USF 2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog - USF St. Petersburg - Pages 244 - 248
The Office of Admissions & Records maintains the official academic records for all students and course registrations for currently enrolled students. Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions & Records about general questions concerning academic policies and procedures of their current registration or academic record.
Note: Each student must be aware of the University’s academic policies and procedures insofar as they affect him/her.
USF St. Petersburg operates on a semester system. Semes ters begin in August and January with Summer Sessions beginning in May and June. See Academic Calendar for appropriate dates.
The maximum load of an undergraduate student is 18 hours (Fall & Spring semesters) and 14 hours (Summer Term) unless approval is received from the dean or an authorized representative of the student’s college. Students classified as Undecided must receive approval from the Center for Academic Advising. In the Fall or Spring Semester 12 hours is the minimum load for a student to be considered as full-time.
Sessions “A” & “B” (6 weeks)
Session “C” (10 weeks)
Students receiving Veterans’ Administration benefits should confirm their Summer Term enrollment with the Office of Veterans’ Services or Veterans’ Coordinator.
Undergraduates may not enroll in 6000-level courses or higher without approval of the college/department in which the course is offered.
USF St. Petersburg does not commit itself to offer all the courses, programs, and majors listed in this catalog unless there is sufficient demand to justify them. Some courses, for example, may be offered only in alternate semesters or years, or even less frequently if there is little demand.
USF will accept credits only from those institutions accredited by one of the accrediting agencies/commissions recognized by USF. However, USF St. reserves the right to deny credit for specific courses. The receipt and evaluation of total transfer credit are the responsibility of the Office of Admissions & Records. The college of the student’s major will determine which courses are applicable toward a specific degree and will assign equivalent courses (see Evaluation of Transfer of Credit under Admissions and Related Matters).
USF subscribes fully to all of the provisions of the statewide Articulation Agreement (Rule 6A-10.024) and strongly recommends that students complete the associate of arts degree, or in certain prior approved areas, the associate of science degree, before transferring. Special details for students who do not plan to complete the associate degree requirements are available from the Office of Admissions & Records. Also, all transfer students should refer to other entries about undergraduate transfers in the Admissions section of this catalog.
The Office of Admissions & Records will evaluate the acceptability of transfer of credits taken at regionally-accredited institutions since last enrolled at USF. The college of the student’s major will determine which courses are applicable for his/her major. In some instances, exact course equivalents will also be determined by other colleges that offer the same or similar course(s) as a part of their programs of study.
The Office of Admissions & Records will determine the acceptability of transfer credits for continuing, degree-seeking students who take courses at regionally accredited institutions. However, PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL MUST BE OBTAINED from the college of the student’s major if these credits are to be applicable to the USF degree program. A properly-executed Transient Student Form or Cross Enrollment form should be used for this purpose.
Continuing degree-seeking students register by appointment for their next semester’s courses during the preceding term, either by telephone or in person (regional campuses only). Appointment times and instructions for all registration periods are published in the Schedule of Classes for the appropriate semester.
Prior to initial registration, all newly admitted undergraduate students and readmitted former undergraduate students returning are required to participate in an orientation/academic advising program. Newly admitted students and readmitted Former Students Returning receive Orientation/Academic Advising/Registration instructions from the USF St. Petersburg Office of Orientation.
Registered students may make schedule adjustments in the regular registration period during the preceding term or in the drop/add period during the first week of classes. (Deadline information is available in the Academic Calendar.)
Degree-seeking students who do not register prior to the first day of classes may late-register the first week of classes. A $100.00 late registration fee is charged during this week. (See the section on fees for additional information and the appropriate term’s Schedule of Classes for dates.) To avoid cancellation of registration, fees are due and payable for all registered courses of record on the fifth day of classes (end of drop/add period). (See Academic Calendar for dates.)
NOTE: A Mandatory Medical History Form is required for all students (regardless of age). According to Florida Administrative Code Rule 6C-6.001(4), “Each student accepted for admission shall, prior to registration, submit on a form, provided by the institution, a medical history signed by the student.”
