1. Students who are enrolled continuously, except for summer session, may choose the graduation requirements in effect at the time of their initial enrollment at BSC, or the graduation requirements in effect during the academic semester in which they apply for graduation. Students must declare the graduation requirements of their choice on the graduation application deadline.
   
2. Students who are not enrolled continuously must meet the graduation requirements in effect during the academic year in which they apply for graduation. Students who are not enrolled continuously in a prescribed vocational-technical program must meet the requirements in effect for that particular program during the academic year in which they apply for graduation.

Attendance in classes and laboratories is extremely important, therefore students are expected to attend all class sessions of any course for which they are registered. Students who are registered for a course but fail to attend at least one class session during the first five days of the semester and fail to notify either their instructor or division dean may be dropped from the class by the instructor. This provides for early identification of class vacancies in closed classes and permits other students to add the class. Students who know they will be absent from class must contact the instructor or division dean in advance to ensure enrollment.

Not all instructors follow this policy since it is not mandatory. Students, therefore, are strongly advised not to assume that they have been dropped from a course. Students should review their registration status in a course in question with the Registrar's Office.

Attending classes and laboratories is a student responsibility. No matter what the reason for your absence, you are expected to make up any assignments you miss.

Grades

A student's classwork is graded A, B, C, D, or F. A grade of A indicates work of exceptional quality; grade B above average; grade C average; grade D unsatisfactory work but credit granted; and grade F failing, no credit granted.

Departments may use S (successful) and U (unsuccessful) grades in selected programs or courses. Use of S, U grades must be approved in advance by the Dean of Instructional Services. If a student withdraws from a class before the final withdrawal deadline, a W/D (withdraw) will be recorded on that student's transcript.

When a student who is otherwise doing satisfactory work in a course is unable, for reasons beyond control (death in the family, hospitalization of the student), to complete all course requirements during the term, that student will be given an I for incomplete. It is the responsibility of the student to ascertain the instructor's requirements for making up the incomplete. Fall semester incompletes must be removed by mid-term of the spring semester; spring semester and summer session incompletes must be removed by the mid-term of the fall semester. If it is not removed within the time limit, the I (incomplete) automatically becomes an F.

A - 4 honor points per credit

B - 3 honor points per credit

C - 2 honor points per credit

D -1 honor point per credit

F - 0 honor points

I - 0 honor points

W/D - 0 honor points

Audit - 0 honor points

S - 0 honor points

U - 0 honor points

Only BSC courses are used to compute a student's BSC grade point average. All college level courses, including those which have been accepted in transfer, are used to calculate a student's cumulative grade point average.

Grade Point Average

Grade Point Averages (GPAs) are the single most important piece of information that transfer colleges and employers want to know. To calculate your GPA, set up four columns and record grade points for letter grades as follows: A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = 1 point, F = 0 points. Multiply the grade points per credit by the course credits. Total grade points earned = 36. Then divide the total grade points earned by the total number of course credits to find your GPA. 36 points divided by 16 course credits = 2.25 GPA.

Grade Appeal

Students who receive a grade that they believe does not correctly reflect their performance should discuss the grade with the instructor. If the matter is not resolved, it should be discussed with the division dean. If the matter remains unresolved, the student may appeal the issue to the Standing Committee on Grade Appeals. Information relating to the appeal process is available in the office of the dean of instruction and in the college library.

Early Alert Evaluations

Students whose academic performance is below average through the fifth week of classes will receive an Early Alert warning. The warning notifies students of their academic deficiency and urges them to contact their instructor(s) to identify the reasons and find solutions. Instructors complete early alert evaluation reports during the fifth week; students should receive warnings during the sixth week.

Academic Warning

Students who have a grade point average below 2.00 at the end of any semester will receive an academic warning. This warning notifies students that the quality of their work is unacceptable and that unsatisfactory work during the next semester of enrollment may result in the student being placed on academic probation. Students who receive an academic warning should contact their advisor for help. Academic warnings are not issued for summer session work.

Academic Probation

Students failing to meet the following cumulative grade point averages based on the number of BSC cumulative credits attempted will be placed on academic probation.

