Academic Policies

• During the first week of a 15-week course, including arranged classes;

• Up to one week prior to the beginning of a weekend intensive course;

• On the first day of class for 5-week, 6-week, 7-week, 8-week and summer classes, excepting ED intensive courses with pre-assignments.

A late registration fee will be charged.

Permission to Attend Another College

A student in a degree program must have the written approval of the academic advisor and the Registrar to take courses at another college. This request may not be granted if the student is within thirty hours of a degree, if the course is available on campus, or if the student does not have a “C” average. Students not obtaining written permission prior to studying off campus may risk not receiving credit at Avila University. Permission forms may be obtained in the Registration and Student Records Office.

Repeated Course Work

Graduate students may repeat courses according to the policy of the program in which they are enrolled. The most recent grade earned is reflected in the cumulative grade point average. However, all course entries remain a part of the permanent record and credit is forfeited for all previous attempts.

• MBA Program: Students may repeat a course in which they earned a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F.” Only one repeat of a required MBA course will be permitted.

• Education/Psychology Programs: Only one course may be repeated during the entire program.

Independent Study

Students may enroll for independent study with the permission of the instructor and the Department Chairperson. For students in Education and in Psychology, independent study is limited to three credit hours; however, for students in Psychology independent study may not apply to state licensure. See advisor for details.

Courses Offered for both Graduate and Undergraduate Credit

Students enrolled in Graduate Programs may take courses which are cross-listed and offered for both graduate and undergraduate credit. Students must take a minimum number of credits in courses exclusively reserved for graduate students as indicated below:

MBA 24 hours

Education 18 hours

Psychology 54 hours

Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend all sessions of courses for which they are registered. Excessive absence may result in a grade of “F”.

Active Military Duty

Avila University supports students who are members of a branch of the United State armed services and makes efforts to accommodate them academically when possible if they are called to active duty. All requests under this policy must be sent to the Academic Affairs Office.

Academic Honesty

Avila University expects and requires academic honesty from all members of the university community. Cheating, plagiarism and falsification of documents will not be tolerated and appropriate sanctions will be imposed.

The university defines “cheating” to include the following practices: stealing an exam; collaborating on projects where not allowed by the instructor; copying during exams; exchanging information during exams; using unallowable information as designated by the instructor; and buying, selling or stealing copies of exams or other projects.

The university defines “plagiarism” as taking ideas from another and passing them off as one’s own. Included would be the practice of incorporating portions from a printed or online book or article into a paper and not acknowledging the source; copying a whole paper or report directly from a book or article; securing a paper or report from another person or an online source and submitting it as one’s own work.

The instructor who discovers that a student has cheated or plagiarized has the right and duty to impose an appropriate sanction. The maximum sanction available to the instructor is to dismiss the student from class and administer an “F”. Lesser sanctions, appropriate for the offense, may be selected at the discretion of the instructor. An attempt must be made by each instructor to treat each offense in a consistent manner within the same course. Repeated offenses may result in dismissal from the university.

After informing the student of the sanction, the instructor may (if this is a first offense) notify the Academic Dean as to the nature of the offense and the sanction imposed. After the student’s second offense, the instructor must notify the Academic Dean who will relate this confidential information to the academic advisor.

For the third reported offense of cheating or plagiarizing, the student will be required to appear before the University Judicial Board. After hearing the case, this board has the right to impose a further sanction beyond that imposed by the instructor. The maximum sanction available to the University Judicial Board is to dismiss the student from the university for repeated offenses.

Records of accumulated reported offenses of cheating and plagiarizing will be maintained in the office of the Academic Dean. When the student graduates from Avila University, these records will be destroyed.

Program Changes and Withdrawals

Program changes and withdrawals are official when forms that are available in the Registration and Student Records Office have been obtained, completed and returned by the student to that office. Students who do not officially withdraw from a course by the date published in the class schedule will receive a final grade of “F.”

All schedule cancellations or complete withdrawals will result in charges of $100.00 or $25.00 according to student status; all other changes in schedule will be charged $15.00 for each change. There is no fee for changes made as a result of classes cancelled by the university.