As a prerequisite to matriculation or registration, the State University System of Florida requires all students born after 1956 to present documentation of proof of immunity to MEASLES (Rubeola) and RUBELLA (German Measles). (See Immunization Policy.)
USF St. Petersburg seeks to guide all students in selecting programs and courses best suited to their personal abilities, educational interests, and career objectives. Students who have been admitted to the University should meet regularly, by appointment, with their Academic Adviser in the Academic Advising Center located in Davis Hall 134. This Center also serves as an initial point of contact for non-admitted, prospective, and/or non-degree seeking students who need information about the University’s academic structure.
All students are encouraged to establish an advising relationship with the Academic Advising Center and periodically visit their advisors to keep abreast of any policy, procedural, or curriculum changes that may affect them. In fact, some colleges require advisor approval of student programs each semester. It is important for students to keep in mind that although the University provides advising services to assist students with academic planning, it is each student’s responsibility to see that all graduation requirements are met.
It is necessary that all students meet with their academic advisor prior to first-class registration. The purpose of this initial contact is to provide the advising unit with routine information to assist it in collecting and maintaining the necessary records to assure the student’s proper progress toward education goals. Transfer students should bring an unofficial or student copy of their transcript(s) to this advising session.
First-year students often enter the university undecided about their career plans and intended majors and that usually creates little difficulty for them. Many of the more than 90 majors at USF allow students considerable options in their early course choices. However, some programs require completion of particular courses within the first two years. For instance, students with majors in the fine arts or engineering should begin specific coursework I their first year and are best served by declaring their majors upon entry to the university. In other fields, such as nursing, natural and physical sciences, education and business, students must satisfy state mandated course prerequisites and complete specific general education courses during the first two years to be admitted to those majors as juniors and to allow graduation on a timely basis. Therefore, students must make early decisions about those majors as well.
Unless restricted by limited access requirements, all students are expected to be officially declared in a major by the time they have completed 45 semester hours of course work. Beginning Fall Semester 2004, FTIC students who have not declared a major (or pre-major) and who have completed 45 or more credits of college level coursework will not be allowed to register for further credit coursework at the university until they have declared a major or pre-major.
Transfer students, especially those who have completed 60 hours of work prior to transferring to USF, should declare their majors upon entry to the university. Transfer students who have not declared a major (or pre-major) and who have completed 75 or more credits of college level credits of college level coursework will not be allowed to register for further credit coursework at the university until they have declared a major or a pre-major. Students transferring in 75 or more credits will be required to declare a major (or pre-major) at the time of admission.
Many resources are made available by the university to assist students in making career decisions and choosing their majors. Information about these resources is readily available from academic advisors. All entering FTIC students how have not made a career/major decision upon entry to the university will be encouraged to enroll in the University Experience course.
Students are cautioned that admission to the University does not imply admission to all the programs and courses offered by the individual colleges; this is especially true with respect to colleges with limited access programs. Colleges such as Business, Education, and Nursing have been designated as limited access colleges and require completion of certain prerequisites before a student may declare a major offered by one of the colleges. It is important that students check the college sections of the catalog for advising and admission requirements. Students planning to enter a limited access program should be aware that their admission by the college may be denied or delayed and should be prepared with alternative plans of action. Students seeking admission to limited access programs must demonstrate successful academic progress toward meeting the limited access requirements in order to remain undeclared beyond 45 semester hours of credit.
Lower-level transfer students (entering the University with fewer than 60 semester hours) and upper-level transfer students (entering with 60 or more semester hours) who do not meet the requirements of a limited access major are assigned initially to Freshman/Sophomore level advisers. Upper-level transfer students (entering the University with 60 semester hours or more) who meet the admission requirements of a major are assigned to advisers specializing in the college of that major for advising.
