Academic Policies and Procedures

(See the AGTS Catalog section for seminary-specific academic policies and procedures. See the Graduate Studies Catalog sections for their program-specific academic policies and procedures, and see the College of Online Learning Catalog section for COL undergraduate specific academic policies and procedures.)

Undergraduate Classification. To be classified as a freshman, a student must meet all the requirements for admission and be enrolled at the University. A sophomore must have earned 26 semester credits; a junior, 56 semester credits; a senior, 88 semester credits. Classification is determined at the beginning of each semester.

Course Numbers. In general, students should enroll in courses numbered to correspond with their official classification. Exceptions should receive the approval of the student’s advisor. The significance of course numbers is as follows:

• 100-199 Primarily for Freshmen
• 200-299 Primarily for Sophomores
• 300-399 Primarily for Juniors
• 400-499 Primarily for Seniors

Transfer of Credits. After initial enrollment at Evangel University, a student desiring to transfer credits from another college/university must complete a Transfer Credit Approval Form. The form must be completed and signed in advance by the student's academic advisor, the department chair relative to the course being transferred, and the Registrar. The student must earn a minimum grade of C- in a course to transfer the credit. (Note: At least 30 of the final 40 semester hours of credit prior to graduation must be completed in residence at Evangel University.) Common undergraduate transfer courses are listed online. 

Class Attendance. Evangel's faculty seek to build a community of Christian scholars dedicated to pursuing truth. At the University level, that pursuit clearly involves more than merely gaining information; it also requires strong commitment to the process of inquiry and to one's colleagues. Class attendance alone cannot ensure that students and professors will become partners in scholarship; however, the prospects for that ideal are dimmed when students miss class. Therefore, professors expect regular attendance.

Course content and teaching styles will vary across the University. Such diversity enriches the educational process and provides a sound basis for developing community, which does not imply rigid uniformity. Therefore, the University does not prescribe a campus wide attendance policy, but rather each professor may set his or her own attendance policy to achieve course goals and objectives.

Credit by Examination

Advanced Placement. Degree credit it awarded to entering freshmen if a grade of 3 or higher is achieved in the Advanced Placement Examination of the Educational Testing Service on subject matter equivalent to a course that Evangel offers. Under this program, up to 30 credits may be awarded to the student.

International Baccalaureate. Students who have earned the IB diploma may be awarded credits in the subject areas in which they score four or above on any higher-level examination or in which they score five and above on any standard-level IB examination. Students who successfully complete the IB diploma program may receive fewer than 30 semester credit hours if they have scored lower than four on any IB examination administered as part of the diploma program.

Students who have not been awarded the IB diploma may be awarded semester hour credits in the subject areas for which they score four or above for higher-level and score five or above for standard-level. Additional credits may be earned with higher scores as noted below.

Students who have earned IB credits must submit an original score report to Evangel as copies will not be accepted. Common IB credit courses are listed online.

CLEP Exam. Credit toward graduation may be granted when performance on the College Level entrance Placement Examination reaches the 50th percentile or above according to national sophomore norms. With the CLEP general examinations, a student may earn a maximum number of credits as follows: composition (3), literature (3), fine arts (2), social studies (6), biological science (3), physical science (3), mathematical skills (3), and mathematical content (3). A score of 50th percentile or above on all the general examinations can result in receiving 26 of the General Education credits required for graduation. Subject exams may also be taken, and credit received for specific courses if the 50th percentile is achieved. CLEP credit is given only in areas where college course work has not yet been taken. Students cannot receive double credit by taking the course in addition to the CLEP test. The general CLEP tests must be taken before the end of the sophomore year at Evangel. Common CLEP undergraduate courses are listed online.

Foreign Languages. Students who have earned foreign language credit may be awarded up to the maximum of foreign language credits (up to 14 credits). Please consult with the Department of Humanities to complete the level-appropriate proficiency exam.

Grading

Each course earns one grade, combining the results of class work, research, and examinations. Grades are reported to students at the end of each semester. Only final semester grades become part of a student’s permanent record. Grades are indicated by letters, with the following value in honor points given to each:

Meaning of Grades

Grade	Significance	(Per hour of credits)
A	Excellent	4.0
A-		3.7
B+		3.3
B	Good	3.0
B-		2.7
C+		2.3
C	Average	2.0
C-		1.7
D+		1.3
D		1.0
D-	Passing	0.7
F	Failure	0
XF	Failure Due to Academic Dishonesty	0
I	Incomplete	0
AU	Audit	0
W	Withdrawal	0
WP	Withdrawal Passing	0
WF	Withdrawal Failing	0
P	Passing	0
S	Satisfactory (Doctoral only.)	0
U	Unsatisfactory (Doctoral only.)	0

 

Quality Points. An incremental, cumulative grade point average is required of students attending EU. To graduate, an undergraduate student must achieve at least a C (2.0) average.

