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Academic Policies
Registration Procedures Selecting Courses During the fall and spring semesters, currently enrolled students may pre-register for the following academic semester. Students must consult with their assigned faculty advisor and obtain his or her signature before registering for classes. Before registering for classes, a student's bill must be paid to date and all health records must be complete in the Engle Center. A registration hold can only be cleared with a pass from the appropriate office. Students who carry 12 or more credits in a given semester are considered full-time students. To take more than 18 credits, students must obtain special permission from their advisor and the College Registrar. Additional tuition fees are charged when students enroll for more than 18 credits. The January Term is an integral part of the spring semester. Thus, students register for the spring semester and January term simultaneously. Usually they take 3 or 4 credit hours in January and 12 or 13 during the spring term. The credits earned during the January Term and the Spring Term compose the total for the spring semester. All students are expected to register for an on-campus or off-campus course during January Term each year. No discounts are given to students who do not enroll for a January Term course.  Drop/Add (Change in Registration) Following pre-registration, all course changes require the signature of the student's academic advisor. After classes begin, or if a class is closed, the signature of the instructor is required in order to drop or add a course. These signatures are then submitted to the Registrar's Office for an official change in registration. Courses may be added during the first two weeks of the fall and spring semester or during the first three days of classes during January term. Courses may be dropped during the first third of the term in which they are offered without appearing on a student's academic transcript. During the middle third of the semester, a grade of WP (if the student is doing passing work) or WF (if the student is failing) is recorded and appears on the student's transcript. Neither grade (WP or WF) affects the student's grade point average. Specific deadline dates for course changes are posted each semester. Auditing a Course Students who wish to attend a course but not receive College credit or a grade for their work may audit the course. Students who audit a course attend classes on a regular basis but are not required to do the course work or take any tests in the course. When the course is completed, the audited course is noted on the student's transcript. An additional tuition charge will be added if a student's registration exceeds 18 credits. Change of Major After having declared a major, students who wish to register for another course of study must obtain the signature of the Department Chair for the new major. The Department Chair will assign the student to an academic advisor for that major. Changing a major must be done through the Academic Office. A change of major may impact General Education requirements. Students should consult with the new advisor for information. Double Major A student pursuing a double major must determine which major is primary and which is secondary. The primary major determines which degree will be granted. Approximately one-third of the requirements of a student's primary major may be used toward the requirements for a secondary major. Minor New procedures to apply for a Minor are currently pending. Class Attendance Punctual and regular attendance at classes is expected except when a student is prevented from doing so by illness, death in the family, or a similar emergency. Individual course regulations about class attendance are left to the discretion of the instructor. Attendance regulations are conveyed to students at the beginning of the semester and are delineated in the syllabus for each course. For class absence due to personal illnesses, it is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor. For deaths in the family and similar emergencies, students should notify Student Life, which will notify the Registrar's Office, which will notify the individual instructors. Student absences due to participation in field trips and inter-collegiate athletics and the dates and times associated with the event are verified by the sponsoring faculty member or coach and listed in the weekly campus newsletter. All students participating in these trips must sign release forms prior to leaving campus. It is the prerogative of the individual instructor to decide whether students who miss a class examination are granted make-up privileges. Any arrangements are to be made between the student and the instructor. Grading System Letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) carry a quality point value and are used in the computation of semester and cumulative grade point averages (GPA). Letter grades and their corresponding quality point values are as follows:
