Academic Policies

The academic year at Occidental College consists of two 15-week semesters, each including one week of final examinations. A student may register each semester for a maximum of 18 units. Students electing to enroll for fewer than 16 units in any semester during their course of study at Occidental must be aware they may not be making normal academic progress and must accept the consequences of a possible delayed graduation date. Only by special petition to the Dean of Students and under the most highly unusual circumstances may students reduce their academic load to fewer than 12 units.

Courses
Each four-unit course at Occidental represents about 10 to 12 hours of involvement per week for the average student, including lectures, seminars, laboratory work, and study time.

Courses numbered 1–80 are those in the first-year Cultural Studies component of the Core Program. 100-level courses are introductory, open to first-year students. 200-level courses are designed primarily for second-year students. 300-level courses are intended primarily for juniors and seniors and 400-level courses are advanced courses, usually open only to seniors. 500-level courses are intended for graduate students.

Courses numbered 500 and above are ordinarily limited to graduate students. However, advanced and specially qualified undergraduates may be permitted to enroll in such courses by special petition to the instructor, the department chair, and the Director of Graduate Studies. In special circumstances, by additional petition to the Director of Graduate Studies, credit toward the Master of Arts degree may also be granted provided the course is not required to fulfill a Bachelor’s degree.

Occasionally students seek to repeat a course in which they earned a passing grade. Credit is not awarded for the repeated course; both grades are averaged into the grade average.

Changes in course offerings and faculty occurring after publication of the Catalog for 2007-2008 will be announced before the opening of each semester.

Any undergraduate course in which fewer than ten students are enrolled at the beginning of a semester may be cancelled.

Registration
Registration procedures are outlined in materials supplied by the Registrar. The Business Office and the Registrar must approve each student’s enrollment. Students who clear their registration late will incur a Business Office fee. Registration must be completed within the first week of the semester, or the student may be denied credit for the semester’s work. Spring semester registration for freshmen is considered final only upon verification in the Office of the Registrar that these students have met their requirements in the Cultural Studies Program for the preceding semester.

Regularly scheduled courses offered for one or two units may be available for registration through the seventh week of the semester (mid term) with faculty approval. There is a two-unit limit for courses added at this time. The Registrar will announce the exact dates for the deadline.

Course Drops and Withdrawals
Students may drop a course without a recorded grade through the eighth week of the semester. After the eighth week (starting at the ninth week) of the semester, students may withdraw from a course through the last day of classes and a grade of “W” will appear on the transcript. See the academic calendar for specific Drop and Withdraw dates. “W” grades are not calculated in the GPA.

Course Load
Normally, students are limited to 18 units of enrollment per semester. However, students who have completed at least 32 units at Occidental and whose overall GPA is at least 3.0 may enroll in up to 20 units on a space available basis (on or after the first day of classes); the deadline for adding classes applies. Other students may seek approval of a petition to enroll in an overload; in general, overload petitions from students in their first year at Occidental or with overall GPA less than 2.7 will not be approved. Petitions must be submitted prior to the deadline for adding classes.

Study Plans
Each student is assigned an academic advisor on the basis of expressed interests, and together with the advisor, plans a program of study. All courses for which the student wishes to register for credit must be entered on the computer-assisted registration system. A student is responsible for every course entered. Students will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in College activities until registration has been completed.

After registration, official changes of courses may be made only through official drop/add forms approved by the instructors who teach the courses and by the Registrar. Students may not drop any freshman courses in the Cultural Studies Program except by special petition to the Core Office. One week is allowed for adding classes; eight weeks are allowed for course drops without transcript notation. Unless a course is officially dropped or withdrawn, a grade of F will be incurred.

Independent Study
Independent studies are courses designed for self-reliant and motivated students to pursue intellectual inquiry outside of regularly scheduled course offerings. These are to be supervised by faculty members, generally involving substantial, close student-faculty interactions. Each course shall be initiated on an individual basis between a student and a faculty member. Enrollment shall be through courses numbered 197, 297 (lower division), 397 (upper division), or 597 (graduate) in the respective department, and must be accompanied by a completed independent study contract.

