Academic Affairs | Tarleton State University (2024)

Academic Honesty

Tarleton State University expects its students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of academic dishonesty that occurs in his/her class.

Class Attendance

Class attendance is an important factor in student academic success. Each student should accept the responsibility of regular class attendance. Student absences for participation in university-sponsored events or those included under Title IX guidelines are excused absences, and students should be allowed to make up assignments and/or examinations. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor in advance to provide written explanation for their absences from the faculty or staff members who are responsible for the activity.

For all other attendance-related concerns, the university considers student absences a matter between the individual student and faculty member. The faculty member has the responsibility and authority to determine whether a student may make assignments and/or examinations resulting from absences. Students may request makeup consideration for valid and verifiable reasons such as illness, death in the immediate family, or legal proceedings.

Students who wish to appeal the faculty member's decision concerning class absences may appeal through the academic appeals procedure.

Restricted Activities Period

A restricted activities period is enforced each long semester, beginning prior to the start of final examinations and continuing through the last day of final examinations. During the restricted activities period, no examinations may be administered other than finals, no major assignments may be due, and no student activities may be held.

Scholastic Honors

Dean's List Student Recognition

At the end of each fall and spring semester, students in good standing who have completed at least 12 credit hours through Tarleton State University and who have a GPA of 3.50 or higher on all credit through Tarleton State University for that semester shall be designated for Dean’s List honor.

Honors Classes and Honors Degrees

Tarleton offers honors classes in most general education subjects, including English, History, Political Science, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Economics, Philosophy, Mathematics and Speech. Honors classes offered in a particular semester are announced in the published course schedule and publicizedviaflyers and other campus publications.

Honors courses offer intellectually challenging material, innovative approaches to the subject, increased opportunities for honing critical thinking and writing skills, and the opportunity to interact closely with similarly motivated students and with outstanding faculty. Honors courses often have smaller limits on class size. To register for an honors class a student must be a current member of the Honor's College.

Official designation for honors classes will appear on the student’s permanent transcript. Any student who completes 15 or more hours of such classes with a minimum 3.0 GPA in honors classes as well as overall will receive recognition as an Honors Degree Program graduate.

Academic Appeals

Student academic appeals are handled according to the following guidelines:

1. Each department shall develop its ownprocess for dealing with student grievances of an academic nature. Such policy should be in writing in the departmental office and available to students.
2. A student who wishes to appeal a decision of a faculty member or staff member of a department should ask for a review by that person within 60 days of the originating event unless the departmental procedures specifically allow additional time. The person is expected to give the student a response within 30 days. If the person is unavailable, if a response is not made within 30 days, or if the student is unsatisfied with the response, then the student should inform the department head of the appeal. For an appeal of a course grade, the originating event shall be considered to be the posting of the grade to the university record.
3. A student wishing to appeal a decision to the department head must do so within 120 days of the originating event unless the departmental procedures specifically give more time. The department head will review as specified by the departmental grievance procedures.
4. A student who is unsatisfied with the outcome of the departmental grievance process may appeal to the dean of the college within 30 days of the notification of the departmental decision. The dean will review the appeal and render a decision. The dean may require that the appeal be in writing.
5. A student unsatisfied with the decision of the dean may appeal in writing to the Provostwithin 30 days of notification of the decision of the college dean. TheProvost(or designee) may decide that no further review is justified, may render a decision upon review, or may appoint a five-member committee to consider the appeal. The committee will consist of a faculty member from outside the involved department as chair, two other faculty members, and two student members. The committeewill submit findingsto the Provost (or designee), who shall render the final judgment.

Warning, Probation, and Suspension

The following applies to all students unless more restrictive rules are included as part of special admission conditions or unless more restrictive rules have been approved for a program, department, or college.

The purpose of academic warning, probation and suspension is to make the student aware of the University’s concern that satisfactory progress is not being made inthe course of study. Early notification of this concern maximizes the student’s opportunity to make appropriate adjustments that will result in remaining in good standing. A 2.0 total institution GPA is the lowest acceptable academic standard, as this level mirrors the minimum GPA requirement for graduation. The total institution GPA used in this policy is defined as the best attempt on all courses taken at Tarleton State University; grades on transfer work are excluded. A student with a 2.0 or better total institution GPA is considered to be in good academic standing.

