Academic Policies and Regulations

General Academic Information

Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees Offered

Undergraduate Degrees

Graduate Degrees

Undergraduate Academic Information

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

All students seeking the baccalaureate degree must complete the following requirements:

• A minimum of 120 credit hours.
• A minimum of 30 of the 120 credit hours at Fontbonne University to meet the minimum residency requirement.
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. A college, department, or program may require a higher minimum cumulative GPA for the degree and/or major requirements, certificate, etc. (See each college, department, or program for specific information.)
• A minimum of 42 credit hours of general education requirements (GER). All GER courses must be completed with a letter grade.
• All course requirements for the major, minor, or concentration as stipulated by the college or department in which the major, minor, or concentration is offered, including:
  • Completion at Fontbonne of a minimum of 50 percent of the credit hours required for the major, minor, or concentration;
  • Completion at Fontbonne of a minimum of 15 credit hours of the major requirements as upper division (300/400 level) coursework;
  • Completion of a capstone course/experience as part of the major;
  • Completion of each course required for the major, minor, or concentration with a minimum grade of C-; and
  • Completion of the minimum cumulative grade point average required for the major.
• A minimum of one course in religion or theology as a graduation requirement. This course must be completed with a letter grade.
• All degree-seeking undergraduate students must complete at least 24 of the final 30 semester hours of coursework at Fontbonne University.The student may not take CLEP or apply for any externally granted credit through Prior Learning Experience during the semester in which the degree is to be conferred. All transcripts of previously earned coursework, CLEP and internal PLA documentation must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office at least 8 weeks prior to the degree conferral date or the degree may be conferred in the subsequent term.

Dual Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

A student may work simultaneously for two different degrees (e.g., BA and BS) provided the following requirements are completed:

• A minimum of 24 credit hours beyond the minimum of 120 credit hours for the first degree;
• All specific requirements for each of the two majors;
• All specific requirements for each degree.

Second Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

A student who enters Fontbonne University with a bachelor’s degree may earn a second bachelor’s degree at Fontbonne by completing:

• A minimum of 24 credit hours in addition to the total number of hours earned for the first degree;
• All specific requirements for a second major; and
• All specific requirements for the second degree, including a course in religion or theology.
• A student pursuing a second bachelor’s degree at Fontbonne is not required to take the university placement tests or to fulfill the university general education requirements.

For a student to be admitted to Fontbonne, the college or department in which the student wishes to study must accept the candidate for pursuit of the second bachelor’s degree. The college or department will determine which courses from the first bachelor’s degree will be accepted toward fulfillment of the major requirements for the second degree.

A student is not officially accepted in the major for the second degree until the major approval process has been successfully completed. (See major approval in this section of the catalog.)

Dual Undergraduate/Graduate Enrollment Requirements

A Fontbonne undergraduate student may be eligible to earn graduate academic credit for graduate level courses with permission from the department that is offering the graduate course.

To be eligible for dual enrollment, a Fontbonne undergraduate student must be classified as a senior (a minimum of 90 credit hours earned) and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Enrollment in graduate courses must be approved by the graduate program director, since preference is given to students enrolled in the graduate program.

Graduate credit hours may not be used toward the 120 hour requirement for an undergraduate degree. However, a maximum of nine graduate credit hours taken during dual enrollment may be applied to the total credit hours required for the master’s degree.

General Education

Information regarding Fontbonne’s General Education requirements can be found in the General Education  section of the catalog.

General Studies with Disciplinary Emphasis Major

The general studies with (disciplinary) emphasis major offers students a path to graduation that combines generalized study with disciplinary focus, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. General studies with emphasis majors are advised in the department in which their emphasis is housed. This degree is not available in all programs.

Major requirements include:

• Residency, Major, General Education, and Graduation Requirements as described in the Fontbonne University Catalog.
• A minimum of 18 hours of course work in an area of emphasis, 15 hours of electives, as defined by departments, and a capstone experience.
• A minimum GPA of 2.0 in the major is required for graduation.

Please see specific department chairs to determine the availability of a General Studies with Emphasis degree is particular programs, and for the program-specific requirements for those degrees.