The minimum cumulative grade point averages required are determined by the number of GPA hours, as indicated by the following scale:

Semester Hours	Minimum Required GPA
1-29.5	1.50
30-44.5	1.70
45-59.5	1.90
60+	2.00

Please see individual program sections, and the Graduate Studies and the AGTS sections in this catalog for more information on master and doctoral grading.  

Incomplete Grade

An Incomplete (I) grade may be granted as a temporary final grade when a student is unable to complete coursework by the last day of class because of illness, accident, death in the family, or other satisfactory reason. To be eligible, a student should have completed at least 70 percent of the course requirements and have an overall passing grade for the completed coursework. Students who do not meet these requirements should contact their advisors to discuss the possibility of withdrawing from the course.

Students must complete and sign the Incomplete Grade Request Form and submit it to the course instructor. Instructors may approve or deny the request and may request documentation. The approved, completed form must be fully signed and submitted to the Registrar for entry of the I grade. All incomplete coursework must be completed and the I grade cleared by the following deadlines:

• College of Arts and Sciences/traditional undergraduate, graduate and seminary master students: Incomplete grades must be cleared 90 days following the last day of the semester, including summer, unless indicated earlier on the form by the professor.
• Doctoral students: Incomplete grades must be cleared within 45 days following the last day of the semester.
• College of Online Studies Undergraduate students: Incomplete grades must be cleared by the second seven-week course in the next semester, including summer.

Some Incomplete grades may be extended to be cleared later than the above deadlines because of exceptional circumstances, but such exceptions are only granted on a case-by-case basis with the Registrar.

An Incomplete grade that is outstanding after these deadlines will be changed to an F grade or the grade designated by the professor.

*For Incomplete dissertation and doctoral final exam preparation courses, faculty will record an S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) grade based upon the students' progress. Once the coursework has been completed, a final grade will be assigned.

Withdrawal Grades

Students may withdraw from a class and receive a W with no GPA penalty through the end of week 9. During weeks 10 through 14, withdrawal requires either WP (Withdraw Passing, no GPA penalty) or WF (Withdraw Failing, counted as an F for grade calculation). No withdrawals are accepted during final examination week.

A student may repeat a course to earn a higher grade (thus, more honor points). For a class to count as a repeated course, the class must be taken both times at EU. In all cases, the grade earned the last time a student takes the course replaces the earlier grade. The record of the previous grade remains on the transcript, but it does not affect the grade point average.

Academic Probation

Students who fail to earn the necessary grade point averages as indicated above will be placed on academic probation with accompanying restrictions (see below). If a student remains on academic probation for two consecutive semesters, he or she may be suspended. A student who has been suspended for academic reasons will be readmitted on one of the following conditions: the student has taken a minimum of 9 hours of college courses and earned a minimum grade of C in each course, or the student has been absent from EU for one academic year. The student will be readmitted on probation, enroll for no more than 13 hours (including a study skills course), and repeat courses as mandated by the director of the Center for Student Success, who will become the temporary advisor. The Center for Student Success provides special services to assist students on academic probation.

Restrictions Applying to Probation. Students on academic probation may participate ONLY in public “audience” events that are either necessary that semester for their degrees or that are grade components for courses taken as part of their degree requirements. Students on probation may not hold campus leadership positions of any kind.

Dean's List

To qualify for inclusion on the Dean's List, an undergraduate student must pass a minimum of 12 semester credits or more with a semester grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 to 4.0.

Transcript Requests

Current and former students may obtain copies of their official transcripts (if all financial obligations to the University have been met) by ordering them through the National Student Clearinghouse website. Paper transcripts are $10 each (mail or pickup) and electronic PDF transcripts are $9 each. Students who need a transcript overnighted should choose the electronic option which is securely emailed.

Audit Courses

Students interested in auditing a course should email Registration@evangel.edu for information.

