Mar 29, 2024  
2016-2017 Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Information



 

Adding/Dropping a Course

Adding a course: Students may add courses or change sections of courses during the registration period and the drop/add period, as published in the Academic Calendar. Classes may be added during the registration period by accessing the feature on the student portal.

Dropping a course: Courses may be dropped during the registration and drop/add period, as published in the Academic Calendar through the student portal. Courses dropped during this period will not appear on the student’s academic record.  Withdraw from individual courses after the drop/add period must be processed through the Office of the Registrar. These courses will remain on the academic record and are assigned a grade of W. A grade of W is not calculated in the student’s grade point average (GPA).

Dropping all courses does not officially constitute formal withdrawal from the University. Refer to the Withdrawal section for information and procedures. A student is financially liable for all courses in which he or she is registered for at the end of the drop/add period.

For additional information on course drop/add see FPU-5.0101AP.

 

Change of Major (Undergraduate)

All undergraduate students desiring to change their major should consult the advising office in the old and new college(s) of their interest.
For additional information on change of major, see FPU-5.0091AP.

 

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance and participation are expected.  For more information see FPU-5.0010AP.

Course Load

Undergraduate

A full-time undergraduate student is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester. A part-time undergraduate student is enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester. The typical full-time undergraduate course load is 12 to 18 credit hours each semester. Students should take between 30 and 33 hours annually to graduate in four years. In the Fall and Spring semesters, the maximum number of credit hours in which an undergraduate may enroll is 18. During the Summer semester, the maximum number of credit hours allowed during a six-week term is 9, and the maximum number of credit hours allowed during a 12-week term is 15. The total of combined summer sessions cannot exceed 15 hours. Semester overload permission from the undergraduate student’s academic advisor is required to enroll for more than the maximum allowable hours. For additional information see FPU-5.0088AP.

Graduate

The University defines full-time graduate students as being enrolled in 9 or more credit hours during the fall and spring semesters and a minimum of 6 credit hours during a summer semester. The University requires that any graduate student wishing to enroll in more than 12 credit hours in a semester acquire written permission from an academic advisor or program coordinator.  For additional information see FPU-5.0088AP.

Course Substitutions

Only under unavoidable and exceptional circumstances will substitution for or exemption from the prescribed curricula be permitted. If it becomes necessary to request deviation from the prescribed course of study, the student should consult their Faculty Academic Advisor or the Program Area Coordinator of the student’s major. The Faculty Academic Advisor or the Program Area Coordinator will petition by letter to the registrar for substitutions or exceptions sought and will state the reasons for the change. Students transferring from other colleges who desire to substitute courses taken elsewhere for courses prescribed at the University should also follow this procedure.

Any deviations from the applicable published degree requirements must have the approval of the appropriate Program Area Coordinator, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Registrar as appropriate.

Enrollment Status

Undergraduate Degree and Non Degree-Seeking:

Full 12 or more
3/4 9-11
Half 6-11
Less Than Half 1-5

Graduate Degree and Non Degree-Seeking:

Full 9 or more
3/4 6-8
Half 5-8
Less Than Half 1-4

Academic Standing

Good Academic Standing: An undergraduate student who possesses a Cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above is considered to be in Good Academic Standing.

Academic Warning: An undergraduate student is placed on Academic Warning if his/her Cumulative GPA falls below a 2.00 for the first time in his/her academic career at the University.

Academic Probation: An undergraduate student is placed on Academic Probation if his/her Cumulative GPA falls below a 2.00 for the second time.

Academic Suspension:  An undergraduate student is placed on Academic Suspension if his/her semester GPA falls below a 2.00 while the student is on Academic Probation.

For additional information see FPU-5.0074AP.

 

Grade Forgiveness

Students may repeat a course and exclude a previous course grade from their Florida Polytechnic University grade point average calculations.  Graduate courses are not subject to grade forgiveness.  Undergraduate degree and non-degree students are eligible.  For more information see FPU-5.0006AP.

 

Grade Point Average Calculation

Florida Polytechnic University’s grading system includes the following grades:

Grade                     Definition                 Quality Points PerSemester

A                                                                         4.00 
A-                                                                        3.67
B+                                                                       3.33
B                                                                         3.00
B-                                                                        2.67
C+                                                                       2.33
C                                                                         2.00
C-                                                                        1.67
D+                                                                       1.33
D                                                                         1.00
D-                                                                        0.67
F              Failure                                                  0.00
AU            Audit                                                     **
IP             Continuation (Thesis/Dissertation Only)    **
NR            Grade Not Reported                                **
S               Satisfactory* (Internship Only)               **
U              Unsatisfactory (Internship Only)              **
W             Withdrawal without academic penalty       **
WF           Withdrawal with academic penalty          0.00
WM          Withdrawal - Mitigating Circumstances     **


 

It is the option of the college, department or instructor to use all, some, or none of the plus/minus grades in assigning student grades in a course, as long as the grading system is communicated to students via the course syllabi at the beginning of the course. Numerical ranges corresponding to letter grades are established for each course according to the professional judgment of the instructor.

Some colleges, departments, and programs have established minimum grade requirements. In these instances, B- does not satisfy the requirement of a minimum grade of B.

The grades of D, while considered passing for undergraduate students, may not be acceptable for some courses (see program requirements).

Earned credit hours are not assigned in courses with grades of F, AU, IP W, WF, and WM (see definitions). A grade of NR will be posted for grades not reported by the instructor.
A “NR” grade will be converted to an F at the end of the following semester. For additional information see FPU-5.0071AP.