Specifications:

1. Advanced planning is essential. There should be some indication that the student’s background is adequate for the proposed study.
2. The independent study contract must be completed, signed and submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the add deadline of the appropriate semester.
3. Sophomore, junior and senior students may enroll in one independent study per semester. Freshmen interested in enrolling in an independent study must complete a petition for special consideration and have it approved.
4. Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better.
5. An independent study course cannot be used to satisfy Core requirements.
6. All independent study courses are two units except those classified under 7 below. Requirements for a two-unit independent study:
   1. The contract must include a reading list or equivalent, along with the requirements to be met before a grade can be assigned.
   2. The contract requires the signature of the instructor, and the approval of the appropriate subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee.
   3. The course will be graded CR/NC.
   4. If a major/minor has been declared and the department has accepted the independent study as meeting a requirement within that major/minor, the course will be assigned a letter grade.
   5. A course graded CR/NC already may not be used to satisfy major/minor requirements. Petitions for retroactively changing CR/NC grades will not be approved.
7. Four-unit independent study courses are to be taken only for fulfillment of approved major/minor requirements. Requirements for a four-unit independent study:
   1. The student must have a declared major/minor recorded in the Office of the Registrar prior to enrolling in the independent study.
   2. The course must be used within the major/minor to meet a requirement approved by the department.
   3. The contract must include a reading list or equivalent, along with the requirements to be met before a grade can be assigned.
   4. The contract requires the signature of the instructor and the chair of the department, and the approval of the Student Progress Committee.
   5. A four-unit independent study will be assigned a letter grade. No CR/NC grade will be allowed.
8. A maximum of eight units of independent study courses may be applied toward graduation.

It is expected that students will satisfy Core, foreign language, and academic major/minor course requirements through regularly scheduled courses.

Internships
Internships for credit must be educational experiential opportunities that meet the criteria established by Occidental. Sophomore, junior, and senior students may participate in one internship per semester. Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better at the time of application for an internship. Only CR/NC grades will be given for internships. The Career Development Center (CDC) must approve all internships. All students enrolled in an internship, whether for two units or zero units, must participate in a regular reflective on-campus component coordinated through the CDC. Students desiring to do an internship must be at least a part-time student registered in at least six or more units.

The college recognizes two categories of internships:

1. Two-unit internship (INT 200) – The maximum credits awarded for an internship will be two units. The total units earned through internships may not exceed four units (students may take additional internships for zero units which will appear on the transcript). Students will usually be required to participate for eight to 12 hours per week. The faculty supervisor must approve the academic component of the project. All work/projects produced in the reflective component coordinated by the CDC are shared with the faculty supervisor and may be used at the discretion of the faculty supervisor when grading the internship. There is a two-part approval process; first, faculty will approve the academic component of the internship and second, CDC will approve the institution where the internship will take place.
2. Zero-unit internship appearing on the transcript (INT 100) – Coordinated and monitored by the CDC; sophomore, junior, and senior students are allowed to participate in one internship per semester. The internship must meet the college’s minimum standards for internships. Students failing to participate in the reflective component coordinated by the CDC will be dropped from the internship and the employer will be notified.

Withdrawal, Leave of Absence, and Honorable Dismissal
A student who must withdraw from college during a semester may do so by completing the withdrawal form provided by the Registrar. The course grade at the time of withdrawal is W. Anyone who discontinues work without official permission receives an F for all courses in which registered, loses the privilege of registration, and forfeits the right to honorable dismissal. A student who elects to take a leave of absence and wishes to remain in good standing with the College must inform the Registrar of intention not to return the next semester. A leave of absence form must be completed to facilitate the student’s readmission to the College and to ensure that the student is considered eligible to return. A student who wishes to return to Occidental after an absence must file an application for readmission through the Office of the Registrar.

Grades
Scholastic standing of both undergraduate and graduate students is indicated by the following grades: A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, barely passing; F, failure. A grade of Incomplete (INC) may be used for an undergraduate and Deferred (DEF) for a graduate under conditions as outlined below. A grade of Course in Progress (CIP) is given to indicate a course is still in progress at the end of the semester. A W grade indicates the student withdrew from a course after the eighth week of the semester or has withdrawn from the college any time during the semester. CR/NC grades, used in certain courses, are described below.

