DEFINITION OF TERMS

Advanced Credit

Courses numbered 300 and above are advanced courses. These are normally taken during the junior and senior years. (See “Advanced Hours” in the Undergraduate Requirements section of this catalog)

Audit, Course

A student auditing a course may attend lectures and other class meetings, take part in class discussions, and receive written confirmation of attendance. The student will not receive evaluations of participation, and will not be allowed to submit assignments or write examinations and tests, except by special and express permission of the instructor.

An individual must receive prior approval from the appropriate department chair and the instructor involved in order to audit a course. Neither the instructor nor the University assumes responsibility for the academic progress of any person auditing a course. The audit fee for each course is $50; senior citizens who are 65 years of age or older are exempted from paying the audit fee. An individual auditing a course:

1. is encouraged to attend all lectures and obtain the maximum educational benefit from the information presented,
2. is not permitted to take tests or examinations in the course being audited,
3. who is not enrolled as a regular student at Sam Houston State University is authorized to receive a courtesy library card permitting use of the Newton Gresham Library for the duration of the course audit,
4. is not authorized to be issued a Sam Houston State University Student Identification Card unless also enrolled as a regular student at Sam Houston State University,
5. is not authorized to use Sam Houston State University medical, athletic, or recreational facilities unless also enrolled as a regular student at Sam Houston State University, and
6. will not have a record of course audit in the Registrar’s Office.

Classification of Students by Hours Completed

Freshman: 1-31; Sophomore: 32-63; Junior: 64-93; Senior: 94 and up.

• Only hours earned at Sam Houston State University and hours accepted in transfer from other institutions will count toward the student’s classification, which is determined by the Registrar.
• Credit awarded by examination and hours earned with the grade of CR are counted in determining classification, but are not included in determining grade point average.
• Hours earned in developmental courses are not counted toward the student’s classification.

Course Numbers

Course numbers at Sam Houston State University consist of three digits. The first digit (reading from left to right) indicates the recommended year level of the course; for example, 100’s freshman; 200’s sophomore; 300’s junior; 400’s senior; 500’s master’s; 600’s advanced, post-master’s and doctoral; 700’s doctoral. In some degree programs, freshmen may be advised to take 200 level courses.

The middle digit indicates the credit value of the course, except in the case of three-hour courses, where the middle digit may be three or any number from six to nine inclusive; as, for example, 111, one-hour course; 121, two-hour course; 131, 161, 171, 181, 191, three-hour courses; 141, four-hour course; 151, five-hour course. The last digit serves to distinguish one course from another within a department.

Degree

A degree is an academic title awarded to a student who has successfully completed a degree program. Sam Houston State University is authorized to award six baccalaureate degrees — BA, BAAS, BBA, BFA, BM, and BS; eight master’s degrees — MA, MBA, MED, MFA, MLS, MM, MPA, and MS; and two doctoral degrees — Ed.D. and Ph.D.

All baccalaureate degrees awarded by Sam Houston State University include a core of 45 semester credit hours (SCH); from 30-87 SCH in a major area of study; where applicable, not less than 18 SCH in a minor area of study, and other courses as required or elected for a total minimum number of 128 SCH (some programs require a higher minimum number of SCH).

Degree Plan, Undergraduate

A formal plan outlining all academic graduation requirements. A complete plan of studies must be established by the student, the major department, the minor department, and the office of the academic dean of the major. This formal written plan should be completed as soon as possible. Students should check with specific departments for more detailed timelines and are encouraged to use the Student Advisement and Mentoring Center (SAM Center) for development of their degree plans. It is the responsibility of the student to originate the degree plan within the major department. After this initial conference, the plan is presented to the minor department for written approval, after which a second conference is scheduled with the major department where the plan is finalized and presented to the major academic dean for approval. A copy of the degree plan should be on file in each of the following locations: the major department, the minor department, the Registrar’s Office, and the office of the major academic dean. Those students pursuing teacher certification should also have a copy on file in the office of the Dean, College of Education.

Degree Program

Texas Education Code, Section 61.003, defines a degree program as “any grouping of subject matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a student, will entitle him/her to a degree from a public senior college or university or medical or dental unit.”

