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Undergraduate Academic Policies

Absences from all Classes
Students who have been called away from all classes due to an emergency (serious illness, hospitalization, death of a parent, etc.) will need to provide documentation of the circumstances (to their instructors) and will be expected to contact each instructor to discuss making up the work missed.

Absences from Final Examinations
Students who fail to attend the final exam of a class and who have a passing grade up to that point should be given an Incomplete only if the instructor has reason to believe the absence was beyond the student’s control. If not, the grade of "F" must be awarded. Students who anticipate absences from final examinations, or who are absent from final examinations for reasons they did not anticipate, should discuss these absences with their instructors as soon as possible to determine if they will be allowed to make arrangements for the satisfaction of course requirements. The final decision in the dispensation of these matters remains the instructor’s.

Students scheduled for more than three examinations in one day may have their examination schedule adjusted if they notify the instructor or department of the examination offered in the fourth time slot by the midpoint of the semester. To read more about the policy regarding three or more exams on one day, please see the Registrar publication Enrollment and Student Academic Information.

Absences from Scheduled Classes
With the exception of days covered by the Religious Observances Policy and Procedures of Indiana University, illness is usually the only acceptable excuse for absence from class. Absences must be explained to the satisfaction of the instructor who will decide whether omitted work may be made up.  In all cases of absences other than those following the Religious Observance Policy and Procedures, however, it is the individual instructor who decides whether or not to excuse an absence and/or to allow missed work to be submitted.

Academic Checklist
Students on academic checklist will not be allowed to register until they meet with an academic assistant dean in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office. Students may be placed on checklist for a number of reasons, including academic probation and dismissal.

Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism and cheating undermine the academic environment. Students who cheat undermine their own education, the self-esteem that comes with true mastery, and the academic mission of the University. The regulations governing student academic conduct and the procedures that must be used in handling violations of those regulations are covered in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. (Part II.A. defines academic misconduct, and Part IV.B. explains the procedures for handling cases of academic misconduct; these two sections are reprinted each semester in the Registrar publication Enrollment and Student Academic Information, under the heading "Academic Misconduct Policy."

Academic Policies and Procedures
In planning their academic programs, students should be aware of the following policies and procedures of the College of Arts and Sciences:

  1. The degree requirements that will apply to an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences at Bloomington will be those in effect at the time he or she matriculated at Indiana University (any campus) as a degree-seeking student. Students admitted for the fall semester who elect to take courses in the preceding summer will be bound by the degree requirements in effect for the fall for which they are admitted. A student who fails to complete a degree within eight years of matriculation will be placed on new degree requirements.
  2. Only elective courses may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. For more information, see Pass/Fail Option under "Academic Regulations" in the College Bulletin.
  3. No more than 60 credit hours earned in accredited junior colleges may be applied toward a degree.
  4. With permission of the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, course credit may be earned by satisfactory performance on departmentally approved examinations.
  5. Courses taken by correspondence may not be counted toward degree requirements in the College of Arts & Sciences without prior special permission from the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office.
  6. Candidates for degrees must have all credits on record at least six weeks prior to the conferral of degrees, except that of the current semester.
  7. An application for a degree must be submitted online to the College Recorder’s Office, Kirkwood Hall 001. This should be done no later than June 1 for May graduation, no later than December 1 for August graduation, and no later than March 1 for December graduation. Failure to file by these deadlines may delay graduation.
  8. Degrees are conferred in December, May, and August; Commencement ceremonies are held in May and in December. Candidates for degrees in August may participate in the May Commencement.

Changing/Declaring Majors and Minors
In order to change their major, students must meet with the undergraduate advisor in the department of their proposed new major. For the Bachelor of Arts degree, students may declare a double major (or triple major) with concentrations in two (or three) separate subject areas inside the College of Arts & Sciences. Students interested in other degree combinations must schedule an appointment with the Coordinator of Second Degrees in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office in Kirkwood Hall 012.

To declare a minor, students must meet with the undergraduate advisor in the department of their proposed minor. Students may complete a maximum of 3 minors recognized by the College of Arts & Sciences.

Commencement
The College graduates students in December, May, and August each year. August graduates can participate in the previous May’s Commencement ceremonies and may have their names in the program. December graduates may participate in the December graduation ceremony. Commencement is organized by the IU Alumni Association. Call (812) 855-1711 for details about Commencement ceremonies.

