Policies & Procedures

Please take a few minutes to review new policies designed to guide your academic progress. The complete policies are available on the Temple website at policies.temple.edu and further information is available in the Undergraduate Bulletin, www.temple.edu/bulletin.

SCT Policies & Procedures:

Change of Major:

To change majors within SCT, students can download a Change of Major Form (PDF) here or pick it up from the Office of Student Affairs, AH 9, and schedule an appointment with one of our advisers. Bring the completed form to the appointment. Majors cannot be changed during the months of January and August.

Intra University Transfer (IUT):

Students wishing to transfer into the School of Communications & Theater must schedule an appointment through the Office of Student Affairs by calling 215-204-5273 or in person by visiting Annenberg Hall 9. Please download an Intra-University Transfer Form (PDF) here or pick it up from the Office of Student Affairs. Bring the completed form to the appointment.

Transfer restrictions:
- We do not transfer students during the months of January and August.
- Students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher to transfer to SCT. Their most recent semester GPA must be 2.0 or higher as well to transfer.

Permission to take courses elsewhere:

If students live beyond commuting distance to Temple, they can get permission to take summer courses at an institution near their home, provided that it is 50 or more miles from any Temple campus. To get permission, the student can pick up the form at our office, AH 9, and have the prospective courses evaluated by the departments where they originate. For example, a psychology course would be evaluated by the Psychology Department. Students need at minimum a course description to accomplish this, but some departments also want a syllabus. The evaluator for that department writes the equivalency on the form and signs for that course.

Once the evaluations are complete, make an appointment or come to walk-in advising for advisor review and signature. We recommend that students get a couple of alternate courses evaluated and pre-approved along with their first choice(s) so that if something gets canceled, they have a back up and do not have to start the whole procedure again. Specific courses must be pre-approved, not just the number of credits.

Course re-evaluations: (for courses already transferred to Temple)

Sometimes when transcripts are evaluated, the Admissions staff may not have enough information on a class to give it a specific equivalency, or they may not feel we have an exact duplicate of a class. In those cases, they bring it in as elective credit in the department where they feel it belongs. Those classes are usually given numbers like T000, L000 or U000. This way, the student gets the credits and at minimum they can be used as electives towards graduation. This may also be done with classes in the students major.

If a student feels that the class matches closely to a course offered at Temple, it can be re-evaluated by the department where it originates. To get this done, take a syllabus to the department, and have someone look at it to see if it can be changed. Most departments have a form to write this up, or a note on departmental letterhead will work as well. Bring the re-evaluation to our office, AH 9, and it will be given to an adviser who will submit the change request.

Petitioning requirements:

Sometimes things happen that are beyond a student’s control, like two required classes are offered at the same time the semester he/she is graduating. In some cases, a substitution or some other exception can be made. To request this, students must file a petition which outlines what requirement they are inquiring about, what they want to do that is different, and a detailed justification as to why an exception should be made. All departments have the petition form. It can also be obtained from the Student Affairs Office, AH 9. Please be aware that this is a petition, a request, and not a given. Sometimes the answer is no.

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Temple University Policies & Procedures:

1. Temple E-Mail:

All students are required to obtain a Temple e-mail address and follow guidelines for University use of e-mail; the policy establishes your Temple e-mail account as an approved channel of communication for sending you official University notifications and important information. (Policy #04.74.11)

2. Registration:

Students must be appropriately registered for courses. Students not on the published grade list may not receive a grade or credit for a course. Use your OWLnet screens to confirm your billing and registration status. If you add or drop a course or revise your class schedule, check OWLnet to make sure that your registration record is accurate. Be warned, if you are registered for a course but don’t attend, you will be billed for the course and your instructor should post a final grade of “F.” (http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/)

3. Course Syllabus:

Instructors are required to supply a detailed syllabus explaining course rules and expectations for courses in which you are enrolled. The content requirements for course syllabi are enumerated on the policy website. (Policy #02.78.13)

4. Prerequisites and Co-Requisites:

All course prerequisites or co-requisites must be clearly indicated in the course syllabus. They are also indicated in the online and printed Undergraduate Course Descriptions. The University has the right to cancel the registration of any student who has not satisfied the prerequisites or co-requisites for any course in which the student has enrolled. When in doubt, consult with your advisor.

