Section II - Credit, Courses and Curricula

This is an archived copy of the 2013-14 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

  1. Award of Credit
    1. Credit hours and grade points shall be awarded only for those University courses for which a student is properly registered.
    2. Credit hours, not grade points, for approved courses taken by a Norwich student at other accredited institutions may be transferred, subject to the residence requirement and provided grades earned are “C” or above, for credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
    3. Credit hours for extra institutional learning may be awarded in accordance with the provi­sions of paragraph 3, following.
       
  2. Credits for Graduation
    1. Graduation requirements are measured in courses and credits. Courses and credits re­quired for graduation are specified in the catalog for each curriculum. Students should consult the catalog to be sure they are meeting the graduation requirements in their major.
    2. A student will receive the equivalent of one three-credit course to fulfill published credit or course requirements as a free elective in a major or minor when three one-credit courses in the same discipline are combined. A student is limited to one such course. One-credit ROTC courses and courses numbered below 100 may not be used.
       
  3. Requests for Course Equivalency or Exemption
    1. To waive a prerequisite course requirement a student must present the advisor’s affirma­tive recommendation to the course’s department chair for approval. The basis for such a waiver will be the student’s demonstrated knowledge in the area concerned.
    2. To waive a degree course requirement on the basis of an exemption examination or other documented extrainstitutional learning, a student must present the affirmative recommendations of major and course department chairs and academic advisor on the form. The credits for the waived course must be replaced by free electives.
    3. To obtain credits and grade points for a course on the basis of an equivalency examination administered under the provisions of 3d (1), a student must present the affirmative recom­mendations of the major and course department chair and the academic advisor on the form. Second semester seniors are not eligible for an equivalency examination unless a peti­tion is approved not later than one week after mid-semester grades are due. Please Note: The repeat grade policy does not apply to credits earned by way of an equivalency examination.
    4. Types of examinations to accomplish 3b or 3c above are either course equivalency or ex­emption. Course equivalency by examination is treated as transfer credit and is subject to the limits described in Section IX.
      1. Examinations for course equivalency or exemption given at Norwich University will be given only if a nationally validated examination covering the same subject matter is not available. Examinations for EN 101 and EN 102 are an exception and may be administered at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters to newly admitted students.
      2. Before administering an exemption or an equivalency examination, Department Chairs and/or School Deans should determine whether the student wishes to waive the course require­ment under paragraph 3b, above, or wishes to obtain credits and grade points for the course under 3c, above. An examination for waiver should be designed to test the student’s general knowledge and competency in the tested area. An examination for credits and grade points should be typical of a final examination that covers the entire course con­tent. Where appropriate, term papers, projects, etc. may also be required. An exemption or equivalency examination for laboratory courses may require demonstrated laboratory proficiency.
      3. If the examination is for credits and grade points under 3c, above, a grade will be as­signed and appropriate grade points awarded unless the Pass/Fail option is selected prior to the administering of the examination.
      4. An extra tuition charge may be assessed by the Bursar’s office for examinations under 3c above.
      5. Credits, not grade points, are to be awarded when evidence that the minimum required grade has been achieved on a nationally validated examination, such as, Advanced Placement program, DANTES, CLEP, and International Baccalaureate higher level examinations.
         
  4. Extra Institutional Learning
    Extra Institutional Learning is learning that is attained outside the sponsorship of legally authorized and accredited post secondary educational institutions. The term applies to learn­ing acquired from work and life experiences, independent reading and study, the mass media, and participation in formal courses sponsored by associations, business, government, indus­try, unions and the military. Credit from extra institutional learning is treated as transfer credit and is subject to the limits described in Section IX.
    1. Basic ROTC courses may be waived on the basis of at least 6 months of active duty in the Armed Forces or as approved by the appropriate Professor of Military Science.
    2. Credits, not grade points, may be awarded in accordance with the Guide to the Evalua­tion of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces, published by the American Council on Education, provided courses are equivalent to a Norwich University courses.
    3. Credits, not grade points, for other extra institutional learning as recommended in nationally recognized guides and publications may be awarded upon the positive recom­mendation of the appropriate course department head and dean. Such credits shall be awarded in compliance with the evaluations provided by the American Council on Educa­tion, (ACE).
    4. Credits, not grade points, may be awarded for upper level International Baccalaureate courses based on evaluation by corresponding academic program departments.
       
