
calendar years or longer are eligible for academic renewal, provided they
have not attended any post-secondary school during the five years. Academic
renewal for the student signals the initiation of a new grade point average
to be used for determining academic standing.
This provision allows University System of Georgia degree-seeking students who earlier had experienced academic difficulty to make a fresh start and have one final opportunity to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree.
For complete details about
this policy, see the Registrar’s Office.
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Regents' Testing
Program
Why a Regents’ Test
The Board of Regents of
the University System of Georgia has directed that all students who participate
in a program that leads to an undergraduate degree will demonstrate proficiency
in reading and writing. Students should participate in the test as
soon as they finish English Composition II. If they have not passed
the test before they earn 45 hours of credit, they must enroll in Regents’
Remedial courses until they do pass the test.
Key Points
Detailed information on
rules governing this policy can be found in SPSU’s policy and procedure
manual, or can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Key points
of the program are:
No later than the end of the fourth week of the term preceding the expected term of graduation.All Fall semester petitions for students not in school summer should be made in the Spring semester of that year, and co-op students should petition the term before a work term if the work term immediately precedes the term of anticipated graduation.
Students are allowed and encouraged to petition early. It is much easier to update a petition to a later term than to attempt late processing.
Earning a Second Bachelor’s
Degree
To obtain a second bachelor's
degree from Southern Polytechnic State University:
Honors
To receive honors, a student
must have earned a minimum of 40 hours for the associate degree and a minimum
of 60 hours for the bachelor’s degree. The follow GPA’s apply to
honors:
| Honor | Minimum Scholastic GPA |
| Summa Cum Laude | 3.90 |
| Magna Cum Laude | 3.70 |
| Cum Laude | 3.50 |
Courses in a Minor
To receive a minor, a student
must complete at least six hours of the upper division requirements for
the minor at Southern Polytechnic State University. Transfer credit
may be used to satisfy the other requirements for the minor.
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Certificate
Programs
Students admitted to a certificate
program may apply the courses completed for the certificate toward a degree
program if they are accepted to a degree program. Students admitted to
a degree program will not be given certificates based on the completion
of courses in a certificate program.
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Exceptions
to Academic Regulations
Exceptions to the Academic
Regulations of Southern Polytechnic State University may be made by the
faculty or by the Registrar whenever a consideration of the student's complete
record indicates that the application of a specific regulation will result
in an injustice. See Administrative Procedures for information on
how to request an exception.
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