Residency Requirements

Residency Requirements For The Baccalaureate Degree

An undergraduate degree-seeking student must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours of course work at Fontbonne University toward a degree. All degree-seeking undergraduate students must complete at least 24 of the final 30 semester hours of coursework at Fontbonne University. The student may not take CLEP or apply for any externally granted credit through Prior Learning Experience during the semester in which the degree is to be conferred. All transcripts of previously earned coursework, CLEP and internal PLA documentation must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office at least 8 weeks prior to the degree conferral date or the degree may be conferred in the subsequent term.

Residency Requirements for Majors, Minors, Concentrations, and Certificates

A student must successfully complete, at Fontbonne University, a minimum of 50 percent of the credit hours required for a major, minor, or concentration (as defined under academic terminology in this section of this catalog). A student must successfully complete, at Fontbonne University, a minimum of 15 upper-division (300/400 level) credit hours of departmental coursework required for the major. A student must successfully complete, at Fontbonne University, all certificate requirements.

College/Departmental and Major Requirements

An individual college or department may establish requirements (beyond general education and other institutional/graduation requirements) for students whose majors are in that unit. A college or department reserves the right to interpret requirements if questions arise. It is the student’s responsibility to know, understand, and fulfill the requirements of the major.

An academic department defines and administers the requirements for the majors, minors, concentrations, and certificate programs within that department.

A student must earn a minimum grade of C- in each course required for the major, minor, concentration, or certificate.

Double Majors

Since many Fontbonne major programs provide an opportunity for a student to choose electives, a student may work simultaneously toward majors in two different areas or disciplines. Both majors must lead to the same degree. The student must fulfill all requirements for both majors in addition to specific degree and graduation requirements.

A student who wishes to pursue two majors leading to different degrees (e.g., BA and BS) must take the additional 24 credit hours required for dual baccalaureate degrees. (See dual baccalaureate degree requirements above.)

Change of Major/Concentration/ Minor/Certification

A student who wishes to change his or her major, concentration, minor, or certification must obtain a change of major/concentration/minor/certification form from the office of the registrar and complete the form in its entirety. The registrar’s office will notify the former advisor to forward the student’s file to the new advisor if a change of advisor occurs.

When changing a major, concentration, minor, or certification a student may be required to use the current catalog if different from the catalog in effect at the time of the student’s initial matriculation.

Early Progress Report

At the fifth week of every fall and spring semester, instructors report students’ unsatisfactory academic progress to the registrar’s office. The registrar’s office will notify instructors that early progress reports must be submitted via the web one week prior to the mid-semester date for students who show unsatisfactory academic progress. The names of students who have one or more unsatisfactory reports will be sent to the office of academic advising and to the student’s academic advisor for intervention. This policy assumes that instructors will give and grade at least one substantial assignment or multiple smaller assignments prior to the mid-semester date of each semester. Providing early feedback on student progress facilitates student success.

Undergraduate Certificate Programs

Undergraduate certificate programs are designed for undergraduate students and for individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree but are not enrolled in a graduate program. A certificate is defined a narrowly defined set of disciplinary or interdisciplinary classes that constitutes a discrete body of knowledge as determined by the department(s) in which the certificate is housed. Requirements for the completion of a certificate:

1. A student must earn a minimum grade of C- in each course required for the certificate.
2. Completion at Fontbonne of a minimum of 50 percent of the credit hours required for the certificate, culminating in a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. An individual department may establish a higher cumulative grade point average for a specific certificate program.
3. Courses that fulfill the requirements for a certificate may also be used to fulfill major requirements, but may not be used to fulfill requirements for a minor, concentration, or another certificate.

Fontbonne policies and regulations apply to certificate-seeking students.

Placement Program

ll Fontbonne undergraduate students must demonstrate college/university level skills in the areas of writing, mathematics, and algebra. Students deficient in any of these skills must successfully complete the appropriate developmental course(s) in writing, mathematics, and/or algebra within the first three full semesters (fall and spring) of enrolling at Fontbonne.

All incoming first-time, first-year students with an ACT or SAT sectional score below an established minimum, as determined by the undergraduate academic standards and review committee, can elect to take the computerized placement test, or to have their ACT (or SAT equivalent sub scores) used in lieu of further Fontbonne-administered testing for the purposes of placement in math and English classes. If a student has prior credit in a college/university-level course with a transferable grade, the student is exempt from testing in that academic area.

Transfer students are exempt from placement testing in any area in which transfer credits from an accredited college/university are accepted to meet a Fontbonne requirement.

