CATALOG • 2009-2010
Registration, Credit and Grades
During each term all students register for the
following term, indicating all courses in which they plan to enroll. Refer
to page 31 for academic advising information.
Academic Credit Totals: The
standard program of study is five courses or 15 academic credits per
semester. For determining full-time or part-time status and assessing fees,
however, 12 credit hours constitute a full-time load. No student is
permitted to schedule an academic credit overload (over 21 credits) without
permission of the Director of Academic Services or Registrar. Students
registering for over 19 credit hours will be assessed an overload fee.
Exceptions to this policy are applied music courses, study abroad courses
with a travel component paid for by the student, Performing Arts
productions and practicum, Dance Company, Forensic Speech Team, Crestiad,
independent research credits, and athletics. In addition, credits of
courses taken to fulfill scholarship requirements in Dance, Performing
Arts, English, Communication, Business and Marketing will not be counted.
Drop/Add Period: Students
may add a course only during the first week of the course, space
permitting. Students may drop a class during the drop/add period, or prior
to the start of the class without the drop appearing on students’
transcript. Dropping one or more classes may affect a student’s
satisfactory academic progress requirement for receipt of financial aid;
Students should visit the financial aid office for information.
Course Withdrawal: The deadline for course withdrawal occurs in the twelfth (12th)
week of classes. Deadlines for accelerated, winter term, May, and summer
sessions differ. Individual courses may have different withdrawal dates;
students should consult the registration materials for more information.
When a student withdraws from a course after the drop/add period, but
before the official withdrawal deadline, a grade of “W” will be
recorded on the student’s permanent record and a processing fee will
be assessed for each course. The grade will not be computed into the
cumulative average. Withdrawing from one or more classes may affect a
student’s satisfactory academic progress requirement for receipt of
financial aid; the student should visit the Financial Aid Office for
information. An instructor may assign a grade of “F” for
academic dishonesty or clinical failure at any time. This grade supersedes
a “W.”
Administrative Withdrawal: After the withdrawal deadline, students who experience
extenuating non-academic circumstances beyond their control may petition
the Provost for an administrative withdrawal. Students may be able to
withdraw from one or more courses with a grade of “W.” A
“W” will appear on the student’s transcript and will not
affect the student’s cumulative average. Students are expected to
initiate an academic withdrawal before the last day of classes. A decision
must be rendered by the date grades are due for the problematic term.
Administrative withdrawal from one or more classes may affect a
student’s satisfactory academic progress requirement for receipt of
financial aid; the student should visit the Financial Aid office for
information.
Auditing: A full-time
traditional Cedar Crest student may, with the permission of the instructor,
audit a course without added tuition charge on a space-available basis. All
others, with the permission of the instructor, may enroll as auditors for a
tuition charge as noted in the Academic Fee Assessments section of the
catalog. In such courses as studio arts, laboratory sciences, computer
sciences and applied music, appropriate fees may be charged to all students
as applicable. Registration for audits is through the registrar’s
office. A grade of “S” (satisfactory) or “U”
(unsatisfactory) is recorded for auditing. An auditor is not required to
take examinations and is accorded only such class participation as the
instructor may offer. A student may, with the permission of the instructor,
change from audit to credit until the end of the second (2nd) week of
classes (deadlines for accelerated, winter terms, and summer sessions
differ). It is the student’s responsibility to make up any
assignments the student may have been exempt from as an auditor. Adjustment
of fees to the level of full course cost will be made where applicable. A
student may, with the permission of the instructor, change from credit to
audit up until the deadline for withdrawing from courses. No refund will be
given in the case of a registration change from credit to audit.
Independent Studies: The
purpose of an independent study is generally to enable a student to
investigate topics not covered in depth in regularly scheduled classes. It
is generally assumed that the student has taken some necessary background
courses and that she will focus on a topic in some depth. The role of the
instructor in such a course is primarily for consultation, advisement and
possible collaboration. A student proposing an independent study should be
of at least a junior standing with a declared major a the time the
independent study will occur. Before proposing an independent study, the
student should have explored other avenues for receiving instruction or
course credit, including course offerings at other LVAIC institutions,
course substitutions chosen in consultation with the student’s
advisor and/or the involved department chair, or a proficiency exam or CLEP
test if applicable. If an independent study is deemed appropriate by the
sponsoring department, the student proposing an independent study must
complete and sign the independent study form available from the
registrar’s office or at their website, and receive approvals from
the sponsoring faculty member, sponsoring department chair, and the
Provost. Independent studies are charged at the current day per credit
rate. Foundation courses are not available through Independent Study. No
more than 9 credits taken through independent study may be counted towards
a student’s total graduation credits. A student may petition the
Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee for exceptions to this policy.
