Undergraduate Academic and Advising Policies and Procedures

Use of Email for Official Communication

Academic advisors, faculty, and campus administrative offices use email to convey important information and time-sensitive notices. All enrolled students are provided a University email address. Students are responsible for keeping their email address up to date or for forwarding email to another address. Failure to check email, errors in forwarding email, and returned email due to mailbox full or user unknown will not excuse a student from missing announcements or deadlines.

Student Responsibility for Degree Completion

The responsibility for knowing and following academic requirements for a degree rests with the student. Although advisors are available to guide students in planning, it is the student’s ultimate responsibility to see that all requirements for graduation are met, including the General Education curriculum, requirements within a chosen major program of study and any other degree requirements applicable to individual students.

Common Degree Requirements

To earn the Associate or Bachelor’s degrees, the student must:

1. Complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework (associate’s degrees) or a minimum of 120 semester hours (bachelor’s degrees) with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.00.
2. Complete a minimum of 25% of the credit hours’ requirement for the degree through instruction offered at the University.
3. Complete all coursework in the General Education curriculum.
4. Successful completion and acceptance of program-specific requirements.
5. Submit all official postsecondary transcripts.
6. Participate in all outcomes assessment activities as required.
7. Satisfy all financial obligations to the University.

The student who has completed all graduation requirements and is in good standing with the institution is eligible to participate in graduation exercises. Each degree candidate is expected to participate in the University commencement ceremony that follows fulfillment of all degree requirements.

Arts and Lecture Series for Traditional Studies Students

The Arts and Lecture Series is a graduation requirement for all students enrolled in an undergraduate Traditional Studies degree program. Examples of approved events include: plays, concerts, movies, lectures and exhibits. As part of the General Education curriculum, Traditional Studies students are required to attend two approved events per semester (excluding the summer). Students may “bank” an additional two events each year. Transfer student events are pro-rated based on the number of hours accepted in transfer by the University Registrar as follows:

Traditional Studies students who have more than four remaining Arts and Lecture Series events by the time they reach 90 semester hours will be required to take an additional three-semester-hour General Education course in their senior year to meet graduation requirements.

Letter of Completion

A student who has met all academic requirements and all financial obligations to the University but has not graduated may request a letter of completion from the Registrar’s Office.

Double Majors

A double major is the simultaneous completion of two or more baccalaureate-level majors leading to the same degree designation. A student may qualify for multiple majors by meeting the total requirements of each major.

Second Associate’s Degree

When another associate degree is taken simultaneously, or has been taken previously, the second associate degree may be granted upon the completion of all required work for the second degree. A minimum of 15 additional credits, as specified by the department granting the second degree, must be completed at Tusculum University.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

Tusculum University will confer a second bachelor’s degree when a student meets the following requirements:

1. Completion of a first bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited collegiate institution. Duplicate degrees will not be awarded for any reason.
2. Acceptance and enrollment at Tusculum University as a degree-seeking student.
3. Submission and approval of a declaration of major form.
4. Successful completion of the minimum number of hours for the major as stated in the university catalog.
5. Satisfaction of any additional general education/elective hours required for the major.
6. Satisfaction of the residency requirement.
7. Adherence to any additional academic/financial obligations.

A student pursuing a second bachelor’s degree is subject to all departmental admissions requirements and to all departmental and university graduation requirements.

Coursework

The associate degree requires satisfactory completion of the university’s General Education curriculum. Elective courses constitute the remainder of the student’s academic program for a total of 60 credits.

The bachelor’s degree requires satisfactory completion of university work that includes the General Education courses as well as a major program of study. Elective courses constitute the remainder of the student’s academic program for a minimum of 120 credits. Students may complete their program of study using the catalog under which they entered the University or subsequent catalogs if they choose to do so.

Satisfactory completion of work for graduation requires that the student earns a minimum GPA of 2.00, or an overall “C” for all courses taken. The student must earn a minimum GPA of 2.25 in the major program of study. All students are required to complete a minimum of 25 percent of credit hours required for the degree through instruction offered at Tusculum University.

Academic Time (Credit Hour)

According to federal guidelines, a credit hour requires an hour of class time (50 minutes) for fifteen weeks, or 750 minutes (or 12.5 hours). A three credit course requires 2,250 minutes (37.5 hours). Tusculum’s traditional meets the federal requirement.

Students completing degree programs in Adult and Online Studies take either hybrid or online courses (or a mix of hybrid and online course) to complete their programs. Significant instructional time occurs online via the current course management platform as well as other online options.

Students are required to complete guided course assignments outside of the scheduled class time by utilizing online resources, learning team assignments, group projects and case study analysis. Course syllabi address specific assignments for each project and the grade weight applied to these assignments. These assignments typically require significant additional time of direct online participation per week. These activities include online chat and discussion forums, (documented by participation logs in online platform), group work (documented by learning team evaluations), project and paper submission electronically, and faculty student communications. Faculty members provide feedback to students online and during the face to face class meeting sessions.

