Credit by Examination
Student evaluation by standardized and/or departmental examinations may be used as a basis for awarding credit for certain courses. These evaluations are available only to currently enrolled students. A fee will be assessed before the evaluation.

The student must first check with the appropriate department head about the applicability of the credit by examination for the course and then submit a request for credit by examination form to the department. The business office must validate the form before it is submitted to the department. After the evaluation, the department head will make his or her recommendation for credit to the Records Office. The student is notified in writing by the Records Office of the action taken.

For further information on credit by examination, contact the appropriate department head or the Records Office.

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 the degree only (1) with the approval of the student's major department head and the head of the department in which the course is taught and subject to the approval of the faculty, or (2) if the student's enrollment at Southern Polytechnic State University has been continuous since the course was taken.

Classification of Students

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.

A student is classified at the end of each term by the Records Office 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 credits at Southern Polytechnic State University plus any transfer credits accepted by Southern Polytechnic State University.
 

Full-time Students
Undergraduate students enrolled for 12 or more credit hours are considered as full-time students.

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.

Academic Standing
It is required that each undergraduate student maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in order to graduate.

Dean's List
Students that have earned 12 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 List, which is published each term.

Dean's Merit List
Students that 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
A student eligible to enroll at Southern Polytechnic State University is in good standing.

Academic Probation
A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation.

A student on probation may register for a maximum of 13 credit hours unless approval of the student's major department head is granted to schedule additional hours (to a maximum of 18).

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 on continued probation may register for a maximum of 13 credit hours unless approval of the student's major department head is granted to schedule additional hours (to a maximum of 18).

Academic Suspension
A 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” and who do not attain the minimum scholarship requirement during their first term of attendance at Southern Polytechnic State University shall be academically suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship.

Reinstatement
A student who has been academically suspended for the first time at Southern Polytechnic State University must stay out at least one term. After a break of at least one term, the student may seek reinstatement. Reinstatement will be granted if the student files a Petition for Reinstatement no later than 20 working days prior to the beginning of the term in which the student plans to re-enroll.

A student who has been academically suspended for the second time at Southern Polytechnic State University must stay out at least one year (12 months). After a break of at least one year, the student may seek reinstatement. Reinstatement will be granted if the student’s Petition for Reinstatement is approved by the faculty. Completed petitions must be filed with the Office of Records no later than 20 working days prior to the beginning of the term in which the student plans to re-enroll.

Reinstated students will be placed on “continued probation”.

A request for deletion of previous major courses for graduation scholastic average and hours purposes must be submitted on a Petition to the Faculty form and approved by the faculty.

Academic Dismissal
After a second reinstatement, a student whose semester grade point average is below 2.00 and whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.00 shall be academically dismissed. A student on academic dismissal may not apply for reinstatement.

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. Academic renewal for the student signals the initiation of a new grade point average to be used for determining academic standing. This provision allows 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.

Regents' Testing Program
An examination (The Regents' Test) to assess the competency level in reading and writing of all students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs leading to the baccalaureate degree in University System institutions shall be administered. The following statement shall be the policy of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on this examination:

The formulation and administration of the Regents' Test shall be as determined by the Chancellor.

Each institution of the University System of Georgia shall assure the other institutions, and the System as a whole, that students obtaining a degree from that institution possess literacy competence, that is, certain minimum skills of reading and writing. The Regents' Testing Program has been developed to help in the attainment of this goal. The objectives of the Testing Program are: (1) to provide System-wide information on the status of student competence in the areas of reading and writing; and (2) to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain the minimum levels of competence in the areas of reading and writing.

Students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs leading to the baccalaureate degree shall pass the Regents' Test as a requirement for graduation. Students must take the Test in their first semester of enrollment after earning 30 credit hours if they have not taken it previously. (Institutions may not prohibit students who have earned at least 30 credit hours from taking the test for the first time.) At an institution's discretion, students may be permitted to take the test during a semester in which they are not enrolled.

Each institution shall provide an appropriate program of remediation and shall require students who have not passed both parts of the test by the time they have earned 45 credit hours to take the appropriate remedial course or courses each semester of enrollment until they have passed both parts.

Students with 30 or more semester credit hours transferring from outside of the System or from a System program that does not require the Regents' Test should take the test during their first semester of enrollment in a program leading to the baccalaureate degree. Those who have not passed before their third semester of enrollment are subject to the remediation requirements.

A student holding a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education will not be required to complete the Regents' Test in order to receive a degree from a University System institution.

General Rule

0-30 Hours Earned
Students who have earned 30 or fewer hours may attempt both sections of the Regents' Test. Students are encouraged to complete ENGL 1101 and 1102 early in their college curriculum and to attempt the Regents' Test as soon as possible after the completion of these courses.

30-44 Hours Earned
Unless the requirement has been met previously, it is mandatory for students to attempt the section(s) of the test not completed the next time it is offered.

