Policies and Procedures
Campus Policies
Principles of Undergraduate Learning
Graduates of the IU School of Liberal Arts should exemplify the ideals of a liberal arts education and the University’s “Principles of Undergraduate Learning.”
Students should be broadly educated across the disciplines and well trained in a particular major. They should have: (1) proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking skills; (2) competence in quantitative, language, and analytic skills; (3) a broad-based experience in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; and (4) a major area of study. Although faculty and advisors are available to help students acquire these proficiencies and attitudes, learning must be self-motivated. To be taught, one must first be interested in learning. A liberal arts education, therefore, is the responsibility of the individual student.
By graduation, a liberal arts education should have provided the opportunity for a student to attain the IUPUI “Principles of Undergraduate Learning,” which are:
- Core Communication and Quantitative Skills: The ability of students to express and interpret information, perform quantitative analysis, and use information resources and technology—the foundational skills necessary for all IUPUI students to succeed.
- Critical Thinking: The ability of students to engage in a process of disciplined thinking that informs beliefs and actions. Students who demonstrate critical thinking apply the process of disciplined thinking by remaining open-minded, reconsidering previous beliefs and actions, and adjusting their thinking, beliefs, and actions based on new information.
- Integration and Application of Knowledge: The ability of students to use information and concepts from studies in multiple disciplines in their intellectual, professional, and community lives.
- Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness: The ability of students to examine and organize disciplinary ways of knowing and to apply them to specific issues and problems.
- Understanding Society and Culture: The ability of students to recognize their own cultural traditions and to understand and appreciate the diversity of the human experience.
- Values and Ethics: The ability of students to make sound decisions with respect to individual conduct, citizenship, and aesthetics.
Dean's List
Liberal Arts undergraduate students with high academic achievement are recognized each semester through the Dean's List. Full-time undergraduate students enrolled in and completing 12 or more credit hours for the semester must earn a semester GPA of at least 3.3. Part-time undergraduate students enrolled in and completing 6-11.5 credit hours must earn a semester GPA of at least 3.4. Students must be officially registered as Liberal Arts majors to be eligible. Students pursueing degrees in two schools for whom Liberal Arts appears as their second school will be considered for the Dean's List through their primary school.
Double Major/Degree
The IU School of Liberal Arts allows students to complete double majors and double degrees. Students seeking a double major must consult advisors from each of the departments in which they propose to study. Students must complete the requirements for each of the two majors as well as all other school requirements for a degree.
While most students work on a single degree at a time, a student may work on what is essentially two degrees in two different schools at IUPUI simultaneously (e.g., a B.A. from Indiana University in English and a B.S. from Purdue University in Psychology). Proposed dual degrees programs must be approved by the appropriate advisors and deans in both schools. Students must complete all requirements in the two schools for the two different degrees.
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, minor or school distribution requirements.
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 Final Exam Schedule section of the Academic Calendar.
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.
Self-Acquired Competency
Credit may sometimes be granted for learning experiences acquired through means other than normal college course work. Credit is available for course-specific learning or for non–course-specific learning in (1) arts and humanities, and (2) social sciences.
Faculty will evaluate the experience and determine whether credit should be awarded and the amount of credit to be granted. Students may be asked to prepare a portfolio, take examinations, or document their learning in other suitable ways so that the faculty can make such judgments. Only 12 credit hours of self-acquired competency can be applied toward a degree. A brochure providing additional information is available in the Miriam Z. Langsam Office of Student Affairs, CA401.
Graduation
Undergraduate students must apply for graduation prior to the graduation date. Announcements will be made through the student email listserv, by postings in the building, and through academic departments. IUPUI students may apply for graduation dates of May, August, or December.
Graduate students must apply through their program director and the IU Graduate School by the dates indicated in those programs. Graduate students have monthly graduation dates.
Graduation with Distinction
Liberal Arts undergraduate students with outstanding academic achievement are recognized by IUPUI at graduation by the designations of Distinction, High Distinction and Highest Distinction. These recognitions are bestowed on the top 10% of each graduating class.
To be eligible for consideration, undergraduate students must have:
- 1) Officially applied for graduation on time (i.e. by Dec. 1 for May and August graduation; by Aug. 1 for December graduation)
- 2) Completed at least 60 credit hours toward degree from IUPUI at the time lists are prepared for the Registrar and Assistant Director of Student Records (usually that is in Jan. for May and August graduates; in September for December graduates). Again, you must have completed at least 60 hours at IUPUI that count toward your degree by the time the list is prepared.
- 3) Have an IU cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 or higher when the lists are prepared (usually that is in Jan. for May and August graduates; in October for December graduates). The cutoff for 10% may raise the lowest GPA, but no one with a recorded GPA of less than 3.5 will be considered.
Students who meet the above requirements and are in the 10% will be contacted via email by the Assistant Director of Student Records with instructions for picking up honor cords prior to May commencement.
Second Bachelor’s Degree
Normally, holders of bachelor’s degrees seeking further education are encouraged to enter graduate programs; in certain cases, however, students may prefer to work toward a second bachelor’s degree. If admitted by the Dean to candidacy for a second degree, students must earn at least 26 additional credit hours in residence at IUPUI and meet the requirements of the IU School of Liberal Arts and of the department in which they are candidates.