 

Credit Hour Policy

Summary

In compliance with the United States Department of Education Regulation 34 CFR §600.2, effective July 1, 2010, and in accordance with commonly accepted practices in higher education, Evangel University follows the traditional "Carnegie Unit" as a measure of academic credit. This unit is known in the University by the familiar term, "semester credit hour," and is the primary academic measure by which progress toward a degree is gauged. It is acknowledged that such a unit measures only a part, albeit a major part, of a composite learning experience, based upon formally structured and informal interactions among faculty and students.

Policy

To ensure consistency throughout the University, the following definitions and practices apply in controlling the relationship between instruction, student engagement, and credit hours. These definitions constitute a formalization of current and historic policy to ensure consistency throughout the University. Courses may be composed of any combination of elements described, such as a lecture course which also has required laboratory periods or a lecture course having an additional requirement for supervised independent study or tutorial activity.

A semester credit hour is normally granted for satisfactory completion of one 50-minute session of classroom instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class work per week for a semester of not less than fifteen weeks in duration.  This basic measure may be adjusted proportionately to reflect modified academic calendars and formats of study. Semester credit hours are granted for various types of instruction as follows:

I. Lecture, seminar, quiz, discussion, recitation

A three-credit hour lecture, seminar, quiz, discussion, recitation format class meets a minimum of three 50-minute sessions per week for a minimum of fifteen weeks.

II. Activity supervised as a group (laboratory, field trip, workshop, group studio)

A semester credit hour is awarded for the equivalent of fifteen periods of workshop or studio work where each activity period is 50 minutes or more in duration with little or no outside preparation expected.

Fieldwork and travel courses involve experiential learning in a professional setting under direct supervision of faculty/fieldwork educators who serve as site supervisors and performance evaluators.  The minimum contact time per credit for fieldwork courses is 160 minutes per week or 2400 minutes or 40 hours for the entire semester.

Laboratory and studio courses involve experiential learning in group settings under direct supervision of a faculty member with students conducting laboratory experiments or studies. The minimum out-of-class student work for one credit of a laboratory course is 50 minutes per week or 750 minutes for the entire semester. There are 2250 minutes or 37.5 hours of total instructional contact time and out-of-class student work per credit for the entire semester.

III. Diverse Modality Course Delivery

Courses delivered through diverse modalities – such as, distance, online, hybrid, and low residency – are reviewed by content experts who have taught the course on ground to ensure that the workload and engagement required of the student are equivalent to standard credit hours. Course developers are responsible for identifying the amount of work that is represented in intended learning outcomes established for the course and verified by student achievement. Student engagement may include seated or online seminars, threaded discussions, meeting with advisors, and additional independent work in lieu of class time. Conformity with the policy is also reinforced by a review of course content by the administrators of the academic programs. When the course is taught for the first time, it is also monitored for pedagogy to ensure conformity with the standard credit hour requirements. Continuous assessment of course outcomes is used to verify that assignment of workloads set in the original course design are consistent with achievement of learning objectives.

IV. Supervised individual activity (independent study, individual studio, tutorial)

One credit for independent study (defined as study given initial guidance, criticism, review and final evaluation of student performance by a faculty member) will be awarded for the equivalent of forty-five 50-minute sessions of student academic activity.

Credit for tutorial study (defined as study, which is given initial faculty guidance followed by repeated, regularly scheduled individual student conferences with a faculty member, and periodic as well as final evaluation of student performance) will be awarded based on one semester hour credit for each equivalent of seventeen contact hours of regularly scheduled instructional sessions.

V. Full-time Independent Study (student teaching, practicums, etc.)

Practicums and internships require a minimum of 126 hours of on-site work to qualify as the equivalent of a three-credit course. If a student's academic activity is essentially full-time (as in student teaching), one semester credit hour may be awarded for each week of work. The standard number of hours a student must complete in internship for each hour of academic credit is 50 internship work hours or as stipulated by specialized accrediting agency requirements.  

VI. Experiential Learning

At its discretion, Evangel may award credit hours for learning acquired outside the institution which is an integral part of a program of study. When life, work experience or continuing education experiences are to be credited as a concurrent portion of an academic program design, such as in an internship or continuing education experience, one semester credit hour will be awarded for each 40-45 clock-hour of supervised academic activity that provides the learning determined by Evangel’s content area faculty to be congruent to a program study.

VII. Credit by Examination

For purposes of providing minimum university-wide guarantees to all University students, students may apply at least 30 credit hours earned through published subject examinations, including those offered as transfer credit, toward fulfillment of degree requirements.

Credit for published examinations applies to the following test series, provided the specified minimum performance levels are met:

• College-Level Examination Program - Mean score obtained by persons from the standardization group who had earned a grade of C in a formal course;
• Advanced Placement Program - A score of 3 or higher within the scale of 5 points used for this program.

