Academic information

Academic Bankruptcy
If you have been suspended for academic reasons and have remained out of school for one or more semesters, you will have the option of electing academic bankruptcy upon readmission to the university. Academic bankruptcy is the opportunity to start over with a new cumulative grade point average.

In order to graduate after electing academic bankruptcy, you must earn a minimum of 30 credits and an overall grade point average of 2.00 or better in such courses, OR earn an overall grade point average of 2.00 or better in all work completed at UWSP (including grades earned at UWSP before and after academic bankruptcy).

We do, however, keep on your official record all of the work you have done at UW-Stevens Point.
You may exercise this option only once in your academic career.

Also realize that if you select the academic bankruptcy option, but have not maintained satisfactory academic progress, you will not be eligible for financial aid. Academic bankruptcy does not adjust your academic progress standing. See the paragraph Satisfactory Academic Progress.

UWSP academic departments may disregard a declaration of academic bankruptcy in calculating your grade point average to determine your eligibility for admission to and/or graduation from their programs. Graduate programs and other universities may also disregard a declaration of academic bankruptcy in determining your eligibility for admission purposes.

If you are receiving GI Bill benefits, consult the campus Veterans Administration representative in the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC, before electing this option. If you take it, you may have to repay the VA for past benefits you have received. For more information, see uwsp.edu/reg-rec/veterans.htm.

Academic Requirements
Your advisor and others at UW-Stevens Point are happy to help you plan your academic program. However, you are responsible for following UW-Stevens Point's regulations and successfully completing all your academic requirements.

In general, you are required to complete the academic requirements current at the time you first enroll. However, you may choose to complete a more recent set of general degree requirements by declaring your intent to the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC. You may also choose to complete a more recent set of requirements in one or more of your majors and minors with the approval of the chair of the department. If you choose to meet the more recent set of major/minor requirements, you do not have to choose the more recent set of general degree requirements.

1. If an external agency changes the requirements, meet the new requirements. For example, if the Department of Public Instruction changes the requirements for teacher certification, fulfill the new requirements.

2. If you re-enter UW-Stevens Point after being gone for two or more semesters, meet the requirements current when you re-enter. Note that if you enroll and then withdraw within the first two weeks of the semester, you are considered as not enrolled for that semester.

a. If you have earned more than two-thirds of the credits toward your general degree requirements by the time you re-enter (not counting electives and courses toward your major/minor), you may ask to complete the degree requirements current when you first registered. Your dean approves such a request.

b. If you have completed more than half of the credits to fulfill your major/minor requirements by the time you re-enter, you may ask to complete the major/minor requirements current when you first registered. The chair of your department approves such a request.

3. If you transfer from another UW System institution, this policy applies in the same manner as if you had originally enrolled at UW-Stevens Point.

Academic Standing
If your current cumulative and semester grade point average is 2.00 (C) or above, you are in good academic standing.

Advisors
Each UWSP student has an academic advisor. Once you are accepted into a major, the chair of your major department assigns you to an advisor. If you have more than one major you should have an advisor for each program.

Your advisor will inform you of academic requirements, policies, and procedures; assist you in identifying and pursuing your educational and career goals; review and monitor your progress toward those goals; and make appropriate referrals to campus programs and services.

You must meet with your advisor each semester to discuss your course of study. Your advisor must also approve and electronically authorize your course choices for the upcoming semester so that you can register for classes.

College of Natural Resources majors: If you are a freshman or sophomore in the College of Natural Resources majoring in a subject other than paper science, the CNR advising and recruitment coordinator is your advisor.

Undecided/Undeclared/Dropped from Major/Exploring Options: If you have not yet declared a major, or are in one of the situations below, go to the Student Academic Advising Center (SAAC), Room 103, Student Services Center to be assigned an advisor. SAAC advisors can help you in the development of your educational plans, in the decision-making process for selecting a major, and in the clarification of the relationship between educational plans and career goals. SAAC advisors also assist you in examining major alternatives if you:

Once you declare a major, the chair of your major department assigns you to an advisor. If you have more than one major you should have an advisor for each program. If you are a freshman or sophomore in the College of Natural Resources majoring in a subject other than paper science, the advising and recruitment coordinator is your advisor.

