It is expected that students will attend all course-related activities. The attendance policy for a course is outlined on the course syllabus.

Absences, for any reason, do not relieve the student from responsibility for completing the essential requirements of a course. Whenever possible, it is the student’s responsibility to discuss an anticipated absence with the faculty. For unexpected absences, the student should contact the faculty as soon as possible to discuss a plan for the missed coursework.

Extended Absence

If a student is absent from classes for three days or more due to extenuating circumstances (including illness, death in immediate family), the student or designee should notify the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services. Once notified, the Center will share the report with faculty and appropriate College staff. If the absence exceeds one week, documentation may be required.

When possible, the student and faculty are encouraged to work collaboratively to outline a plan to make up the missed course work or to find equivalent ways for the student to complete the essential course requirements without compromising course standards. A professor may suggest that it is in the student’s best interest to withdraw from a course, but it is ultimately the student’s decision whether or not to withdraw. If the student decides to withdraw, the student must follow through by dropping the course through Fish ‘R’ Net. If the student withdraws from all enrolled courses in a semester, a Petition to Withdraw from College form must be filed with the Registrar.

Repeated Absence

Where an instructor judges that repeated absence from a course has prevented a student’s satisfactory achievement, a grade of “FA” for that course may be submitted. Repeated absence is sufficient cause for suspension.

Late Arrivals

No instructor is obligated to admit a student to class who arrives late. A late arrival may be considered an absence.

Individuals interested in taking courses for their own enrichment or to transfer back to other degree programs and not seeking a degree from Fisher are considered to be in non-matriculated status. Fisher alumni who wish to earn a second major after graduation are also enrolled in non-matriculated status.

Non-matriculated students may register on a space-available basis, for either audit or credit enrollment, after the designated registration period for matriculated students. Non-matriculated students may take no more than 11 credits in any given semester and must apply for admission to the College should they wish to take additional credits. The maximum number of credits a student may take in non-matriculated status is 12 credits or four courses. Students who neither want nor expect to receive a degree from St. John Fisher College and are attending classes at the College purely for their personal interest may be able to receive a waiver from the provost or his designee.

Note: Students who have been denied admission to the College or who have been academically dismissed from St. John Fisher College or any other college may not audit or enroll in non-matriculated status.

Non-matriculated students who wish to audit a course must:

• Provide proof of high school graduation, a completed G.E.D., or a college transcript.
• Meet with the instructor prior to registration for permission and agreement about the nature of the student’s participation in the course and the assignments.

Note: Certain courses may have prerequisites or may be restricted to upper-level degree candidates. Courses which require ongoing, active participation in the work of the course, such as independent study and foreign language, are not open for audit.

Non-matriculated students who wish to take a course for credit must:

• Provide proof of high school graduation, a completed G.E.D., or a college transcript.
• Provide a transcript of background coursework if selected course has prerequisites.

Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the director of the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services.

Pre-Professional Courses of Study

The liberal arts programs of St. John Fisher College contain the prerequisites for students interested in medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and optometry. Requirements for professional schools vary considerably. Students are advised to consult their faculty advisors in each instance.

St. John Fisher College offers all courses required for admission to most medical and dental schools in the United States. The pre-health professions programs are flexible enough to allow students to major in any of the academic departments, though most choose biology or chemistry. Medical and dental schools indicate that they are interested in liberally educated individuals with diverse backgrounds and talents.

Students interested in health professions are urged to contact the pre-health professions advisor at the College early in the freshman year or as soon as possible after transferring to Fisher for further information and guidance. See Pre-Health Professions Programs for more information.

Cooperative Programs

Rochester Area Colleges (RAC): St. John Fisher College is a member of the Rochester Area Colleges consortium, chartered in 1971 by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. Other members include: University of Rochester, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roberts Wesleyan College, Nazareth College of Rochester, Keuka College, Alfred University, Empire State College, Wells College, Houghton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Corning Community College, Genesee Community College, Finger Lakes Community College, Monroe Community College, and the State University of New York at Brockport and at Geneseo. The consortium was established to advance interinstitutional cooperation and thus increase the academic resources of the community. Undergraduate matriculated students may enroll in undergraduate courses on a space-available basis at any RAC college, provided that: the requested course is not taught at the home school and the student is a full-time student at his or her home school throughout the duration of the requested course and pays full-time tuition to the home school. A full-time student is defined as a matriculated student carrying no fewer than 12 credit hours. Enrollment is not applicable to summer semester or graduate courses. The academic and administrative policies, dates, and procedures of the host school govern students. For more detailed information or a registration form, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

Credit earned by St. John Fisher College students at other RAC member institutions is not included in the Fisher grade point average and is not accepted in transfer unless a grade of “C” or higher is earned. Fisher language majors who take courses in their major at Nazareth College will earn the grade as well as the credits, regardless of the grade(s) received.

Far Eastern Languages (University of Rochester) Students may enroll in courses in Far Eastern languages, history, and culture offered through the South Asian Studies Center and also may enroll in creative arts by special arrangement.

Pre-Engineering: (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and the University of Rochester): Degrees in the full range of engineering fields can be earned in cooperation with the schools of engineering at these institutions. For further details, see the Pre-Engineering Program description in the physics department or consult with the pre-engineering advisor.

