The catalog assigned to newly admitted students is determined by the date of formal admission. Admission status is valid for one year from date of admission. Students must meet the degree requirements of the catalog under which they are admitted or may select a later catalog for a year in which they are enrolled. However, for all other policies (except degree requirements and limitations of credit), students must adhere to the current catalog for each year they are enrolled. Statements in the catalog are for informational purposes and should not be considered as the basis of a contract between students and the University. Information regarding any changes in degree programs, graduation requirements, or academic policies will be made available by the Office of the Registrar and the appropriate academic departments.
Chapman welcomes students who transfer from other regionally accredited colleges and universities. Students are generally given full credit for baccalaureate-level courses with the exception of work experience, co-op, internship, and preparatory courses which may be listed as baccalaureate-level by the external institution. No credit is given for professional, technical or vocational coursework.
Chapman University College accepts CSU, IGETC, Oregon Transfer or Washington AAS Transfer degrees in lieu of its general education requirements (with exception of the Writing Proficiency Exam and LBSU 300) if completed prior to matriculation.
In addition to the credit through CLEP and DANTES examinations and through military service described elsewhere, University College offers award of undergraduate credits through an assessment of prior learning. Portfolio-based credit for prior learning from experience is awarded for no more than 30 credits. Credit is awarded for courses offered at Chapman University College to matriculated students and is identified on the transcript as "credit for prior experiential learning."
Students interested in prior learning assessment credit must first contact the program manager/faculty at their local campus to determined if they may be good candidates. Students must successfully complete LBSU 305 Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio Development prior to submission of a portfolio for evaluation of credit.
Chapman recognizes the need for educational flexibility and opportunity. The University acknowledges the validity of non-classroom acquired learning and accepts the use of national standardized and recognized testing instruments to measure that knowledge. Credit will be given only for courses that meet Chapman standards. This policy may be impacted or subsumed by PLA in the future.
Credit is awarded for scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement Examination. For a current list of approved exams, minimum scores, and credits granted, please refer to the Chapman website.
Chapman University College grants credit for a minimum score of 50 earned on selected CLEP and DSST General Examinations and Subject Examinations. Any exam submitted for credit must meet the minimum score requirements regardless of the student's catalog year and when the exam was taken. Programs may have specific restrictions, including a higher minimum score to allow credits to fulfill major requirements. See your advisor regarding program policies. A current listing of acceptable exams and the credit awarded may be found on the Chapman website under Registrar/University College Services/Transfer. Please review the Regulations Governing Credit by Examination section of the catalog.
The number of credits allowed toward any baccalaureate degree may be limited by the following:
Students enrolled in six or more credits in an academic session are considered "full-time". Students enrolled in 3-5.5 credits in an academic session are considered "half-time."
Chapman students are classified according to the number of academic credits they have completed. Students who have completed 29.9 credits or fewer are considered freshmen; 30 to 59.9 credits, sophomores; 60 to 89.9 credits, juniors; and 90 credits and above, seniors.
Students must enroll in at least 6 credits per session to be considered full time, and may enroll in up to 12 credits with the approval of the academic advisor. Enrollment in more than 9 credits in a regular session requires at least a 3.0 "B" Chapman grade point average, completion of a minimum of 15 credits of graded coursework at Chapman, and the approval of the academic advisor. Students on probation may enroll in no more than 7 credits.
Until the fall semester, 1971, lower-division courses were numbered 1 through 99; upper-division courses, 100 through 199; and graduate courses, 200 and above. Unless otherwise indicated on the transcript, courses numbered 100-199 gave graduate credits to students who were admitted to graduate standing.
Beginning in the fall semester, 1971, courses are numbered as follows:
001-099 Non-credit courses, e.g. certain remedial courses or continuing education courses not carrying credit.
100-299 Lower-division courses of freshman and sophomore level; freshman level 100-199 and sophomore level 200-299.
300-399 Upper-division courses of junior and senior level which do not give graduate credit.
400-499 Upper-division courses of junior and senior level which may give graduate credit for graduate students, depending on program.
500-599 Graduate courses for graduate students and seniors by consent of department chair.
600-699 Graduate courses for graduate students only.
700-799 Post-master's/doctoral courses.