 

Incomplete Grade

A student who is passing a course but who has not completed all of the required coursework by the end of the term may, with the permission of the instructor, be assigned a grade of I. A grade of I is not computed in a student’s GPA.  An incomplete (I) grade cannot be assigned to a course if the student fails to attend the course, drops the course after the drop/add period, or withdraws from the university. A student who registers for a course but fails to meet the course requirements, without officially dropping the course, will receive a grade of F in the course. For additional information see FPU-5.00712AP.

 

Final Grade Reports

Grades are available via the student portal. The university does not mail final grade reports.

 

Honors Recognition

Undergraduate students completing at least 12 credits hours of coursework during the fall or spring semester with a grade point average of 3.90 - 4.00 will be eligible for President’s List recognition.

Undergraduate students completing at least 12 credits hours of coursework during the fall or spring semester with a grade point average of 3.50 - 3.89 will be eligible for Provost’s List recognition.
For additional information see FPU-5.00741AP.

 

 

Graduation with Honors

Undergraduate students may graduate with honors upon meeting the following requirements:

1. Completion of a minimum of 30 credits at Florida Polytechnic University

2. Achieve a cumulative grade-point average as follows:

  •     Summa Cum Laude: 3.90 and above
  •     Magna Cum Laude: 3.75 to 3.89
  •     Cum Laude: 3.50 to 3.74

For more information see FPU-5.0017AP.

 

Baccalaureate Degree Graduation Requirements

The following are minimum requirements for awarding the baccalaureate degree:

  • Apply for graduation by the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar.
  • Recommendation by appropriate college advisor.
  • Earn a minimum of 120 semester hours with an institutional GPA of 2.0 in all coursework attempted at Florida Polytechnic University. Colleges and departments may have requirements that exceed these minimums.
  • Satisfy general education requirements (36 hours of required and elective coursework in prescribed areas; see General Education section ).
  • Satisfy Communication and Computation Skills (previously known as Gordon Rule requirements). See Communication and Computation Skills section .
  • Satisfactorily complete the writing and computation course requirements.
  • Earn a minimum of 48 hours of upper division coursework (courses numbered 3000 and above).
  • Complete all program requirements.
  • At least 25% of the coursework required for the degree and 30 of the last 60 hours must be earned at Florida Polytechnic University.
  • All students entering Florida Polytechnic University with fewer than 60 semester hours of credit are required to earn at least 9 semester hours of credit prior to graduation by attendance during one or more Summer terms. The University may waive the application of this rule in cases of unusual hardship (See Summer Enrollment Requirement).
  • Satisfy State of Florida foreign language admission requirement.
    For more information see FPU-5.0094AP.

 

Residency Requirement for Graduation

At least 25 percent of coursework for the degree must be earned at Florida Polytechnic University. Thirty (30) of the last 60 hours must be earned at Florida Polytechnic University to receive a baccalaureate degree from Florida Polytechnic University.

A graduate student must complete at least eighteen (18) credits at Florida Polytechnic University.

 

Semester System

Florida Polytechnic University operates on a semester system. Each semester hour represents the equivalent of one instructional period of 50 minutes in length. The Fall and Spring semesters are 16 weeks in length (including one week of final exams). The Fall semester begins in August and ends in December and the Spring semester begins in January and ends early in May. The Summer semester typically has three terms: Term A is a 6-week term that begins in May and ends in June; Term B is a 6-week term that begins in June and ends in August; and Term C is a 12-week term that begins in May and ends in August. For additional information see FPU-5.003AP.

Summer Enrollment Requirement

Undergraduate students entering a university in the State University System with fewer than 60 semester credit hours must earn at least 9 semester hours prior to graduation by attendance in one or more Summer sessions. University presidents or their designees may waive the application of this regulation in cases of unusual hardship to the individual. A student who wishes to have the rule waived must submit a Request for Waiver of Mandatory Summer Enrollment to the University Registrar.

Transcripts

Transcripts are released only with written authorization from the student. Telephone and fax requests for official transcripts will not be accepted. Transcripts will not be released for students who have a financial obligation to the University.  Transcript requests should be made to the Office of the University Registrar.

A $10 fee is charged for each official transcript requested. Unofficial transcript can be obtained via the student portal. There is no charge for unofficial transcripts. Graduating students receive one official transcript, free of charge, with their diplomas.


Transfer of Coursework

The University is committed to its obligation to maintain academic quality.  When deciding whether or not to accept credits for transfer, the University considers the level, content, quality, comparability and degree program relevance.  The University also accepts credit for Advanced Placement, Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, CLEP, Excelsior College Exams, International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Military Service (ACE) and USAF/DANTES. For more information on the acceptance of accelerated mechanisms see FPU-5.0009AP.  For additional information on undergraduate transfer of credit see FPU-5.0082AP. For additional information on graduate transfer of coursework see FPU-5.0083AP.

 

Withdrawal

Withdrawal is the formal process of leaving the University during a semester. Dropping all classes does not constitute formal withdrawal from the University. A formal withdrawal can be initiated by submitting a completed Student Withdraw Form in person, by mail or by fax to the Office of the University Registrar.

Students who formally withdraw from the university by the withdraw without academic penalty deadline as published in the Academic Calendar, will receive a grade of W in each course. Students who withdraw after the published withdraw without academic penalty deadline will receive a grade of WF in each course. A student who withdraws may not continue to attend class. Requests for appeals to the withdrawal policy should be submitted in writing with appropriate documentation to the appropriate college.
For additional information see FPU-4.004. For information relating to withdraw from courses due to military service see FPU-4.005.