An Incomplete (INC) indicates that although the work completed is of passing grade, some portion of the course remains unfinished because of illness or for some other reason over which the student has no control. A student must petition in advance to receive the INC grade. Except under extraordinary circumstances, any student who has two Incompletes on the record from previous semesters cannot petition for an additional one. This grade, which must be approved by a dean or an associate dean, will be removed and replaced by a letter grade upon completion of the course requirements. The maximum time allowed for completion of course requirements, whether the student is enrolled or not, is one year from the date the Incomplete was incurred.

A graduate student’s grade may be Deferred (DEF) by the instructor who specifies the time limit within which the coursework is to be completed, this limit not to exceed one year except in the case of M.A. theses. If not removed within the specified time limit, a Deferred grade generally becomes an F.

Instructors file written statements of reasons for assigning Incompletes and Failures with their grade reports at the end of each semester. In the case of an Incomplete, the statement indicates the work necessary to attain a final grade. A copy of this statement is given to the student.

Grade Appeal Policy
This policy refers to procedures related to the dispute of a final grade in a class. Individual grades within a class may not be appealed and grade changes for additional work done after the semester has ended will not be approved.

The presumption at Occidental is that the instructor alone is qualified to evaluate the academic work of students in his or her courses and to assign grades to that work. Consequently, grades are not normally subject to appeal. However, when a student believes that a particular grade was assigned unfairly or in error, students may appeal the assigned grade as follows:

1. A final grade in a class must be appealed by the end of the fourth week of the semester following the semester in which the course was issued. No grade may be appealed after this period. Students are responsible for reviewing their grades at the conclusion of a semester.
2. The first step in the appeal is for the student to discuss his/her concerns with the instructor.
3. If discussion between the faculty member and the student does not resolve the matter, the student should meet with the department/program chair and provide the chair with a written explanation of his/her concern. The chair will attempt to solve the problem. If the instructor is also the chair, the student should meet with the Associate Dean who is responsible for the department within which the course was given.
4. If the department/program chair is unable to resolve the situation, the student may present the appeal to the Associate Dean responsible for the department within which the course was given. The Associate Dean will bring the matter to the Student Progress Committee which will review the appeal and make a recommendation to the Associate Dean. The Associate Dean, who may confer with both the student and the instructor, shall review the appeal and the recommendation by the Academic Standing and Conduct Committee. The Associate Dean shall determine the final resolution. No further appeals are possible after the Associate Dean has issued a decision.

Credit/No Credit
With the exception of required courses, including foreign language, Core, and major and minor requirements, a student may take a course on a Credit/No Credit basis with the consent of the instructor. To do so, a contract for completion of work to be graded CR/NC must be filed with the Registrar not later than the ninth week of the semester, and the decision may not be changed after the CR/NC form is submitted to the Registrar’s office.

If the major or minor is changed to one which requires a course which had already been taken on a Credit/No Credit basis, the student may be required to take an examination in that course for a grade.

A grade of Credit (CR) is to be regarded as the equivalent of a C or better, only. Grades of CR or NC are excluded from grade averaging.

No course is to be offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis. However, upon petition, the Academic Planning Committee may grant exceptions on an annual or permanent basis.

Physical Activities Credit
Students are awarded one unit of credit for each physical activities course taken up to a maximum of four units toward graduation. Only one physical activities unit per semester will be allowed. Students may enroll in additional physical activities courses for zero units.

Auditors
Any regularly registered full-time student may audit one four-unit course each semester, without fee, subject to permission of the instructor. All petitions to audit must be filed by the add deadline for the appropriate semester. Courses which require extensive student participation (such as studio art) may not be audited. Students not registered for credit may attend courses as auditors subject to formal permission through forms obtainable at the Office of the Registrar and payment of auditor’s fees. An auditor may not participate actively in course work or take final examinations and therefore does not receive credit. A grade of Audit is entered on the permanent record if requested by the student and if requirements specified by the instructor are met.

Dean’s List
Full-time students who complete at least sixteen units for a letter grade in a fall or spring semester and have a semester GPA of 3.5 or better are eligible for the Dean’s List. This honor will appear on the student’s transcript for each qualifying semester.

Class Attendance
Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Although the recording of attendance is at the discretion of the instructor, students may not enroll for two courses which have any overlap in time. Faculty have the option of administratively dropping from courses any students who fail to attend the first two hours of any class in a given semester. Students are responsible for arranging with the instructor the manner in which work, missed through absence, will be made up.

Scholarship Requirements
A grade point average of 2.0 in all work taken at Occidental and in the major and minor, if any, is required for graduation.

