College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Policies

Undergraduate Policies

Advising

All students are urged to seek advising in the appropriate college unit before registration. Students must follow the calendar published in the Registration and Tuition Payment Guide each semester for information and deadlines pertaining to enrollment, adding/dropping classes and withdrawals.

In addition to information provided by an advisor, students must read the requirements for university General Studies, college graduation and major degree requirements in their edition of the ASU Academic Catalog. The ASU Academic Catalog is the governing source for all degree requirements.

Regular Advising

All students are strongly urged to seek advising in the appropriate college unit before registration.

eAdvisor

In fall 2007, ASU introduced eAdvisor, which gives students the tools to successfully follow their major map to graduation. eAdvisor assists students in

1. Learning more about graduation requirements for their major.
2. Discerning what critical-requirement courses and grades are required to stay on track to successfully complete their degree.
3. Planning for and scheduling appropriate courses in the correct sequence to maximize success.
4. Monitoring progress toward their degree.
5. Finding out how courses may fit into other majors if they decide to change majors.

Access eAdvisor at https://webapp.asu.edu/eadvisor/.

Advising Locations

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students should seek routine advising in the department or school of their major.

The Office of Student and Academic Programs, in FULTN 110, is the central resource center for academic information in the college. Requests from students, departmental advisors and faculty for clarification of rules, procedures and advising needs of the college and university should be directed to that office.

Advising Holds

The following categories of liberal arts and sciences students must receive advising and must be cleared before their classes are scheduled:

• Students in their first semester at ASU.
• Students on academic probation.
• Students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00.
• Students in their first three semesters (in selected departments).
• Students who have been disqualified (these students are allowed to attend ASU summer and winter sessions only and must be advised in the Office of Student and Academic Programs in FULTN 110).
• Students who have surpassed their 65th earned hour.
• Students who are "off-track" in their major.

Students in the above categories should consult an advisor in the department or school of their major. Students are encouraged to see if they have an advising hold each semester before attempting registration transactions.

Advising for Preprofessional Programs

Special advising is available for students planning to enter the fields listed in the Advising for Preprofessional Programs table. The professional programs shown in the table are not majors in themselves; that is, there are no majors called “premedical,” “prelaw,” etc. In each program, the student must select an established major in the college or in one of the other colleges.

Health Professions

Students pursuing admission to professional schools in the health professions must choose a major offered by ASU. However, specific courses must be taken to prepare the student to take the MCAT or other entrance examinations and to succeed in post-baccalaureate training. Therefore, students who plan to pursue a health profession should meet regularly with the health professions staff for guidance. While this guidance does not replace the need to meet with an advisor in the department of the student’s major, health professions advising is a necessary supplement. To schedule a meeting with health professions, located in FULTN 110, call 480-965-2365.

Prelaw

The American Bar Association does not recommend any specific major for students who wish to apply to law school upon graduation. ASU does not have a “prelaw” degree program. Therefore, students should select a major that interests them. Recent surveys of law school graduates indicate that students would be well advised to take one or two semesters of accounting as a supplement to their major curriculum. In addition, the American Bar Association recommends a variety of courses in the classics, economics and mathematical reasoning. Courses that engage the student in intense critical analysis and a substantial amount of writing are also recommended. As the student approaches the second semester of his or her junior year, the student should contact the prelaw advisor in the college or department of his or her major to obtain information regarding the procedure to apply to law school. To schedule a meeting with the prelaw advisor located in FULTN 110, call 480-965-2365.

Internships

All students are encouraged to complete at least one internship before graduation; some majors require internships. Many college disciplines have well-established internship programs, so students should begin by seeking information in their academic departments.

College Graduation Requirements

All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must complete the university General Studies requirement as well as all requirements in the major. In addition, the college has established requirements that are specific to the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

A. Bachelor of Arts Degrees. Students pursuing Bachelor of Arts degrees in the college must demonstrate intermediate proficiency in a second language by completing the courses specified below with a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher in each course. Second-language course requirements may be fulfilled in one of the :

• Completion of second language course work at the intermediate level (202 or equivalent). Those students completing this requirement in Ancient Greek must take both GRK 301 and 302; students completing the requirement in Portuguese or Romanian must complete POR 314 or ROM 314.
• A foreign language course at the 300 level or higher taught in the foreign language and having 202 or its equivalent as a prerequisite.
• Completion of secondary education at a school in which the language of instruction is not English.
• Completion of SHS 202 American Sign Language IV or its equivalent.

B. Bachelor of Science degrees. Students pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in the college must complete six credit hours (two courses) of “Science and Society” courses. Students should consult with an advisor in the department or school of their major for a list of appropriate courses. The current list of Science and Society courses is also listed on the college's Web site at http://clas.asu.edu/node/204.

C. All students are required to take a minimum of MAT 119 or higher. A grade of “C” (2.00) or higher must be earned in the chosen mathematics course.

Major Requirements

Each student is required to select a major from among the fields of study offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The requirements for completion of the major are described under departmental listings.

A. The major department may require up to 45 credit hours of course work. The minimum is 30 hours. A maximum of 15 additional hours may be required in related courses and prerequisites. No more than 60 credit hours of course work may be required to complete the major, related courses and prerequisites. Some departments require calculus-level mathematics; up to five of these credit hours may be excluded from the 60-hour maximum because they satisfy the mathematics proficiency requirement. A minimum of 12 upper-division hours in the major must be taken in residence.