The MBA Program meets on a trimester calendar (11-weeks). The fall trimester begins in early September and runs through the week prior to Thanksgiving. The winter trimester begins early January and runs through mid-March. The spring trimester begins late March and runs through early June. The summer session typically runs mid-June through mid-August. The last date to change to audit or drop a trimester-long MBA class will be prior to the seventh class meeting.

The fee for each change is $15. There is no fee for changes made as a result of classes cancelled by the university.

Credit Hours and Grading System

Points per

Grades credit hour

A = Excellent 4

B = Good 3

C = Minimum Pass 2

D = Below Passing 1

F = Failing 0

W = Withdrawal without academic assessment

AU = Audit. Courses may be taken for audit with the approval of the instructor. Students may change a credit course to audit prior to the eleventh week of classes; students may also change an audit course to credit with the permission of the instructor prior to the SECOND week of classes. Students auditing a course are required to meet the attendance and participation requirements of the course. If these requirements are not met, students will be withdrawn from the course by the instructor. A final grade of “AU” is recorded on the transcript.

I = Incomplete. Incomplete grades are only issued at the instructor’s discretion due to extenuating circumstances. Course work required for a grade must be completed within six weeks after the close of a session unless a different time is stipulated by the instructor; if not, the grade of Incomplete will be changed to an “F”. All assigned incomplete grades must have a Contract for an Incomplete Grade form completed and submitted by the instructor along with the final grade sheet. The Contract for an Incomplete Grade form can be obtained in the Registration and Student Records Office. The charge for changing an Incomplete Grade is $5 per incomplete. See MBA program for policy on incomplete (I) grade in a graduate Directed Study or Research Course.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The basis for determining the academic standing is the point-hour ratio. The Grade Point Average (GPA) is obtained by dividing the total number of semester hours, including transfer credits, but excluding grading assessments of W, AU and I. All grades for courses retaken will be displayed on the transcript, but only the most recent grade will be averaged into the GPA.

For graduate students, only transferred courses that meet requirements will be transcripted and averaged into the grade point average.

Grade Reports

Students with a “D” grade or an “F” grade in any course at mid-semester will be notified.

At the end of each semester a copy of the student’s grades is mailed to the student’s home address.

Transcripts

Students who have satisfied all financial obligations to the University are entitled to a transcript of their academic record.

Due to the confidential nature of a student’s record, transcripts are issued only on written authorization of the student concerned. Telephone requests will not be accepted. Written requests should be directed to the Registration and Student Records Office.

OFFICIAL transcripts are forwarded directly by mail to other institutions. UNOFFICIAL transcripts are issued to the student for personal use. The fee for each transcript is $2, payable in advance.

Release of Student Information - FERPA

Avila University is in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. This Act, also known as the Buckley Amendment, helps protect the privacy of student records. The Act provides for the right to inspect and review educational records, to seek to amend those records, and to limit disclosure or information from the records.

Official student records are maintained in the Registration and Student Records Office. Students and parents of dependent students may request to review official educational records under the following procedure.

1. The students must provide a written request to review the record. Parents of dependent students must supply evidence of the income-tax dependency of the student if the student does not sign a release. If the parent provides documentation, the academic advisor and/or instructor will be notified.

2. An appointment to review the record will be set with the Registrar/Director of the Office or with the Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

Institutions may disclose information on a student without violating FERPA if they have designated the information as “directory information.” At Avila University, this includes:

a. Verification of enrollment status including full-time, part-time, graduate, undergraduate, and classification.

b. Student name, major and minor fields of study, academic honors, and degrees.

c. Student address, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers only in connection with campus events and to persons with legitimate reason.

d. Dates of attendance.

e. Participation in campus activities and sports.

f. Weight and height of members of athletic teams.

g. Most recent education agency or institution attended and hometown.

h. Student photograph.

Students have the right to “opt out” of providing directory information. Requests to limit the release of directory information must be provided in writing to the Registration and Student Records Office by the end of the second week of the semester.

