Course Catalog 2008-2009

Beginning with the fall semester of the 1976-77 academic year, plus and minus grades carry the following weights in the computation of grade-point averages.

Plus or minus grades given before the fall semester, 1976-77 are not reflected in the grade-point averages.

An incomplete grade in a course may be granted only with permission from the Registrar's Advisory Board. The student shall petition the Board, giving the reasons for the desired extension of time. The statement must be signed by the instructor of the course and the student's advisor. All such requests must be submitted prior to the last day of scheduled classes for the semester. Should a request for an incomplete grade be granted, completion of the work must be accomplished by the end of the sixth week of the following semester, or any time previous, as prescribed by the instructor.

Juniors and seniors may elect to take one course per semester utilizing the Satisfactory Grading option. For a student earning a "C" or higher, the Registrar will convert this grade to an "S," for "satisfactory," with no impact on cumulative grade point average. For a student earning a "C-" or lower, the Registrar will record that grade on the academic transcript, and it will be included in the grade point average. This option may not be exercised for courses within a student's major or minor fields, including required cognate courses, and it is not an option for any General Education requirement. To exercise this option, a student must complete the appropriate form at the Registrar's office, no later than the fifth week of the semester. No approval is necessary from a department or program or instructor, and a student is not required to inform the instructor about exercising this option. A few courses are offered to everyone utilizing a "satisfactory" grading format, and such courses are not included in the option described above

When a student's academic performance is less than what is minimally expected by the University, he or she will be placed on Academic Discipline. The following designations are used by the University in such instances.

Academic Probationoccurs when a student's cumulative average is less than 2.00. Students placed on Academic Probation are expected to be in good standing within two semesters. Any semester with a performance below 1.00 will result in academic suspension; thus, a student may bypass academic probation and be suspended if the semester performance has been particularly weak and below a 1.00 for the term.

Continued Academic Probationis designated when a student previously on Academic Probation has been successful in removing a portion of the deficiency but not the entire deficiency. Students on Continued Academic Probation are expected to be in good standing by the conclusion of their next semester.

Suspensionoccurs when a student earns less than a 2.0 semester average while on Academic Probation or Continued Academic Probation. A student may also be suspended when he or she fails to regain good standing after being on Continued Academic Probation. Performance of less than 1.0 for the semester will result in suspension regardless of the student's cumulative average.

Deferred Suspensionoccurs when a suspended student has been reinstated. Students on Deferred Suspension will be given conditions that must be fully met during the next semester in residence in order to remain eligible for enrollment. For procedures for seeking deferred suspension, please see "Eligibility for Re-enrollment." Students who have a quality point deficiency in excess of 8.0 may be placed on deferred suspension even though they fit other criteria listed above. Such judgments are made by the Registrar's Advisory Board and are done as an effort to assist the student in regaining good academic standing. Sophomore and junior students on Academic Probation at the end of the academic year shall be readmitted for the fall semester only through petition to - and favorable action by - the Registrar's Advisory Board. This includes the student who is on probation at the end of his or her fourth semester of college but does not qualify for junior standing on the basis of credit hours earned. These policies apply also to the student of the same classification who wishes to return to Denison after having withdrawn while on probation.

A student on academic suspension who has shown marked improvement over his or her Denison record in work taken at some other accredited college or university, or can present evidence of a maturing nonacademic experience, may petition the Registrar's Advisory Board for reinstatement. In nearly all cases, a student is expected to demonstrate some degree of academic improvement by taking course work elsewhere. This petition must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar at least 14 days before the opening day of classes. Should the student be readmitted, he or she must meet all the conditions of the Registrar's Advisory Board or face suspension again.

A former student who was in good academic and social standing when he or she left the College may be readmitted to Denison by writing to the Office of Student Affairs and by repayment of the enrollment deposit.

To be a candidate for a Denison degree, a student who enters Denison as a first-year student must complete at least 64 credit hours of the required 127 at Denison, and a transfer student must complete a minimum of 64 semester hours of the required 127 at Denison. Generally, all students, except those enrolled in recognized preprofessional 3-2 programs, must complete the last two semesters in residence at Denison. A course taken "in residence" is defined as any course scheduled by the Denison registrar and taught on the Denison campus, or any course scheduled by the Denison registrar and taught off-campus by a full-time Denison faculty member. This policy prescribes a university-wide minimum residence requirement; individual departments may have stricter requirements. Exceptions may be made by the Registrar's Advisory Board.

A special student may normally not register for more than 8 credit hours of academic work except by permission from the Registrar's Advisory Board. A special student desiring credit must submit appropriate credentials to the Office of the Registrar. If after one semester a special student has failed to maintain a 2.0 average, his or her special standing may be terminated.

Commencement Exercises are held annually at the conclusion of the spring term. In order to participate in Commencement Exercises, the student must have completed successfully all requirements for graduation. No exceptions are granted to this regulation. Students completing graduation requirements in August or December are eligible and invited to participate in the next May Commencement Exercise.