POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY 2005-2007

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
high-level research and development for the
whole department and for relevant firms
and fields at large.
The department is also committed to
integrating technology into all educational
programs to enhance learning. Because all
managers must now understand how technology
and innovation are essential for
delivering value to organizations and the
market, the department offers a portfolio of
educational programs dealing with the
broad spectrum of innovation, information
and technology management in the modern
economy.
In addition to its academic programs, the
Department of Management offers shortterm,
nondegree programs, including programs
tailored to the needs of specific firms
and industries that are related in some fashion
to the broadly defined technology and
information management field.
THE SCIENCES AND
MATHEMATICS
Science and mathematics are the underpinnings
of modern technology. As scientists
and mathematicians discover and
describe new secrets of the natural world,
engineers look to apply them to developing
new technology. Without the physical
sciences and mathematics, engineers would
have no tools with which to invent the
technology of tomorrow.
Polytechnic’s undergraduate science
and mathematics programs give students
unique opportunities to study basic theory,
while at the same time interacting with
design disciplines. The structure of undergraduate
programs in these areas encourages
students to select concentrations of
elective courses in technology areas.
Students use modern laboratories and
interact with faculty who are world-class
researchers. Many junior and senior classes
are small, allowing students to develop
one-on-one relationships with faculty and
work with them in their appropriate research
areas.
The future of technology critically
depends on the ability to develop a better
and more accurate understanding of nature
and its opportunities and constraints. For
technology to advance, scientists must continue
to unlock the secrets of the universe,
and mathematicians must continue to
develop the analytic and logical processes
through which they can extend and apply
that which they discern. Polytechnic programs
prepare scientists and mathematicians
for this vital role, enabling them to
lead society to a better future.
GENERAL POLICIES
TRANSCRIPTS
The issuance of transcripts and generally
the release of any information about a student
are subject to the provisions of Public
Law 93-380, the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended.
Unless Polytechnic’s disclosure policy
permits otherwise, official transcripts of
the scholastic record will be issued only
upon the submission of a written request or
upon the submission of a signed release
from the student. Official transcripts will be
sent directly to a school or other properly
authorized parties. There is a $5 fee for an
official transcript.
Unofficial transcripts are available to
students upon written request. The first transcript
will be issued without charge. There
is a fee for each subsequent transcript issued.
Polytechnic reserves the right to withhold
the issuance of a transcript due to a student’s
failure to meet financial indebtedness
to Polytechnic.
Upon graduation, a student’s transcript
should be reviewed carefully and any errors
immediately reported to the Office of the
Registrar before the record is sealed.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The University has a written policy on
intellectual property, which governs faculty
and student project work, in terms of rights,
benefits and releases. The policy is available
from the Office of Academic Affairs.
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS AND
ACADEMIC POLICIES
This section details the general Universitywide
degree requirements that apply to all
Polytechnic undergraduate degrees.
Academic departments may place additional
requirements on individual degrees. Such
additional requirements are explained in the
programs section of this catalog. In no case
may a department specify requirements less
stringent than those indicated here.
BASIC DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
AND DEFINITION OF CREDITS
Programs for the degree Bachelor of
Science require 120 to 131 credits, depending
upon the major as described in the programs
section of this catalog.
Undergraduate semester credits are based
upon the number of 55-minute periods
scheduled each week during one semester.
Normally, 1 credit signifies a minimum of
either one 55-minute period of class work,
or three periods of undergraduate laboratory,
over a period of 14 weeks. In a few
cases, more time per credit is given. The
final examination period is an integral part
of the semester.
Students may attend on a part-time or
full-time basis, and all degrees may be
completed in four years of full-time study.
To earn the degree Bachelor of Science
from Polytechnic, students must take a
minimum of 32 credits of junior- and seniorlevel
courses at Polytechnic in the student’s
major field in order to fulfill residency
requirements. Nearly all undergraduate
courses are given during the day. A selection
of evening undergraduate courses is
available, but it is no longer possible to
complete any undergraduate degree by taking
courses entirely in the evening.
To earn a bachelor’s degree, students
must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better
in all courses taken at Polytechnic. (See
the section on academic standing and probation.)
Some programs have additional
requirements for grades involving specified
courses or groups of courses. Most undergraduate
engineering curricula require students
to participate in team projects,
including participation in interdisciplinary
sequence courses and group design project
exercises. Students are required to participate
in outcomes assessment, as described
on the next page.
Undergraduate students admitted to
Polytechnic are encouraged to declare their
major immediately, although incoming
freshmen may initially enter as “undeclared”
majors. Freshmen who wish to
consider several program options are
encouraged to use the first semester to
explore major fields in consultation with
departmental advisers. Polytechnic’s freshman
year is uniform for all engineering
majors and very similar for other majors.
Thus, students who choose to delay selecting
their major until the end of the freshman
year must select courses in consultation
with advisers from the Office of Academic
Success.
Students are free to change their major
at any time, given that their scholastic
standing is acceptable to the program into
which they wish to transfer. Students entering
Polytechnic with an undeclared major
must declare any currently offered undergraduate
major by the end of their first
year. Changes in major may involve some
loss of credit if done later than the end of
the first year. Students wishing to change
majors should work with an adviser to min-
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