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board considers any alternate grouping of related subject matter courses within a major area of study to be a separate degree program if (1) upon satisfactory completion, a student is entitled to a degree from the institution, (2) the course grouping includes the equivalent or substantively the same requirements as those required by the institution for a degree in a similar discipline, and (3) the course grouping includes requirements equivalent to or substantively the same as those required for comparable degree programs in the same discipline at similar institutions.

All degree programs require approval of the Board of Regents, The Texas State University System, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Degree Title

A degree title is the name of the degree and the major area of study under which one or more programs may be offered.

Elective

An elective is any course not specifically required for completion of a degree. Electives allow the student flexibility, within the total semester credit hours required for the degree, to pursue special interests outside the specific requirements for the major and minor areas of study.

Major

A major is a grouping of related subject matter courses which characterizes and distinguishes a principal field of study. It may include a course grouping from only one academic discipline or from two or more related disciplines, e.g., interdisciplinary major. A baccalaureate major must contain an approved course grouping of not less than thirty semester credit hours, of which a minimum of twelve must be advanced and taken in residence.

Minor

A minor is a grouping of related subject matter courses which characterizes and distinguishes a second field of study. It may include a course grouping from only one academic discipline or from two or more related disciplines, e.g., interdisciplinary minor. A baccalaureate minor must contain an approved course grouping of not less than eighteen semester credit hours, of which a minimum of six must be advanced and taken in residence.

Normal Load

The normal undergraduate course load during a regular semester is fifteen semester credit hours exclusive of the following:

1. Required activity kinesiology or accepted substitutes.
2. Military Science lower division courses.
3. Musical ensembles, not to exceed three during any one semester.

Combinations of one-hour and/or two-hour courses, exclusive of the exceptions listed above, are used to establish three-hour or four-hour equivalents for the purpose of establishing the student’s normal load. The normal undergraduate load for the summer school is two courses per session.

Overload

An overload is a course taken in excess of a normal load as defined above. The number of courses in any semester or summer session will include those from all sources. Any combination of correspondence courses, extension courses, and residence courses must be totaled into a student’s maximum load.

It is recommended that before an undergraduate student enrolls in courses in excess of the defined normal load, the student should have attained a grade point average of 3.0 over his/her total university work. Exceptions to the normal load should be approved by the student’s academic dean.

Off-Campus Courses

Students may register for off-campus courses during the regular registration periods as listed in the current Schedule of Classes available online. Courses taught at a location away from the main campus carry residence credit. Off-campus procedures for resignations and schedule changes (adds or drops) are the same as for students attending classes on campus. See the current Schedule of Classes for a complete listing of courses and locations.

Sam Houston State University has approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer various degree programs at The University Center, in The Woodlands. Courses completed as part of these programs carry residence credit.

Part-Time Student

Any undergraduate student who carries fewer than twelve semester hours during an academic semester is classified as a part-time student. Such a student is not considered to be making normal progress toward the degree.

Q-drops

A drop made after the last date for tuition refunds (12th class day for fall/spring; 4th class day for summer) but before the date for which a drop would result in the grade of 'F' as published in the Academic Calendar.

Students will be allowed no more than five Q-drops during their academic career at Sam Houston State University. Classes that are dropped prior to the Q-drop date will not count toward the limit. Students who have used their limit of five Q-drops will need to petition their respective dean to drop a class. If the dean refuses to grant permission to drop a class, a student will be required to remain in the class.

This limit will take effect with the start of the fall 2004 semester. Any drops accumulated prior to the fall 2004 semester will not be included in the five Q-drop limit, nor will Q-drops from other universities.

Residence Classification

The responsibility for registering under the proper residence classification is that of the student. For additional information, see “Residence Classification for Tuition Purposes.”

Semester Hour

The unit of credit is the semester hour, defined as 45 contact hours per semester for a three hour course. During the fall and spring semesters, most courses meet three hours per week and have a credit value of three semester hours. For each hour in class, at least two hours of preparation are expected on the part of the student. Many students will find it necessary to spend more than this amount of time in study.

Support Area

A support area is a grouping of courses for which there is no degree authority. It includes a limited number of related subject-matter courses offered to provide flexibility for the student to pursue special interests within the major, the minor, or the elective areas of an authorized degree.