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Table of Contents Academic Life Academic Regulations The Academic Programs International and Off-Campus Studies Special Programs Admissions and Financial Aid Life Outside the Classroom People Facts and Figures College Calendar |
Counting Courses and CreditsCOURSEFor numerical purposes the term "course" means a full (1.00) course credit, as distinguished from fractional course credits. St. Olaf courses are not denominated in semester or quarter credits. Each St. Olaf course is equivalent to 4.00 semester credits or 5.50 quarter credits. Course descriptions are printed in this catalog or in the Catalog Supplement.Course offerings during a given semester are listed in the Class and Lab Schedules, which are published three times a year. Thirty-five full courses are required for the Baccalaureate degree. Unless reduced as the result of transfer credits, 24 of the 35 courses must be taken on a graded basis.HALF-SEMESTER COURSESHalf-semester courses have drop/add and S/U deadlines that are different from full-semester courses. Consult the academic calendar in this catalog, the Class and Lab Schedule, and the registrar's Web site. If a student is taking a full load of 4.50 courses with the .50 being a first-half semester course, he/she cannot register for a second-half semester course unless he/she meets the criteria for an overload stated under "Course Loads" in this catalog. Note that "1" designates a first-half semester course and "2" a second-half course in the Class and Lab Schedule. If there is a "1" next to the Lab/Disc column, the course is offered during the first half of the semester. If there is a "2" next to the Lab/Disc column, the course is offered in the second half of the semester.COURSE CREDITSOften credit earned from specific courses varies with different Baccalaureate degrees, core requirements and majors. Rely on this catalog and the Class and Lab Schedules for information about which courses fulfill General Education requirements.
COURSE LEVELSSt. Olaf courses have levels designated by course numbers in this catalog and in the Class and Lab Schedules as:100-199 Level I 200-299 Level II 300-399 Level III Courses numbered at Level II and Level III are referred to as Upper Level courses. Students may be required to have at least two Level III courses in their major. Eighteen of the 35 full courses required for graduation must be at Level II or III. A course can earn only one level. It cannot be raised in level as the result of extra studies, assignments, or performance. A course with a lower number cannot, as the result of extra work, become another course of a higher number because of scheduling conflicts or closed course status. For example, Art 119 (.50) cannot earn credit as Art 233 (1.00), nor can Art 233 become 244. Likewise, a .25 credit course cannot become a .50 credit course. COURSE LOADS AND COSTS/OVERLOADS4.5 courses is the typical, maximum course load allowed from all sources during a semester and only one course may be taken during Interim. Note that a student cannot add a course so as to create a course overload; a course must be dropped first if an added course would put the student's course load over the allowed 4.5 maximum. With the permission of the registrar, a student may exceed 4.5 courses during a semester if:
GRADE AND MARKING SYSTEMFinal grades are designated as follows:
GRADE POINTS BY COURSE CREDIT
GRADE POINT AVERAGEThe grade point average is based upon final grades for all course work taken at St. Olaf. Grades and grade points for courses transferred from other schools are not computed in the St. Olaf grade point average. The only exceptions are for grades earned through inter-registration at Carleton College, and grades earned through the Minnesota Intercollegiate Nursing Consortium Program where there is a completed major in nursing. Graded courses from St. Olaf off-campus programs are not computed in the grade point average except for courses taught by St. Olaf instructors. The grade point average is computed to two decimal places, (3.15, 2.36, etc.), and is never rounded up or down. An average grade of C (2.00) is required for graduation. Grades earned S/U or P/N and grades earned through transfer credits, Advanced Placement, or other means, are not computed in the grade point average. Computing the Grade Point AverageThe grade point average (G.P.A.) is computed by dividing the total number of St. Olaf, MINC, or Carleton-graded courses into the total grade points computed from the scale found under grade points by course credit (see chart). Below is a "tally line" from a sample St. Olaf transcript indicating how this is done. 95.52 grade points divided by 29.25 graded courses equals a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.26. Projecting a G.P.A.: Formula for Determining Grades
Using the "tally line" from your St. Olaf transcript (see example), one may project a desired G.P.A. by using the following formula:
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| Total number of graded courses to date | |||
| (plus) | Number of graded courses registered for (intending to) | + | ________ |
| (equals) | Total number of graded courses | = | ________ |
| (times) | G.P.A. attempting to reach | x | ________ |
| (equals) | Total grade points needed to reach desired G.P.A. | = | ________ |
| (minus) | Current grade points on transcript | - | ________ |
| (equals) | Grade points needed in current graded courses to reach desired G.P.A. | = | ________ |
Example: The senior whose transcript "tally line" appears above has a 3.26 G.P.A. He/she wishes to determine the grades necessary to reach 3.30 in order to graduate with honors. There are two steps.
| Step I | Total number of graded courses to date | 29.25 | |
| (plus) | Number of graded courses registered for (intending to) | + | 4.00 |
| (equals) | Total number of graded courses | = | 33.25 |
| (times) | G.P.A. attempting to reach | x | 3.30 |
| (equals) | Total grade points needed to reach desired G.P.A. | = | 109.72 |
| (minus) | Current grade points on transcript | - | 95.52 |
| (equals) | Grade points needed in current graded courses to reach desired G.P.A. | = | 14.20 |
Step II Possible scenarios for this student
Grade = Grade Pts.