7 - 15 semester credits - 1.50 grade point average

16 - 30 semester credits - 1.75 grade point average

31 - 45 semester credits - 1.90 grade point average

Students placed on academic probation must improve their academic performance during the next semester of enrollment. If there is no improvement, students will be suspended from the College. Students placed on academic probation should contact their adviser immediately for help. Notice of academic probation does not appear on the student's permanent record.

Academic Suspension

Students will be academically suspended at the end of any semester if they were placed on academic probation during the previous regular semester and their cumulative grade point average is still below the required minimum. An exception to suspension is made if the student earned at least a 2.00 grade GPA for the last semester. These students will remain on academic probation, but will not be suspended. The academic 8-week summer session does not count as a regular semester.

Students who are academically suspended may not re-enroll at the College unless they have been re-admitted. A suspended student may not be re-admitted before a lapse of at least one semester. Notice of academic suspension remains on the student's permanent record.

Re-admission

Suspended students wishing to return to the College may do so only upon approval of the BSC Academic Standards Committee. A suspended student must submit the Academic Suspension Re-admission Request Procedures form to the Registrar. This form is available in the Admissions Office. The request must be submitted before one of the three regular re-admission meetings of the Academic Standards Committee. Those meetings are held on the third Tuesday in November, the third Tuesday in March, and the Tuesday of the last week of class in May.

Deadlines for students to submit the re-admission request form are: Nov. 1 for the November meeting; March 1 for the March meeting, and April 15 for the May meeting.

At the March and May re-admission meetings, the committee will consider re-admittance for the summer or fall term, and at the November meeting, the committee will consider re-admittance for the spring term. The student may request a personal appearance before the committee in order to present additional information or to respond to questions from the committee. Students who are re-admitted will be placed on probation. Their academic performance will be subject to review at the end of the first semester following re-admission and any semester in which the student fails to meet established minimum academic requirements.

A copy of the student policy on academic deficiencies, warnings, probation, suspension and re-admission is available in the offices of the Registrar and Dean of Instructional Services.

Student Conduct

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible and mature manner. It is an implied contract that all students at Bismarck State College will comply with college regulations while they are students under the jurisdiction of the College.

The College's policy on student conduct addresses various kinds of actions for which a student would be subject to disciplinary action, such as arrest and conviction for violating a law, failing to pay college financial obligations (including library and parking fines), furnishing false information, damaging property, bringing firearms on campus, possession of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs, and other forms of misconduct. The policy also outlines the types of disciplinary actions and the regulations and procedures for carrying out the discipline.

Copies of the College's written policies on student conduct and on crime awareness and campus security are available in the offices of the Registrar, and Dean of Instructional Services.

Parking And Traffic Regulations

Parking permits are required for the following individuals: students who live in Werner Hall, Swensen Hall and the student apartments, students whose vehicle is registered in a state other than North Dakota, and faculty and staff.

Permits may be displayed on the left rear bumper or the left rear window of the vehicle. Permits are available at no charge in the Business Office.

All motor vehicles must be operated in conformity with parking and traffic regulations. Any person operating a vehicle in an unsafe manner or using a vehicle in an act of vandalism will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Due Process/Student Rights

Bismarck State College has established procedures which ensure due process for students regarding improper, unfair, arbitrary, or discriminatory treatment. Specific procedures for students who have a grievance are available in the offices of the Registrar, and Dean of Instructional Services.

Standards of Progress for Veterans

Veterans must comply with policies and procedures of the Veterans' Administration in order to maintain eligibility for benefits. It is very important that veterans periodically contact the Veterans' Services Officer, located in the Financial Aid Office, for latest changes in VA policies and regulations.

Extracurricular Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to participate in a competitive intercollegiate activity, a student must meet the eligibility requirements as set forth by the governing intercollegiate association established for the activity.

Participation in non-competitive, non-intercollegiate activities is limited to enrolled students and is governed by the standards of that particular activity.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course at BSC; however, the first grade earned in the repeated course is never removed from the transcript. In computing the grade point average, the last grade a student receives in the repeated course will be used (even if the last grade is lower than the first grade). Refer to the next entry, Auditing a Course, for more information.