Institutions may disclose non-directory information without violating FERPA under the following conditions:

a. with the student’s written request;

b. to school officials with “legitimate educational interests;”

c. to parents of dependent students;

d. to a person in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or court order.

For further details, please contact the Registration and Student Records Office.

Procedure for Grade Appeal

Students have recourse to an appeals procedure for the review of student course grades received at Avila University. Guidelines and Request forms are available in the Office of Academic Affairs. The deadline for appealing grades is published in the course schedule.

Application for Degree

Students must file an application for degree with the Registration and Student Records Office during the semester prior to their final semester at the university, stating the expected date of degree completion. There is a penalty fee for filing after the published deadline date.

Deadline dates for filing:

  March for Summer degree candidates
  April for December degree candidates
  September for May degree candidates
  (check the academic calendar listed in the class schedule for specific dates)

Education deadline dates:

November for May and Summer degree candidates
August for december degree candidates

Psychology deadline dates:

April for December degree candidates
September for May and July degree candidates.

If students do not complete the degree requirements by the expected date of completion, they must file a new degree application in the Registration and Student Records Office.

After the degree application is filed with the Registration and Student Records Office, a survey of all academic work is reviewed by the Registrar to verify degree requirements still needed to be satisfied. Written notification of those requirements will be sent from the Registrar to the student.

Participation in Commencement

Students who have three (3) or fewer credits to complete during the summer session may participate in the May Commencement exercises.

Course Numbering System

001-099 Skills courses - these courses will not count toward the total hours for graduation.

101-199 Introductory courses

201-299 More advanced introductory courses; may have prerequisites

310-449 Upper-division courses open to all students

451-499 Upper-division courses open to majors/minors only

501-599 Foundational graduate courses and Education graduate certification courses

601-699 Graduate courses

The number in parentheses after the course title indicates the credit in semester hours.

The Roman numeral following the course description indicates the semester in which the course is given. First semester course offerings are indicated by I; second semester, II; summer session, S. Where frequency of course offering is not indicated, the course is given as required.• No more than 60 hours in one area may be counted toward the 128-hour requirement for a bachelor’s degree. Exceptions to this limit may occur in specific degree programs. Any additional credit hours earned in a single subject beyond the designated limit will be counted as credits earned over and above the 128 required for the bachelor’s degree.

• Completion of any additional course requirements specified by the major degree program.

• Successful completion of recital, exhibit, project, research paper, oral examination and/or any other department evaluation requirement.

• Of the minimum 128 semester hours required for graduation, at least 64 semester credits must be from accredited four-year colleges/universities. Only those courses designated by Avila University as college/university equivalent will be accepted for transfer credit.

• Completion of the final 30 hours at the university.

Double Major and Degree Conferred

When two majors are completed in different degree areas, (e.g., B.S., B.A.) the student must indicate from which area the degree will be conferred.

Second Degree

• Requirements for earning two degrees to be awarded simultaneously.

- Completion of a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours at Avila University in addition to the hours required for the first baccalaureate degree.

- Completion of both majors with at least 12 upper-division hours in each major taken at Avila University; a “C” grade is required in each upper-division course in the majors.

• Requirements for earning a second degree after having been awarded a baccalaureate degree.

- Completion of a minimum of thirty (30) additional semester hours at Avila University after the awarding of the first baccalaureate degree.

- Completion of a major with at least 12 upper-division hours in the major taken at Avila University; a “C” grade is required in each upper-division course in the major.

- Completion of the core curriculum as stated earlier in this catalog.

Minor

At least 18 semester hours in a subject area are required for a minor. A minimum of 9 hours in the minor must be earned at Avila University with at least six (6) of these semester hours at Avila in courses numbered 301 or above. (Note: If the minor is in Biology or Chemistry, only four (4) of the 9 semester hours in the minor at Avila must be in courses numbered 301 or above. If the minor is in Natural Science, only three (3) of the 9 semester hours must be in courses numbered 301 or above.) A grade of “C” or better must be earned for all graded courses required for the minor.