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ACADEMIC POLICY
COURSEWORK
Academic Load
The basic measure of academic credit at Birmingham-Southern College
is a unit, which reflects time spent both in the classroom and in preparation
for class meetings. Enrollment in three units is the minimum required for
full-time status during a regular term. During the fall and spring, a full-time
student’s normal load is four full-unit courses or the equivalent. During the
summer term, the normal full-time load is two full-unit courses. During the
exploration term, the normal full-time load is a project credited as one full-
unit course.
Academic Overload
If a student has attained a minimum grade point average of 3.00 and
obtained the written permission of the student’s academic advisor and the
advisor’s department chair, then the student may enroll in a maximum
of five units during the fall and spring terms, and a maximum of three
units during the summer term. There is an additional charge for any extra
units beyond 4.5 units. During the fall and spring terms, a student may
register for an additional half-unit beyond normal load without the written
permission of his or her academic advisor. No overload is permitted during
the exploration term.
Registration
A student who was not enrolled in the College during the previous
term is expected to register on the specified registration day for the fall,
exploration, spring, or summer term. After the end of the second week of
classes, no student may register for credit. Exceptions occasionally are made
to allow a student to register late for a course the student is taking, but, for
some reason, is not yet registered for. This is done only with the professor’s
verification that the student has been attending class from the start of the
term, and with the approval of the Provost.
Near the end of each term, currently enrolled students register for the
following term. Students register for the summer and fall sessions during
the spring term prior to those terms; students register for the exploration
and spring terms during the fall term prior to those terms. Students are
required to confirm their registration on the confirmation date for that
term. Any student who fails to confirm may be dropped from the courses
for which he or she registered.
A student who contracts an exploration term project or an
individualized study must obtain his or her advisor’s approval of the
project; obtain approval of the faculty member who is to direct the project
and that faculty member’s department chair; and submit the contract form
to the Office of Exploration Term and Contract Learning.