Cross-registration within LVAIC: Full-time traditional students, other than first-year
students, who are in good academic standing may register for courses at
other institutions of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges
(LVAIC), provided those courses are not available to them at Cedar Crest.
(Other LVAIC participating institutions are DeSales University, Lafayette
College, Lehigh University, Moravian College and Muhlenberg College.)
Traditional students will pay the comprehensive tuition to their home
institution, but may be required to pay applicable fees to the host
institution. Transportation is the student’s responsibility.
Details and forms for cross-registration are available in the
Registrar’s Office.
Matriculated degree-seeking Lifelong Learning students
also are eligible for LVAIC cross-registration privileges. Lifelong
Learning students will be billed by the host institution at their per
credit rate, plus applicable fees.
For summer sessions, all students must pay the host
institution’s tuition and fees.
All credits and grades earned at an LVAIC institution
will be computed into the student’s cumulative average.
If students want to use an LVAIC course to satisfy
either a major or a Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement, they must receive
approval in advance from the appropriate Department Chair at Cedar Crest.
Student teaching is not available through the LVAIC
cross-registration policy. For more information regarding the LVAIC policy,
contact the Registrar.
Maximum Credit Transfer to the College and Final
30-Credit Residency Requirement
After matriculation, a student may transfer a maximum
of 18 credits to Cedar Crest, provided the student has not transferred the
maximum number of credits allowed (see below).Courses completed at LVAIC
institutions (DeSales University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University,
Moravian College, or Muhlenberg College) do not count as transfer credits.
A student may not transfer any credit to Cedar Crest if within 30 credits
of completing the required credit total for graduation. The Registrar can
review transfer petitions from students who matriculated at Cedar Crest as
freshmen, have completed more than the required credit total for
graduation, and have transferred in fewer than 18 credits.
Students transferring from two-year institutions may
transfer up to 60 credits prior to matriculation. Students with an
A.S. or an A.A. degree from a regionally accredited institution may
transfer up to 68 credits. Once credit has been awarded, it may not
be removed from the transcript. Students transferring from four-year
institutions may transfer up to 90 credits prior to matriculation.
They may not transfer any additional credits once they have begun
their final 30 credits at Cedar Crest. CLEP credits are considered transfer
credits.
Application for transfer of academic credit after matriculation
Study at non-LVAIC institutions: Matriculated students interested in studying at another
institution shall consult first with their faculty advisor and/or major
Department Chair. The student shall complete the Permission for Transfer of
Credit form that is available in the Registrar’s Office. A faculty
advisor, Department Chair, and the Registrar must sign the Permission for
Transfer of Credit form prior to the student taking the course. Credit is
transferable if the grade is “C” or better. Quality points are
not transferred, and the grade is not computed into the cumulative average.
The student is responsible to request an official transcript be sent to
Cedar Crest Registrar’s Office upon completion of the course.
Study abroad at approved institutions: Matriculated students interested in study abroad at
approved institutions shall consult first with their faculty advisor and/or
major Department Chair. The student shall complete the International
Programs Approval form with all appropriate signatures, prior to attending
the semester abroad. Forms are available in the Office of International
Programs, located in Allen House, or the Registrar’s Office.
Credit is transferable if the grade is “C”
or better. Quality points are not transferred and the grade is not computed
into the cumulative average. The student is responsible to request an
official transcript be sent to the Cedar Crest Registrar’s Office
upon completion of the program.
Credit for Prior Learning: Cedar Crest College offers matriculated students several avenues
through which to identify and evaluate learning that has taken place in
private study and other out-of-classroom experiences, with the possibility
of receiving academic credit for it. These avenues include College Entrance
Examination Board Advanced Placement Tests (see details in admissions
section of this catalog), proficiency examinations, College Level
Examination Program (CLEP) testing, PONSI (National Program on
Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction), DANTES (Defense Activity for
Non-Traditional Education Support), and credit for experiential learning.
All credits awarded through these avenues are regarded as transfer credits.
The student awarded such credit is subject to the rule that she must take
her last 30 credits at Cedar Crest.
Proficiency Examinations: Information about the availability of proficiency examinations for
specific Cedar Crest courses is available in the Registrar’s Office,
along with application forms. Students must be enrolled and matriculated at
Cedar Crest to apply for proficiency exams. A nonrefundable fee of $30 per
credit attempted is charged for each proficiency examination. For courses
that require a laboratory or clinical assessment, there may be an
additional fee, payable with application. Students cannot receive credit
for the writing two, technology, and information literacy college wide
requirements by taking a proficiency examination. If a student fails
a proficiency examination, it may not be repeated.
College Level Examination Program Testing: CLEP General Examinations: For each of the five general
examinations in which a student receives a score of 50 or higher, Cedar
Crest will award three credits. General Examinations credits are not
applicable either to general education or major requirements. CLEP credits
may not be transferred within the student’s final 30 credits.