The College uses two criteria to establish the scholastic status of a student: (1) that based on the 2.0 average and (2) that based on the number of courses successfully completed with respect to the total number of courses taken (normal academic progress).

Grade point average (GPA) is computed on a four-point scale: A equals 4.0, A- equals 3.7, B+ equals 3.3, B equals 3.0, B- equals 2.7, C+ equals 2.3, C equals 2.0, C- equals 1.7, D+ equals 1.3, D equals 1.0, and F equals 0.0. Courses graded CR/NC are not computed in the grade point average.

Academic Probation, Suspension, and Dismissal
AAt the close of each semester the academic status of every student whose semester cumulative record shows a grade point average of less than 2.0 and/or whose record shows at least one grade of F is reviewed by the Student Progress Committee. If, in the judgment of the Committee, the record indicates unsatisfactory progress toward meeting graduation requirements, appropriate action is taken by the Committee. First year students (not transfers) will be placed on academic probation if their GPAs are below 1.85 at the end of their first semester. A 2.0 GPA is required to maintain “good academic standing” from the second semester on. All other students who earn below the required GPAof 2.0 in a semester will be placed on academic probation and reviewed by the Student Progress Committee. Students who achieve below a 2.0 for two consecutive semesters are subject to suspension. Students on academic probation with three consecutive semesters below 2.0 would be suspended or dismissed, regardless of the student’s cumulative GPA. Students receiving financial aid must also meet the satisfactory academic requirements established by the College.

Students who in any semester receive a GPA of 0.75 or less, regardless of the cumulative record, will be suspended for the following semester. Otherwise, a student who has been suspended shall be ineligible to re-register at Occidental College within one full calendar year after the date of the suspension.

To apply for reinstatement after a year of suspension, a student must file with the Student Progress Committee a written petition indicating activities since the date of suspension, a proposed program for the semester after reinstatement, and a proposed plan for removing academic deficiencies. Suspended students must take a full load (minimum of 12 semester hours) of University of California transferable credits at another four-year institution or community college for a minimum of one semester. This petition shall be filed not later than 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester in which the student wishes to be readmitted. An individual written agreement concerning semesters of readmission shall be made between each reinstated student and the Student Progress Committee.

Standards of scholarship in major departments are stated under the rules governing distribution of work.

Reports on students in academic difficulty are filed at midsemester. Only the final grades at the end of each semester are permanently recorded. Grade changes, which must be approved by the Dean of the College, must be filed within one academic year of the original grade. No grade changes will be allowed after the one year deadline has expired.

Examinations
The decision is left to the instructor whether a final examination is held in a course at the close of the semester. Final examinations may not be administered before the scheduled examination period; take-home examinations may not be issued to students before the final day of classes as published in the College Catalog. With the exception of laboratory practica, no examination may be administered in the final week of classes which requires review of material covered before that final week. The time of an examination can be changed within the examination period if there is unanimous agreement from students in the class and if an appropriate room can be found by the Registrar.

Comprehensive Examinations
Comprehensive examinations, required of all seniors for graduation, have two central and related objectives:

1. To provide an opportunity for senior students to synthesize the essential concepts, content, and methods of their academic field, and, during the course of their review, to establish central relationships among the materials covered in separate courses.
2. To provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate competence in their field by applying their knowledge to central relational problems, questions, or topics.

Since no single type of examination experience will serve all academic fields with equal effectiveness, departments have freedom to set either a single examination or a related group of synthesizing experiences as constituting the comprehensive. Related experiences may include, but are not limited to, seminars, theses, creative projects, field research projects, and oral examinations. Any collective experience which is evaluated by the department rather than an individual instructor, and which in the opinion of the department works toward the objectives and embodies the characteristics described above, may be construed as meeting the intent of the comprehensive requirement.

All departments, regardless of the nature and form of the comprehensive examination, are required to provide opportunities for students who fail their comprehensives to retake them before the end of the academic year in order that they might be given another chance to satisfy departmental expectations before graduation. Departments are granted the autonomy to determine the date and time of the initial examination as well as the retake.

Departments have the right to waive course final examinations during a semester in which the central portion of the comprehensive is administered.

In place of a letter grade for evaluating comprehensive examinations, a three-category system is used: Pass with Distinction, Pass, and Fail.

