academic catalog - Mt. Sierra College

Mt. Sierra College Academic Policies & Procedures
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Credits and Clock Hours
The following terms refer to classroom contact hours and credit hours.
Quarter 11 weeks
One contact hour One fifty-minute class session
One clock hour One contact hour
One quarter credit hour Eleven hours of lecture or
Twenty-two hours of lab or
Fifty-five hours of externship
Mt. Sierra College uses quarter credit hours as the measurement of all course work. One quarter credit hour is equivalent to
two/thirds semester credit hour.
Student Classification
Students at Mt. Sierra College may be either degree or non-matriculating students. To be a degree student at Mt. Sierra
College means that the student qualifies for admission, has been admitted and is actively working on a degree program. All
degree students must be enrolled in at least one course every quarter or they will be withdrawn from their program. Degree
students who have been withdrawn but wish to return should contact the Academics Department.
Degree students are classified as full-time or part-time students based upon enrollment. Enrollment status is calculated
quarterly and is based upon the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled. Enrollment status categories are as
follows:
Full-time 12 or more credit hours
Three-quarter-time 9 to 11 credit hours
Half-time 6 to 8 credit hours
Less than half-time fewer than 6 credit hours
Non-matriculating students have not been admitted to a degree program, and may be taking courses for personal
enrichment or to earn credit until they are eligible for admission to a degree program. Prerequisite requirements
must be met for all courses unless waived by the appropriate department chairperson. Non-matriculating students
must complete a new enrollment agreement for every term attended. Applicable credit hours earned while enrolled
as a non-matriculating student will be included in all program reviews if the student is subsequently admitted
to a degree program.
Schedule of Classes
All degree programs at Mt. Sierra College have a set curriculum and students complete a specific list of courses to graduate.
In addition, programs are offered in two modalities: FlexLearn ® , a combination of on campus and online courses, and Online,
all courses offered online. All programs are offered via FlexLearn ® and most are offered via Online.
Two FlexLearn ® tracks are offered: daytime and evening/weekend. Courses offered during the daytime track are generally
scheduled Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Courses on the evening/weekend track are generally scheduled Monday
through Friday, 6 to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The quarterly schedule for each program will follow
this track system as closely as possible. Students may occasionally be scheduled for a course on a different track or online
due to instructor availability or class size. The track schedule is subject to change in response to enrollments.
FlexLearn ® students may earn their degree in three years by completing all courses on the standard term schedule each
quarter for twelve consecutive quarters. Online students may complete their degree program within three years by following
the standard course outline for their program of study. The completion time will be longer for part-time students and those
who need to repeat coursework. In addition, students taking courses from different terms must be flexible in scheduling as
they will be scheduling courses from various tracks.
Registration
Applicants will be scheduled for the first term courses in their program upon enrollment. Applicants are urged to submit
transcripts from any previous college or university attended as early in the admissions process as possible, so that they may
be given an appropriate schedule.
Continuing degree students must register every quarter. Continuing Student Registration is conducted during weeks seven,
eight and ten for the following quarter. The posting of the Schedule of Classes during week seven signals the opening
of Registration. Registration is open for two weeks, and students must submit their registration form during this period.
Schedules and booklists are distributed during week ten. A late fee will be applied for all registration forms submitted after
posted deadlines. Specific registration dates and full instructions are mailed to all active degree students quarterly when
Registration opens.
Students will not be registered in classes for which they have not successfully completed all required prerequisites. Students
wishing to request a one-term prerequisite waiver may submit an approved Prerequisite Waiver form with their registration
form. Forms are available at the Academics counter. Students may opt to use a Registration Amendment (Add/Drop) form for
these courses, to avoid any delays in processing their registration form during the pre-registration period.
Non-matriculating students must complete a new enrollment agreement for every quarter attended, and are considered new
students for registration purposes.
Mt. Sierra College Academic Policies & Procedures
43