PURPOSE

The purpose of this publication is to provide general information about the academic programs of Sam Houston State University to students and prospective students as well as the faculty and staff of the University. Included is information concerning admissions, the academic calendar, requirements for graduation, services available to students, and the faculty and administrative officers of the University.

While every effort has been made to make this publication as complete and accurate as possible, it should be noted that changes may occur at any time in the policies, requirements, academic calendar, deadlines, fees, and curricula listed in this publication.

Students should refer to the Undergraduate Catalogue or Graduate Catalogue for course descriptions, curriculum outlines, a list of the faculty of the University, and other specific information. The Schedule of Classes provides the offerings for any given semester or summer school.

ADMISSION Click here for International Undergraduate Students admission info.

Any person who desires to apply for undergraduate admission to the University should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341 for an appropriate application and information. Telephone: (936) 294-1828. (The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is housed in Estill Classroom Building.)

Sam Houston State University accepts applications for undergraduate admission from students of accredited secondary schools and students transferring from accredited colleges without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or age.

Application Fee. Effective January 1, 1995, a $15.00 non-refundable, one-time application fee must accompany the application form. Checks or money orders must be payable to Sam Houston State University. DO NOT SEND CASH. Former students are not required to pay the application fee.

Before a student will be admitted to Sam Houston State University all items listed below must be on file in the Undergraduate Admissions Office:

1. Application for undergraduate admission.

2. Satisfactory evidence of high school graduation and class ranking.

3. Satisfactory scores on the ACT Assessment or SAT I Recentered Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test).

4. Official transcripts of all college level work attempted at any other institution(s).

The deadline for making application for undergraduate admission to Sam Houston State University is as follows: Fall Semester -- August 1; Spring Semester -- December 1; Summer Session I -- May 15; Summer Session II -- June 15.

PERSONAL STANDARDS. Sam Houston State University requires the same personal standards and applies the same criteria in considering applications for admission as it uses in the retention of students who are enrolled. To be consistent with this policy, the University reserves the right to refuse acceptance to prospective or former students who have criminal records including conviction of a felony, offenses involving moral turpitude, or other serious offenses. The personal standards of conduct expected of students who enroll at Sam Houston State University are provided in the student handbook, Student Guidelines.

ACADEMIC FRESH START. Senate Bill 1321, passed by the 73rd Texas Legislature, entitles residents of Texas to seek admission to public institutions of higher education without consideration of courses undertaken ten or more years prior to admission.

Students electing to apply for admission to Sam Houston State University under the provisions of SB 1321 and this policy may not choose which credit hours are to be counted or to be ignored. All college hours ten or more years old are either counted or all ignored.

For more information, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, (936) 294-1828.

ADMISSIONS TESTS. The University accepts students for admission with satisfactory scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test SAT or SAT I, the recentered test, or the ACT Assessment. These tests are administered periodically at more than 1,000 test centers throughout the United States. Information and applications for either test may be secured from the high school counselor or principal.

ADMISSION POLICY FOR BEGINNING STUDENTS. Sam Houston State University accepts applications for undergraduate admission from students of accredited secondary schools without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age.

A beginning student must graduate from an accredited high school, take the ACT or SAT or SAT I, and meet one of the following requirements:

a. Score at least 21 on the ACT Assessment or at least 900 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or 1010 on the SAT I, the recentered test.

b. Graduate in the upper half of his/her graduating class.

c. Enroll for 12 semester credit hours of prescribed core curriculum work in summer school at Sam Houston State University and make no grade less than a "C."

d. Provide official transcript from an accredited college or university indicating successful completion of 12 transferable semester credit hours with no grade less than a "C."

GRADUATE OF A NON-ACCREDITED HIGH SCHOOL. Sam Houston State University will admit qualified students graduating from non-accredited high schools who meet the following criteria:

a. Score at least 21 on the ACT Assessment or at least 900 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or 1010 on the SAT I, the recentered test.

b. Present a high school transcript with the following earned credits:

English	4
World History or Geography	1
American History	1
American Government	1/2
Math	2
Science	2
Physical Education	11/2
Health Education	1/2

c. Have approval of the SHSU Undergraduate Admissions Standards and Applications Committee.