Online courses, whether undergraduate or graduate will have significant structured learning activities, involving both individual and team exercises.

Degrees with Distinction

Degrees with distinction are granted to undergraduate students for outstanding academic performance. For commencement recognition, honors are determined based on coursework completed at Tusculum through the term prior to the final (or graduation) term. Official honors recognition for the transcript and diploma are determined based on all collegiate level coursework completed at Tusculum University. The grade point averages required for these honors are as follows:

Independent Program of Study

If a student wishes to declare a program of study not officially offered by the institution, an Independent Program of Study may be declared. Applicants must have sophomore standing and at least a 2.5 GPA. Students must receive Independent Program of Study approval from their advisor and the Department Chair and Dean in the primary area of study. An Independent Program of Study requires a minimum of 24 hours of coursework at the 300 or 400 level.

*Primary area must be an existing major.

Bruce G. Batts Medal

Bruce G. Batts was the founding director of the Warren W. Hobbie Center for the Civic Arts. His vision, creativity, careful thinking, determination and concern for others were crucial factors in launching the major changes that continue to shape Tusculum University today. It was Mr. Batts who worked diligently to assist in finding sources of funding for the important innovations taking shape here. It was from his frequent essays and thoughtful conversations that members of the community learned to think more deeply about goals and methods in transforming the University.

With the Bruce G. Batts Medal, Tusculum University perpetuates the memory of this outstanding pioneer and honors a graduating student who has demonstrated to a high degree the qualities that characterized Mr. Batts and, in fact, qualities which will represent the Civic Arts: consistent civility in dealing with others, a high level of scholarship and careful thinking and a strong pattern of service to others.

Course Formats

Course Levels

All courses at Tusculum University are identified by numbers composed of three digits with the first number designating the level of instruction.

Pre-Collegiate division: ENGL 100  is a pre-collegiate developmental/remedial course offering no university credit.

Lower-division: Courses numbered 101 to 199 are primarily freshman exploratory discipline or introductory general education courses open to all students without restriction, if no other prerequisite is listed. Courses numbered 200-299 are primarily second-level discipline or general education courses intended for students with sophomore standing or students who have met the prerequisite.

Upper-division: Courses numbered 300-399 are primarily junior-level discipline courses carrying a wider range of prerequisites and are designed to build on foundations learned in lower-division courses. Courses numbering 400-499 are primarily senior-level advanced discipline and capstone courses which depend heavily on prerequisite foundations and are designed to lead to post-baccalaureate employment, graduate study or professional school.

Course Load

Traditional Studies – The full-time student must enroll in 12-19 credit hours for a term. Enrolling in additional hours requires the appropriate dean’s approval and incurs a per-hour tuition surcharge for each hour after the 19 credits. Additional credit hours may not be covered by financial aid.

Adult and Online Studies - The student is charged a per-credit hour rate based on the degree program sought.

International Student Requirement - International students (F-1) are required to be full-time and take 9 credit hours of “traditional” face-to-face courses per required term. There is no requirement that students be enrolled during the optional Summer term. Thus, an F-1 student can take as many online or distance education courses from Tusculum during the Summer term. F1 students approved for a part-time final semester must take at least one “traditional” face-to-face course with regular in-person meetings for the entire duration of the term.

Classification of Students

The criteria for determining an undergraduate student’s classification and enrollment status is:

Courses at Other Institutions

All courses taken at another institution while enrolled at Tusculum University must be approved by the Tusculum University Registrar. Unauthorized coursework may result in duplication of previously earned credit or denial of credit. Official transcripts are required upon completion of coursework at another school.

Transfer Credits for Undergraduate Degrees

Tusculum University accepts transfer credit from regionally accredited colleges and universities and endorses the guidelines for transfer of credit, as outlined in the “Joint Statement of the Transfer and Award of Credit” developed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the American Council of Education (ACE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Courses recommended by the American Council of Education are evaluated on a course by course basis. Some courses must be authorized for acceptance by an academic department chair.

A transfer applicant must have an official transcript sent from each previously attended institution directly to Tusculum University denoting all coursework. Only transcripts sent by the credit granting institution will be deemed as official. The Registrar’s Office will evaluate transfer coursework for application to the student’s degree program and posting to the Tusculum University transcript. Some courses will be collaboratively evaluated between the Registrar and the appropriate academic department chair or dean. If the declared major or degree changes after the student enrolls, the University reserves the right to re-evaluate the transfer credit as it applies to the newly declared major.

Undergraduate Term Honors

President’s List:  The President’s List includes students who have completed 12 hours in a fall or spring term earning a 4.00 GPA.

Dean’s List:  The Dean’s List includes students who have completed 12 hours in a fall or spring term earning a 3.50 - 3.99 GPA.

Charles Oliver Gray Scholars List:  The Charles Oliver Gray Scholars List includes students who have maintained President’s or Dean’s List standing for two consecutive terms.