Academic Policies

Course Policies

Attendance: Class attendance policies are determined by individual faculty members within University, college and department guidelines. The University’s expectation is for students to attend all classes, and admission to the University obligates the student to observe these policies. If a student has excessive absences, University policy permits the teacher to assign a grade of “WF” for the course. A grade of “WF” may affect the student’s status regarding University policies. If a student believes that unfair treatment was received from a teacher the student can follow the Academic Grievance Procedure.

Dual enrolled students are required to meet the same attendance policy as other students.

Auditing: Students may register for courses on a non-credit basis. Since class seats are reserved for students enrolled for credit, students will not be allowed to enroll for audit until the first week of classes. Once a student enrolls for either credit or audit the status of the enrollment cannot be changed. In an audited course, no grade will be assigned. The fee for auditing a course is one-half tuition.  All students sitting in a class must be enrolled for credit or audit.

Bible Class Enrollment  : Students who enroll in more than 8 hours in a semester or in Summer School (excluding Intersession) are required to take a Bible class that meets at least three hours a week.

Bible class attendance is compulsory regardless of the grade being earned. The required Bible class cannot be dropped. A student who has excessive absences in Bible will be placed on Bible Attendance Probation, will lose the privilege of priority registration, and will be required to sign a Bible attendance contract in the Office of the Provost prior to registering for the next semester. (Students who have already registered will not be able to register during the next priority registration.) A student who has excessive absences in Bible in more than one semester will be suspended from the University at least a minimum of one term.

Bible Class Exemptions: Students are exempt from Bible once they pass eight semesters of Bible and have fulfilled the Liberal Arts  Spiritual and Moral Values requirement. Students have a one semester exemption from Bible if they have passed two Bible courses at HUG or HIZ or are participating in supervised teaching or field study. Post baccalaureate students who have met the graduation requirement are not required to take additional hours of Bible.

Bible Course Substitutes for Specific Majors: The following courses are Bible substitutes only for specific majors and may be taken once to meet the Bible enrollment requirement by those who have already satisfied the 8-hour Liberal Arts requirement in textual Bible: ART 375 ,  BUS 435 , COMM 455 , NURS 413  and PHS 410 .

Classification:

Concurrent Enrollment: Upon enrollment at Harding University, students are generally expected to do their coursework at Harding. However, if a student wishes to take a course at another accredited college or university during a semester that he or she is enrolled at Harding - known as concurrent enrollment - the student must petition to receive credit prior to enrolling in the course. Concurrent enrollment includes such courses as resident courses, online courses or correspondence courses. The Concurrent Enrollment Request form is on the Student tab in Pipeline. The student should also consult with his/her adviser.

While living in University housing, no freshman or sophomore student may be concurrently enrolled at another university through online, correspondence or on-site courses.

Hours of credit taken concurrently at another institution will be included in determining the maximum load permitted for fall and spring semesters, and the application of the policies regarding Bible class enrollment, attending chapel or living on campus. The hours will be added to the semester in which the course begins.

Courses from other institutions taken concurrently will not count as hours enrolled for financial aid eligibility.

Course Numbering: Normally, courses numbered 100-199 are for freshmen; 200-299 for sophomores; 300-399 for juniors; and 400-499 for seniors.

Courses numbered 250-299 completed at Harding by second-semester sophomores, juniors and seniors count as upper-level credit. First-semester sophomores may receive upper-level credit in these courses provided they are preceded by a year of freshman credit in the same subject. All 300 and 400 courses are upper-level.

Courses numbered 300 or above are not open to freshmen. Courses numbered 300-399 are primarily for juniors and seniors, but sophomores may enroll in these courses with the consent of the instructor and the department chair or dean. Courses numbered 400-449 are open only to juniors and seniors; courses numbered 450-499 are open only to seniors.

Course Offerings: All courses are offered as indicated, with sufficient enrollment. The university reserves the right to cancel any class that is deemed to have insufficient enrollment.