The following students are exempt from developmental courses:

• A student pursuing a second bachelor’s degree.
• A student who holds a bachelor’s degree and who returns to complete professional certification or registration requirements.

A student must achieve a minimum grade of C- or better in a developmental course in order to move to the next level course. The credit for the MTH 091  course in mathematics will not count as credit toward the 120 credit hours required for graduation. The credit for the ENG 095  and MTH 095  courses in writing skills and in algebra will count as elective credit toward the 120 credit hours required for graduation.

Developmental Courses

• ENG 095 - College Writing Skills  Credit(s): 3
• MTH 091 - College Mathematics Skills  Credit(s): 3
• MTH 095 - Fundamentals of Algebra  Credit(s): 4

Cooperative Education

The cooperative education program permits students to gain valuable work experience in their major field of study while earning money to help finance their education. Students with sophomore, junior, or senior status may apply for positions in business or non-profit organizations. Students earn one to six hours of academic credit for each semester of cooperative work experience. The credit, considered elective credit, contributes to the 120 hours required for graduation. Students may earn up to 18 hours of cooperative education credit. Students in all majors except education, special education, deaf education, and speech-language pathology may take advantage of this opportunity.

Honors Program

In philosophy, “telos” is an ultimate end or purpose. Faithful to the mission, values, and vision of Fontbonne University, the honors program (known as TELOS) seeks to foster a community of thinkers for motivated and intellectually curious students in and outside the classroom. TELOS is a holistic program that focuses not only on classroom experiences but also on leadership, service and social justice, and personal and professional development so that students can apply their education to their highest purposes.

Through the program, students who display outstanding intellectual curiosity in and outside their major fields of study have the opportunity to participate in a community of shared scholarship to develop personal and professional networks. Graduates of the program are recognized as such on their transcripts, at commencement, and honors convocation.

The TELOS program is designed to help motivated students gain the most from their Fontbonne education. The flexible nature of the program will allow students to design their requirements in consultation with their academic advisor and the program director. Students will have opportunities to deepen their work in their major fields; to do interdisciplinary thinking in fields outside their majors; and explore personal, professional, service, and leadership activities. These requirements will be filled by coursework and/or related co-curricular activities.

Active members of the program also have the privilege of early registration for all classes, have access to shared space for study and community building, and participate in personal development and professional networking activities. The program also sponsors or co-sponsors a variety of activities such as lectures, field trips, and performances or readings, intended to support the intellectual lives of honors students and to enrich the culture of the entire campus.

Joining the Program

The program will assess students holistically, not focusing solely on grade point averages or test scores, but on the potential for contribution to a thriving community of learners engaged in active exploration of a world in need.

A student may apply to the program at any point prior to the completion of 75 hours of college credit (or, in the case of transfer students, within two semesters after matriculation) and may complete requirements in a flexible amount of time, in consultation with the student’s advisor and the TELOS director. In addition, faculty and staff may nominate students who are considered good candidates for the program. To remain in good standing in the program, students must maintain a grade of C or better in all honors courses, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above, maintain enrollment in a zero-credit honors section, and remain in good disciplinary standing with the university.

Program Requirements

Honors Coursework

Honors students will complete a minimum of ten-credits of honors coursework. This includes two honors seminars (totaling six-credits). Students may complete three-credits of coursework via honors sections of general education courses, or they can contract an honors course (turn a regular course into an honors course). To contract on honors course, students must fill out a form provided by the TELOS director. In their final semester, students will register for a one-credit Portfolio Development course.

Honors courses promote intellectual curiosity and exchange across a range of major fields and academic interests. They will also tend to focus on how one’s learning can be applied to a world in need. Valuing liberal education, honors courses emphasize experiential learning, critical exchange, interdisciplinary approaches, and moral and ethical understanding. Students not enrolled in the honors program may be permitted to take honors courses if space is available and instructor permission is granted. Honors courses are not graded differently than other courses. Some honors seminars will also offer general education credit.

Senior Honors Project

The senior honors project is accomplished in conjunction with the capstone experience in the student’s academic discipline and offers students an opportunity to pursue in depth, an interest developed during their education. Example projects include: a research project, a scientific experiment, a field experience, a series of readings, creative writing, the production of a film, or some similar culminating experience that will result in an academic artifact. The senior honors project must exceed the ordinary requirements defined by the department for such work. It will be completed under the direction of a faculty advisor in the student’s major program and coordinated with the TELOS director.