Confidentiality of Records
Indiana University, in compliance with the General Education Provisions Act, Section 438, titled Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, provides that all student records are confidential and available only to that student and the student’s parents, if the student is under 21 and dependent as defined by IRS standards. Students may review their records upon request and may ask for deletions or corrections of the record in a hearing process described in detail in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct distributed at fall registration or available in the Dean of Students’ Office. References, recommendations, and other similar documents may carry a voluntary waiver relinquishing the student’s right to review this specific material. The student may also release the record to others by signing a written release form available in the offices that maintain records. In the College of Arts & Sciences, no information may be released to any third party (including parent or guardian) about an individual student without written permission of that student to release information. Forms for this purpose are available in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, Kirkwood Hall 012, or online.

Correspondence Courses
Courses taken by correspondence may not be counted toward degree requirements in the College of Arts & Sciences without prior special permission from the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office.

Cross Listing Courses between Majors
Whether a student plans two or three majors, a total of only one course may be cross listed.

Course Overloads
The Office of the Registrar allows students to register for a maximum of 19 credit hours per semester. During each of the summer sessions, students are allowed to register for a maximum of 10 credit hours per semester. If students in the College wish to enroll for a course overload (up to and including a maximum of 23 credit hours for a fall or spring semester or up to and including 20 credit hours for the summer) they must first go to the Recorder’s Office, Kirkwood Hall 001, to determine whether they are eligible for an overload on an exception basis. Students requesting an overload must have a 3.000 or above cumulative grade point average, have completed the previous semester with a grade point average of 3.000, and not have any Incompletes. If a student is not eligible for an overload exception from the Recorder’s Office, the student may petition the academic assistant deans.

Degrees awarded with Distinction
The College recognizes outstanding performance in course work by awarding bachelor’s degrees with three levels of distinction: Distinction (3.700), High Distinction (3.800), and Highest Distinction (3.900). Students must have a minimum of 60 graded credit hours at Indiana University to be considered for distinction degrees. The College of Arts & Sciences calculates grades with three decimals without rounding.

Departmental Honors Program
Outstanding students can pursue independent study and research during their junior and senior years through honors programs in most departments of the College of Arts and Sciences. Ordinarily, students will apply for admission to an honors program in the second semester of their sophomore year or in the first semester of their junior year. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.300 and the approval of the department chairperson or departmental honors committee for admission and must maintain this minimum average to be graduated with honors. A potential candidate for honors should consult as soon as possible with the departmental honors advisor or the chairperson of the department about requirements.

Eight-Year Rule
Students who fail to complete a degree within eight years of their matriculation will forfeit the automatic right to use the degree requirements in place at the time of matriculation. These students will follow new degree requirements and should contact the College of Arts & Sciences’ Recorder’s Office for more information.

FN Grading Policy
The course grade of FN is used to indicate failure due to student nonattendance in class, and provides a distinction between an "F" grade awarded for failing performance and an "F" grade assigned for nonattendance. The instructor will provide the last date of documented class attendance or participation whenever the "FN" grade is assigned. The grade that will appear on the student grade report and academic record when an "FN" grade is assigned will be "F." The "N" portion of the "FN" grade and the last attendance date will be retained on the student’s record as internal notations only that can subsequently be used to identify an unofficial withdrawal and to determine the appropriate return amount for any federally defined financial aid that had been awarded to the student.

Grade Appeals and Retroactive Changes
Appeals of grades should be resolved with the instructor who recorded the disputed grade. If the student and instructor cannot resolve the matter, the student should discuss it further with the chair of the department offering the course. Appeals unresolved at the department level may be referred to the academic assistant deans. Appeals of grades or requests for other actions after the conclusion of a course should be made as soon as possible. Such requests will not be considered after one calendar year from the end of the semester in which the course in question was taken.

Grade of Incomplete
A grade of I (Incomplete) may be given only when the work of the course is substantially completed; the student’s work is of passing quality; and when the instructor receives official documentation of extreme circumstances that makes it impossible to complete the course. When an I is assigned, a record must be maintained in the office of the department in which the grade was given. The record will include a statement of the reason for recording the I, an adequate guide for its removal, and a suggested final grade in case the instructor should leave campus for an extended time. The time allowed for the removal of an I may not exceed one calendar year from the date of its recording, although the dean of the student’s college or school may authorize adjustment of this period in exceptional circumstances.

To complete a course in which a student received a grade of I, the student should consult with the instructor. The student should not reenroll in the course.
By assigning an I, an instructor implicitly authorizes and requires the I to be changed to an F at the end of one calendar year if that instructor does not act to remove the I. The registrar will automatically change the I to an F at the end of this time period. Both the student and the instructor in whose course the student received the I will be notified of this change of grade.