Developmental Courses: Students who are under-prepared, based on standardized test scores, may be required to enroll in developmental courses. The Advance Program  and ESL Program  offer developmental courses to prepare students for entry into college-level courses, and do not count toward graduation or total hours completed.

Examinations: Students are expected to take all scheduled examinations. Course policies for making up examinations will apply. If the student misses an examination because of illness confirmed by the school nurse or a family physician, participation in a school-sponsored activity, or other cause sanctioned by the provost, they may make up that examination. Procedures for making up examinations differ from teacher to teacher, and these are subject to the approval of the provost. Teachers are under no obligation to give make-up examinations for unexcused absences.

Some courses require that examinations be completed in the testing laboratory at times outside of the normal class schedule, as specified in the course syllabus.

Final Examinations: Final examinations in lecture classes may not be taken before final examination week (labs, kinesiology activity and 600-level and above classes are exceptions). Exams may be changed within that week, subject to the approval of the teacher. The change of exam form may be found on the homepage of Pipeline in the Quick Links menu. A change of examination fee, listed in the Special Fees  section, is charged except for confirmed illness and official school representation.

Full/Part time Status: Students enrolled in 12 or more hours per semester are classified as full-time students. Those enrolled in fewer than 12 hours per semester are classified as part-time students. However, part-time students who enroll in more than 8 hours per semester, including concurrent enrollment, are subject to Bible-course and chapel-attendance policies.

Graduate Credit: Students who are within 9 hours of the baccalaureate degree may enroll for graduate courses if approved in advance by the director of graduate studies or dean. Credit in graduate courses cannot be applied toward meeting baccalaureate degree requirements. Graduate hours cannot be used in determining financial aid.

International Students: International students are required to take HIST 101  or HIST 102  and POLS 205  to fulfill University requirements. The liberal arts global literacy requirement is waived for all international students. Important information may also be found in the International Student Handbook.

Leveling Work: Leveling work may be needed in order to meet the prerequisites for more advanced courses or to remediate under-prepared students. For example, students whose ACT English subscore is 18 and below or whose SAT verbal score is 440 and below must enroll in ENG 100   before taking ENG 111 . ENG 100  is then considered to be leveling work. Developmental courses used for leveling do not count toward graduation; other leveling work may decrease the number of elective and/or increase the number of hours in a degree.

Majors and Minors: Every degree program requires a major, which should be chosen as early as possible. Majors typically include 30 to 60 hours, although some are larger. Majors with fewer than 48 hours typically require a minor of 18 hours from another field. Within these majors 18 hours must be upper-level, and 6 hours of the minor must be upper-level.

Broad-area majors consist of 48 or more hours, 24 of which must be upper-level. A minor is not required.

Within the major department, only 12 hours beyond the minimum hours required for the major may count toward the 128 required for graduation.

While minors typically consist of 18 hours, a few require more. Hours in the minor may be reduced by courses in Liberal Arts and Bible, which also count toward the minor. Thus, while the degree programs in this Catalog stipulate 18 hours, this number varies. A course used in a student’s major cannot be used in the minor.

Majors - Double: Students pursuing two majors in a single department, where a common core of course requirements exists, must, in addition to completing the requirements for both majors, complete 15 hours beyond the major with the most required hours. No minor is required for double majors.

Students earning two baccalaureate degrees at the same graduation must earn at least 160 hours. Two identical degrees (for example, two B.A.s or two B.B.A.s) may not be awarded at the same commencement.

Majors - Special: Students who choose a vocation for which there is no cataloged major in many cases may arrange a program of study through the provost and appropriate department chair.

Maximum Credit Load: The normal course load is 16 hours per semester. Many first-semester freshmen, however, should limit loads to 14 or 15 hours. The maximum load for a freshman is 18 hours. Sophomores whose cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or who have earned a 3.0 the previous semester may carry up to 19 hours of credit. Juniors and seniors whose cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or who have earned a 3.0 the previous semester may carry up to 20 hours of credit. A senior in the last two semesters prior to graduation may be permitted to enroll in up to 21 hours in order to graduate without extending their enrollment another term. Under no circumstances may a student enroll in more than 21 hours of credit, including hours earned through concurrent enrollment. Dually enrolled students are limited to no more than 8 hours.