Warning: Each student is responsible for knowing their academic status and the regulations that apply. Students who do not abide by the regulations governing their particular status may be required to reduce their academic loads or withdraw from the University without special consideration.

Warning, Probation, and Suspension Rules

1. If a student who has been in good standing has a total institution GPA less than 2.0 at the end of any long semester, the student will be placed on academic warning for the next long semester or summer session(s) attended.
2. A student who has been on academic warning during a long semester is subject to the following:
   1. At the end of the semester, if the total institution GPA is 2.00 or above, the student is returned to good standing.
   2. At the end of the semester, if the total institution GPA is less than 2.0, the GPA for the semester will be used to determine the student’s status.
      1. If the GPA for the semester is less than 2.00, the student will be suspended.
      2. If the GPA for the semester is 2.00 or higher, the student will be placed on probation.
3. A student on probation who has less than a 2.00 total institution GPA at the end of a semester will be suspended for the next long semester. A student on probation who has a 2.00 or better total institution GPA at the end of the next semester a student attends will be removed from probation and returned to good standing.
4. A student who transfers from Tarleton while on academic warning or probation and then returns (having met transfer requirements) has the same academic standing the first long semester back at Tarleton as though there had been no transfer.
5. A student who is suspended from Tarleton and does not attend another institution during the term of the suspension or thereafter may return to Tarleton after the term of the suspension and will be on academic warning the first long semester back at Tarleton. Any student who does not attend a fall or spring semester must reapply to the university.
6. A student who is suspended from Tarleton and attends another institution during the term of suspension or thereafter must meet Tarleton's transfer admission requirements in order to be readmitted. The student will be on academic warning the first long semester back at Tarleton. Any student who does not attend a fall or spring semester must reapply to the university.

**NOTE: If a student is suspended from Tarleton State University, sits out a long semester (spring/fall), the student must reapply atwww.applytexas.orgto regain admission into the university.**

Length of Suspension

The first suspension is for one long semester. The second is for one calendar year, and the third is indefinite. Three calendar years after imposition of third suspension, the student may apply for readmission; this application will be evaluated by the appropriate dean, but readmission is not guaranteed. Students who have been absent for one or more long semesters must reapply to the university for admission.

Summer School

A student on academic warning or probation may attend summer school at Tarleton (transfer requirements having been met, if applicable).

Students placed on first suspension at the end of a spring semester may request their dean’s approval to attend summer school. A student attending summer school while on their first suspension, who has an institution GPA of 2.00 at the end of the last summer session attended, will be returned to good standing.

Forgiveness Options

An undergraduate student enrolled at Tarleton may choose to exercise one, but not both, of the following forgiveness options:

OPTION I: Grades for any one semester of Tarleton work taken more than 5 years before a student’s current enrollment at Tarleton may be deleted for computation of total institution GPA if the student files a request with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. This option may be exercised one time only.

OPTION II: After a student has attempted ninety or more hours at Tarleton, grades for one semester of Tarleton work may be deleted for computation of total institution GPA if the student files a request with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. This option may be exercised one time only.

When a student has exercised one of these forgiveness options, grades for the semester selected by the student will be excluded when computing the total institution grade point average. Under either option,all courses and grades will continue to appear on the student’s transcript and to be counted toward restrictions in total number of withdrawals, fees for repeated courses, fees resulting from excess hours beyond the degree, etc.In applying the option,allgrades from the chosen semester are deleted from the GPA, not just low or failing grades. Also, no classes taken in the semester being forgiven will be counted on the student’s degree plan. A student seeking to exercise either option must be enrolled at Tarleton at the time he/she requests the forgiveness option.