Auditing a Course

Students are permitted to audit classes at BSC. An audit student is one who attends class but is not obligated to complete assignments or take tests and will not receive a grade or college credit. Students pay tuition and class fees, but no student service fee.

Students who wish to enroll in a class on an audit basis should write Audit on their class schedule in the credit hour column at the time of registration. Enrolled students who wish to change their status from audit to credit or credit to audit may do so only with the instructor's permission and must file a Change of Schedule card in the Admissions Office (See Changing Classes section) before the deadline to add a course for credit.

Changing Classes (Adding - Dropping)

Changing classes is a student responsibility and must be completed by specified deadlines. See the college calendar at the back of this catalog for deadlines. A student wishing to change classes must follow the procedure outlined below:

1. Stop in the Admissions Office and pick up a Change of Schedule card.
2. Complete the card (with assistance of Admissions staff), list the classes to be added and/or dropped.
3. Secure the signatures of appropriate administrators and faculty.
4. Return completed Change of Schedule card to the Admissions Office. Students attempting to ADD a class during the first seven class days of a regular semester (first day of summer session) may do so with instructor permission only. Instructors are not obligated to approve a student's request to ADD. Students attempting to ADD a class after the seventh class day of a semester (after the first day of summer session) must secure permission of both the course instructor and the Dean of Instructional Services.

Deadline to DROP classes with no record of enrollment recorded on student's transcript is Friday of the third week of classes (Friday of the first week for Summer Session).

Final deadline to DROP classes with a WD (withdrawal) recorded on student's transcript is two full weeks before the last regular class session of the semester (applies to Summer Session and short courses). Students who do not complete the withdrawal procedure before the final deadline will have "F" (failure) recorded as a final grade.

Dropping a class is a student responsibility. However, students who are registered for a class but fail to attend at least one class session during the first five days of the semester or fail to notify their instructor or the Dean of Instructional Services of their absence may be dropped from the class by the instructor.

Withdrawal from College

A student wishing to withdraw from (drop) all classes at the college should follow the procedure in the preceding section, Changing Classes. Withdrawing from college is an administrative action initiated by the student, therefore a student will be considered officially enrolled until this procedure is completed.

Changing Curricula

A student wishing to change curricula (program of study) should contact the Admissions Office at the earliest possible date.

Transfer of Credits from BSC

Counselors and other members of the college staff will advise and assist students planning to transfer to a four-year institution with the transfer process. It is the student's responsibility to select the transfer institution and to closely follow its admission requirements. These requirements are set forth in each institution's catalog. Reference copies of some of these catalogs are available in the Counseling Office and on microfiche in the BSC Library. Because of the highly specialized nature of the vocational-technical programs, many of the courses do not transfer, nor are they designed for transfer, to a four-year institution.

Students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution are strongly advised to visit with the counselor to assure that their program of study at BSC is suitable for transfer to the selected college or university. Representatives of four-year colleges regularly visit the campus to advise BSC students who plan to transfer to their respective institutions. Students who plan to transfer to other colleges are urged to begin the planning process as early as possible. Consult the receiving institution's catalog to determine course requirements in selected curricul/majors.

Transfer of credits from BSC is normally a smooth process for students who have followed suggested curricular guidelines of BSC and the institution to which they will transfer. However, if at any time students encounter a problem with transfer of BSC credits to another institution, they are encouraged to contact the dean of instruction or department chair. Questions about GERTA courses should be referred to the registrar.

Transfer of General Education Requirements

Students who attend colleges and universities in the North Dakota University System are guaranteed that approved general education requirements successfully completed at one of the NDUS institutions will transfer to other NDUS institutions. This practice was made possible when the State Board of Higher Education adopted the General Education Requirements Transfer Agreement (GERTA).