45 or More Hours Earned
Unless the requirement has been met previously, students who have not passed both sections of the test are required to schedule remediation each semester for the section(s) not passed. It is mandatory for students to attempt the section(s) of the test not completed the next time it is offered. When either the essay or reading section is passed, the students' records are updated accordingly and remediation for that section is no longer required. (Students who have not completed the Essay section of the Test are required to enroll in RGTE 0199. Students who have not completed the Reading section of the Test are required to enroll in RGTR 0198.)

Transfer Students
Unless the requirement has been met previously, students transferring into Southern Polytechnic State University with credit for ENGL 1101 and 1102 should take the Regents' Test during their first term of attendance.

Students transferring from within the University System of Georgia are required to follow the Regents' Testing Program Policies as stated in the section above.

Schedule Changes
Prior to registration the most recent Regents' Test results are reported. Students who advance registered for remediation and pass a section of the test may alter their schedules accordingly at the first available registration period after the results are posted.

Frozen Status
Students must first enroll for required remediation and then other courses may be scheduled as desired. Once enrolled in RGTE 0199 and/or RGTR 0198, students may not withdraw from RGTE 0199 and/or RGTR 0198 as long as other courses are scheduled.

Transient Authority
Permission to attend another institution as a transient student will neither be authorized nor recognized if the transient term does not include the remediation that normally would be required by Southern Polytechnic State University. Any exception to this procedure must be approved by the Regents' Testing Program Coordinator prior to the transient term and students must obtain written permission from SPSU's Coordinator prior to attempting the Regents' Test on another campus.

Non-native Speakers of English
Regents' Testing Program procedures apply to all students; however, students who have been classified as non-native speakers of the English language by the Regents' Testing Program Coordinator are required to pass the alternate version of the Regents' Test.

Graduation Requirements

Catalog for Graduation Evaluation
A student may elect to be evaluated for graduation from any catalog in effect during the time of enrollment provided the enrollment has been continuous.

Students readmitted or reinstated will be evaluated for graduation from the catalog in effect at the time of readmission or reinstatement or any catalog in effect during subsequent periods of continuous enrollment.

Students changing majors will be evaluated for graduation from the catalog in effect at the time of the change or any catalog in effect during subsequent periods of continuous enrollment.

Each student is responsible for determining the appropriate catalog to be used for academic advisement and for evaluation of graduation requirements. Catalog selection applies only to the course requirements of that catalog. All other academic procedures and graduation requirements must be satisfied according to regulations in effect at the time of graduation. Students desiring further information on the selection of an appropriate catalog may contact their major department head or the Records Office.

General Requirements
A student is eligible for graduation when he or she (1) has satisfactorily completed the required number of hours specified by the curriculum of the program of study in which he or she is specializing, (2) has achieved the necessary scholastic average, (3) has paid all required fees, fines, and other financial obligations owed the college, and (4) has filed with the Records Office the official "Petition of Admission to Candidacy for a Degree." In addition, to receive an associate or bachelor degree the student must be certified as competent in reading and writing the English language-through the University System Regents' Testing Program and must satisfactorily pass an examination on the history of the United States and the history of Georgia, and upon the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Georgia, as required by the State of Georgia and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (Credit for U.S. History or American Government satisfies this constitution requirement). In addition to the above requirements, students in some departments who seek the baccalaureate degree also must satisfy the requirements of the comprehensive evaluation.

Graduation Petitions
A student must submit a formal petition for "Admission to Candidacy for a Degree" to the Records Office no later than the end of the fourth week of the term preceding the expected final term in residence. (This is interpreted to mean the previous term in residence, preceding the final term in residence. All fall-semester petitions for students not in school summer should be made in the spring semester of that year; and, all co-op students should petition the term before the work term. Students are encouraged to petition early if they feel they have reached eligibility to petition).

To be a candidate for either an associate or baccalaureate degree, a student must have passed all courses required for the degree, have a cumulative scholastic average of at least 2.00, and have merited the recommendation for the degree by the faculty and the President of Southern Polytechnic State University.

Residency Requirement
To receive an associate or bachelor degree from Southern Polytechnic State University, a student must earn at Southern Polytechnic State University a minimum of 25% of the credit hours received in the degree program.

No student may be considered as a candidate for a degree unless the final 20 credit hours required for an associate degree, the final 30 credit hours required for a BS degree, and the final 60 credit hours required for the B.Arch. degree are earned in residence at Southern Polytechnic State University. To obtain a second bachelor degree from Southern Polytechnic State University, a student must complete all required courses for the degree and earn credit for a total of at least 30 hours in excess of the requirements for any previous Southern Polytechnic State University degrees earned. Requirements for a dual major are spelled out under the various curricula.

No academic course work completed as a transient student at Southern Polytechnic State University may be applied as a part of the residency requirement for obtaining a degree.

Honors
For graduation "summa cum laude," the minimum scholastic average is 3.90. For graduation "magna cum laude," the minimum scholastic average is 3.70. For graduation "cum laude," the minimum scholastic average is 3.50. For graduation with honor, with high honor, or with highest honor, a candidate must have a minimum of 40 hours in residence for the associate degree and a minimum of 60 hours in residence for the bachelor's degree.

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.