| B = 3.00 | 13.60 grade points is not sufficient to reach the desired 3.30 G.P.A. because | |
| B+ = 3.30 | 95.52 | grade points previously accumulated |
| + 13.60 | grade points, current courses | |
| B+ = 3.30 | = 109.12 | total grade points |
| / 33.25 | total graded courses | |
| A = 4.00 | = 3.28 | DID NOT REACH HONORS |
| Total = 13.60 | (did not accumulate 14.20 grade points needed as shown above) | |
Grade = Grade Pts.
| B+ = 3.30 | 14.30 grade points is sufficient to reach the desired 3.30 G.P.A. as follows | |
| B+ = 3.30 | 95.52 | grade points previously accumulated |
| + 14.30 | grade points, current courses | |
| A- = 3.70 | = 109.82 | total grade points |
| / 33.25 | total graded courses | |
| A = 4.00 | = 3.30 | HONORS |
| Total = 14.30 | (the 14.30 grade points accumulated exceeds the 14.20 grade points required as shown above) | |
Caution: If in doubt about your calculations when attempting to project a G.P.A., please request that the Registrar's Office verify your figures. Projections that involve a repeated course vary somewhat from the procedure given. Consult with the Registrar's Office to compute a projected G.P.A. when repeating a course.
Following Fall Semester and Interim, grade reports are placed in student mailboxes. Grades from Spring Semester are mailed to the student's official home address. Students who want Fall Semester and Interim grades mailed to an off-campus address or Spring Semester grades held for on-campus pick up should notify the Registrar's Office before the end of final exam week.
Under no condition can grades be reported by telephone or to third parties, including parents. Typically, grades are available on the web before they are mailed out.
A student has one year to notify the Registrar's Office of a grade error on the transcript. A grade error is a recording mistake made by the Registrar's Office.
Grade changes, on the other hand, are initiated by the instructor issuing the original grade. The instuctor submits a grade change request to the registrar/assistant vice president for academic affairs for consideration. If the request is approved, the Registrar's Office will inform both the student and the instructor.
A minimum of six full courses with grades above C-, (C or higher) must be completed in the major field. Not more than one of the minimum full courses required for a departmental or interdisciplinary major may be taken on an S/U basis.
A minimum of 24 full (1.00) graded courses out of 35 full equivalent courses is required for graduation. A reduction scale printed below is used if not all course work is taken at St. Olaf, or if credit is earned through special programs such as Advanced Placement. As a rule, two-thirds of the courses taken at St. Olaf must be graded. The graded course requirement is reduced by scale in the following instances:
A semester-length St. Olaf off-campus program or combinations of several semester-length off-campus programs will not reduce the number of graded credits required. However, a course taught by a St. Olaf instructor on an off-campus program is considered a graded course and counts toward the 24 required if taken for a letter grade.
A full-year off-campus program gives a student partial graded course credit toward the 24-graded-course requirement even though the letter grades from a full-year program are not computed in the grade point average unless taught by a St. Olaf instructor. Under these conditions, the 24-graded-course requirement is reduced as follows:
Nine courses earned -- four graded courses reduced
Eight courses earned -- four graded courses reduced
Seven courses earned -- three graded courses reduced
Six courses earned -- three graded courses reduced
Interim exchange courses do not reduce the number of graded courses required for graduation.
The reduction scale by course quantity is printed below:
| Ole courses taken | Ole graded required | Ole courses taken | Ole graded required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 23 | 25 | 17 |
| 33 | 22 | 24 | 16 |
| 32 | 22 | 23 | 16 |
| 31 | 21 | 22 | 15 |
| 30 | 20 | 21 | 14 |
| 29 | 20 | 20 | 14 |
| 28 | 19 | 19 | 13 |
| 27 | 18 | 18 | 12 |
| 26 | 18 | 17 | 12 |
P/N credits are earned in courses that are offered only P/N. In other words, every student taking the course is doing so on an ungraded basis. This differs from S/U grades where each student in a course may elect to take the course graded or ungraded. Courses offered only on the P/N basis, if so designated, may fulfill General Education graduation requirements.
An incomplete in a course is rarely granted and only if there is a distinct possibility of, and a commitment to, finishing the course in a timely manner.
Incompletes are granted primarily for documented medical reasons and may not be issued by an instructor without prior approval of the dean of students or one of the associate deans of students.
An incomplete for which a grade is not recorded by the extended deadline automatically becomes an F. The incompleted course cannot be dropped from the record at a later date to avoid a failing grade. Once the course is completed with the assignment of a letter grade and credit, an asterisk is entered beside it on the permanent transcript indicating that the course was once incomplete. A student may not apply for an incomplete in a course added after the posted deadline because of insufficient time to complete the assigned work.
A student who has been granted an incomplete in a course cannot subsequently finish the course with similar course credit transferred from another college. A St. Olaf incomplete which is not completed at St. Olaf will be converted into an F.