The summer maximum academic course load is three semester hours for Intersession and six hours for each session of summer school, for a possible maximum of 15 credit hours.  A student whose cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or who has earned a 3.0 the previous semester may enroll in 16 credit hours only if at least one course chosen is offered as either an eight week or extended term class.

Eligible students must complete the required Overload Request form found on the Student tab in Pipeline in order to enroll in more than 18 hours in the fall or spring terms. 

Post-Baccalaureate Students: Students who have completed one bachelor’s degree will be considered post baccalaureates until admitted into a graduate program. Students enrolling at Harding to obtain a second bachelor’s degree are required to meet all graduation requirements, including the 8-hour textual Bible requirement. They are required to take a Bible course that meets at least three hours a week in semesters in which they are enrolled for more than 8 hours unless the graduation requirement for Bible has been met. Cumulative hours must total at least 160 hours.

Repeat Courses: A student may repeat any course previously taken. The highest grade will be counted in the GPA. Students may not raise their grade point average by repeating a course and then withdrawing. The previous grade will remain on the transcript.

Summer School Enrollment at Another Institution: Any undergraduate summer school course that a current student plans to take at another accredited college or university and then transfer to Harding must be pre-approved by the registrar before the student enrolls in the course. The maximum credit load policy will be enforced. The required forms are found on the Student tab in Pipeline.

Transfer Students: Students who transfer from a regionally accredited institution within the United States will have credits evaluated on a course-by-course basis, and approved courses will be transferred as equivalents to Harding courses or as elective credit. To assist in understanding transfer credit, students may visit the site www.harding.edu/registrar and click on Course Equivalency. Follow the instructions in locating the transfer institution and accepted credit from that school. For colleges not in this database, contact the registrar for information.

Students whose credits were accepted as elective may submit a course description for each course to the registrar for review. In some areas of study, the course description may be submitted to the chair of the department for review.

Students who transfer from a non-regionally accredited institution within the United States will have credits evaluated based upon course descriptions and in some cases may be required to have credit validated by the chair of the department of the course in question. Validation of a course may require an examination by the student.

Transfer credit counts as upper-level credit only if the course has junior-senior status at the institution where taken. All work transferred from a junior college is considered lower-level except for 300-level courses taken in an approved third-year program.

A transfer student is required to have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA on all previous course work attempted at previous institutions for unconditional admission. Students admitted with less than a 2.0 cumulative GPA will be placed on academic warning or probation, which may result in academic suspension if the student does not complete the semester at Harding with a 2.00 GPA.

Students certifying to teach must still meet all Arkansas certification requirements. In some instances upper-level courses may substitute for lower-level courses for students who did not graduate with an associate degree.

Transfer-Associate Degree: Students who have graduated with an A.A. or A.S. degree from a junior or community college prior to transferring to Harding University may satisfy Harding’s Liberal Arts  requirements if the following courses have been completed:

Bible (textual) - 8 hours; communication - 3 hours; art, music or theatre appreciation - 3 hours; natural science - 6 hours; mathematics - 3 hours; social science (must include 6 hours of American and/or world history) - 12 hours; kinesiology activity - 3 hours; English composition and literature - 9 hours; and global literacy - 3 hours.

Students certifying to teach must still meet all Arkansas certification requirements. In some instances upper-level courses may substitute for lower-level courses for transfer students who did not graduate with an associates degree.

Transfers - International Students: International students or any student who transfers from an institution from outside of the United States should submit an official transcript, including certified English translated copies. Students should be aware that these documents may be submitted to a third-party credential service by Harding for an official evaluation. This process may take up to three months. The student will be charged for this service. Courses completed at an overseas college will be evaluated on an individual basis and course descriptions will be required. Students should be aware that some courses may require validation by examination. Important information may also be found in the International Student Handbook.