APPEALS FOR SPECIAL UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS. An applicant who does not qualify for admission may request a meeting with the SHSU Undergraduate Admissions Standards and Applications Committee. The applicant will have the opportunity to present evidence of extenuating circumstances that may have affected the applicant's eligibility for entering the University.

EARLY UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM. Sam Houston State University permits certain high school students to attend summer school between their junior and senior year. To qualify, a student must:

1. Be in the top 25% of his/her class;

2. Return to high school and complete the senior year;

3. Have the recommendation of the high school principal or counselor; and

4. Have parent or guardian's written permission.

Qualified students interested in participating in this program should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

FORMER STUDENTS. All former SHSU students who did not attend one long semester (fall or spring) must submit an application for undergraduate admission in order to re-enter Sam Houston State University. Any former SHSU student who attends another institution is responsible for submitting an application for undergraduate admission and an official transcript with a minimum 2.0 grade point average of his/her record to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions before he/she re-enters Sam Houston State University.

A student who leaves Sam Houston State University on scholastic probation is readmitted on scholastic probation, even if the student has attended another institution after leaving and re-entering Sam Houston State University.

FULL-TIME EARLY UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. The University recognizes that in some instances a truly gifted high school student may receive considerable educational benefit from a full-time early undergraduate admissions program to a college or university.

High school students desiring to enter the full-time early undergraduate admissions program must:

1. Complete the junior year of high school.

2. Be in the top quarter of their class.

3. Score not less than 30 on the ACT Assessment or not less than 1100 on the SAT (or 1180 on the SAT I, the recentered test).

4. Present letters of recommendation from the high school principal and two other high school teachers.

5. Present a letter from the student's parents or guardian stating that they understand the program and approve.

6. Have a personal interview with a university early admissions screening committee.

7. Agree to enroll for and successfully complete a minimum of twelve earned semester credit hours of basic courses for the first two semesters as prescribed by the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services.

Students desiring to enter this program should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

SUMMER TRANSIENT STUDENTS. Students applying for summer school only must meet the same undergraduate admissions requirements as Transfer Students from Colleges or Universities stated below. Also, summer school only students are required to provide verification of TASP Test scores to the Registrar's Office.

TRANSFER STUDENTS FROM COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES. Students who transfer to Sam Houston State University from another accredited college or university must:

1. Have an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher,

2. Submit a completed SHSU undergraduate application, and

3. Provide an official transcript from all colleges/universities attended.

Applications and transcripts of college transfer students who do not enter Sam Houston State University the semester or summer session applied for will be discarded.

Students who are on suspension from another college or university are not eligible for admission to Sam Houston State University.

All courses and grades transferred from other colleges and/or universities are recorded as received on the student's academic record at Sam Houston State University. Changes in the evaluation of transfer credit will not be permitted after one (1) year from the student's initial evaluation at Sam Houston State University.

Courses and grades transferred from other colleges or universities will remain on the student's transfer record at Sam Houston State University. If, however, the student repeats a similar course or courses at Sam Houston State University in order to satisfy degree requirements and receives a higher grade, the appropriate transfer grade will be marked as a repeated course and the transferred GPA adjusted accordingly.

Grades earned at other institutions may not be used to remove a grade point deficiency acquired in residence at Sam Houston State University.

A student will have to earn grade points at Sam Houston State University to make up for any deficient grade points resulting from transferred courses and grades.

A student has the option of repeating D or F grades at the school(s) from which said grades were transferred. If the student makes higher grades, those grades will be entered on the student's transferred record at Sam Houston State University and the transferred GPA adjusted accordingly.

TRANSFER CREDIT FROM JUNIOR OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE. Sam Houston accepts from accredited junior colleges a maximum of sixty-six academic hours plus four hours of activity physical education (kinesiology), or a total of seventy semester hours.

Courses taken at a junior or community college cannot transfer as advanced hours (junior or senior level courses).

TRANSFER DISPUTE RESOLUTION GUIDELINES

The following guidelines and definitions are established to clarify and enhance Chapter 5, Subchapter A, Section 5.4 of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule pertaining to Transfer Curricula and Resolution of Transfer Disputes for Lower-Division Courses.

