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Academic Regulations
Academic policies are published in the on-line handbook "Academic Regulations and Procedures" on the Dean of Students’ Web page. This is the publication of record in matters regarding academic policies.
Course Load: Carleton's academic year is comprised of three 10-week-long terms. Students normally carry 18 credits per term. They may take as few as 12 and, on occasion, as many as 22, or, with special permission, 24, although such heavy course loads are discouraged. Students usually carry three courses each term. The standard course unit is six credits; for purposes of transfer evaluation six credits are comparable to three and one-third semester hours. Although all standard courses carry equal credit, laboratory courses at Carleton are equivalent to those in other colleges that grant five semester hours.
Examinations: Two and a half-hour-long written examinations are held at the end of each term for many courses. The Registrar sets the testing schedule.
Grades: Carleton's grading system is as follows: A=Excellent work of consistently high quality, usually showing notable understanding, insight, creativity, or skill and few weaknesses; B=Good work of good quality, showing understanding, insight, creativity, or skill; C=Satisfactory work that is adequate, showing readiness to continue study in the field; D=Passing work that is minimally adequate, raising serious concern about readiness to continue in the field, creditable; F=Failing work that is clearly inadequate, unworthy of credit. In computing grade point averages A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.0, B- = 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2.0, C- = 1.67, D+ = 1.33, D = 1.0, D- = .67, F = 0.
A student may elect to take up to 30 credits S/CR/NC (Satisfactory/Credit/No Credit) during the four years at Carleton, and only up to six credits in any one term. S = A through C-; CR = D+, D, D-; NC = F.
Courses dropped after the two week registration drop/add period are recorded on the transcript as "DRP". This is a non-punitive notation.
Written Evaluations of Course Work: At the end of any course, a student may request a written evaluation from his or her instructor. The request must be granted if the course has an enrollment of 20 or fewer students.
Academic Progress: Carleton students are normally expected to complete their work in four years and may be dropped from the College if they have not earned at least 42 credits and a cumulative GPA of 1.8 at the end of three terms; 96 credits and a GPA of 1.9 at the end of six terms; and 150 credits and a GPA of 2.0 at the end of nine terms. (These are the lower limits allowed and do not indicate normal progress; that is closer to 54 credits, 108 credits and 162 credits, respectively.) For graduation, a minimum of 210 credits and a GPA of 2.0 is required. A student whose cumulative record in the judgment of the Academic Standing Committee indicates an inability to fulfill the College requirements may be suspended or dismissed at the end of fall or winter term as well as at the end of the academic year.
Summer Study: Carleton does not ordinarily give degree credit for courses taken elsewhere during the summer. Permission may be given, if there are convincing academic reasons, but it must be requested in advance from the Academic Standing Committee, and the department chair may specify at that time that credit will be granted only upon special examination after the completion of the course. Petition forms for the approval of credit for summer courses may be obtained in the Dean of Students Office.
Credit by Examination: Students can obtain credit for courses offered at Carleton, when appropriate material has been mastered independently of Carleton class instruction, by taking special examinations. During the school year, a petition for credit by examination must be submitted to the Registrar at least two weeks before the date of the examination; the credit earned is included in the 22-credit maximum allowed per term.
Academic Honors: Students are graduated with "Distinction in a Major" if they achieve distinction in the departmental integrative exercise and a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 in all departmental courses taken in the major.
Outstanding seniors in the field of music performance will be selected by Music faculty for the "Honors in Music Performance" award.
Students who have outstanding records in all course work will earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with honors, either cum laude (for a GPA of 3.25 or better), magna cum laude (3.50 or better), or summa cum laude (3.90 or better).
The honor of "Dean's List" may be earned by first-year students, sophomores and juniors whose previous academic year's GPA places them in the top 10 percent of their class. Eligibility for Dean’s List assumes three terms of academic work, the bulk of which is done at Carleton. Students on non-Carleton off-campus programs for one term are eligible for Dean’s List if their off-campus grades are comparable to those they maintained at Carleton. Students off campus for two or more terms on a non-Carleton program are not eligible in that year. Students on leave for a term are not eligible in that year. This honor is recognized at Opening Convocation in September of the following year.
Certificate of Advanced Study in Foreign Language and Literature or Foreign Language and Area Studies: With the Certificate of Advanced Study in Foreign Language and Literature or Area Studies the College recognizes satisfactory completion of the equivalent of a minor field of specialization in the indicated language. To achieve the certificate, students must complete with a grade of C- or better six courses in the chosen language or area studies group beyond 103 (204 in Asian Languages). Although courses for the certificate may be taken on a S/CR/NC basis, “D” or “CR” level work will not be sufficient to satisfy course requirements. Students who place out of 204 must still complete the six-course requirement. Courses that count toward the certificate and their distribution are indicated in the descriptions of the respective language department offerings in the Catalog. In order to be certified as having fulfilled the requirements, students must submit an application listing courses completed and intended no later than fall of the senior year. Applications are available in the department offices.
Maintained by Ann
May
Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Aug-2006 15:04:21 CDT
by Mark F. Heiman, mheiman@carleton.edu