BSC students who complete the general education course requirements for either the Associate in Arts or the Associate in Science degree and who accumulate 36 semester hours of course work in the areas of communications; arts and humanities; social sciences; and mathematics, science and technology will be exempt from taking any additional lower division general education courses at any NDUS institution to which they transfer.

The following stipulations apply:

1. Requirements must be met through completion of BSC courses. Credits obtained through CLEP exams, military training, challenge exam credits or other similar programs do not apply.
2. Courses must be completed at colleges or universities in the North Dakota University System.
3. Students must have obtained a grade of C or above for the course to meet GERTA requirements.

Students who plan to transfer to other NDUS institutions and who have met the requirements (referred to as GERTA Paragraph One requirements) should contact the BSC Admissions Office. An NDUS General Education Requirements (GER) verification form will be completed by BSC Admissions staff and provided to, or on behalf of, the student making the request. GER verification forms document the fact that a student has completed NDUS GERTA Paragraph One requirements and is exempt from additional general education requirements.

The complete text of the State Board of Higher Education's General Education Transfer Agreement and the NDUS Student Guide to Transfer Within the North Dakota University System are available for reference purposes in administrative offices on campus and in the BSC Library.

Transfer of Credits to BSC

Students who wish to transfer to BSC from another college or university must complete all of the admissions requirements and must provide the Admissions Office with official and complete transcripts, showing all courses attempted and grades earned, from all other colleges attended. BSC accepts credits for college-level course work earned (grade of D or better) at any college, university, or postsecondary institution which is accredited by any of the six regional postsecondary education commissions in the United States. Students transferring to BSC must provide official transcripts from all colleges previously attended.

The BSC registrar will evaluate official transcripts to determine the total number of hours accepted and the suitability and applicability of accepted hours and courses toward BSC graduation requirements. Students transferring to BSC must be in good standing and eligible to return to any college previously attended. Students who are on suspension at another college will not be admitted to BSC until the suspension is lifted.

Transfer students whose cumulative grade point average (at colleges from which BSC has accepted credits) is at a level which would place them on probation at BSC will be accepted on probation, and will be subject to the BSC student policy on academic deficiencies, warnings, probation, suspension and re-admission.

Credit by Non-Traditional Methods

Students at Bismarck State College may earn college credit through the non-traditional methods listed in this section. However, you must be a currently or previously enrolled BSC student to receive credit in this way. The maximum number of credits that can be applied for graduation purposes will vary, depending on your program of study. A maximum of 45 semester hours of non-traditional college credit (e.g., AP, CLEP, military training, BSC challenge test credit, portfolio development, prior learning, and courses covered under high school articulation agreements) may be applied to an associate's degree, diploma, or certificate at BSC. A maximum of 60 semester hours of non-traditional college credit may be applied to a bachelor of applied science degree at BSC.

Students should be aware that each college has policies governing credit by non-traditional methods, and that credits awarded by BSC might not be accepted or awarded by other colleges.

Further details on all these programs are available in the BSC Admissions Office. Admissions personnel will determine the suitability and applicability of these credits and courses toward meeting graduation requirements at BSC.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP). BSC accepts up to 30 semester hours of credit through CLEP. Both general and subject level CLEP examinations are allowable. Since CLEP policies vary from institution to institution, students are advised to review the CLEP policies of the institution they plan to transfer to before they write any CLEP exams.
Certified Professional Secretaries Exam (CPS). BSC recognizes and awards up to 30 semester hours of credit for successful completion of the CPS exams. Contact the BSC Business and Office Education Department for details.

Institutional Challenge Exams. Students may challenge selected courses for credit at BSC.

Military Training Programs. BSC awards college credit for selected and successfully completed military training programs as outlined in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces, prepared by the American Council on Education. The number of credits awarded will be based on evaluation and recommendation of BSC Admissions staff and the appropriate department chairperson. Eligible students must submit official documentation (dates, locations, course titles, identification numbers, and other supporting information) for evaluation.

High School Articulation Agreements. Students enrolled in secondary schools which have a signed articulation agreement with BSC may use the process for testing as outlined in the agreement. Articulation agreements provide students the opportunity to earn college credit based on competencies acquired in high school.