DEFINITIONS

The definitions listed below were established by the Coordinating Board and will serve as criteria to resolve legal questions as specified in Section 1.23, Subchapter C, Chapter 61 of the Education Code, Section 61-078. The publications Transfer of Credit Policies and Curricula of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual: A Manual of Approved General Academic Transfer Courses for State Appropriations to Texas Public Community Colleges are the references for this issue: The following criteria for lower-division and upper-division course credit were adopted by the Task Force to Update the Academic Course Guide Manual.

A. Criteria for Lower-Division Course Credit

Lower-Division (Baccalaureate/Associate Degree) Courses

Courses offered in the first two years of college study are those which:

a. Are identified by a majority of public 4-year undergraduate institutions in the state as courses intended to comprise the first two years of collegiate study, AND

b. Stress development of disciplinary knowledge and skill at an introductory level; OR

c. Include basic principles and verbal, mathematical, and scientific concepts associated with an academic discipline.

B. Criteria for Upper-Division Course Credit

Upper-Division (Baccalaureate) Courses

Courses offered only in the third or fourth years of a baccalaureate program are those which:

a. Are identified by a majority of public 4-year undergraduate institutions in the state as courses intended to comprise the third and fourth years of postsecondary study, AND

b. Involve theoretical or analytical specialization beyond the introductory level, OR

c. Require knowledge and skills provided by previous courses for successful performance by students.

C. Free Transferability

Lower-division courses included in the Academic Course Guide Manual and specified in the definition of "Lower-Division Course Credit" shall be freely transferable to and accepted as comparable degree credit by any Texas public institution of higher education where the equivalent course is available for fulfilling baccalaureate degree requirements. It is understood that each Texas institution of higher education may have limitations that invalidate courses after a specific length of time.

For Texas community colleges, these freely transferable courses are identified in the latest revised edition of Coordinating Board publication Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual - A Manual of Approved General Academic Transfer Courses for State Appropriations to Texas Public Community Colleges, (revised 1991). Specifically excluded are courses designated as vocational, ESL/ESOL, technical, developmental or remedial, and courses listed as "basic skills."

For senior four-year institutions, lower-division courses that have the same course content and CIP codes as approved by the Coordinating Board shall bear equivalent credit. Specifically excluded are course designated as ESL/ESOL, technical and developmental/remedial courses.

Within the spirit of the law it is realized that differences in interpretation of "same course content" may generate disputes.

D. Disputes

Transfer disputes may arise when a lower-division course is not accepted for credit by a Texas institution of higher education. To qualify as a dispute the course(s) in question must be offered by the institution denying the credit (receiving institution), or in the case of upper-level institutions, must be published as a lower-division course accepted for fulfilling lower-level requirements. For community colleges, the course(s) must be listed in the Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual, and be offered at the receiving institution. Additionally, the sending institution must challenge the receiving institution's denial of credit.

Students at Sam Houston State University who require additional information/clarification regarding Transfer Dispute Resolution Guidelines should contact the Director of Undergraduate Admissions.

COMMON COURSE NUMBERS

The Texas Common Course Numbering System was developed in part to assist students in identifying which courses at one college will meet specific course requirements at another college. In other words, the common course numbering system promotes the successful transfer of course work among colleges and universities in Texas, making the transfer process easy for students.

The common course number has a standardized four-letter prefix followed by a four-digit number--example, ENGL 1301. The four-letter prefix identifies the subject area. Each digit in the four-digit sequence gives additional information about the course. The first digit identifies the course as either freshman level (1) or sophomore level (2). The second digit identifies the number of credit hours a student will earn upon completion of the course. Most often this digit will be a 1, 2, 3, or 4. The final two digits serve to establish the sequence in which courses are generally taken.

In the course description sections of the catalogue, the common course number is shown in brackets--example, [ENGL 1301] . The following is a list of all the common course numbers currently adopted by Sam Houston State University. Courses which fulfill one of the General Education Requirements for the Baccalaureate Core are identified with the letters GE to the right of the Sam Houston State University course number.

COMMON COURSES