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Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts Policies

Undergraduate Policies

Academic Advising

Undergraduate academic advising is handled as a centralized activity within the institute. Students are encouraged to make appointments through the Herberger Institute Student Success Office. For more information, call 480-965-4495 or visit our office in Design South (CDS), room 101. While the institute provides academic advising, it is ultimately the responsibility of each student to fulfill academic and program requirements. Administration of program requirements is the responsibility of the head of the academic unit and the dean.

Appeals Procedures

Academic appeals and requests for variances are typically made to the student's instructor and then, if necessary, to the head of the appropriate academic unit, the assistant dean for student success, the Herberger Institute Curriculum Committee, and finally, the dean. A student who feels unjustly treated in academic or other matters relating to his or her career as a student should follow the grievance procedure outlined on the institute Web site.

Creative Reviews

A creative review (audition, interview, portfolio submission) is required for entrance into most majors in the Herberger Institute. See herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/students/undergrad/prospective/apply_to_major.php for details.

Transfer Credits

While the university accepts credits transferred from other accredited institutions, transfer course work must be equivalent in both content and level of offering. Arts or design transfer credits are not applied to specific degree programs until reviewed and accepted by the appropriate academic units. Students who change majors to transfer into the institute or one of its program areas must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50. Students wishing to enter a major that requires an audition, interview, milestone or portfolio review may be required to successfully complete this requirement before changing their major. Students transferring to art, dance, music or theatre and film must complete a creative review to enter most majors, and some arts transfer credit will not be evaluated until after successful completion of the creative review. The SALA or SDI requires a review of samples of work (portfolio format) from previous studio classes to evaluate transfer studio credits.

Change of Major

Current ASU students who wish to change majors to one of the institute’s degrees must have a cumulative ASU GPA of 2.50 or higher. Students wishing to enter a major that requires an audition, interview, milestone or portfolio review may be required to successfully complete this requirement before changing their major.

Incompletes

Students are responsible for contacting the instructor regarding the process of requesting and fulfilling an incomplete. The grade of “I” (Incomplete) can only be given by an instructor when a student, who is doing otherwise acceptable work, is unable to complete a course (e.g., final exam or term paper) because of illness or other conditions beyond the student’s control. Students must obtain official “Request for Grade of Incomplete” forms at http://students.asu.edu/forms/incomplete-grade-request. The completed form must include a justification, a listing of requirements that have not been fulfilled and a proposed schedule of completion. The instructor reviews the request and determines whether to accept or deny the request. If accepted, the instructor may propose modifications if necessary and submits a copy of the request to the appropriate office. An incomplete in any course that is a prerequisite for sequential courses automatically denies enrollment in subsequent courses or could result in the student being administratively dropped from a subsequent course if the student has already enrolled.

Withdrawals

University withdrawal regulations apply to all courses. In addition, because the institute’s curricula are modular and sequential and because space in the programs is limited, a student is expected to progress through the curriculum with his or her class.

Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit

The only courses accepted toward graduation with a grade of pass/fail or credit/no credit are courses designated by the academic unit as such or internships and field studies.

SALA OR SDI CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS AND MILESTONES

For more information about critical requirements, including the milestone, see herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/degrees/milestone.php.

SALA or SDI Critical Requirements

A new or transfer student who has been admitted to the university and has selected a major in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) or the School of Design Innovation (SDI) is admitted to the program of his or her choice. Each student must meet all critical requirements including the milestone at the end of the second semester. Students who do not meet all critical requirements, including the milestone, will work with an advisor to explore alternate degree options. For international students whose native language is not English, TOEFL scores are required.

SALA or SDI Milestone

Passing the SALA or SDI milestone at the end of the second semester is competitive. Consult the requirements of each major for details: herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/degrees/milestone.php. Students who are interested in more than one program must meet the milestone requirements for both and must submit separate applications and portfolios, as required by the program. Transfers requested past the second semester are considered only if vacancies occur, and such transfers are limited to students with equivalent course work who are competitive with continuing students. Students who do not meet the critical requirements but pass the milestone are not dismissed from the university and may transfer to other programs.