800-999 Professional coursework**
0001-0999 Professional coursework **
8000-8999 Professional coursework **
9000-9999 Professional coursework **
**Applicable toward a degree at the University with program approval
Students must notify the University of any change of address. This can be done via Web Advisor or through the local campus.
Students wishing to transfer from one University College campus to another must submit a Campus Transfer Request form to the new campus. The new campus will request a copy of the student file. Students wishing to transfer from a University College campus to the Orange campus must contact the Admissions Office at the Orange campus.
Class attendance policies are determined by each instructor and shall be included on the course outline distributed during the first week of each class. The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20% of the course should be failed.
Students register for each session via Web Advisor or at their campus location. Registration is not complete until all charges are paid or arrangements for payment have been made with the Student Business Services staff by the add/drop deadline. Students who wish to register after the add deadline, must petition and pay a late registration fee if approved. See academic calendar for registration deadlines.
To add a class, a student must do so through Web Advisor or submit an Add/Drop form to the campus administration office by the end of the first week of the session.
To drop a class a student must do so through Web Advisor or submit an Add/Drop form to the campus administration office by the end of the second week of the session. Drops that are officially processed prior to or by the end of the second week will not appear on the student's transcripts. After the second week of the session, student that wish to withdraw from a course must do so by the end of the seventh week, either via Web Advisor or by submission of an add/drop form. A grade of "W" will appear on the student's transcripts indicating the withdrawal. Students cannot drop a course beyond the seventh week of the session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw from a course. Failure to attend a course does not constitute a withdrawal from a course. Students who stop attending courses without officially withdrawing will receive an "FW" (failure to withdraw). A grade of "FW" is calculated as 0.00 in student's grade point average.
Students who do not attend a class during the first two weeks of classes will be administratively dropped, unless they make arrangements with the instructor prior to the first day of class. Students should not assume that nonattendance will automatically result in an administrative drop. To avoid financial obligation to the University it is the responsibility of the student to verify that he/she has been dropped from the course by completing an Add/Drop form, or by dropping courses via Web Advisor.
Students who do not attend a class during the first two weeks of classes will be administratively dropped, unless they make arrangements with the instructor prior to the first day of class. Contact may be made in-person, by mail, email, fax, telephone or Web Advisor. A student who stops attending classes without notifying the University will receive a grade of FW" (failure to withdraw). A grade of "FW" is equivalent to a failing ("F") grade and is calculated as such when determining grade point averages.
Students must officially withdraw before the end of the seventh week of classes in order to avoid being responsible for a grade in their classes. Although a student will be unable to receive a "W" grade, financial aid recipients who wish to withdraw after the seventh week should contact the Office of the Registrar in order to retain their financial aid for the session in which they are withdrawing.
Students may find it necessary to interrupt progress during their course of study, leave Chapman and decide to return at a later date. Students who leave the University in good standing and return within two years retain the program requirements of their designated catalog year.
The University may require students to adopt the catalog year program requirements at the time of their return if a program has become impacted or changed by external regulatory agencies.
If students take coursework during their absence from the University, they must provide transcripts of that coursework to the Registrar's Office prior to their return. Non-satisfactory performance or issues of academic integrity may nullify the student's eligibility to return.
Students returning after a two year absence from the University are required to submit a full application for re-admission and must meet all current admission entrance requirements.
All grades are on a 4.0 scale
A = 4.0 |
C = 2.0 |
A- = 3.7 |
C- = 1.7 |
B+ = 3.3 |
D+ = 1.3 |
B = 3.0 |
D = 1.0 |
B- = 2.7 |
D- = 0.7 |
C+ = 2.3 |
F = 0.0 |
I is a grade given when the student has been unable to complete the requirements of the course owing to illness or other extenuating circumstances. It is never a final grade. Failure to remove an "I" within the prescribed time results automatically in an "F" for the course involved. Upon satisfaction of course requirements, an "I" may be annotated with any one of the other grade symbols.
W signifies that a student has withdrawn from a course in the prescribed manner.
FW is assigned at the instructor's discretion to students who cease attending part way through the session without submitting a Change of Program form to withdraw. It is computed in the grade point average as an "F".
P is for Pass, a grade given for satisfactory completion of a course. Grade points are not assigned and it is not computed in the grade average.