Course Credit by Examination
In order to stimulate a maximum amount of effort and progress in students of high scholastic achievement and capacity for self-directed study, the faculty provides an opportunity to pass by examination many of the courses offered within the curriculum. It is recognized that not all courses (e.g., independent study) nor all subject matter fields lend themselves equally to such an approach. Students seeking to take specified courses through examination are required to consult with departments and instructors for information as to content and coverage.

Credit by examination may only be undertaken by consent of the instructor in the course. In courses where multiple sections are scheduled during a semester or in different semesters, the approval of the departmental chair is also required. Students seeking Credit by Examination should secure the necessary petition forms from the Registrar.

A student may take one course by examination in any semester either as a substitute for a course or in addition to a normal load, which if passed would count toward the total number of units required for graduation, provided the following standards are met.

1. The student must have received no grade lower than a B in the two previous semesters at Occidental.
2. Preparation for the examination must be undertaken by the student independently and individually, as directed by the instructor involved, and the student will not be allowed to prepare for the examination by class attendance as an auditor in the regular course.
3. A student may not apply for Credit by Examination in a course in which previously enrolled for all or part of a semester, or in a course audited in a previous semester.
4. After a date is set for the examination, the student cannot be excused from taking the examination at that time except for reasons of health or grave emergency. Failure to take the examination will result in a recorded grade of F. With the consent of the instructor, Credit by Examination may be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis.
5. A grade must be submitted to the Registrar for recording as Credit by Examination, which becomes part of the student’s permanent record.
6. A fee for Credit by Examination must be paid at the time of filing the petition. In a semester when the student is enrolled for less than eleven units, the fee may be waived. See here for schedule of fees.

Course Exemption by Examination
It is possible for a student to be exempted from a course by examination, with consent of the instructor. No course credit is earned; however, notice of the exemption is entered on the permanent record to certify that the student has fulfilled a general college requirement or a course prerequisite. Students who wish to be exempted from a Core course by examination must make arrangements with the Core Office prior to the semester in which the course is offered. The instructor has the privilege of recording a grade of Credit/No Credit rather than a letter grade. A nominal fee is charged. Appropriate forms are available from the Registrar.

Transfer Credit
Transfer courses require prior approval by the department offering similar courses at Occidental College, and by the student’s advisor. Transfer courses taken during the fall and spring semesters cannot be courses that are currently offered at Occidental and cannot be used to satisfy a Core requirement. Students desiring to take courses at another college while attending Oxy cannot exceed the maximum allowable units per semester (normally 18, or 20 if the student’s GPA is 3.0 or better) combined. Normally, no transfer courses will be allowed in the second semester of the student’s senior year. A “Transfer Credit Petition” is available in the Registrar’s Office. A minimum grade of “C-” or better is required for transfer. The College will not accept transfer credit taken by examination from another institution.

Advanced Placement and Credit and International Baccalaureate Course Credit
Freshmen may be granted credit at the time of entrance for subjects in which they have completed College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement examinations with scores of 4 or 5 or International Baccalaureate scores of 6 or 7 in Senior courses only. This credit and resulting placement is subject to review by the appropriate departments.

A student completing an approved Advanced Placement examination in most subjects with a score of 4 or 5 will receive four units of credit toward the degree. These examinations may not be used to fulfill Core requirements.

An applicant who has completed courses at an accredited college prior to graduation from high school also may request consideration for appropriate recognition of credit or placement.

Credit earned either through Advanced Placement examinations, International Baccalaureate courses, or through college courses may make it possible for a student to enter advanced courses and also gain a wider opportunity for choice of electives in the undergraduate program. In general, each student will be expected to carry a normal load during the period of attendance at Occidental.

Summer Study at Other Institutions
Work taken elsewhere during the summer may be accepted for credit toward a degree from Occidental, subject to advance approval from the chair of the department with which the course would be identified, the student’s advisor, and the Registrar. It is also possible through petition to the Registrar to have summer study elsewhere accepted without credit to fulfill prerequisites or general college requirements. A minimum grade of C- is required for transfer.

Classification of Students
The class in which a student is to be ranked is determined as follows: Freshman: The meeting in full of all entrance requirements; Sophomore: The satisfactory completion of 32 units of credit; Junior: The satisfactory completion of 64 units of credit; Senior: The satisfactory completion of 96 units of credit.