Academic Policies & Procedures

Program Planning and Counseling

The experience of faculty, counselors, and successful students suggests the following guidelines for effective planning of undergraduate programs.

Requirements

Students should be thoroughly familiar with the school's general requirements, competency and course requirements, and academic policies.

Counseling

Students consult with a General Studies Degree Program counselor as an integral aspect of the School of Continuing Studies enrollment process. The counselor assists students in formulating a plan of study, which includes the required and elective courses that students must take to earn their degree.

Students should discuss with their counselor the appropriate method to establish fundamental skills competency requirements: specific courses, self-acquired competency, College-Level Examination Programs (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) examination, departmental examination, or departmental exemption.

Students wanting to receive credit for self-acquired competency that also meets a fundamental skills competency requirement may use the portfolio review process (see below for “Credit for Self-Acquired Competency”).

Pass/Fail Option

B.G.S. students in good academic standing may enroll in a maximum of eight elective courses taken with a grade of P or F.

Courses taken pass/fail must be electives. They may not be used to satisfy any of the course distribution requirements nor counted as part of a student’s concentration area. The courses may be used to meet the B.G.S.’s 300- to 400-level course requirement and fundamental skills competency requirements.

Withdrawal from Courses

Because deadlines and procedures for withdrawal from courses may vary by campus and/or school, students should check with the appropriate campus’s current Schedule of Classes to verify deadlines and procedures.