Quick reference guide of academic policies
This information draws on the College Catalog and college regulations; more detailed information is available in the College Catalog under “Academic Information,” in the online Guide to Registration and at the Academic Advising website.
Absence from Class: It is essential that you attend all your classes. However, if medical, personal, or family problems cause you to miss some class time, you must contact your professors. At your request, the Student Support Services Office (ext. 7156) will notify your instructors and your advisor of the situation.
Academic Advising Alerts: These are an optional means for faculty to inform students that they are facing difficulties in a course. When a student receives an alert, a copy is also sent to the academic advisor.
Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures: Cases of alleged academic dishonesty are adjudicated by the College Honor Board (see the “Student Involvement” section). For further information about issues of academic integrity, consult the “College Policies and Prohibited Conduct” section of the Pathfinder or contact the Dean of Students at ext. 7110.
Academic Deficiency: Students’ academic standing is monitored by a faculty committee. Unsatisfactory progress may result in a student being placed in one of the following categories:
Warning: An alert that the GPA for the semester or the cumulative GPA has fallen below 2.0, or that the student is not maintaining “normal progress” (at least 12 credits per semester) toward a degree. Warning is not recorded on the transcript.
Probation*: A notice that the GPA is/has been below 2.0 for one or more semesters, and/or that the cumulative GPA is below the 2.0 level required for graduation, and/or that the student is not maintaining “normal progress” toward a degree. A student may be placed on probationary status without a prior history of academic warning if the student’s record warrants such action.
Suspension*: An ineligibility to enroll in the College, normally for two semesters. A student will be suspended if his/her semester GPA is below 1.0 (or below 1.50 if already on warning or probation). A student who earns a semester GPA of 2.0 will be suspended if his/her three previous semesters’ GPA was lower than 2.0 or he/she was on probation or warning for the previous three semesters.
Dismissal*: The effect of being suspended a second time, whereupon the student is permanently dismissed from the College and may not be readmitted.
* Probation, Suspension, and Dismissal are noted on the transcript. In each of the categories above, the student and advisor are notified.
Academic Residency Requirement: Sixty semester credits must be taken at Lewis & Clark College, including at least 28 of the final 32 semester credits (i.e. only 4 credits may be transferred in towards the end of your four years).
Add/Drop: Students may add or drop courses during the first two weeks of fall and spring semesters and before the second meeting of a class during the summer semester. The forms are available at the Registrar’s Office. “Drops” during this period are not noted in the transcript. First year students must have advisors sign to add or drop a course.
Advanced Placement: The College grants 4 semester hours for an AP test score of 4 or 5. Though AP credit does not substitute for general college requirements (except for foreign language requirements), it will apply toward the total number of hours needed for graduation. Some departments have established course placement guidelines based on AP and IB scores. Check the catalog and with department chairs to determine if test results are used for placement.
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Changing Advisors: You may change advisors at any time by asking a new advisor to sign the Major/Minor/Advisor Declaration form (available at the Registrar’s Office and on the Academic Advising website. If you don’t have a major, enter “undecided” on the form next to “major.”
Class Standing Definitions: Class standing is based solely on the number of completed credits:
First year: 0–28 semester credits.
Sophomore: 29–60 semester credits.
Junior: 61–92 semester credits.
Senior: 93+ semester credits.
Credit by Exam: You may challenge a course and secure credit for its completion (subject to the determination that an equivalency between your knowledge and background and the course content is measurable). Information about the procedure and fee may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.
Credit/No Credit*: With instructor’s consent, you may request the CR/NC option by filing a form with the registrar during the Add/Drop period each semester. This option may not be changed after it is filed. In courses designated CR/NC only, a student may not request a letter grade. The College does not limit the number of courses that may be taken on a CR/NC basis. You must have a C (2.0) or higher to receive Credit (CR). Courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements may not be taken CR/NC.
Deficiency Grades: A student may be notified of a mid-term deficiency grade (a projected grade of C– or lower) with a list of resources for assistance. A copy is also sent to the advisor.
“Double Dipping”: This means applying course credit toward two sets of requirements, (e.g., minor and major). Limitations for “double dipping” are that at least 28 semester credits of any major or 12 semester credits of a minor must be discrete credits (not used for any other set of requirements).
Certain majors allow double dipping of major and general education requirements; however, you cannot use one class to fulfill more than one general education requirement.
Transfer students who qualify to take substitute courses for CORE 106 and 107 may not also apply those courses to major, minor, or general education requirements.
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Foreign Language Placement: An exam offered each fall to determine appropriate placement in Chinese, French, German, Hellenistic Greek, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. The Foreign Language department can also arrange placement testing in other languages, including those not offered at the College (e.g. Swedish, Dutch, Arabic). Any placement above LC’s 201 level will fulfill the foreign language requirement.
General Education Requirements: The requirements and specific courses that meet the general education requirements are listed in the College Catalog.
Independent Study/Practicum: The student and the faculty sponsor should consult on course content, requirements for completion, and a schedule of student/faculty conferences before registering.
International Baccalaureate: Four semester hours of credit are granted for scores of 5 on the higher-level exams; eight semester credits are granted for scores of 6 or 7 on the higher-level exams. Sixteen semester credits are granted for completion of the IB diploma with a score of 32 to 35, and 24 semester credits for a score of 36 or higher. (See “Advanced Placement” in this section for further information.)
Internships: Internships can be arranged through professors in individual departments or through the Director of Career Advising. Internship opportunities are also posted on the campus email notice board.
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Leave of Absence (LOA): If you are considering taking a leave from the College, you need to consult the Registrar’s Office (ext. 7328) regarding the leave of absence process. You should also consult with your faculty advisor. Advantages of taking an official leave of absence are that you may return without applying for readmission, you will be sent pre-registration materials prior to the semester of re-entry, and you are able to graduate under the requirements listed in the College Catalog at the initial time of matriculation. You may file a leave of absence at any time.