HERBERGER INSTITUTE ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Probation

A student in any of the institute's programs is placed on probation when he or she fails to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00. Students on probation must observe rules or limitations the institute imposes on their probation as a condition of retention. Students are encouraged to seek advising from their major academic advisor, in an effort to improve academic standing. All Herberger Institute students who are placed on academic probation and continuing probation are required to attend mandatory advising appointments. Students will also be required to complete an academic success contract with their advisor to discuss campus academic resources, plan out semester goals and discuss strategies to attain academic success. These meetings will continue until the student earns a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.

Disqualification

If, after one semester on probation, the overall GPA is not at the required level and the conditions of probation have not been met, the student is disqualified for a minimum of two full academic semesters. Disqualification is exercised at the discretion of the institute and becomes effective on the first day of the fall or spring semester following institute action. A disqualified student is notified by the Office of the Registrar and/or the dean of the institute and is not allowed to register for a fall or spring semester at the university until reinstated. Students whose cumulative GPA is below 2.00, but are still in academic good standing according to university standards, are ineligible to major in SDI or SALA, but may be eligible for majors in other colleges at ASU.

Reinstatement

Students seeking reinstatement after disqualification should contact the Herberger Institute Student Success Office regarding procedures and guidance for returning to good standing. A disqualified student may attend summer or winter sessions at ASU to raise their cumulative GPA. If a 2.00 or higher cumulative GPA is achieved upon completion of summer or winter course work, the student may petition the institute for early reinstatement. Appeals may be made to the Herberger Institute Curriculum Committee; see an academic advisor for the necessary appeal forms. There are also other options available for immediate reinstatement for qualified students; see an academic advisor to discuss these options. For more information, see Retention and Academic Standards. When reinstatement includes readmission, application must be made to the Recording and Readmissions section of the University Registrar’s Office. All academic disciplinary action is a function of the Herberger Institute Student Success Office, DS 101, under the direction of the assistant dean for student success for the institute. Students having academic problems should call this office for advising at 480-965-4495.

SDI and SALA Academic Standards for students who have passed the milestone

Students who have passed the milestone are placed on probation when any of the following occurs:

  • An incomplete, failure or withdrawal from any required course.
  • A semester GPA below 3.00.
  • A grade of “D” (1.00) or “E” (0.00) in a design studio, a design laboratory or a design lecture.
  • Violation of the university's Student Code of Conduct or any admission agreement.

Students on probation must observe rules or limitations that the institute or academic unit places on their probation as a condition of continuation. Students may be removed from a program (but not necessarily the university) when any of the following occurs:

  • The requirements imposed are not met or the probationary semester GPA is below 3.00 after one semester on probation.
  • Failures or withdrawals in required courses are not resolved at the next offering of the course.
  • Failures or withdrawals from required sequential courses.
  • Incompletes in required sequential courses are not completed before the first day of class of the next semester.

A student removed from a program is not guaranteed reinstatement to the program even if probation requirements or requirements placed on readmission are fulfilled. Appeals may be made first to the appropriate academic unit and, if necessary, to the Herberger Institute Curriculum Committee. For more information, see Retention and Academic Standards.

SDI and SALA Studio Requirements

Students must earn a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher in SDI or SALA studio courses in order to progress to the next studio in sequence. If a student is already registered for the next studio and has earned a grade of “D” or “E” in the prerequisite studio, the student will be administratively dropped from the subsequent studio.

Graduate Policies

ADVISING

Advising is handled as a decentralized activity within the institute. To offer personalized attention, each academic unit establishes its own graduate advising procedures. Students are encouraged to make appointments through the central office of their major discipline. Students should consult their academic unit’s Web site for general information about the programs, admission and advising procedures:

SALA: http://design.asu.edu/sala/index.shtml; phone 480-965-3536; e-mail sala.grad@asu.edu.

School of Art: http://art.asu.edu/; phone 480-965-6303.

School of Arts, Media and Engineering: http://ame.asu.edu/; phone 480-965-9438.

School of Dance: http://dance.asu.edu/; phone 480-965-5029.

SDI: http://design.asu.edu/sdi/index.shtml; phone 480-965-7007; e-mail design.grad@asu.edu.

School of Music: http://music.asu.edu/; phone 480-965-5069.

School of Theatre and Film: http://theatrefilm.asu.edu/; phone 480-965-5337.