This policy has been put into effect so that USF St. Petersburg may effectively utilize classroom space and to insure that all students have maximum opportunity to enroll in classes where demand exceeds availability of seats.
Students are required to attend the first class meeting of undergraduate courses for which they registered prior to the first day of the term. Names of students who register prior to the first day of the term are printed on the first class roll for each course section. The first class roll is used by professors to drop students who do not attend the first day of class. Students having extenuating circumstances beyond their control and who are unable to attend the first class meeting must notify the instructor or the department prior to the first class meeting to request waiver of the first class attendance requirement. Students who add courses or late-register during the first week of classes will not be on the first class roll and, therefore, will not be dropped for non-attendance by the instructor. To avoid fee liability and academic penalty, the student is responsible for insuring that he/she has dropped or been dropped from all undesired courses by the end of the 5th day of classes.
This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading, or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practicums, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty.
PLEASE NOTE: Class days, times and room assignments are subject to change as late as the first day of classes. For updates, please check OASIS at www.stpt.usf.edu. Click on “Class Schedule Search.”
After a student has completed his/her registration on the date assigned, he/she may add courses on a space available basis until the add deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. See the appropriate semester’s University Schedule of Classes for detailed instructions and dates.
A student may drop a course(s) during the regular registration and drop/add periods (first five days of classes). No entry of the course(s) will appear on any permanent academic records and full refund of fees is due for course(s) dropped within those periods.
A student may also drop a course(s) between the second and tenth week of the semester (except for Summer sessions - see the Summer Schedule of Classes for dates). Registration fees must be paid for the course(s) and the academic record will reflect a “W” grade for the dropped course(s). Courses dropped after the ninth week deadline (see Academic Calendar for date) will result in an automatic “F” grade.
A student who wishes to sit in on a class to review the course material may do so; however, the student is not allowed to take exams, earn grades, or receive credit. The student’s status for that class is an audit and his/her presence in the classroom is as a listener. A student must register to audit courses during the late registration period. (No audit registrations are processed during the regular registration periods.) Fees for audit are the same as for full enrollment for credit except out-of-state tuition is not charged. See University Schedule of Classes for detailed instructions and dates.
Students may cancel their registration by notifying the Office of the Admissions & Records in writing prior to the first day of classes. If fees have already been paid, the student may request a full refund of fees from the Cashier’s Office.
A student may withdraw from the University without academic penalty during the first ten weeks of any term (except for Summer Sessions). He/she must submit a completed Withdrawal Form to the Office of Admissions & Records. No entry is made on the academic record for withdrawals submitted during the first week of the term. All subsequent withdrawals (through the tenth week of classes in the Fall and Spring Semesters) are posted to the academic record with “W” grades assigned to the courses. Withdrawal deadlines for the Summer sessions are listed in the Academic Calendar and are published in the Schedule of Classes for the Summer Term. Students who withdraw may not continue to attend classes.
Students who withdraw during the drop/add period as stated in the Academic Calendar may receive a full refund of fees. All refunds must be requested in writing from the Cashier’s Office. No refund is allowed after this period except for specified reasons. See Refund of Fees under Financial Information for complete details.
Initiated by the Florida Legislature (H.B. 1545 of 1997) to reduce costs, all state universities must monitor undergraduate student progress and charge students the full cost of instruction for certain repeats of undergraduate courses. This policy became effective Fall 1997 and requires USF St. Petersburg to charge students a substantial per credit hour surcharge when they attempt a course three or more times at USF St. Petersburg, unless the course is specifically designed to be repeated or is required to be repeated by their major. Requirements to earn a passing or higher grade than previously earned in a course do not exempt the surcharge. Students will be required to pay the surcharge in addition to the appropriate in-state or out-of-state tuition rates. It is important to note that all attempts count, including withdrawals after the first week of classes and courses with incomplete grades.