If you plan to go on an overseas program that is not through Lewis & Clark (e.g., a program through School for International Training), you must file a LOA.
If you plan to leave during the semester, please see “Withdrawal from All Courses During the Semester” in this section.
Academic Planning: You will register for the semester following your LOA during your leave. You should meet with your advisor before you leave and plan your schedule for the semester you are returning. If you have earned 61 or more credits, you are required to have declared a major or you will not be allowed to register.
Math 055 (Review of Algebra): MATH 055 is a pre-requisite for most of the courses that fulfill the Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning requirements. Students who have not met this pre-requisite by other means (SAT, ACT, AP, high school calculus) should take the Quantitative Reasoning Proficiency Exam. If your proficiency is Level II or higher, you have met the MATH 055 pre-requisite. If your proficiency is Level I, you can meet the pre-requisite by re-taking the proficiency exam or by completing MATH 055. Your advisor can help you determine which option is best for you. Preparation for re-taking the exam can include self-study and/or assistance from the Math Skills Center. Generally, taking MATH 055 will help you learn and retain the necessary material much more easily, giving you better preparation for courses with the MATH 055 pre-requisite.
It is important to know that MATH 055 will appear on your transcript, but the 4 credits associated with the course do not count toward the 128 credits needed for graduation. In practical terms, if you take MATH 055, you will need to make up those 4 credits during your college years. This can be done in a variety of ways; for example, you may take four 1-credit PE/A courses over four semesters. In addition, these credits do not apply toward the academic progress requirement for financial aid considerations. It is important to discuss this with your advisor and/or the Student Financial Services Office.
Note: Even when directed to take MATH 055, you do not need to do so in your first semester at the College if you are not planning to take a course that requires it as a pre-requisite during your first year or do not need higher level science or math courses for your projected major.
Normal Course Load: Students ordinarily take four courses per semester. Often a one- or two-credit activity course is added. Any schedule of 12 semester credits or more is a full load. Over 19 semester credits is an overload and students need to fill out an Overload form. In order to “overload,” a student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and have the approval of their advisor. The maximum for which a student may enroll in one semester is 21 semester credits. Students who take fewer than 12 semester credits should fill out the Underload form. Full time tuition will be charged until the Underload form is filed. Both the Overload and Underload forms are available at the Registrar’s Office.
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Petition for Modification of Requirements: Academic requirements are approved by the faculty and may be waived or modified only upon the approval of a faculty committee. Petition forms are available in the Registrar’s Office and must be signed by the student’s advisor.
Physical Education Requirements: Only four PE/A 101, 102, 142 credits count toward graduation. Students may register for only one PE/A 101 course per semester. In addition to PE/A 101, 102 and PE/A 142, Theatre dance courses—106, 107, 108, 207, 208, 252, 308, 350—and Music Performance 150 may be counted toward this requirement.
Practicum Credit: See “Independent Study/Practicum”
Repeated Courses: Only a few courses (in PE, music, and communication activities for example) are approved for repeat credit. If a non-repeatable course is repeated (for example, to earn a better grade), both times the student took the course will be recorded on the transcript, but the course credits will only be counted once toward the 128 credits required for graduation.
Standard Academic Progress: Progress is based on the completion of 128 semester credits over a four-year or eight-semester period, which will normally require completion of 32 semester credits per year. Some variation of up to 3 semester credits below this level is permitted, but the cumulative total of semester credits completed by the end of each year must be equivalent to the number required for promotion to the next class standing. Thus, a student is deemed to be making standard academic progress who completes 29 semester credits by the end of the first year, 61 semester credits by the end of the second year, and 93 semester credits by the end of the third year.
Student-Designed Major: An interdisciplinary major designed with an organized rationale and courses drawn from two or more departments. Applications (submitted by the 6th week of every semester and no later than the 6th week of the junior year) are reviewed for approval by the Honors Committee. A faculty advisory committee directs the major. For further information on the Student-Designed Major process, contact the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, ext. 7100.
Transfer Credit: The Registrar’s Office determines whether credit transferred from other institutions will be accepted towards an LC degree. Once deemed transferable, the Registrar evaluates the applicability of transfer credit to general education requirements. The department chair determines the applicability of credit to major or minor requirements. It is a good idea to check with the Registrar’s Office before you enroll in a course at another institution. Credit is not granted for life experience, the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), credit by examination from other colleges, or distance learning. For more detailed information, you can get a Transfer Credit handout at the Registrar’s Office.
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Underload: See “Normal Course Load”
Withdrawal from College: Students considering a total withdrawal from LC should consult the Dean of Students on how to proceed.
Withdrawal from All Courses During the Semester: Students considering withdrawing from all courses during the semester must consult as soon as possible with the Dean of Students and with their faculty advisor. Students should consult the Office of Student Financial Services and the Cashier and Credit Office to discuss financial aid status and tuition charges and possible refund.
Withdrawal from a Course: After the Add/Drop period (after the second week of the semester), withdrawal from a course is recorded on the transcript as a “W.” Until the end of the tenth week of classes, you may withdraw from any course, except Exploration and Discovery (CORE 106 and 107), without a professor’s signature (see the “Academic Calendar”). After the end of the tenth week, you may withdraw from any course, except for Exploration and Discovery (CORE 106 and 107), only if you get the professor’s signature on the Add/Drop card. First-year students must also have their advisors sign to add or drop a course.
Forced Withdrawal: A professor may at any time withdraw a student from any course, except Exploration and Discovery (CORE 106 and 107), at his or her discretion. Reasons for withdrawing a student may include, but are not limited to non-attendance and disruptive behavior.
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