U.S. Army ROTC: Through the Rochester Area Colleges (RAC) consortium, St. John Fisher College students in all academic disciplines are eligible to participate in Army scholarship programs. Four-, three-, and two-year scholarships are available. Scholarships are competitively based, and early application is important. Students awarded Army ROTC scholarships are entitled to additional benefits including, non-taxable monthly stipends, money for books, and paid training. All successful graduates are guaranteed at least four years of active duty leadership experience as Army officers in the active Army, the Army Reserve, or Army National Guard after completing Army ROTC. For more information, email armyrotc@rit.edu, visit www.armyrotc.com, or call (585) 475-2881.

U.S. Air Force ROTC: Through the Rochester Area Colleges (RAC) consortium, St. John Fisher College students in all academic disciplines are eligible to participate in Air Force scholarship programs. Four-, three-, and two-year scholarships are available. Scholarships are competitively based, and early application is important. Students awarded AFROTC scholarships are entitled to additional benefits including, non-taxable monthly stipends, money for books, and paid training. All successful graduates are guaranteed at least four years of active duty leadership experience as Air Force officers. For details on classes and scholarships, visit www.rit.edu/cast/afrotc/ or call (585) 475-5196 or (877) 423-7682.

Study Abroad Programs: These programs are operated in association with Central College in Pella, Iowa; with the American Institute for Foreign Study in Greenwich, Connecticut; with the American University of Rome; with the American University of Cairo, Egypt; with the Prospero Institute, Japan; and with the Council on International Educational Exchange.

Course Numbering and Sequencing

• Courses numbered 100–199 are considered introductory.
• Courses numbered 200–299 are considered intermediate.
• Courses numbered 300–499 are upper-division and are designed for juniors and seniors.

Certain sequential courses require the satisfactory completion of the first semester of the course for admission to the second semester.

The credit value for each course is based upon the amount of scheduled meeting times. A change in the credits assigned to a scheduled course will NOT be permitted.

Course Load

Full-time matriculated students have a normal course load of 15 credits each semester over an eight-semester period. The minimum course load for a full-time student is 12 credits, and the maximum course load is 19 credits per semester. A student wishing to carry more than 19 credits in any semester must have the school dean. Such permission will be granted only in rare cases to students with a GPA higher than 3.00.

A matriculated student who wishes to change between full- and part-time status need only course-register for the appropriate number of credit hours for the semester in which the change is effective.

Student Classification

The College utilizes the following guidelines for student classification:

• 0–29 credits earned = freshman
• 30–59 credits earned = sophomore
• 60–89 credits earned = junior
• 90–120 credits earned = senior

Study Hours

In general, students are expected to spend two hours per week in outside reading, assignments, research, library work, etc., for every one hour they spend in class. For example, a student who is enrolled in 15 credits during a semester will spend 15 hours per week in class and another 30 hours each week engaged in academic pursuits outside the classroom, for a total expected time commitment of 45 hours per week (also subject to change).

Courses taught as tutorials are individualized instruction in the content of a course listed in the College catalog. These courses, though taught independently, carry the subject, number, title, and credits of the actual course.

Tutorial courses are open only to students who have completed at least 12 credits at the College and earned at least a 2.50 GPA in the field in which the tutorial course resides.

To enroll in a tutorial course:

• The student meets with the instructor who offers the requested course to discuss the possibility of a tutorial and the justification.
• After securing the approval of the instructor, the student completes the Tutorial portion of the Independent Study/Tutorial Authorization form. The student then meets with the chair of the department which offers the requested course to discuss the requested tutorial and the justification.
• After securing approval of the chair, the student meets with the school dean to discuss the request and justification.
• If the request is approved by the dean, the form will be sent to the Registrar’s Office. This notification must contain the course information, instructor, name of the student, and the justification.
• The Registrar’s Office will notify the student by email when the paperwork has been processed and the registration is completed.

Requests for tutorials will be processed in keeping with the relevant registration deadlines.

In specific courses or academic disciplines in which standardized examinations are not available, students may obtain credit for a St. John Fisher College course by satisfactorily completing a testing procedure developed by the appropriate department of the College. Faculty may accommodate students with a specific need for this type of testing but are under no obligation to do so. Examinations are written tests but may also involve oral examination, laboratory demonstration, or the satisfactory completion of a major essay.

These are not placement examinations but are designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge gained outside of the traditional classroom environment. This program is not meant to alter the traditional educational orientation of the College. Therefore:

• Only matriculated students who have earned 30 credits in residence may apply for credit by a St. John Fisher College examination.
• Credit for the examination will count toward meeting the residence requirement. The examination grade will appear on the transcript at the end of the semester in which the examination is taken.
• An unsuccessful attempt will be recorded as an “F” grade and will be calculated into the GPA until the examination is repeated and passed or the course is taken. If unsuccessful, the examination may be repeated once, after a six-month waiting period.
• The fee for the examination for one three-to-four-credit-hour course will be the equivalent of the current charge for one undergraduate credit and must be paid prior to taking the examination.

Completion of the Application for Undergraduate Credit by St. John Fisher College Examination is required at least two weeks before the exam may be taken. The form requires verification by the Registrar; documentation of fee payment and approval of the examiner; approval of the chair of the department in which the examination will be taken; and approval of the appropriate school dean.

A student may not receive credit for successful completion of an examination if he or she has taken and passed the same examination or course (or its equivalent) or a higher-level course in the same subject area or has ever audited or enrolled in the course at St. John Fisher College. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the chair of the department in which the exam is to be taken.

Credit for a maximum of two courses may be earned by St. John Fisher College examination. Exceptions to this limit require approval of the provost or the provost’s designee.

Note: Students who have studied successfully in a school where primary instruction was conducted in a language other than English will not receive credit by examination in that language at the 111/112 level. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.