Academic Policies

Program Planning, Advising, and Career Counceling Services

The IU School of Liberal Arts provides advising services to assist students in planning their program of study. Students pursuing an Associate of Arts and those who have not yet chosen a major area of study are counseled through the IU School of Liberal Arts Miriam Z. Langsam Office of Student Affairs, in Cavanaugh Hall 401, (317) 274-3976. Students who have chosen a major are assigned a departmental faculty advisor and should make an appointment with that advisor before each registration period in order to discuss long-term goals as well as specific course work for the upcoming semester. Consulting with their advisor is a semester-by-semester obligation of students to ensure ongoing progress toward a degree.

Students, however, not their advisors, are responsible for their programs. Whenever possible students should avail themselves of the online "advisement report" available through the "Onestart" webpage. They should familiarize themselves with the general requirements for a Liberal Arts degree as well as with those of the department in which they plan to major. Students are urged to complete most, if not all, of their general education requirements during the freshman and sophomore years.

In planning a program, students should refer to both the Schedule of Classes and this bulletin. Special attention should be paid to course descriptions and prerequisites. This bulletin identifies prerequisites with a ‘‘P,'' corequisites with a ‘‘C,'' and recommended courses with an ‘‘R.'' Students should not enroll in courses for which they do not have the prerequisites. Instructors may require a student to drop a class if the student has not fulfilled the prerequisites.

Career Services

The Miriam Z. Langsam Office of Student Affairs also offers career services for students and recent graduates through the Career Development Office in CA243. These services include workshops, courses and individual consultations to help you connect your academic interests and accomplishments along with your work experiences, volunteer activities and on-campus involvement with potential career opportunities. Our career services staff can help you explore and plan your academic journey including on-campus leadership and job opportunities, community engagement through volunteering and internships, and preparation for professional job searching and graduate school applications. We help students learn to identify and articulate their unique skills and strengths, particularly through creating effective resumes, cover letters, graduate school essays and when preparing for interviewing and networking.

Pass/Fail (P/F) Option
Any IU School of Liberal Arts undergraduate in good standing (not on probation) may enroll in a maximum of eight elective courses to be taken with a grade of P (pass) or F (fail). The Pass/Fail option can be used for a maximum of two courses per year, including summer sessions. The course selected for Pass/Fail must be an elective. It may not be used to satisfy any of the major or school distribution requirements, with the exception of the 300- to 400-level course requirement (Area III).

Final Examinations
Final examinations or other activities in lieu of a final are to be scheduled during finals week at the time indicated in the Schedule of Classes.
Students scheduled for three or more finals in a 24-hour period may have their examination schedule adjusted. They should notify the instructors involved by mid-semester and determine if any of them are willing to schedule an alternate examination. Students having problems with an instructor may consult the chair of the department or the Miriam Z. Langsam Office of Student Affairs, in CA401, (317) 274-3976.

Forgiveness Policy
The IU School of Liberal Arts has adopted a modified version of the IUPUI forgiveness policy (http://registrar.iupui.edu/forgive.html) for students who have been out of school for three or more years. For more information about the policy, call (317) 274-3976 or visit CA401.

Petition for Grade Change
Either students or faculty members may petition for a change in course grade.

A student desiring a change of grade should first discuss the situation with the instructor. If the instructor agrees, and no more than one full semester has elapsed since the course was finished, the faculty member must file a Grade Change Authorization Form with the Associate Dean of the Miriam Z. Langsam Office of Student Affairs. If more than one full semester has elapsed, the faculty member still files the Grade Change Authorization Form, but the form may be sent to the IU School of Liberal Arts Academic Affairs Committee, depending on the reason given for the change of grade. Campus policy limits petitions for change of grades to five years after the course.

If the instructor and student do not agree on a change of grade, or if the instructor cannot be located, the student should discuss the matter with the chairperson, director, or coordinator of the department or program in which the course was offered. Following that, the student may petition the Academic Affairs Committee directly, using the Change of Grade Petition Form; these forms should be completed online at http://registrar.iupui.edu/grdfrm.html. The petition must include (1) a statement of an attempted but unsuccessful interview with the faculty member and chair, and (2) supporting evidence for the petition. The decision of the Academic Affairs Committee is final and there are no additional avenues of appeal.