NP is for No Pass, a grade given when the requirements for credit in the course have not been satisfied. Courses taken with this grade are not calculated in the student's grade point average but are considered by the Academic Standards Subcommittee regarding student continuance.
SP is for Satisfactory Progress. This grading symbol is used to indicate a student is progressing toward the completion of a course which does not end by the normal session ending date or of a thesis or project. It is never a final grade. Upon completion of the course or thesis project, the SP grade is replaced with a letter grade, HP, P, or NP grading symbol. No grade points are assigned for HP, P, or NP grades.
NC is given in those circumstances where a student's progress towards completion of a thesis or project is considered inadequate by the thesis committee. The student is required to repeat the thesis course. This grading symbol is not punitive and grade points are not assigned.
AU is for audited coursework. No grade or credit is awarded to students for auditing, and courses are not used in computing the grade point average.
NR is for Not Reported, indicating that the instructor has not submitted the final grade, therefore no credits or grade points can be calculated for this course.
R on the transcript indicates a repeated course (highest grade calculated in GPA).
Students may select Pass/No Pass as a grading option at the time they initially register for courses via WebAdvisor. Certain courses require letter grades only, while certain courses allow only Pass/No Pass as the grading option. Such restrictions are noted in the course description.
Undergraduates may take up to 6 semester credits per year on a Pass/No Pass basis, excluding courses offered only on a pass/no pass basis. Students should consult with their advisor regarding the choice of P/NP for courses in the major.
After initial registration in a course, in order to change the grading (e.g. to P/NP) students must submit a change of grading form to the Registrar's Office by the end of the second week of the session. Changes in grading basis cannot be done via WebAdvisor. Once a course is graded students cannot request a change in grading option.
P grades are equivalent to "C" grades or above. N grades are given for "C-" and below.
Students who take a course Pass/No Pass, cease attending part way through the semester and fail to withdraw will receive an "FW" grade.
Students may audit a class if they choose to do so. No credit is earned from audited classes. A grade of "AU" is assigned to audited classes, which is not used in computing the grade point average. Course requisites are enforced in determination of registration eligibility for the course. Audit fees may be assessed. It is strongly recommended that students confer with their advisor prior to officially auditing a course.
Students may select Audit as an option at the time they initially register for courses via WebAdvisor. After initial registration in a course, in order to change the grading basis (e.g. to Audit) students must submit a change of grading system form to the Registrar's Office by the end of the 7th week. Changes in grading basis cannot be done via WebAdvisor.
Any undergraduate-level course numbered 100 - 499 at Chapman may be repeated to improve the grade. The lower grade remains on the record with a notation that the course has been repeated. Only the higher grade and credit are computed in the cumulative grade point average. Credit is given only once for a repeated course, except as noted in the course description. It is recommended that a course be repeated as soon as practical if it is to be taken for a higher grade. In exercising this option, an undergraduate student must repeat the course at Chapman University College. If the content of a course accepted in transfer is duplicated by coursework taken at Chapman, credit for the transferred course will be removed from the student record.
The grade of Incomplete may be assigned by an instructor if a student, through circumstances beyond his or her control, has not completed a small portion of a course by the conclusion of the session. The student must request in writing the grade of Incomplete and must propose a date acceptable to the faculty member by which the missing work will be completed. Failure to complete all coursework by the agreed-upon deadline will result in the assignment of a grade of "F". A grade of Incomplete may not be assigned in order to give a student a chance to do more work to improve a grade.
The deadline for removal of an Incomplete is one year from the first day of the session in which the Incomplete was recorded, unless a shorter period of time is specified by the instructor. The deadline determined by the faculty member must be specified on the Report of Incomplete form, which may be obtained in the campus administrative office. A copy must also be provided to the student. No extension will be granted for more than a full calendar year from the date of original enrollment.
Reading and conference courses are offered only when absolutely necessary to senior or graduate students with a Chapman University grade point average of at least 2.75. The courses may be taken only for the purpose of meeting graduation or credential requirements by students who could not meet the requirements because of circumstances beyond their control. They are not offered to resolve scheduling conflicts with other classes, or work, or to complete a schedule. To enroll in reading and conference courses, students must obtain a Request for Course by Reading and Conference form from their campus administration office. A minimum of 5 hours of instruction for each credit is required for reading and conference courses.
