2007-08 College Catalog - Tri-County Technical College

GENERALINFORMATIONAcademic InformationACADEMIC YEARThe College’s academic year is divided into three terms:Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Term. Insome majors, students need to attend classes only duringFall and Spring Semesters. Other majors require studentsto attend both semesters and the summer term.Time CommitmentA full-time schedule requires a minimum of 12 hoursper week of classroom instruction or laboratory workand an average of 18–24 hours per week of outside study.Students balancing work and family with collegecoursework should be aware of the time commitmentand plan accordingly. No student can carry more than18 credits per term without permission from the departmenthead or dean.Academic HonorsACADEMIC POLICIESDean’s List and President’s List: Each term, the Collegerecognizes students who excel in their academic studies.To be eligible, a student must meet all of the followingrequirements for the term:• Be classified as a degree, diploma, or certificateseekingstudent• Earn at least 12 credit hours in courses numbered100 or above• Attain a Grade Point Average of 3.50 – 3.99 forthe Dean’s List or 4.00 for the President’s List• Obtain a grade of “A” or “B” in courses numbered100 or below, if grades of A and B are part of thegrading system for coursesAlpha Zeta Beta (AZB): AZB is the local chapter of PhiTheta Kappa, a national honor fraternity for communityand junior college students. To be eligible for membership,students must be enrolled in an associate degreeprogram, have accumulated a minimum of 12 credithours, and have achieved and maintained a GPA of atleast 3.50.Attendance PolicyClass attendance is crucial to student success. Therefore,any student who accumulates more absences during theterm than the class is scheduled to meet in a two-weekperiod is subject to being withdrawn from the class. Thenumber of allowable absences during the summer termor other sessions of varying length will be 10% of thetotal number of class meetings. Students who arrive latemay, at the discretion of the instructor, be markedabsent for that class. Students who continually arrive lateto class are subject to being withdrawn from the class.In extenuating circumstances, a student may requestre-admittance to class by meeting with the instructorand explaining the circumstances of the absences. If theinstructor agrees to re-admit the student, the studentwill be informed of the requirements which must bemet to successfully complete the course.AuditingA student who wishes to attend credit classes but whodoes not wish to take examinations or receive a grade orsemester hour credits may register as an audit student.An “Audit Registration Form” must be completed andreturned to Student Records prior to the last day of thedrop/add period. Students may not change status (creditto audit or audit to credit) after the drop/add periodfor the term. Once the student is registered, the “AU”for audit grade is recorded in the student’s record andbecomes a final grade.Audit students pay regular course tuition and are eligiblefor refunds according to the Tuition Fee Refund forCredit Programs policy and procedure during the drop/add period. Audit students must adhere to the Collegeattendance policy during the drop/add period. Facultymust keep records of attendance during the drop/addperiod.Students who previously audited a course must registerand pass the course in order to receive credit for thecourse. Students may not receive credit by examinationfor previously audited courses. Exceptions due to extenuatingcircumstances may be granted by the Vice Presidentfor Academic Affairs upon written request of thestudent. An audited course may not be used to fulfillprerequisite requirements. Participation of audit studentsin class discussions and examinations is at the discretionof the instructor.Classification of Students• Student—A person registered at the College isconsidered to be a student only when all fees andtuition are paid. An individual may not attend classuntil he or she has registered and paid all fees.• Full-time Student—A student enrolled for 12or more credit hours in a degree, diploma, or certificateprogram in a given term. (For VeteransAdministration education benefits, different oradditional criteria may apply. Contact the FinancialAid Office for additional information.)• Part-time Student—A student enrolled for fewerthan 12 credit hours of coursework in a given term.• First semester Freshman—A student who hasearned fewer than 15 semester credit hours.• Second semester Freshman—A student who hasearned between 15 to 29 semester credit hours.• First semester Sophomore—A student who hasearned between 30 to 44 semester credit hours.• Second semester Sophomore—A student who hasearned 45 or more semester credit hours.19