Grades

Grades: The following grade scale is used to indicate student performance in each course:

An “I” may be assigned only when the student has been unable to complete a course for sudden, unexpected and unavoidable circumstances at the end of the term. The faculty member must request an “I,” and the provost must approve it. A grade of “I” is considered to be an “F” for grade point average computing purposes until it is removed, and it becomes an “F” automatically if not removed by the deadline. The deadlines for removing an “I” are as follows: fall incompletes by the end of the eighth week of the spring semester; spring incompletes by July 1; summer incompletes by the eighth week of the fall semester.

Grades are available electronically for all students, and are not mailed.

Change of Grade: After a final grade has been reported to the registrar, the only basis for changing the grade is error on the part of the faculty member in calculating or reporting the grade. The grade change must be submitted by the faculty and approved by the provost before the student record is amended. Students appealing a grade should see the Academic Grievance Procedure  section of the Catalog.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Computation: Cumulative GPA is calculated on the basis of total quality points earned divided by total hours attempted. Transfer credits will be calculated into the GPA (except for credit from international schools).

Dean’s List: A Dean’s List is published at the end of the fall, spring, and summer terms honoring those undergraduate students who achieve high scholarship for that term. To be eligible a student must earn a 3.65 GPA on 12 or more hours of work at Harding. The term GPA for the Dean’s List includes all grades for the term under consideration at the time final grades are posted to the transcript.

Graduation with Honors: Graduating seniors who achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA graduate cum laude. Those with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 graduate magna cum laude, and those with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher graduate summa cum laude.

Academic Standing: Students who make less than satisfactory academic progress will be identified as being on Academic Warning, Probation, or Suspension as defined below. Academic Probation and Suspension appear on the official transcript. In the chart below, cumulative hours attempted refers to the attempted hours used to calculate the cumulative GPA, and appears on the unofficial transcripts as GPA Hours.

Academic Warning: This status applies to students with less than a 2.0 institutional or cumulative GPA on less than 61 cumulative hours attempted. It alerts students who are in danger of being put on academic probation and may include some stipulations.

In addition, first time transfers with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and an institutional GPA of at least 1.5 in their first semester at Harding will be on placed on Academic Warning, not Academic Probation.

Academic Probation: This status applies to students who have an institutional or cumulative GPA below the prescribed minimum for cumulative hours attempted. Academic Probation is removed only at the end of a semester in which the cumulative GPA meets that required. A student may attend summer school to raise the cumulative GPA enough to be removed from Academic Probation for the fall semester.

Students on Academic Probation are limited to 16 credit hours and are not eligible to represent the University in any extracurricular activities, such as, but not limited to, athletics (both intercollegiate and club level), cheer leading, chorus, debate, band, dramatic productions, international programs, Spring Sing and student publications. Representing the University includes public performances and trips but not regular meetings and practices.

Students on Academic Probation are required to participate and complete UNIV 150 . Students who successfully complete this course with at least a “C” will not be required to repeat this course if they are put on Academic Probation in future semesters.

The University Student Handbook details additional restrictions related to Academic Probation.

Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are encouraged to repeat courses in which they have earned a grade of “D” or “F” as the fastest way to raise their GPA.

Academic Suspension: Failure to remove Academic Probation by the end of the next semester results in Academic Suspension. However, no student will be suspended at the end of a term in which a 2.25 semester GPA has been attained. The University may also academically suspend any student who fails to earn a semester GPA of at least 1.00 during a given semester.

The first academic suspension is for one semester (not counting summer); the second academic suspension is for two semesters (not counting summer); subsequent academic suspensions are for an indefinite period of time.

An Appeal of Academic Suspension can be made to the Academic Standing Committee using an online “Academic Suspension Appeal” form in the student’s Pipeline account. For more information, contact the Office of the Provost (HU Box 10773 or provost@harding.edu). An appeal committee decision that results in an override allowing the student to register for the next term does not remove the status of suspension.

Students on disciplinary suspension may not appeal academic suspension.

