2014-15-Undergraduate-Catalog

Academic Policies • 31Semester Credit HoursA credit hour is the credit earned by work for the equivalent of one hour (50 minutes) in alecture class per week for a semester. A class for a three-hour lecture course atShenandoah typically meets for three clock hours per week.Students who transfer from an institution that is on the quarter system should note thatone quarter hour is equal to two-thirds of a semester hour. For example, a studenttransferring 36 quarter hours of work to Shenandoah would receive 2/3 x 36 or 24semester hours of credit.Academic TermsShenandoah University offers courses and programs of various lengths throughout the year.These include fall and spring semesters, summer terms, trimester and short-term programs.In order that courses are identified clearly on official records, the academic calendar isdivided into three terms of equal length. Specific dates are published in the academiccalendar.A course or program is identified with one of these terms depending on the start date ofthe course. Any course or program that begins on or after the first date of each term andup through and including the last date of that term is said to belong to that term. The enddate is not considered in designating the term.All credits are expressed as semester hours, regardless of length of term or dates ofbeginning and ending of a course or program.Academic Student LoadA full-time undergraduate student is one who carries a minimum of 12 credit hours persemester. The maximum load is 18 credit hours per semester, except for Conservatorystudents whose maximum load is 18.5 credit hours per semester. A part-time undergraduatestudent is one who carries less than 12 credit hours per semester. Approval to carry acourse load beyond the maximum will be reviewed by the dean/director of the student’sschool/division and granted only for compelling reasons.Alternative Means of Earning CreditTransfer CreditShenandoah University may award transfer credit for successfully completing courseworkwith a grade of “C-” or better. This includes:1. Credits from an institution of higher education that has been fully accredited by one of thesix regional accrediting agencies, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,or at an institution that is a “Recognized Candidate for Accreditation.”2. Credits for courses taken at foreign tertiary-level institutions, which are chartered andauthorized by their respective national governments and that are recognized by theAmerican Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The amount ofcredit granted will correspond to that given for comparable Shenandoah Universitycourses. Official documentation of course evaluation of international transcripts must besubmitted through a current member of the National Association of Credential EvaluationServices (NACES). See http://www.naces.org/members.htm