When the grade of I is given because students missed the final examination, they will be allowed to remove the I by taking the examination only if they have the approval of the instructor and the Committee on Absence of the Office of the Dean of Students.

These regulations do not apply to research and reading courses in which completion of the work of the course is not necessarily required at the end of the semester and the grade R (Deferred) is given. Once a student has graduated, nothing in these regulations shall prohibit the I from remaining on the record.

Graduate-Level Course Work
Only in very rare circumstances should an undergraduate student be enrolled in a graduate-level course. Graduate courses taken while in undergraduate status may not be applied to any degree requirement of a bachelor’s degree without prior special permission of the dean, and this special permission is limited to a maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate course work. Students interested such permission should contact the director of undergraduate studies in their major and ask that the director confer with the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Graduate courses taken while an undergraduate and counted toward requirements of a bachelor’s degree may not also be counted toward a graduate degree.

Graduation
Students must go online and submit an application to graduate. Application deadlines are as follows:

  • May graduation — the previous June 1
  • August graduation — the previous December 1
  • December graduation — the previous March 1

These deadlines pertain only to official degree completion and are not related to the Commencement ceremony. Students can not be graduated if they have not applied for graduation by intended graduation date.

Honors Notations for Double Majors
Since departmental honors are the award of distinction from a particular department which awards its own major, it is possible for a student pursuing a double major to earn departmental honors on both parts of the double major. Students wishing to earn honors in two different departments must complete a distinct body of work for each honors notation.

Hutton Honors College
Indiana University offers a variety of honors programs to present challenging educational opportunities to superior students. In addition to providing entering students with special sections of traditional departmental courses, the Hutton Honors College offers innovative seminar experiences and arranges independent reading programs for qualified students. Specially chosen honors advisors aid first-year students in planning their individual programs. Students in the Hutton Honors College follow no rigid program and may choose to earn a general honors notation and/or an honors degree in their discipline. Interested students should contact the Hutton Honors College, 811 E. Seventh Street, (812) 855-3555, for further information.

The Hutton Honors College offers the following opportunities to superior students:

  •  Recognition in General Honors - Students in the Hutton Honors College may earn an honors degree in their major discipline. They may also, if they choose, earn a general honors notation on their official transcript and diploma. In order to earn this designation, students must successfully complete the following general requirements and be in good standing in the Hutton Honors College:
    1.  Each student must complete, with a minimum grade point average of 3.300, a general honors curriculum consisting of a minimum of 18 credit hours of approved Hutton Honors College courses, including at least one semester of an Honors College "H" course (or an approved junior/senior equivalent).
    2.  Each student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.300 at graduation.
  • Honors Seminars and Special Sections – Freshman honors seminars are 3 credit hour discussion classes, typically limited to 20 freshman students who explore the ideas of some of the great thinkers and poets in the Western tradition as well as how scholars frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. More advanced seminars (H300 and H400) offer opportunities for study and research on specialized topics. In addition, many departments reserve special introductory sections or seminars for entering students with superior scholastic records, such as Chemistry S117, Economics S201-S202, Mathematics S212, and Psychology P106. The Hutton Honors College faculty also teach honors seminars in their various disciplines. The material covered in these courses is broader in scope or more in depth than that of a regular course.
  • Honors Tutorials – Individually arranged programs if directed reading and research under the tutelage of a faculty sponsor.
  • Grants and Internships – Juniors and seniors may be eligible for undergraduate grants in support of academic research, creative activity, international experiences, study projects or professional internships during the regular academic year or the summer. These grants are designed to meet expenses not normally anticipated in planning an undergraduate program and may be used to support various needs. A number of internships grants are also available for students who wish to engage in a controlled undergraduate teaching program or some equivalent experience in their major area of study.

Interdepartmental Majors
A maximum of 62 hours earned in an interdepartmental major will count toward the 122-hour minimum for the College of Arts and Sciences baccalaureate degree.

Matriculation Dates
College of Arts and Sciences’ students automatically follow the degree requirements in place at the time of their matriculation as long as the degree is completed within eight years.  Matriculation is the date of the first enrollment in an IU system course at any campus after formal admission to an IU degree program.

Noncredit Courses
The College of Arts and Sciences does not grant credit for remedial courses, such as MATH M014 and M025, and SLST T060-079 (English as a Second Language). The grades for these courses do not count in the College of Arts and Sciences cumulative grade point average.