Reinstatement after Academic Suspension requires readmission through the Office of Student Life and an academic progress contract with the director of Academic Advising in the Center for Student Success. A reinstated student will be on Academic Probation.

Students that have either appealed their Academic Suspension and are allowed to return or have been reinstated following an Academic Suspension may be required to participate in the College Success program offered through the Center for Student Success. Suspended students that have not successfully completed UNIV 150  may be required to complete this course upon their return instead of the College Success program.

Students on Academic Suspension following the spring semester may appeal their suspension and be approved by the Academic Standing Committee for a program of summer courses, and if satisfactory progress is achieved, they may be readmitted for the fall semester.

Courses taken at other schools by students on Academic Suspension will not be accepted for credit at Harding.

Examinations

Harding requires 96 hours of credit by formal course instruction, including classroom instruction, independent study, co-op and field work, online courses, contract courses, and correspondence courses (maximum of 18 hours).

Beyond this, students may earn course credit by taking examinations outside the formal classroom environment. There is no limit to the number of credits that may be earned by special examinations. All credit by examination earned prior to enrollment must be recorded on the transcript by the end of the first term of enrollment. All credit by examination earned after initial enrollment must be recorded on the transcript by the end of the term in which the credit is earned. All credit by examination for lower level courses must be earned and recorded on the transcript before a student earns 90 hours of credit. Once credits are recorded on the student transcript they cannot be removed, and the recording fee will not be refunded.

The Harding Testing Office offers many of the standardized tests such as ACT, SAT, CLEP, PRAXIS, etc. For the most current test schedule or to register for an exam, view www.harding.edu/testing on the Web. In general, tests administered in the Testing Office are subject to an administrative fee (see Special Fees  section).

Advanced Placement (AP): Harding grants credit for courses completed in the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board. A table of available AP exams, minimum qualifying scores accepted by Harding, courses for which qualifying scores may earn credit, and number of hours which may be earned, is printed below. No grade is assigned and no tuition is charged. A non-refundable fee is charged for each course recorded on the transcript (see Special Fees  section), to be paid in cash or by check at the Harding Business Office. All AP credit must be recorded on the transcript by the end of the first term of enrollment. Freshmen earning AP credit may take sophomore-level courses in the subject where credit was earned.

Students may be awarded credit for scores on other AP exams; inquiries should be directed to the Testing Office.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP): Harding is a CLEP test center and awards credit through General and Subject Examinations. Credit is awarded for specific courses. No grade is assigned and no tuition is charged. A fee is charged for each course recorded on the student’s transcript (see Special Fees  section), to be paid in cash or by check at the Harding Business Office.

Harding University will accept CLEP exam credit for a course if the score meets university guidelines and if:

• the CLEP exam is taken before the student enrolls in the course
• the CLEP exam is taken before the student enrolls in a similar or higher level course (e.g., CLEP credit cannot be earned in MATH 151  after enrolling in MATH 171 .)
• the CLEP exam is taken before the student enrolls in another course for which the CLEP can be applied as credit (e.g., the Natural Science CLEP cannot be used for credit in PHS 116  or BIOL 111  after a student has enrolled in either PHS 116  or BIOL 111 .)
• the CLEP exam is taken before the student enrolls in another course which can be applied for credit in the course (e.g., HUM 273  can be used for credit in ENG 201  or ENG 202 , HIST 110  or HIST 111 , or ART 101 /MUS 171 /THEA 101 , so CLEP cannot be used for credit in these courses after a student has enrolled in HUM 273 .)

Students should consider taking CLEP exams if their ACT score is 27 or higher or if their SAT critical reading and math score is 1200 or higher.

CLEP credit must be earned and recorded before a student earns 90 hours of credit.

CLEP General Examinations test knowledge in general subject areas. At Harding up to 9 credit hours may be earned on the General Examinations in English, Humanities and Natural Science as follows:

The CLEP Subject Examination table contains cutoff scores for credit in courses at Harding. Students may be awarded credit for scores on other CLEP subject exams; inquiries should be directed to the Office of Testing.

