2005-07 Catalog
(Volume XLV * May 2005)

Persons To Whom Inquiries May Be Directed

Policy of Nondiscrimination

Academic Year Calendars

Section I: General Information

Section II: Admissions

Section III: Student Life

Section IV: Expenses and Financial Assistance

Section V: Academic Information

Section VI: Programs of Study

Section VII: Courses of Instruction

Directory

Catalog Home Page

SECTION V: Academic Information

General Requirements for Graduation
Students within two semesters of graduation must submit an Application for Graduation, available in the Office of the Registrar.  Deadlines for applying for graduation are published in the Academic Calendar.

Baccalaureate Degrees
A traditional degree program includes one major and one minor field; the Office of the Registrar will not evaluate an additional minor field. A comprehensive degree program consists of one major field and no minor field; the Office of the Registrar will not evaluate a minor field with a comprehensive degree program. A student may elect to complete requirements for a double major in one degree or may elect to complete requirements for two majors in separate degrees.

Minimum Credit Hours
The minimum number of credit hours for a baccalaureate degree includes 128 credit hours of courses numbered 100 and above.  (This may include transfer credits that have been evaluated by Shepherd University as courses numbered 100 and above.) Of the necessary hours for graduation, 45 hours must consist of courses numbered 300 and above. (This may include transfer credits that have been evaluated by Shepherd University as courses numbered 300 and above.)

Minimum Grade Point Average
For each of the following areas, a grade point average of 2.0 or better (or a C average) is required: 1) all collegiate level course work attempted (overall GPA), 2) all Shepherd University course work attempted (institutional GPA), 3) all course work presented to satisfy major field requirements, and 4) all course work presented to satisfy minor field requirements. Higher minimums are established for some fields. Students should carefully consult major and minor field requirements.

Minimum Shepherd University Credit Hours Requirement
To earn a baccalaureate degree from Shepherd University, a student must complete at least 32 credit hours of course work at Shepherd University. The last 12 credit hours of course work for a baccalaureate degree must be completed at Shepherd University. Credit hours earned at the Community and Technical College of Shepherd prior to summer 2005 are considered Shepherd University credit hours. Non-teaching degree candidates must earn a minimum of 15 major field credit hours at Shepherd University.

Community or Junior College Credit Hour Transfer Policies
In compliance with West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, no more than 72 credit hours from a regionally-accredited community or junior college may be applied toward the 128 credit hours minimum for graduation from Shepherd University. Students who have completed more than 72 credit hours at a community or junior college may select the courses they wish to have evaluated as part of their credit hours counted toward graduation. All transfer credit hours will be calculated in the student's overall grade point average. Beginning summer 2005, credit hours earned at the Community and Technical College of Shepherd will be considered transfer credits and will be counted toward the 72 credit hour maximum. For policies related to the transfer of course work, see "Taking Courses at Other Institutions" above.

Additional Requirements for Graduation
1. All financial obligations to Shepherd University must be paid in advance.
2. In certain instances additional requirements may be stipulated in selected fields of study; degree candidates must consult with their academic advisors concerning such requirements.
3. A student cannot select a minor field of study whose required courses duplicate the major field requirements by more than eight semester hours. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the vice president for academic affairs.
4. A course required by both the major and the minor cannot be applied to both programs.  In these cases, the student must submit an approved course substitution for the duplicated requirement.
5. The student's faculty advisor shall approve all elective course selections in the major, minor, and teaching field. Course substitutions must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and the chair of the department for the required course.
6.   It is the student's responsibility to check on all requirements and to make inquiry if there is doubt about meeting any of them. Required courses should be completed as soon as possible to prevent conflicts of prescribed subjects during the senior year.
7. Students maintaining continuous enrollment at the University will have a seven-year period to complete requirements under the catalog in effect at the time of entrance. Students should be aware that external accrediting agencies, as well as other factors, may at times require changes to specific degree programs. Students who are readmitted to the University after an absence of more than two consecutive regular semesters (excluding summers) must follow the catalog in effect at the time of readmission. Students may elect to graduate under a later catalog than the one under which they entered or were readmitted. However, students are not permitted to apply requirements from two different catalogs, nor may they elect to graduate under a catalog in effect prior to their entrance or readmission.

Double Degrees
Shepherd University does not award multiples of the same degree to an individual, i.e., a student cannot be awarded two bachelor of arts or two bachelor of science degrees. Students may elect to pursue two distinct degrees (B.A. and B.S., for example) by submitting an approved Academic Change Form to the Office of the Registrar.
Shepherd University students wishing to complete requirements for more than one degree prior to conferral of their bachelor's degree may receive the additional degree when the first is conferred, provided they have met all requirements for the additional degree. A Shepherd University student who returns for an additional degree within one academic calendar year of completing the first may receive it simply by completing all requirements for the additional degree. The additional degree will be added to the transcript after the date of graduation with a comment on the date the requirements were completed. (Note: Students must meet the requirements stated in the Catalog in effect at the time of their re-enrollment in the additional degree program.)
Students possessing a baccalaureate degree from another institution who wish to attain an additional bachelor's degree through Shepherd University must complete a minimum of 32 hours of additional course work in residence at Shepherd. (Note: hours needed to complete requirements for a degree may exceed the stated minimum.)
Graduates from Shepherd University with any bachelor's degree except for the Regents Bachelor of Arts Program will not need to be re-evaluated for meeting the general studies requirement. A course required in both degrees will be applied to both without the need for substitution.

Double Majors
A Shepherd University student who wishes to complete requirements for more than one major prior to conferral of his or her bachelor's degree must submit an approved Academic Change Form to the Office of the Registrar.
A Shepherd University student who returns for an extra major within one academic calendar year of graduating may receive it simply by completing all requirements for the additional major. The additional major will be added to the transcript after the date of graduation with a comment on the date the requirements were completed.
A course required in both majors will be applied to both without the need for substitution.

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