ReStart Policy
College of Arts and Sciences students who have been away from Indiana University for at least five years, and who earned grades that make it impossible or very difficult to return to a College of Arts and Sciences degree program, may petition for a "restart." Under a restart, the College of Arts and Sciences will establish a new degree record for the student that will consist of courses previously taken that were completed with a minimum grade of C. Note that all Indiana University course work will remain on the student’s permanent record (the university transcript); this policy will affect only the student’s College of Arts and Sciences record.

Students will be eligible for consideration for this policy if it has been a minimum of five years since full-time or continuous part-time enrollment. Students will need to provide evidence that would indicate a significant change in their ability to succeed in academic work. Reevaluation of fundamental skills may be necessary before the student can proceed. Students should petition for a restart as part of the readmission process. They are held to the deadlines listed above for submission of readmission petitions.

Students should contact the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, Kirkwood Hall 012, (812) 855-1647, to begin the petition process and to discuss the details of this policy.

Second Bachelor’s Degrees
With approval from the relevant department and the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, students who are earning a degree outside the College of Arts & Sciences may be eligible to earn a second bachelor’s degree in the College of Arts & Sciences simultaneously. Correspondingly, students may pursue degree combinations with one or more Bachelor of Science degrees inside the College of Arts & Sciences. Furthermore, students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University or another accredited institution may be eligible to earn a second sequential bachelor’s degree in the College of Arts & Sciences. To begin the application process for second degree candidacy, students must schedule an appointment with the Coordinator of Second Degrees in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, Kirkwood Hall 012, (812) 855-1647.

Students with Disabilities
Students with a learning disability, hearing impairment, speech impairment, or any other disability that may affect their ability to fulfill a requirement of the College should contact the Disability Services for Students in Franklin Hall 006, (812) 855-7578, prior to registering. Requirements will not be waived for students with disabilities; however, some modifications may be made within specific courses.

Student Responsibility
Students should understand that the responsibility for making an appropriate academic program and for meeting every degree requirement rests with them; academic advisors are obligated only to assist students in meeting this responsibility. Students are responsible for monitoring their progress toward completion of their degree. Students may obtain a copy of their Academic Advisement Report (AAR) through OneStart. Students needing clarification of any of the requirements for their bachelor’s degree or of any information on their AAR are urged to obtain that clarification from their academic advisor or from the College Recorder’s Office, Kirkwood Hall 001, (812) 855-1821.

Exceptions to departmental or College of Arts & Sciences degree requirements may be granted only by written approval from the department and from the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office.

Transfer Courses
IU students planning to take courses outside of the IU system for transfer to IUB should contact the Office of Admissions. They must submit appropriate course materials to that office and fill out a Credit Transfer Agreement (CTA) once the Office of Admissions has determined whether and how the non-IU course will transfer into IUB. Students are encouraged to contact Admissions in a timely fashion, as there are deadlines for requesting course approval. If a student misses the deadline for course evaluation and still wishes to take the non-IU course in question, the student may elect to enroll in a non-IU course and request an evaluation for course transfer.

Undistributed Course Work
Transfer courses that are not equated to a specific IUB course are denoted on a student’s transcript as undistributed, with a departmental designation followed by UN and then level. (For example, POLS-UN 300 would be an undistributed Political Science course at the 300-level.) While these hours count as credit toward graduation, they do not fulfill specific course requirements, such as distribution or major requirements. Students who wish to have undistributed course work evaluated for general distribution (as Arts & Humanities, Social & Historical Studies, or Natural & Mathematical Sciences) should contact the academic advisor in the appropriate department. The academic advisor will evaluate the course and notify the Recorder’s Office, Kirkwood Hall 001 if the course is approved for general distribution credit.

Students who wish to have undistributed course work evaluated for their major, minor, or certificate should contact the academic advisor in the appropriate department.

The Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office will evaluate undistributed course work for Culture Studies credit. Student should submit appropriate course materials along with their petition.

Withdrawals from Courses
Indiana University permits a substantial period for withdrawal from courses with the automatic grade of W (Withdrawal) on the transcript. See each semester’s Enrollment and Student Academic Information publication for deadline dates. Students must petition in writing for permission to withdraw AFTER those relevant deadlines. Petitions for withdrawal will not be authorized by the academic dean unless official documentation of circumstances involving extended illness or equivalent distress is attached to the petition. The desire to avoid a low grade is not an acceptable reason for withdrawal from a course.

If students are allowed to withdraw with the dean’s consent, the instructor must still assign a grade — either a W if students are passing at the time of withdrawal or an F if they are failing at the time of withdrawal. The grade will be recorded on the date of withdrawal. Failure to complete a course without authorized withdrawal will result in the grade of F.