Academic Credit

Tarleton has policies and procedures in place for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses and programs, regardless of format or mode of delivery, that conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education. Tarleton uses a course credit as a measure of academic accomplishment that a student receives for completion of a course, calculated in units of semester credit hours (SCH), which is defined in accordance with rules established by the U.S. Department of Education (34 CFR 668.8(k) and (l)). The semester credit hour value of a course is determined by the number of contact hours spent in course work per week. Typically, a three semester credit hour course meets for three contact hours (three 50-minute sessions or two 75-minute sessions) per week for a 15 week semester, plus a week for final examinations. In total, the three semester credit hour course meets for 45-48 contact hours, depending on whether a final exam is delivered. Tarleton further adheres to Texas state policy regarding the awarding of credit for coursework. The Texas Administrative Code (19 TAC §4.6) requires 45 contact hours in each 3 hour course delivered in 15 weeks of instruction, with a week for final examinations. The State of Texas certifies that the 45 hour/15 week standard conforms to commonly accepted practice in higher education. Practica, internships, labs, online/hybrid and other non-standard courses are assigned credit hours based on learning objectives rather than on the standard contact hour requirements. In such cases, courses are reviewed and approved through a formal institutional faculty review process (University Curriculum Committee and Academic Council for undergraduate credit; and Graduate Council and Academic Council for graduate credit) that evaluates the course and determines that the course has learning outcomes comparable to a traditional lecture-based course.

Program Requirements

Requirements for an Associate Degree

General Requirements

1. A GPA of 2.00 or better is required for all work counted toward a degree.
2. A GPA of 2.00 or better is required for all work in the major field of study and counted toward a degree.
3. All transfer students musthave an overall GPA of 2.00 or better in all courses taken at Tarleton in their major field of study and counted toward a degree as well as an overall GPA of 2.00 or better in all courses taken at Tarleton and counted toward a degree.

Associate Program Requirements

A total of 60 credit hours consisting of 23 credit hours ofprerequisites,and 37 credit hours of technical program courses. Prerequisite courses may be taken at the university or any one of the thirteen consortium community colleges. The sophom*ore courses comprising the technical program will be taken in Fort Worth at the Southwest Metroplex Center off-campus instructional site and affiliated clinical hospital sites.

Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree

General Requirements

1. A GPA of 2.00 or better is required for all work counted toward a degree.
2. A GPA of 2.00 or better is required for all work in the major field of study and counted toward a degree.
3. All transfer students musthave an overall GPA of 2.00 or better in all courses taken at Tarleton in their major field of study and counted toward a degree as well as an overall GPA of 2.00 or better in all courses taken at Tarleton and counted toward a degree.
4. Students must complete a minimum of 39 advanced hours (3xxxx or 4xxxx level courses) to obtain a baccalaureate degree.

Residence Requirements

Residence is satisfied only by official enrollment in and completion of course work applied toward the degree requirements.

1. A minimum of 30 semester hours, or 25%, of work counted toward the degree must be completed with Tarleton. The work completed at Tarleton and counted toward the degree must include at least 30 advanced hours (3000 or 4000 level) and 12 of these advanced hours must be in the major subject.
2. A maximum of 68 semester hours of academic credit will be accepted for degree credit from a two-year institution.

Writing Proficiency Requirement

All students are required to satisfy the Writing Proficiency Requirement as a condition for the baccalaureate degree. To satisfy this requirement,students must have credit for four writing intensive (WI) courses. Two of these four courses must be upper level WI courses within the major or designed for the degree plan. The remaining WI requirement should be met through successful completion of freshman composition courses within the general education curriculum. For additional information regarding the WI program, please refer to:https://www.tarleton.edu/wip/index.html.

General Education Requirements

All degree programs leading to the baccalaureate degree include the following University General Education Requirements^{1, 2}:

¹

General Education Requirements are subject to review and change by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

²

Some degree programs specify the courses that satisfy these requirements. A student should consult with an academic advisor in selecting general education requirement courses.

³

Students must enroll in these courses as outlined in the PLACEMENT, CONTINUING ENROLLMENT, AND COMPLETION RULES for Freshman-Level Mathematics and English Courses.

⁴

For additional information contact your departmental advisor or the advising center.

Student Success-ADA

Tarleton State University is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (https://www.ada.gov/) and other applicable laws. If you are a student with a disability seeking an accommodation, please contact Disability Resources and Testing at 254.968.9400 or visit https://www.tarleton.edu/drt.