Independent study and research is offered to upper-division and graduate students with overall grade point averages of at least 3.0 "B", to research particular topics that are not provided by regular curriculum offerings. To enroll in independent study and research, a student must obtain an Independent Study and Research form from their campus administration office. A minimum of 5 hours of instructor-student contact for each hour of credit is required. Students should spend 40 to 50 hours in instruction and research for each credit of independent study.
As a community of scholars, Chapman University College emphasizes the mutual responsibility of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated anywhere in the University. In order to safeguard the conditions under which scholarship is performed, measured, and evaluated, the following will serve to define academic dishonesty, to identify procedures for hearing cases involving academic integrity violations, and to give suggested guidelines for sanctions according to the offense.
A. Academic Integrity Violations
Academic dishonesty can take a number of forms. It includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test or examination; claiming the work of another as your own; plagiarizing any paper, research project, or assignment; or falsely submitting material to fulfill course requirements.
Cheating includes unauthorized copying from the work of another student, with or without that student's consent, using notes or other unauthorized material during a test period, and giving or receiving assistance from another when it is expected the student will perform his or her own work.
Falsifying data to show either the process or the product of scholarly examination to be different from what actually occurred is also considered dishonest. This includes falsely reporting attendance or participation in any field-work experience.
Students may not submit work done in one course to satisfy the requirements of another course, unless both instructors agree beforehand to accept such work. Forged or altered documents may not be presented. This includes transcripts, add/drop forms, or any academic form which has been falsified or on which a professor's signature, or anyone else's signature, has been forged or altered.
Failure to report any previous academic work at another college or University is also considered a violation of academic integrity.
B. Procedures for Hearing and Investigation
In cases involving academic integrity violations, the appropriate action is initiated by the course instructor. If the instructor believes a student has violated the University standards, the following action should be taken:
In all cases of alleged violations of academic integrity it is vital to maintain confidentiality. None of the parties involved should discuss the issue outside the above procedures.
Dismissal for a violation of academic integrity will be noted on the transcript.
Faculty members are responsible for ensuring an effective learning environment for all students in their classes, which encourages active student participation, including the right to raise questions and challenge information. Hence, faculty members also have the responsibility and authority to maintain appropriate student behavior. Classes are defined as including laboratories, internships, field placements, or any settings that can be designated as a learning environment, such as travel studies and field trips.
Consequently, if a student is considered to be threatening or disruptive in the classroom, behaves in a way that interferes with the learning of other students, or refuses to fulfill the academic requirements of the course, the faculty member has the right to have the student who demonstrates such behavior removed from the class, either by administrative withdrawal or by making arrangements for the student to complete the requirements in absentia.
The faculty member should immediately report the matter to the Division Chair and Campus Director.
If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the faculty member, he/she must submit the appeal in writing to the Division Chair within five working days of the decision. The Division Chair will then conduct an investigation and report to the Dean. If the Division Chair determines that the faculty member is possibly at fault, the Dean may address the situation directly with the faculty member or may return the matter to the Division Chair for disposition. If the student is dissatisfied with this outcome, he/she may submit a written appeal to the Provost, whose decision in these matters is final and binding. During this period of appeal, the student may not return to class. Even if the student's appeal is successful, the student may not return to the class, unless the faculty member has specifically agreed to this. If the Provost upholds the faculty member's original decision, the student may still be subject to the student conduct system for further conduct review at the discretion of the Division Chair.
Faculty have the final authority in assigning student grades except for cases involving clear evidence of capricious grading or failure to follow the professional standards of a discipline or field. All requests for review of grade must be filed within 30 days from the date that the grade was assigned.
Faculty members may change final grades after submission to the Registrar's Office only for clerical error. Once a grade is submitted, additional work may not be assigned to enable the student to receive a higher grade.
However, a student who believes he or she has received a grade that is capricious or based on standards that are not in line with the professional standards of a discipline or field may appeal personally to the instructor for an explanation of the grade and for possible reconsideration.