Departments will formalize expectations for students who are pursuing honors. The TELOS director will approve all projects in consultation with students’ respective academic advisor. Before students embark on their project, they must complete the Senior Honors Project Proposal Form. Proposals must be submitted to the TELOS Director before mid-semester in the fall of the student’s senior year. TELOS students will also be expected to share their senior honors projects at the annual Academic Exhibition.

Customized Experiential Portfolio

Students will register for a 1-credit Portfolio Development course in their final semester.

Students will design a digital/multimedia portfolio of experiences that adhere to the pillars of TELOS (Transformation, Exploration, Leadership, Occupation, Service & Social Justice). The pillars are defined below.

Transformation: Experiences or coursework related to personal, spiritual, and/or creative growth.

Exploration: Experiences or coursework related academic inquiry outside the major field or general education requirements, encouraging breadth of knowledge and perspectives.

Leadership: Experiences or coursework related to understanding a variety of forms of leadership (e.g., introverted, extroverted) and influence and students’ unique leadership qualities and how to employ them.

Occupation: Experiences or coursework within their academic major fields that allow students to deepen their preparation for their professional lives.

Service and Social Justice: Experiences or coursework related to applying one’s education and personal experiences to a world in need, on and off campus.

The specific ways in which students fulfill these categories will vary by student interest and need. Students may fulfill some categories through coursework but may also apply extracurricular and co-curricular experiences to their portfolios. Students will document their experiences throughout their time at Fontbonne and use these notes to shape the reflective narratives and artifacts in their portfolio. When the portfolios are complete, students will submit them to GriffinShare to be accessed and archived by the Fontbonne community.  

Active Participation

Students are expected to participate regularly in the community life of the program. This includes attending social and academic events. Each semester, the student will enroll in a zero-credit TELOS course to indicate their ongoing participation in the program; this designation will not require coursework but will allow the student to maintain his or her membership.

The Dean’s List

The dean’s list is published at the end of fall and spring semesters. To be considered for the dean’s list a student must:

• be a full-time undergraduate student earning a bachelor’s degree.
• earn a minimum of 12 undergraduate credit hours in the semester. (The grades for courses that end after the last official day of the semester will not be calculated for consideration for the dean’s list.) Since P, NP, and I grades are not computed in the GPA, any credit hours graded P, NP, or I will not count toward the required minimum of 12 credit hours. However, students who successfully complete required courses that are offered only on a P/NP basis and who have completed at least six graded credits are eligible.
• achieve a semester GPA of 3.7 or above.

Policies Related to Transfer Credit After Entering Fontbonne University

1. A student may not take courses required for the degree at any other institution during the semester in which the degree is to be conferred. The only exception to this policy is an institution with which Fontbonne has an inter-institutional agreement; however, this is not recommended.
2. A student may not take CLEP or apply for any externally-granted credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) during the semester in which the degree is to be conferred.
3. All transcripts of previously earned coursework, CLEP, and internal PLA documentation must be submitted to the office of the registrar upon completion of the coursework, but at the latest by the midterm date of the semester in which the student will graduate.
4. A minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed at Fontbonne University (residency requirement).
5. A maximum of 64 credit hours will be accepted from a community college.
6. A student who has transferred in the maximum number of 64 credit hours to Fontbonne from a community college may “back out” from their academic record a maximum of 15 community college credit hours that do not meet general education or major requirements.

Authorization for Study at Another Institution

A student seeking approval to study at another institution while a student at Fontbonne University must complete the authorization for study at another institution form which may be obtained online.

Probationary Status and Dismissals for Undergraduate Students

The Undergraduate Academic Committee reviews the academic status of all full and part-time degree seeking students at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Each undergraduate student must maintain a minimum Fontbonne (FBU) cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 to remain in good standing at Fontbonne. The University reserves the right to assign Probation status or Dismiss students who do not maintain the minimum academic standards.

Probationary Status

Probation is defined as an FBU cumulative GPA lower than 2.00 on the semester immediately following a semester in good standing. Continuing Probation (CP) is defined as the semester GPA greater than or equal to 2.00 immediately following the Probation semester, yet the cumulative GPA remains lower than 2.00.