International Baccalaureate (IB): Credit for other IB courses with minimum HL scores of 5 may be granted after consultation with the appropriate department chair. No credit is awarded for the subsidiary exams, and no tuition is charged. A fee is charged for each course recorded on the student transcript (see Special Fees section), to be paid in cash or by check at the Harding Business Office.

Credit by Department Examination: To encourage independent achievement, Harding offers students the opportunity to earn credit by taking comprehensive course examinations. Entering freshmen with outstanding high school records and examination scores may receive credit by examination for courses which largely duplicate completed high school work. Enrolled students with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher may also earn credit. Any student enrolled or previously enrolled in a course would not be eligible for credit by examination in that area.

Students must apply on a form supplied by the Registrar’s Office and obtain approval of the instructor, department chair/dean (as applicable). A Credit by Examination fee (see Special Fees  section) is due at the time of application. A grade of “C” or higher must be achieved in order to earn credit; the grade earned is recorded on the student’s transcript. A fee is charged for each course recorded on the student’s transcript (see Special Fees  section), based on the credit hours awarded, to be paid in cash or by check at the Harding Business Office.

Credit by examination deadlines:  1) Credit by examination earned prior to initial enrollment must be recorded on the transcript by the end of the first term of enrollment. 2) Credit by examination earned after initial enrollment must be recorded on the transcript by the end of the term in which the credit is earned. (See Special Fees  section.)  3) Credit by examination for lower level courses must be earned and recorded on the transcript before a student earns 90 hours of credit.

Exemption Examination: Students may earn exemption from most required Liberal Arts courses by passing appropriate comprehensive examinations. There is an Exemption Examination fee (see Special Fees  section) for each course attempted. No credit is awarded. Any student enrolled or previously enrolled in a course would not be eligible for an exemption exam in that area.

Validation: Students who have taken courses of study at non-accredited institutions or in non-collegiate programs such as hospitals, business schools and vocational schools may validate college credit for such study through comprehensive examinations for comparable courses offered at Harding.

There is a Validation Examination fee (see Special Fees  section) for each course attempted. A grade of “C” or higher must be achieved in order to earn credit; the grade earned is not recorded on the transcript. A fee is charged for each course recorded on the student’s transcript (see Special Fees  section), to be paid in cash or by check at the Harding Business Office. Validation credit counts toward the 96-hour course instruction requirement for graduation.

Click here to view the Special Fees  section.

Academic Clemency

Act 1000 of 1991 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas requires that state colleges and universities establish policies for academic clemency for undergraduate students. Harding University has a policy whereby students may petition the University to have previously earned grades and credits removed from the calculations of their cumulative grade-point averages. To be considered for academic clemency, the student must meet the following criteria:

Eligibility

1. The student must not have been enrolled in any institution of higher education for a minimum of five consecutive years.
2. Students who have a cumulative grade point average greater than 1.99 in the semester(s) for which academic clemency is requested are not eligible.
3. Students who have completed a degree are not eligible for clemency.

Conditions

1. The student may submit a written request for academic clemency at the time of admission and no later than the completion of 12 semester hours at Harding University. This request is to be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Upon verification by the registrar that the student has met all requirements, the student will be granted academic clemency.
2. Academic clemency can be granted only once.
3. Academic clemency will be granted when a student completes a minimum of 12 semester hours at Harding University and earns a minimum 2.00 grade-point average for those hours.
4. Academic clemency will cover all credits earned during the semester(s) for which it is granted. The student may not choose partial semesters or courses. All courses will be affected. Although these credits will not count toward graduation requirements, they will remain on the student’s comprehensive transcript. Courses on which academic clemency is granted will not be used in the computation of the cumulative grade-point average. The courses will be indicated on the transcript as zero credit hours.
5. The comprehensive transcript will contain a notation indicating the date that academic clemency is granted.
6. Federal and state financial aid regulations and requirements for veteran’s benefits will prevail over institutional academic clemency policy if there is a conflict.
7. Policies related to academic clemency pertain only to Harding University and students should understand this may not be honored by other institutions.