If, after meeting with the faculty member, the grade dispute is not resolved, the student may submit a written request for review to the Division Chair for further consideration. If there is judged to be merit in the student's request, the Chair may request that the instructor reconsider his/her grade assignment. If the matter is resolved, the Chair will notify the Office of the Registrar of the change in grade. If the matter is not resolved the student may submit a request for review to the Academic Standards Subcommittee. The written request must state the reasons for the request and provide evidence that the student has attempted to find remedy by discussing the matter with the instructor and the Division Chair. Specific and credible evidence that a grade in the course may have been assigned capriciously or outside the professional standards of a field or discipline must be provided.
The Academic Standards Subcommittee will carefully review the student's documentation as well as the documentation provided by the instructor and also may request an opinion from the Division Chair. If the committee determines that there is compelling evidence that the grading was capricious or outside of the expected disciplinary or field standards, it will request that the Division Chair submit a grade change to the Registrar and notify the instructor of its decision. Decisions rendered by the Academic Standards Subcommittee are final.
A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 will be placed on probation. Once on probation, a student must obtain a session GPA of 2.0 or higher for each of the next three sessions and must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher by the end of the third session. Failure to do so may result in dismissal.
The action of dismissal will be placed on the official transcript. A student who has been dismissed may not continue in coursework and will be administratively withdrawn.
(See Grade Review Policy and Probation and Dismissal policy for specific requirements.)
Each student has the right of academic appeal. Petition forms are available at University College campuses.
For academic matters, the process begins with the faculty member involved. Appeals are submitted to the Division Chair, and then to the Academic Standards Subcommittee. Appeals to the decisions of the Academic Standards Subcommittee and the Division Chair are made to the Dean of University College.
For matters concerning disabled student services, students should contact the Campus Director.
A student wishing to submit an appeal must present a petition and all relevant documentation within 45 days of notification of the action the student is appealing.
Requests for additional information must be provided by the student to the University within 30 days of receipt of request; failure to provide such documentation will result in a denial of the appeal.
Students who are dissatisfied with the action taken on their appeal have a maximum of 30 days after receipt of notification to request a reconsideration. Additional documentation or new information will be required.
Appeal petitions will receive a response as quickly as possible and no later than 30 days of receipt of the petition by the Academic Standards Subcommittee.
A student with high academic achievement throughout his or her University career may be awarded University honors. To be eligible to graduate with Latin honors, the student must have a Chapman grade point average and cumulative grade point average, including all transfer work, at or above the specific honors category. In addition, a minimum of 54 credits must be Chapman coursework, taken for a letter grade.
Categories of honors are cum laude (3.5 GPA); magna cum laude (3.7 GPA); and summa cum laude (3.9 GPA).
Although a student may have completed all requirements, graduation is not automatic. Every degree candidate is required to file an Application for Degree Conferral with the Office of the Registrar and pay the appropriate fee. If the student should fail to complete requirements by the intended graduation date, a new Application for Degree Conferral must be filed. Submission of the Application is done via WebAdvisor. For information and application deadlines go to www.chapman.edu/RegOffice/default.asp Chapman confers degrees for University College students 5 times during the academic year. See the academic calendar for dates. All degree requirements, including but not limited to incompletes, internships, JWP, missing grades, etc. must be completed by the last day of the month in which the degree is to be conferred. Work completed at external institutions must be received on or before the conferral date in order to be considered in meeting degree requirements.
Formal university commencement ceremonies are held in the Spring. To participate in ceremonies students must file a participation form with the Office of the Provost. To be eligible for participation, at the time of the application deadline students must have filed an Application for Degree Conferral, and the student's official program evaluation must indicate that the student is on course to satisfactorily complete all degree requirements (including comprehensive examination, thesis/project, internships, and practicums) by the end of the summer session of that year. Students' receiving degrees subsequent sessions are entitled to participate in the following Spring commencement ceremonies.
Diplomas are mailed out approximately two to four weeks after the date of conferral of the degree. This allows time for confirmation from the Registrar's Office that all degree requirements have been met. Under no circumstances will a diploma be released prior to the conferral date.
Transcripts from other institutions which have been presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student's academic file and are not returned or copied for distribution.
Diplomas or copies of transcripts will not be released to any student with an unpaid balance to Chapman or a Chapman-sponsored agency. Presently enrolled students may print unofficial copies of transcripts at any time via Web Advisor. Official transcripts are issued only with the written permission of the student. Contact the Registrar homepage: www.chapman.edu/RegOffice/default.asp or office for further processing and fee information.