Credits and Quality Points A credit unit is a semester hour consisting of 50 minutes of lecture, or two to three such periods of laboratory work per week, throughout a semester. A student's cumulative grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of semester hours attempted in which quality points may be earned (graded total). Credits transferred from other institutions do not carry quality points. Pass/Fail Grades P = Pass. Used only for a passing grade in a Pass/Fail course or when a student selects to register for a course on a Pass/Fail basis. The cutoff for pass is "C–". Semester hours in which the student receives a "P" count toward graduation, but not toward the GPA. F = Failure. The grade of F is a failing grade and is included in the computation of both the semester and cumulative GPA. Auxiliary symbols do not carry a quality point value and are not used in the computation of semester and cumulative grade point averages. WP = Withdraw Passing. Given only to a student who withdraws from a course doing passing work in the middle third of the term. Does not count in the student's GPA. WF = Withdraw Failing. Given only to a student who withdraws from a course doing failing work in the middle third of the term. Does not count in the student's GPA. W = Withdrawal. Given only to a student who withdraws from all courses (i.e., withdraws from the College), or from specific curses in cases of emergency during the final third of the semester. I = Incomplete. Used only when a student cannot, for emergency reasons, complete a course on schedule. Incomplete grades are not given because of procrastination. To receive credit for the course, the unfinished work must be completed within four (4) weeks of the close of the term. If a course is not completed within the extended timetable, the incomplete grade is converted to an "F". Pass/Fail Option During their college careers, students may take a maximum of four courses on a pass/fail (P/F) basis with these conditions:
Examinations Class examinations. When students miss a preannounced class examination, the instructor decides whether they will be granted a make-up privilege. Final examinations The final exam period is an important and integral part of the semester. Faculty members are to use this time as a part of the semester's education and will not schedule events which conflict with the final exam schedule. Students are expected to attend their final exams at the time indicated. Requests for final exam changes Occasionally exceptions are necessary. When this is the case, students must obtain approval from the Registrar prior to rescheduling an exam. All requests for change must be submitted to the Registrar's Office using the form Request for Final Examination Change (available in the Registrar's Office) at least one week prior to the final examination. The student will list the courses he or she needs to change and the reason for the request. The Registrar must approve the request and sign the form before the student and instructor reschedule the examination time. Any student having final examinations scheduled for more than eight (8) credit hours on one day may request a change in his or her final schedule according to the following guidelines:
Academic Petitions Students who find it necessary to request an exception to any academic policy should secure and complete an Academic Policy Petition form from the Academic Office. The appeal is then reviewed and acted upon by the Academic Appeals Committee. The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee will be communicated to the student in writing and copies will be distributed to the student's advisor. A copy will also be placed in the student's file in the Academic Office. Application for Degree Students working toward a degree must file an application for degree with the Assistant to the Registrar at the beginning of their senior year. Applications require the approval of the Dean's Council and the Community of Educators before students are formally admitted to degree candidacy. Academic Dishonesty Scholastic dishonesty constitutes a serious violation of community standards at Messiah College. Any act which involves misrepresentation of the student's academic work or that abridges the rights of others to fair academic competition is forbidden. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, cheating on assignments or exams, submission of the same (or substantially the same) paper in more than one course without the prior consent of all instructors concerned, depriving others of necessary academic sources, and sabotaging another student's work. The Student Handbook includes a description of measures that will be taken in cases of academic dishonesty. Grade Appeal Procedures An appeal process for students who wish to dispute the final grade received for a course can be found in the Student Handbook. Medical Leave Status Medical Leave Status is for students who need to leave the College during the semester without completing their coursework, or take a semester off for serious documented physical or psychological illness. Students on medical leave do not have to withdraw from the college or apply for readmission through the Admissions Office. However, students must be approved for fitness to return to campus through the procedures listed in the policy. Medical leave, which may continue no longer than two consecutive semesters, also establishes guidelines by which exceptions for completion of "Incomplete" grades may be requested. The complete policy is available in the Student Handbook. Withdrawal from the College Students who wish to withdraw from Messiah College before the end of the semester must notify the Student Life Office and arrange for the payment of all bills in order to secure honorable dismissal. For refund purposes, the date that the Student Life Office signs the notification form will be considered the date of withdrawal. Access to College Records Messiah College respects student rights guaranteed by law and appropriate to a private, Christian, educational setting. Messiah College maintains student records under the guidelines of the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which gives enrolled students the right to inspect their "educational records" and to restrict the release of those records. Educational records are defined generally as