Effective Fall 2000, the University, under the authority of Board of Regents Rule 6C07001(4)(c) and Statute 240.124,F.S., may grant exceptions to this rule based on extenuating circumstances and financial hardship. However, the University may only approve one appeal per course. The exceptions included in the Statute are extenuating circumstances and financial hardship and are defined as follows:
Extenuating circumstances are those circumstances determined by the University to be exceptional and beyond the control of the student and may include but not be limited to serious illness, documented medical condition preventing completion; death of an immediate family member, involuntary call to active duty; university error, other emergency circumstances or extraordinary situations.
The criteria used by the universities for determining financial hardship should include, but not be limited to, qualification for federal need-based financial aid. Students with other documented financial hardships may also be considered.
The student must fill out a Fee Adjustment Request Form and indicate the request is for a waiver of the repeat course surcharge. He/she must also submit a statement that explains the request and provide all documentation relating to it. The completed form with documentation should be submitted to the Office of Admissions & Records for consideration. If a student’s request is denied, he/she may appeal the decision to the Office of the Dean of Enrollment Services.
Transcripts of a student’s USF St. Petersburg academic record may be requested by the student through the Office of Admissions & Records. A student’s academic record can only be released upon authorization of the student. Students requesting transcripts may do so in person or by writing to the Office of Admissions & Records. By law, the request must include the student’s signature and date. In order for transcripts to be issued, the student must have no financial obligations to the University. Transcripts are normally mailed/ready for pick-up within two working days after the request is received. USF St. Petersburg Transcript Request forms are available at the Admissions and Registrar’s Office.
Letter requests must include: (1) date of request and student’s current address; (2) student ID number and full name; (3) name and complete address of recipient; and (4) number of copies and special instructions, such as, “hold for degree statement” or “hold for current term grades,” and the student’s signature. Degree statements are posted approximately four to six weeks after the graduation ceremony. Current term grades are posted approximately one week after the final exams end. If grades for the current term are needed, clearly indicate that the transcript request is to be held for grades.
To order transcripts by mail, send payment ($8.00 per copy, check or money order only) and Request Form or letter to:
Office of the Registrar
To order a transcript in person, hand-carry payment (check, money order or cash) and Request Form or letter to the USF St. Petersburg Office of the Registrar, BAY 102.
Transcript request forms are available in this location. Students may complete the request process in one stop at the Cashier’s Office.
The College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is a part of Florida’s system of educational accountability. CLAST is a state-mandated achievement test that measures attainment of communication and mathematics skills expected of students completing their sophomore year in college. These skills were identified by the faculties of community colleges and state universities and adopted by the State Board of Education. A student must pass the CLAST or achieve alternate criteria to receive an Associate in Arts or a baccalaureate degree from any Florida public institution.
Students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution are exempt from the CLAST requirement at USF St. Petersburg.
The State Board of Education has established minimum CLAST score standards for awarding the Associate in Arts degree and for the baccalaureate degree from October 1, 1992 as follows: Reading, 295; English Language Skills, 295; Mathematics, 295; and Essay, 6.
CLAST may be taken by undergraduate, degree-seeking students who have earned 18 semester hours or the equivalent and who apply to take the test on or before the deadline established for registration. Students at USF St. Petersburg are required to take the CLAST by the time they complete 45 semester hours. First-time-in-college and lower-level transfer students are encouraged to take the CLAST as early as possible. Transfer students should take the CLAST the first semester they are enrolled as degree-seeking students if they have already exceeded the 45 hours from previous institutions.
If one or more subtests of the CLAST have not been passed, or exemptions have not been awarded by the time a student completes 70 semester hours, the student may not register for classes until he/she has met with the appropriate college CLAST advisor. A course or method of preparation to remediate content covered in the failed subtest(s) will be selected and required. Further registration may be restricted for failure to attend the designated preparation.
If a student has completed 36 hours of upper level (3000 and 4000) courses after the first attempt to pass CLAST and has not satisfied the CLAST requirement, registration will be restricted to 1000 and 2000 level courses. Preparation will be required in each of the subtests failed. Further registration at USF St. Petersburg will be denied for failure to complete the required preparation.