The University reserves the right to require mandatory academic support activities, including a maximum course load and/or specific courses, when a student is on Probation or CP. Students on Probation (first-time probation) are automatically enrolled in a one credit hour course, INT 103 Pathway to Achieving Student Success (PASS). Students on CP are automatically enrolled in a one credit hour independent study, INT 104, Strategies for Self-Directed Learning. A student who is on Probation or CP is also required to repeat failed courses (if available) in the semester of Probation or CP status. A student who is on Probation or CP is ineligible to participate on a sports team, or to hold a leadership position as president, vice-president, secretary or treasurer in a student organization, association or club.

Academic Dismissal

Students earning an FBU cumulative GPA below 1.00 will be dismissed for academic deficiencies without first being placed on Probation. Dismissal letters will include a process for guiding the student during the appeal process.

Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 after returning to Good Standing will be dismissed. Student on CP failing to earn a cumulative GPA of 2.00 after two semesters of CP will be dismissed. A student who is dismissed may appeal the decision by sending a letter of appeal to the Office of Academic Affairs within the timeline of the dismissal letter. The dismissed student may apply for readmission to Fontbonne University one full calendar year after dismissal. The student must apply to the Office of Admission for readmission consideration by the Undergraduate Academic Committee. Students who have been dismissed, appealed, and readmitted to the university twice may not appeal a third dismissal.

Probationary Status and Dismissals in Intensive English Program

Students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) must achieve a grade of PASS in each class to be considered to be in good standing. If a student achieves a grade of NOT PASS in a class, the student is allowed to repeat the class. If the student receives a grade of NOT PASS a second time for the same class, the student will be is reviewed by the IEP academic review committee. The committee reviews the student’s entire academic record in the IEP Program. Upon review, if the committee determines that the student’s NOT PASS grade is due to a lack of attendance or failure to do the required work, the student is dismissed. If it is determined that the student’s grade is not due to lack of attendance and/or failure to do the required work, the student may be allowed to enroll in the class a third time. If after enrolling in the class a third time, the student does not achieve a grade of PASS, the student will be dismissed from the Intensive English Program and the university.

The academic status of students in the ESL Program is subject to review by the undergraduate academic committee at the end of the fall and spring semester, and is subject to the same policies as are all degree-seeking students. (See the university’s policies on probationary status and dismissals in the academic policies and regulations section of this catalog).

Non-Academic Dismissal

A student may be dismissed at any time from Fontbonne University for a variety of non-academic offenses. These include, but are not limited to, behavior or attitudes unworthy of a good campus citizen, an unsatisfactory financial record, or violation of any policy of Fontbonne University. For further information, refer to the Griffin Scratch Student Handbook.

Academic Appeals Process for Undergraduate Students

An undergraduate student, who wishes to petition the academic appeals committee for a hearing for a final grade appeal or for a hearing for an academic matter other than a final grade, must consult with Office of Academic Affairs which will provide the student with a copy of the academic appeal policy, procedures, and timelines.

The academic appeals committee, comprised of five elected faculty members and eight students selected by the office of academic affairs in consultation with department chairs, serves to offer a fair hearing to the student. Three faculty and three undergraduate students are selected from the committee to serve with the committee chair at any hearing.

Appeals ordinarily are not heard in the summer session.

Academic Appeal Regarding Matters Other Than Grades

If an undergraduate student wishes to appeal an academic issue other than a recorded final grade, the student must consult with the Office of Academic Affairs as to the appropriate process to follow as it relates to the appeal issue. Within one calendar week following this consultation the student must provide a formal letter of appeal to the Office of Academic Affairs, which will then direct the letter to the appropriate individual/committee for resolution.

Final Grade Appeal

If an undergraduate student wishes to challenge a recorded final grade, the student must begin the appeal process no later than three weeks into the next fall or spring semester.

Students should attempt to resolve a grade complaint in conversation with the professor before beginning a formal appeal. If the matter cannot be resolved, the student should begin the appeals process, as described below.

The appeal process begins as the student must put into writing the reasons he or she believes the grade is incorrect. The student must then provide this rationale to the instructor of the course. If the instructor changes the grade to the student’s satisfaction, the process ends there. If the instructor does not agree, then the instructor will put into writing his or her explanation for the grade. If the student chooses to continue the appeal, he or she will bring the written documentation of the student and instructor to the department chair. If the department chair changes the grade to the student’s satisfaction, the process ends there. If the department chair does not agree, then the department chair will also put into writing his or her explanation for the denial. If the student wishes to continue the appeal, he or she will then bring all the written materials collected thus far to the dean of the college in which the course is offered. If the dean changes the grade to the student’s satisfaction, the process ends there. If the dean does not agree with the student, he or she will put into writing his or her reasons for the denial. If the student chooses to continue the appeal, he or she should then bring all the existing written documentation-from the student, the instructor, the chair, and the dean-to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs will then convene the Academic Appeals committee.