The following general examinations have been approved
by departments for transfer credit: college mathematics, English
composition, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and history.
CLEP Subject Examinations: Cedar Crest awards credit
for specific subject examinations, department-approved, that are applicable
to the liberal arts curriculum when students receive the minimum required
score.
The following subject examinations have been approved
by departments for transfer credit:
• American History I
• Business Law
• American History II
• Introduction to Educational Psychology
• American Literature
• Introduction to Sociology
• Analysis and Interpretation of Literature
• Introduction to Psychology
• Calculus with Elementary Functions
• Principles of Accounting
• English Literature
• Principles of Macroeconomics
• Freshman College Composition (essay required)
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Spanish (Level 1 and 2)
• General Biology
• Western Civilization I
• General Chemistry
• Western Civilization II
• Human Growth Development
CLEP information booklets are available in Academic
Services, Curtis Hall. Please see the CLEP administrator for current CLEP
guidelines.
Credit for Experiential Learning: Cedar Crest awards up to 12 credits for experiential
learning. Experiential learning is knowledge acquired outside of the formal
classroom. To apply, a student must be matriculated and have at least nine
earned Cedar Crest credits. Interested students should contact the center
for lifelong learning for further information on credit for experiential
learning. Credit for experiential learning is available only when all other
methods of awarding credit are not applicable. There is a non-refundable
$50.00 application fee. The per credit rate is computed at 50% of the
current evening/weekend rate.
PONSI and DANTES: Cedar
Crest will award credit to matriculated students applying for PONSI or
DANTES credit. Each request will be reviewed individually. Contact the
registrar’s office for more details.
Grades and Quality Points
Letter grades are used to designate academic
achievement, with accompanying quality points:
A = 4.0 quality points
A- = 3.7 quality points
B+ = 3.3 quality points
B = 3.0 quality points
B- = 2.7 quality points
C+ = 2.3 quality points
C = 2.0 quality points
C- = 1.7 quality points
D+ = 1.3 quality points
D = 1.0 quality points
F = 0 quality points
The following grades have no accompanying quality
points and are not computed in the grade-point average:
P = Pass, a course taken as Pass/Fail
S = Satisfactory (Audit)
PN = Pass, no grade
U = Unsatisfactory (Audit)
W = Withdrew before official deadline
CR/NC = Credit/No Credit
The grade-point average is computed at the completion
of each academic semester and summer session for those courses taken at
Cedar Crest College.
For example, a student who has registered for 15
credits in a given semester would calculate his/her GPA in the following
manner:
3 credits of A : 3 x 4 = 12.0
3 credits of B+: 3 x 3.3 = 9.9
3 credits of B : 3 x 3 = 9.0
3 credits of C : 3 x 2 = 6.0
3 credits of D+: 3 x 1.3 = 3.9
Total credits: 15 Total quality points:
40.8
40.8 / 15 = 2.72 GPA = 2.720
Total quality points for each course are calculated by
multiplying the number of course credits by the quality points for the
grade earned. The average is calculated by dividing the total credits
attempted into the total quality points earned.
Students may repeat a course. Third-time repeats
require Registrar’s approval. Some departments have their own
policies regarding repeating a course.
Once the course is repeated, the higher grade earned
is computed into the student’s grade point average. Both grades
appear on the permanent record.
Repeating one or more classes may affect a
student’s satisfactory academic progress requirement for receipt of
financial aid; the student should visit the financial aid office for
information.
Incompletes: A temporary
grade of incomplete (I) is given only to a student who is doing
passing work in a course but who, for reasons beyond the student’s
control, is not able to complete a major assignment or examination by the
deadline for submitting grades. At least 75% of the assigned work for the
class must have been completed before a grade of “I” can be
requested.
An incomplete must be requested by the student and
approved by the instructor, the student’s advisor and by the
Department Chair. “Request for incomplete” forms are available
in the Registrar’s Office. The deadline for requesting an incomplete
grade is the last day of class. In cases involving unusual circumstances,
such as sickness or injury, a member of Academic Services or the instructor
may request an incomplete on the student’s behalf.
A grade of “incomplete” is not entered on
the permanent record. Work must be completed within the first six weeks
after the end of the examination period, or by a date specified by the
instructor.
Pass/Fail option: A student may not use a course taken on a pass/fail basis to
satisfy either major, minor, or liberal education requirements unless the
course is offered only on a pass/fail basis. Students may enroll for
courses on a pass/fail basis up to 25 percent of the total of their Cedar
Crest work applicable for graduation, in addition to courses offered only
as pass/fail.
A first-year student may enroll in no more than two
pass/fail courses per term.
Instructors are not informed that a student is
enrolled as pass/fail. Letter grades are submitted and are recorded as
pass/fail in the registrar’s office. In order to receive a
“Pass,” the student must receive a grade of D or higher.