B. No credit is granted toward fulfilling major or minor requirements in any upper-division course in that subject field unless the grade in that course is at least a “C” (2.00). In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the assignment of a grade of “Y” (satisfactory) indicates a level of performance that would have resulted in a grade of at least “C” (2.00) had the normal grading scheme been used.

See the individual departments for other minimum grade requirements.

C. Major fields of study are classified into the following three areas:

1. Humanities:
   Asian Languages (Chinese/Japanese)
   English
   Film and Media Studies
   French
   German
   History
   International Letters and Cultures
   Italian
   Philosophy
   Religious Studies
   Russian
   Spanish
2. Natural Sciences and Mathematics:
   Biochemistry
   Biological Sciences
   Clinical Laboratory Sciences
   Chemistry
   Computational Mathematical Sciences
   Earth and Space Exploration
   Geological Sciences
   Kinesiology
   Mathematics
   Microbiology
   Molecular Bioscience/Biotechnology
   Physics
   Psychology
   Speech and Hearing Science
3. Social Sciences:
   African and African American Studies
   American Indian Studies
   Anthropology
   Applied Mathematics for the Life and Social Sciences
   Communication
   Economics
   Family and Human Development
   Geography
   Global Health
   Global Studies
   Justice Studies
   Political Science
   Sociology
   Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
   Women and Gender Studies

General Electives

Most Liberal Arts and Sciences majors can meet all of the above requirements with fewer than the 120 credit hours required for graduation. Remaining hours are general electives that may be selected from any of the departments of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and from the offerings of the other colleges.

Credit Requirement

All candidates for graduation in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree curricula are required to complete at least 120 credit hours, of which at least 45 hours must consist of upper-division courses. A minimum ASU cumulative GPA of 2.00 is required for graduation.

Concurrent Degrees

Students who wish to obtain concurrent degrees must realize that there are certain combinations that would not be approved because there is too great an overlap between the courses required for each major. For example, students may not obtain concurrent degrees in two life sciences. Students who wish to obtain concurrent degrees may not double-count courses from one major to the next, but must have at least 30 different credit hours in each major.

Course Load

The normal course load is 15 to 16 credit hours. First-semester freshmen and entering transfer students are not permitted to register for more than 18 credit hours in the initial semester. Other students who wish to register for more than 18 hours must have a GPA of at least 3.40 and must file a petition in the Office of Student and Academic Programs, in FULTN 110, before registration. Any petition for an overload in excess of 21 hours must be presented to the standards committee of the college. No student should assume that his or her petition for overload will be granted.

Special Credit Options

Pass/Fail Grade Option

The pass/fail grade option is intended to broaden the education of liberal arts and sciences undergraduates by encouraging them to take advanced courses outside their specialization. A grade of “P” (pass) contributes to the student’s earned hours but does not affect the GPA. A failing grade is computed into the GPA.

Only College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students with at least 60 credit hours may take courses under the pass/fail option. The option may be used under the following conditions:

• Enrollment for pass/fail needs the approval of the instructor and the college.
• Enrollment under this option must be indicated during registration and may not be changed after the late registration period.
• A maximum of 12 hours taken for pass/fail may be counted toward graduation.

Students may not enroll under the pass/fail option in the following courses:

• Those taken to satisfy the second language or first-year composition requirements.
• Those in the student’s major, minor or certificate program.
• Those counted toward or required to supplement the major.
• Those counted as 499 Individualized Instruction.
• Those taken for honors credits.
• Those counted toward satisfying the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduation requirements or the General Studies requirement.

Audit Grade Option

A student may choose to audit a course in which he or she attends regularly scheduled class sessions but earns no credit. The student should obtain the instructor’s approval before registering for the course.

Note: This grade option may not be changed after the drop/add period.

Academic Standards

The standards for GPA and the terms of academic probation, disqualification, reinstatement and appeal are identical to those of the university as set forth under Retention and Academic Standards, except that the disqualified student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is suspended for at least two regular semesters at the university. When students are placed on probation, one of three things can happen:

• The student may raise his or her cumulative GPA to academic good standing by taking new classes and be removed from academic probation after the fall or spring semester.
• The student may receive the required semester GPA, but not raise the cumulative GPA to academic good standing, in which case, the student may continue on academic probation, earning the required semester GPA, for as many semesters as it takes to raise the cumulative GPA to academic good standing.
• The student may fail to achieve the required semester GPA and be disqualified.

Students who leave the university for a semester or more while on academic probation are not automatically readmitted. Such students, and all disqualified students, should contact the Office of Student and Academic Programs in FULTN 110, regarding procedures and guidance for reinstatement and returning to academic good standing. By following recommendations and meeting established standards for summer school work or course work at other institutions, the possibility of successful reinstatement is enhanced. Academic discipline is one of the functions of the Office of Student and Academic Programs. All students having academic difficulties of any kind should contact this office. Also available in this office is information on policies and procedures of the college on academic honesty, student grievances with respect to grades and various petitions regarding college standards and graduation requirements.

Academic honesty is expected of all students in all examinations, papers, academic transactions and records. The possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, appropriate grade penalties, loss of registration privileges, disqualification and dismissal.

Student Responsibilities

Any student enrolling in courses offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is expected to follow the rules and deadlines specified in this catalog and the current Registration and Tuition Payment Guide. Students are urged to meet with their departmental academic advisors before registration. Students with additional questions or problems are also urged to meet with advisors in the Office of Student and Academic Programs, in FULTN 110, regarding the academic rules of the college and the university.