The Academic Appeals committee will consider the student appeal at its next scheduled meeting. The Appeals committee normally meets once per semester. If the Appeals committee finds against the student, the decision is final. People at each level of responsibility in the appeal are expected to respond in a timely manner-normally within a week.

Graduate Academic Information

Graduate Degree Requirements

Please refer to individual graduate programs in the University Catalog for degree requirements.

Residency Requirements for Graduate Degrees

All required coursework for a master’s degree must be completed at Fontbonne University with the exception of the credit hours that may be transferred (see Transfer of Credit below).

The final semester/term of graduate coursework must be completed at Fontbonne, regardless of the number of credit hours taken.

The deadline for the receipt of the official transcript(s) must be met for the student to graduate.

Transfer of Credit for Graduate Degrees

Each graduate program director will determine the number of transfer credit hours that may be accepted for his/her program, based on the following guidelines:

The student must submit official transcripts of all work completed at other accredited, degree-granting institutions before transfer credit may be awarded. Each course must have been completed with a minimum grade of B-. A transfer course must be comparable in content to the Fontbonne course. The Fontbonne course replaced by the transfer course will be determined by the program director and approved by the college dean or department chair. Some programs may have more strict policies for transfer of credit.

Continuous Attendance Requirement

Fontbonne University requires a reasonable degree of continuity in attendance at Fontbonne for all students. The university reserves the right to establish time limits on degree programs and courses. Students who require a temporary break from their studies may pursue a Leave of Absence. Students returning after an extended period of time will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Fontbonne may invoke more recent degree and/or other requirements, such as:

• If considerable time has elapsed since the student achieved degree-seeking status.
• If the degree requirements have changed substantially since the student began the program.
• If the student leaves the university without an approved leave of absence and re-enters at a later date, the student must follow all requirements stipulated in the catalog in effect at the time of re-entry.

Statute of Limitations

After official acceptance into a degree program, a graduate student must complete all the requirements for the graduate degree within six years of the date of the first course taken.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students

To earn a Fontbonne University graduate degree, a student must complete all requirements for the specific graduate program and the degree.

Federal regulations require the university to establish standards for satisfactory academic progress as an eligibility requirement for financial assistance.

A degree-seeking graduate student at Fontbonne University is expected to perform at a satisfactory academic level by:

• earning grades of B- or above in all graduate courses,
• achieving and maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, and
• following all academic requirements specific to the graduate program.

The following policies apply:

C and/or F Grades

A student who earns a grade of C in a graduate course will immediately be sent a letter of concern by the graduate program director with a copy sent to the advisor and a copy placed in the student’s file. A student who earns a second C will be dismissed. The student may appeal the dismissal and request immediate reinstatement to the program by petitioning the college dean and with their permission may retake one of the two courses in which the C was earned as soon as the course is available. The dean may set the conditions for retaking the course, including which of the two courses should be repeated.

A student who earns an F in a graduate course will be dismissed from the program and the university.

Repeating Graduate Courses

A graduate student may repeat one graduate course and repeat that graduate course one time only.

Since many graduate courses are not offered each academic semester/term, the student who earned a first grade of C in a graduate course may, with the approval of the graduate program director, be allowed to take a limited number of additional graduate courses until he/she has the opportunity to repeat the course in which the C was earned. Additional conditions pertaining to continued enrollment may be set by the program. A letter stating the conditions will be sent by the program to the student, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the advisor, with a copy placed in the student’s file.

Graduate Courses Taken Across Departments Within Fontbonne

A student must receive prior written approval from each of the program directors to enroll in another graduate program’s course that is not specifically required for the student’s program.

Change of Graduate Degree Program

A graduate student who wishes to change his or her graduate degree program must notify his/her current program director in writing of the intent to do so. The student must then complete the appropriate application materials required by the new program of choice.

When changing a graduate program, a student may be required to follow the current catalog if different from the catalog in effect at the time of the student’s initial matriculation.