  1. Internships
    Students who intend to engage in an internship must register for the internship during the designated registration period for a fall or spring semester internship and by 1 May for a summer internship. Departmental or school permission is required for an internship at registration.

    Enrollment and registration for the internship will occur on the designated enrollment and registration day for the semester or session of the internship. Enrollment and registration for the internship will not occur unless the faculty member has received written confirmation from the field supervisor that internship arrangements are complete.

    Internships will be scheduled to coincide with opening and closing dates of the semester of internship enrollment. Summer internships will coincide with the beginning and ending dates of the appropriate summer session.
     
  2. Independent Study
    To support a course registration for an independent study, the affirmative recommendation of the student’s academic advisor and the course Department Chair and School Dean must be present on an academic form. This form must accompany a registration form at the time the student registers.
     
  3. Use of Courses to Satisfy Curricular Requirements
    A detailed statement of the ROTC requirement is published as Appendix VI of these Regula­tions. Up to six degree credits as free electives toward the baccalaureate degree may be granted for the following courses: AS 311, AS 312, AS 411, AS 412, MS 311, MS 312, MS 411, MS 412, NS 321, NS 322, NS 331, NS332, NS 342, NS 421, NS 422, NS 431.
     
  4. Extra Credit
    1. Approval for Extra Credits
      Course loads in excess of 16 credits for freshmen and 20 credits for upper class students, (including ROTC and one credit courses) except if specified differently in the major cur­riculum; require the approval of the student’s advisor and major Department Chair or Program Director.
    2. Extra Credit Charges
      1. Extra credit charges will be applied at the part-time rate for credits over 19, except as specified differently in the major curriculum. This excludes ROTC courses and MU 260.
      2. MU 200 Applied Music is subject to the extra credit charge.
      3. Students should be familiar with published Fees & Financial Policy booklet. Copies may be obtained in the Bursar’s office.
      4. There will be no charge for extra courses if they are dropped before the Add/Drop deadline.
         
  5. Course Audit
    1. A fee will be assessed for a course audit. The fee will not be charged to a full time matricu­lated student unless the audit is an overload.
    2. Students taking courses as auditors will receive the notation “AU” (Audit) on their perma­nent academic record in lieu of a grade and credits if the obligations of the auditor have been met to the satisfaction of the instructor. If the auditing student’s performance is unsatisfac­tory, there will not be a course entry on the academic record.

      Auditing students are expected to participate in class discussion and laboratory activities. At the beginning of the course, the student and the instructor will agree on the extent to which the student is expected to attend classes and take examinations. Students may audit a course only if, in doing so, students desiring to take the course for credit are not excluded because of enrollment limitations.
       
  6. Prerequisites
    Students shall not register for a course having prerequisites without having successfully com­pleted those prerequisites or be allowed to remain scheduled for the successive course if the prerequisite course was not completed successfully. Prerequisites are identified in the current Norwich University Catalog. For information regarding the waiver of a prerequisite, see Section 2, Item 3a.
     
  7. Co-requisites
    Students shall not register for courses having co-requisites without registering for the co-req­uisite course. Co-requisites are identified in the current Norwich University Catalog.
     
  8. Minimum Grade Standards
    Minimum grade standards are established for various curricula. These minimum standards are shown in the Catalog.
     
  9. Repeat Courses/Repeat Grade Policy
    1. A student shall not receive credit twice for any course except those courses whose catalog description permits repetition for credit.
    2. If a previously graded course is repeated, and a grade other than “W” is earned, only the last grade earned in the course will be calculated in the grade
    3. point average (GPA). All grades previously earned in the course will be removed from the GPA calculations even in the event that a lower grade is earned upon repetition of the course. If a failing grade is earned upon repetition of a course, any previous credit earned will be lost. Credit by examination does not constitute a repetition under this provision.
       
  10. Conflicts
    Students shall not schedule courses which require conflicting hours of attendance unless the responsibility for resolution of the conflict is accepted in writing on the course registration form by all of the faculty members and their School Deans.