records, files, documents, and other materials maintained by the College which contain information directly related to the student and from which a student can be individually identified. Examples include academic records, student account records, and many records maintained by Student Life. Educational records do not include personal records of instructors or administrators, medical records, financial records of parents, or Public Safety records created for the purpose of law enforcement. Educational records will be released to parents/guardians only with the written consent of the student or upon written evidence that the student has been declared as a dependent on the parent/guardian's most recent income tax return. FERPA permits the College to release "directory information" without student consent to anyone requesting information unless a student instructs the College not to release such information. Directory information at Messiah College includes a student's name, home address, campus address, home telephone number, high school attended, campus telephone number, campus e-mail address, photograph (available only on the college's internal, secure, online system), dates of attendance, degree for which a student is a candidate, academic major, academic awards or honors, birth date, class year, full-time/part-time status, and weight and height for members of athletic teams. Messiah College's policy regarding access to college records is set forth in full in the Student Handbook. Transcripts and Recommendations Upon written request from students, the Registrar's Office issues transcripts of academic records. There may be a cost. Before transcripts can be issued, a student must have a clear account with the College Business Office. Click here for more information about transcripts. Students who wish a recommendation for graduate school must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Academic Warning When a student's term GPA falls below 2.0 but the cumulative GPA is at or above the required minimum, the student will be given an academic warning. This warning is not part of the student's permanent academic record. However, it does alert the student to potential difficulties. Academic Probation, Suspension, and Dismissal Satisfactory academic progress toward a degree as a full-time student is defined as completing 24 or more credits per academic year and maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 1.8 while earning the first 23 credits, 1.9 for 24-56 credits, and 2.0 for 57 credits or more. Any full-time student who fails to maintain this minimum cumulative grade point average will be placed on academic probation. A student who does not maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average for two consecutive semesters will be placed on academic suspension for two semesters. Any student taking six or more credits in a semester who receives less than a 1.0 (D) semester grade point average will be considered for academic suspension by the Academic Appeals Committee. After two semesters of suspension, the student may apply for reinstatement by providing evidence of probable success. Upon return, if a student fails to achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average in two semesters, the student will be dismissed from the College. A student who is dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission after two years. In addition, such a student must present 24 credits of transferrable work taken after dismissal from Messiah. Academic Appeals Appeals of academic suspension or dismissal must be submitted in writing to the Academic Appeals Committee and must include an explanation of why minimum academic requirements were not met and why an exception is warranted. Appeals must be received within the time limit stated in the suspension notification. Cocurricular and Athletic Eligibility The purpose of placing a student on academic probation is to help the student reorder his/her priorities and time commitments in the direction of greater emphasis on academic studies so that he/she might attain the College's minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress as soon as possible. A student who has been placed on academic probation shall be ineligible for participation in the following cocurricular activities:
The Registrar is responsible for notifying students of their being placed on (or removed from) academic probation immediately upon completion of the grading process for the period of study leading to such status. Students placed on academic probation as a result of fall semester grades shall become ineligible for cocurricular participation on the first class day of January term/spring semester. Students placed on academic probation as a result of January term/spring semester or summer session grades shall become ineligible for participation on the first class day of the fall semester. Students who are removed from academic probation as a result of fall, January term/spring semester, or summer grades shall become eligible for cocurricular participation as soon as grades are officially recorded for that period of study. A student who is placed on academic probation may appeal for an exception to this policy. The appeal must be sent, in writing, to the Registrar by the end of the first week of the next semester (fall or January term/spring), and must be accompanied by letters of recommendation from the student's academic advisor, the person in charge of the respective cocurricular activity, and the student's Residence Director (if applicable). The Academic Appeals Committee shall act on the appeal and the decision of that Committee shall be final. |
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