Students may receive exemptions for the CLAST examination by achieving specific EACT or SAT-I scores, or by earning a 2.5 GPA in specific courses. Exemptions are awarded for the communication subtests of CLAST if an SAT-I Verbal score of 500 or an EACT English score of 21 and an EACT Reading score of 22 are achieved. Exemptions are awarded for the mathematics CLAST subtest if an SAT-I Mathematics score of 500 or an EACT Mathematics score of 21 is earned. Students receive exemptions from the CLAST communication subtests if a 2.5 GPA is achieved in at least six hours of ENC 1101 and ENC 1102. Exemptions from the CLAST mathematics subtest are issued when students have earned a 2.5 GPA in at least six hours of MAC 2102 or higher, MGF 2202 or higher and STA 2022 or higher. Any combination of these courses is permissible, providing only one statistics course is used to calculate the six-hour mathematics GPA.
Waivers from individual CLAST subtests are granted in two situations: 1) a specific documented learning disability prevents the student from achieving the skills set forth in SBE 6A-10.0316 (consult with Student Disability Services) and; 2) a student has successfully completed courses related to a specific subtest, but has failed to satisfy the CLAST requirement with a passing score or an exemption. After failing a CLAST subtest five times and successfully completing three terms of documentable preparation and a specific three-hour course related to the failed subtest, a student may apply for a waiver by submitting appropriate documentation to the USF Institutional Test Administrator at the Tampa campus, Evaluation and Testing (SVC 2054). A list of approved courses to satisfy this requirement is available in the Evaluation and Testing Office.
Please Note: CLAST exemptions or waivers are not acceptable for admission to or graduation from programs in the College of Education. Refer to the Office of Evaluation and Testing, SVC 2054, for the current policies on CLAST.
Prior to receiving an Associate of Arts degree from a public community college or university or a Bachelor’s degree from a public university, a student shall complete successfully the following in the areas of communication and computation:
In order to follow the specifics of 6A-10.030, USF St. Petersburg has designated the following courses in which the student may demonstrate the writing and mathematical skills as set forth in this rule.
Communication (12 semester hours)
All the above courses will require 6,000 written words per course. IDH courses will fulfill the writing requirement for all University Honor students only.
Computation (6 semester hours)
Course Number and Title Semester Hours
Note that CGS 2060 will not satisfy the USF St. Petersburg General Education Quantitative Methods requirement.
CLEP general/subject examinations in mathematics, calculus, college algebra, college algebra-trigonometry, and trigonometry may satisfy this requirement.
Please send questions or comments to:
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0405/stpapp.htm
Academic Load
Full-time Undergraduate Student Definition - Summer Term
For: Academic purposes - 6 hours or more each session
For: Financial aid - Students must enroll for 12 hours (undergraduate) in any combination of Sessions “A,” “B” and “C.”
For: Academic purposes - 9 hours or more
For: Financial aid - Students must enroll for 12 hours (undergraduate) in any combination of Sessions “A,” “B” and “C.”
Availability of Courses
Transfer of Credit to USF
Former Student Returning
Continuously Enrolled Degree-Seeking Student
Registration for Admitted Degree-Seeking Students
Immunization Proof Required
Academic Advising for Undergraduate Students
Initial Advising and Registration
Declaration of Major
Advising for Limited Access Programs
Course Attendance at First Class Meeting
Schedule Changes
Adds
Drops
Auditing Privileges and Fees
Cancellation Before First Class Day
Withdrawal
Repeat Course Surcharges
Transcript Information
USF St. Petersburg-BAY 102
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
College Level Academic Skills Test
Courses to Satisfy Rule 6A-10.030 (“Gordon Rule”)
Any courses offered by the Mathematics Department may be used. Only one course from the following list (some of which are not in the Mathematics Department) may be used.
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Karen M. Hall - webcat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2004