Santa Clara University

ACADEMIC PROGRAM POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

Course Numbering and Course Credits

Lower-division courses are numbered 1 through 99, and upper-division courses are numbered 100 through 199. In the College of Arts and Sciences and the Leavey School of Business, most lower-division courses carry 4 units of academic credit and most upper-division courses carry 5 units of academic credit. In the School of Engineering, unit values for courses vary according to the number of hours in class per week.

Change of Academic Major

A change of major within the same school or college requires the approval of the relevant department chair or program director. Students wishing to change their academic major within a school must submit a Program Petition Form to the Drahmann Center.

Change of School

Entering freshmen are admitted to the University and to a specific school based on the preference indicated on their admission application. Students wishing to change schools within the University may not apply for such a change until the end of their first year of attendance.

Changes between schools may be limited by the availability of space within the school and the specific academic major. Students wishing to change schools must meet the admittance criteria of the school and complete the application process specified by that school. Upon acceptance by the school, the student must submit a completed Program Petition Form to the Drahmann Center.

Repetition of Courses

Students may only repeat a course in which they have received a grade of less than “C–.” In such cases, the grades of both the original and the repeated course are included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average, but units are awarded toward graduation only once for each course passed. Certain courses, such as special topics courses and performance courses, are repeatable, and students will receive a grade and units for each successful completion. Students should consult the chair of the department in which the course is offered to confirm that a given course may be repeated for credit.

Independent Study

Students may pursue independent study through directed reading, directed research, internships, practica, or cooperative education. To qualify, a student must have demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of the academic discipline involved to make independent study both possible and beneficial. No more than 20 units of independent study may be used to satisfy graduation requirements, and no more than 5 units of independent study may be taken per term. Students must enroll for the term in which the independent study occurs.

Directed reading and directed research are limited to upper-division students who undertake a research project or other well-defined study beyond the scope of a regular course under the supervision of a faculty member. Such work should be comparable to that required for courses of equivalent unit value.

Students can obtain practical learning experience through internships, cooperative education, and practica. Internships and cooperative education are approved work experiences in a non-classroom environment in industry, government, or other setting, generally available only to upper-division students. Students who enroll in an internship or cooperative education experience for academic credit must fulfill specified academic requirements in addition to the responsibilities expected by the organization hosting the internship or cooperative education experience. Practica provide practical experience in a discipline-specific field experience or an approved University program activity, such as participation on the school newspaper. Practica are generally available only to upper-division students, but some practicum experiences are available to lower-division students who meet specified eligibility criteria.

Students wishing to enroll in an independent study course must initiate the request for independent study with the appropriate faculty member, or with the Career Center for cooperative education experiences. The appropriate form, with the required materials and other approvals, must be submitted to the Drahmann Center for final approval prior to registering for the course.

Challenging Courses

Students may challenge certain courses to satisfy specific subject requirements for graduation. A student may petition to challenge any course listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin except those involving laboratory, studio, or specialized group work and those whose descriptions in the catalog are followed by the letters NCX. No more than one course may be challenged each term. Although course requirements may be fulfilled by challenging a course, a successful challenge neither earns units toward the total needed for graduation nor contributes to the fulfillment of the residency requirements.

In order to be eligible to challenge a course, a student must have completed at least one term at Santa Clara, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3, and receive permission of the faculty member and the chair of the department in which the course is offered. Only currently enrolled students are eligible to challenge a course.

To challenge a course, the student takes a special examination on the material covered by that course and meets any additional requirements specified by the department chair. Challenge examinations are arranged by the department chair after the student files a Petition for Credit by Examination with the Office of the Registrar and pays the applicable fee.

Course Requirements and Attendance

Students are responsible for completing all course requirements as set forth by the instructor. Class attendance expectations and consequences for absences from class are left to the discretion of individual instructors. Students are accountable for all course assignments, whether or not the assignments were announced during an absence.

Final Examinations

A cumulative final examination, if given in a course, must be given on the date and time scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. If the final examination is a take-home exam, it may not be due before the scheduled final examination time. Exceptions to this policy require approval of the department chair and dean.