At its discretion, Evangel content area faculty may award semester hour credits for mastery demonstrated through credit-by-examination through University constructed examinations. When such credit by examination is allowed, it may be used to satisfy degree requirements or to reduce the total number of remaining hours required for a degree. 

VIII. Short Sessions

Credit hours may be earned in short sessions (accelerated, summer sessions, intersessions, etc.) proportionately to those earned for the same activity during a regular term of the institution, normally at no more than one credit per week of full-time study.  Calculation of credit hours awarded for short sessions shall be verified through the University approved Course Credit Audit.

IX. Oversight and Compliance

The faculty and academic program chairs have responsibility for developing, maintaining and evaluating the curricula comprising specific academic programs. Existing courses are evaluated for adherence to federal and state credit hour regulations on an annual basis. New courses are developed and approved at the program level and are subsequently submitted to the appropriate Academic Council for approval or denial. The Council is responsible for certifying that all proposed new or revised courses conform to the federal and state credit hour regulations. Syllabi submitted with proposals for new or revised courses are examined by the Council for contact time and for verifying that the expected student learning outcomes for the courses meet the credit hour standard.

X. Appeal and Review

Academic departments may present educational justification for departures from these policy provisions to the Academic Council which will be responsible for their interpretation. Credit hours to be earned in approved overseas academic programs will continue to be considered on an individual basis following established procedures. Other special arrangements will be considered on an individual basis by this office.

 

Graduation

Commencement exercises are held at the end of the spring semester for students who wish to participate. Degrees are formally conferred at the end of the fall, spring and summer semesters. The degree conferral date posted on the transcript is the last day of the semester in which all graduation requirements are met. A student’s CUM GPA at degree conferral is final and cannot be changed.

Baccalaureate Degree Graduation Requirements

All candidates for a Baccalaureate degree must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

1. Completion of 124 semester credits, including Core Curriculum requirements. At least 36 of these credits must be upper-division credits (300-400 courses).
2. At least 30 of the final 40 semester hours of credit prior to graduation must be completed in residence at Evangel University.
3. A student must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 on all semester hours earned at Evangel University.
4. The requirements of one of the following options must be completed: a) a major and a minor, b) a double major, c) a double concentration, d) a concentration and two minors, or e) a comprehensive major.
5. All students must demonstrate proficiency in written English prior to receiving a degree. Proficiency can be achieved in one of four ways: 
       a.  Passing the CLEP test with essay 
       b.  Transferring Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate composition credits 
       c.   Passing the ACT English section with a 26 or higher; the SAT Writing/Language with a 33 or higher; the            CLT Grammar/Writing with a 32 or higher; or the ACCUPLACER with a 263 or higher. 
       d.   Passing ENGL 111.
6. Specific approval of the faculty is needed for graduation. In addition to the academic achievement of the student and his or her participation in co-curricular activities, faculty approval is based on evidence of spirituality and social development in keeping with the standards of Evangel University.
7. Each graduate must attend the entire graduation program. If commencement exercises are not held at the end of the semester during which a graduating student completes the degree requirements, he or she may receive permission to graduate in absentia. Seniors who will complete graduation requirements during a summer following a regular spring commencement may participate in the full graduation ceremony if 1) they have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher, and 2) they have no more than 12 credits remaining after the spring semester.

Graduation Honors for Undergraduate Students

Graduation honors for baccalaureate degrees are calculated using the cumulative grade point average (GPA) of all semesters.

Honors are awarded as follows:

• Cum Laude: Cumulative GPA 3.60-3.75 (with distinction)
• Magna Cum Laude: Cumulative GPA 3.75-3.90 (with high distinction)
• Summa Cum Laude: Cumulative GPA 3.90-4.0 (with highest distinction)

The honor will be printed on a graduate’s transcript and diploma. Graduation honors listed in the Baccalaureate and Commencement programs only reflect final grades received by the date programs are sent to printer.

In the case of traditional undergraduate transfer students, at least 60 credit hours must be earned at Evangel University with a cum GPA of at least 3.60 to be eligible for graduation honors. The calculation for honors for transfer students is then based on all credits earned at Evangel and all credits accepted in transfer.

For College of Online Learning baccalaureate degrees, a student who has earned less than 60 credit hours at Evangel and attained a cum GPA of 3.60 and above will be eligible to receive an Award of Distinction.