Pass (P) is not computed in the grade-point average;
the student receives credit only. Fail (F) is computed as an F in the
grade-point average; the student receives no credit.
Changing course registration from graded
credit to Pass/Fail: A student who wishes to
change his/her registration from graded credit to pass/fail must complete
this change in registration by the end of the twelfth (12th) week of the
fall or spring semester. (Deadlines for accelerated, winter term, and
summer sessions differ and will be announced to students and advisors.)
This change is permanent and may not be reversed. Students may not change
from Pass/Fail to graded credit.
Academic Status
Class Standing: A
student’s class standing is determined by the student’s number
of earned credits as certified in the registrar’s office at the
beginning of each term.
Freshman 0-23.9 earned credits
Sophomore 24-54.9 earned credits
Junior 55-85.9 earned credits
Senior 86 or more earned credits
Dean’s List: Dean’s List is awarded each fall and spring to any full-time
matriculated student who receives a semester average of at least 3.650 on
the basis of at least 12 credits for which the student receives letter
grades and quality points. A student who has an incomplete grade during a
semester will not be eligible for the inclusion on the Dean’s List.
Students enrolled for fewer than 12 credits each
semester are considered part-time students for the purposes of Dean’s
List recognition. Appointment to the Dean’s List is made when
A minimum total of 12 credits are completed within one
academic year (Fall, Winter, Spring); and
Grades in the courses across these combined semesters
result in a grade point average of 3.650 or higher.
Dean’s List status for part-time students is
recorded on the most recently completed semester during which all
cumulative criteria were met. Once awarded, the calculation for additional
recognition begins anew.
Delphi: Delphi is the
College honor society for undergraduate students. A student, who at the end
of her junior year or at the end of either term of her senior year, has a
cumulative grade-point average of 3.800 will be recognized as a member of
Delphi in the following semester. To be eligible, a transfer student must
have earned at least 60 credits of academic work at Cedar Crest.
Honor Societies: Cedar
Crest sponsors chapters of the following national or international honor
societies: Alpha Kappa Delta (international – sociology), Alpha Psi
Omega (national – theatre), Alpha Sigma Lambda (national –
lifelong learning students), Beta Beta Beta (national – biology),
Kappa Delta Pi (national – education), Kappa Mu Epsilon (national
– mathematics), Lambda Pi Eta (national – communication), Phi
Alpha (national – social work), Phi Alpha Theta (international
– history), Phi Kappa Delta (national – forensic speech), Psi
Chi (national – psychology), Sigma Beta Delta (national –
business, management and administration), Sigma Tau Delta (national –
English), Sigma Theta Tau (international – nursing), Theta Alpha
Kappa (national – religion and theology) and Nu Delta Alpha (dance).
Graduation with Honors: A
student is considered for graduation honors if the student’s
cumulative average at Cedar Crest is 3.550 or better and includes at least
60 graded Cedar Crest credits. The awarding of honors is based on all
graded work done at Cedar Crest (including dual degree programs) and graded
work completed at other LVAIC institutions as a matriculated Cedar Crest
student and is for undergraduate students only.
Students with a cumulative average of 3.550 or above
at the end of four years graduate cum laude; those with an average of 3.650
or above graduate magna cum laude; those with an average of 3.800 or above
graduate summa cum laude. Students should consult the registrar’s
office to determine their status.
Conditional Standing: The
faculty at Cedar Crest College has adopted the following policy
concerning conditional standing and separation from the College:
• Matriculated
students who fail to achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 1.800 as
first-semester freshmen will be placed on conditional standing for the
subsequent term. Students who fail to achieve a cumulative grade-point
average of 2.000 for any term after their first-semester term will be
placed on conditional standing. Part-time matriculated students will be
reviewed for possible conditional standing for every accumulation of 15
credits they complete. Part-time students who fail to achieve a cumulative
grade-point average of 2.000 for every 15 credits will be placed on
conditional standing for their subsequent 15 credits.
• Matriculated students who fail to achieve a
cumulative grade-point average of 2.000 after three terms on conditional
standing will be subject to dismissal procedure.
• Matriculated students who fail to achieve a
cumulative grade-point average of 1.000 may be subject to dismissal
procedure.
The dismissal procedure includes the opportunity to
petition the Admissions, Enrollment and Retention Committee for
continuation and requires the student to prepare a personal plan for
academic progress.
A student dismissed for unsatisfactory academic
achievement may petition the Admissions, Enrollment and Retention Committee
for re-admission; this petition must include official documentation of
specific academic work or equivalent experience during the interval between
dismissal and re-admission.
Once re-admitted to the College, the student must
achieve a grade-point average of 2.000 or better every semester to remain.
If a student is dismissed a second time, there is no appeal.