5. Instructor Office Hours:

Full-time faculty are urged to hold a minimum of three office hours per week and to schedule one hour immediately before or after one of the scheduled class meeting times for each course. Adjunct instructors are required to schedule one office hour per week for each class they teach and should schedule that hour either immediately before or after one of the scheduled class meeting times for that course. Make it a point to talk with your instructors about your academic work and progress. (Policy #02.78.12 )

6. Lower Division Student Academic Progress:

Instructors in lower division freshman and sophomore courses will provide evaluations of student progress by the end of the fifth week of class. It is your instructor’s responsibility to complete and return an early report indicating satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress for each student. You will receive your mid-semester ratings on your OWLnet account. (Policy #02.10.15)

7. Withdrawal from Classes:

Beginning in fall 2003, no student may withdraw from a course after the ninth week of classes or week four of a summer session. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. A student may withdraw from no more than five courses during the duration of an undergraduate career. Students thinking about withdrawing from a course should consult with their instructor and must receive approval from their academic advisor. (Policy #02.10.14)

8. Incomplete Course Work:

Instructors submitting a grade of “I” (Incomplete) for students must file, with the department, a written agreement describing the nature of the work to be completed and the completion deadline. The instructor must report a default grade that will be entered if the student’s work is not completed or if the instructor does not change the “I” grade within one year. (Policy #02.10.13)

9. Repeating a Course:

Beginning in fall 2003, the calculation of grades for a repeated course changed. Instead of only the highest grade being used to calculate grade point average, all grades for the repeated course except the lowest will be used for GPA calculation. All grades will appear on the transcript. (Policy #02.10.12)

10. Course and Teaching Evaluations (CATE):

Each course (with few exceptions) is required to employ a standard form for student evaluation of courses and teaching. Please fill out the CATE forms thoughtfully at the end of your course. (Policy #02.78.14)

11. Academic Warning:

Students exhibiting good academic performance have GPAs of 2.0 or above (a ‘C’ average). A student with a cumulative grade point average below 2.00 and fewer than 30 cumulative credits – or a semester grade point average below 2.00 with any number of cumulative credits – will be placed on Academic Warning. Students on Academic Warning will not be permitted to register online and must receive the approval of their academic advisor for course registration. (Policy #02.10.11)

12. Academic Probation:

Academic Probation is a sanction given to students whose cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is below 2.0 after having accumulated 30 credits or more. (Policy #02.10.11)

13. Academic Dismissal:

Academic Dismissal will be determined by a system of deficiency points that will allow you to track your academic performance more easily. Please review material on the policy website or in the Undergraduate Bulletin to familiarize yourself with this way of representing academic performance. (Policy #02.10.11)

14. Reinstatement and Readmission:

Students who have been dismissed for poor academic performance may apply once only to be a Conditional Status student. After completing rigorous course work successfully, such students may return to good standing. Students dismissed a second time may only apply for readmission five years after their last enrollment. (Policy #02.10.11)

15. FERPA Waiver:

An online waiver process under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows students to use OWLnet to elect to keep their parents or other designees informed about their academic progress and disciplinary record. You can exercise your waiver and sign-up using your OWLnet account. (Policy #03.20.11)

16. Student Services Office Hours:

All University offices directly serving students will maintain uniform business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). (Policy #04.31.11)

17. Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities:

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities which can be accessed through the following link: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02 (Policy #03.70.02)

18. Student options for fulfilling the University’s Core International Studies (IS) requirement

have been revised effective for the first summer session 2007 and subsequent terms. Any student with
remaining University Core International Studies requirements can satisfy those requirements
based on the revised options. For more information, click here.