Assessment
As part of our continuing effort to improve curriculum and the delivery of instruction, UWSP assesses its graduating seniors both within their majors and in their general education. Students are expected to participate in this assessment process.

Athletics
Team athletics at UWSP are affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Men’s sports include football, cross country, wrestling, ice hockey, basketball, swimming and diving, track and field, and baseball. Women’s sports include soccer, cross country, ice hockey, volleyball, basketball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, softball, and golf. Men’s and women’s sports participate in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with hockey also participating in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). For more information call 715-346-3888 or visit the Athletics Department Web site at www.uwsp.edu/athletics.

Attendance
Attend all your classes regularly. We do not have a system of permitted "cuts."

If you enroll in a course and cannot begin attending until after classes have already started, you must first get permission from the department offering the course. Otherwise, you may be required to drop the course.

Your instructors will explain their specific attendance policies to you at the beginning of each course. Be sure to follow them. If you must be absent, tell your instructor why. If you can't reach your instructors in an emergency, visit the Student Academic Advising Center, Room 103, SSC, or call them at 715-346-3361.

If you don't make satisfactory arrangements with your instructors regarding excessive absences, your dean may dismiss you. If you are dismissed from a course, you receive an F in that course. If you are dismissed from the university, you receive an F in all the courses you are taking.

If you take part in an off-campus trip by an authorized university group such as an athletic team, musical or dramatic organization, or a class, make appropriate arrangements in advance with the instructor of each class you will miss.

If you are absent from classes because of emergencies, off-campus trips, illness, or the like, your instructors will give you a reasonable amount of help in making up the work you have missed.

Auditing
"Auditing" means you attend class regularly without having to take exams, do laboratory work, participate in class discussions, or do any other classwork except listen. You may audit as many courses as you wish, up to 5 credits beyond the normal maximum study load. (See Study Loads.) You receive no academic credit for auditing a course, but you may take the course again later for credit.

Note that you may neither change a course from "audit" to "credit" nor change it from "credit" to "audit" after the eighth day of classes. After auditing a course, you may seek credit by examination for some courses if you are enrolled at UW-Stevens Point at the time of the examination and pay the examination fee.

Career Services
If you would like to know the placement or employment rates of past graduates of any UW-Stevens Point program, stop by the Career Services Office, Room 134 Old Main, or contact them at 715-346-3226, e-mail career@uwsp.edu. You can also visit their Web site uwsp.edu/career/.

Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are groupings of courses that are usually interdisciplinary and are different from any specific UWSP major or minor. Certificate programs are recognized by various professional organizations and industries. They are designed to enhance your career goals and/or eligibility for membership in some professional organizations. Contact your advisor, UWSP Continuing Education, or the appropriate academic department for more details.

Classification/Year in School
You may determine your year in school by totaling the number of credits you have earned toward your degree. Include your credits-by-exam as well as any credits you transferred from other institutions. Do not count credit earned in courses numbered 001-099.

Credits	Year in School
0-14	First semester freshman
15-29	Second semester freshman
30-43	First semester sophomore
44-59	Second semester sophomore
60-73	First semester junior
74-89	Second semester junior
90-103	First semester senior
104 +	Second semester senior

In this catalog "upperclass students" refers to those who have earned 60 credits or more (juniors and seniors).

Collaborative Degree Program
University of Wisconsin Colleges in Wausau, Marshfield, Fond du Lac and Marinette have joined with UW-Stevens Point to offer a bachelor’s degree with majors in business administration, American studies and Web and digital media development. Students can attend evening classes on any of the participating campuses. A combination of distance learning technologies and face-to-face instruction is used to offer upper level courses. Advisors are available on each campus. You must have accumulated 30 freshman and sophomore credits at an accredited college or university in order to enter the program. For information call 715-295-8900 or see uwsp.edu/cdp.

Course Waivers and Substitutions
The requirements for degrees, majors and certificates represent the faculty’s judgment of the minimum standards for knowledge and skills that you must meet in that academic field. On occasion, a waiver or substitution for a requirement may be appropriate under particular conditions unique to a specific student.

If you believe that your situation may warrant a waiver or substitution, you should first contact your academic advisor. Ultimately, all waivers and/or substitutions of major or minor requirements must be approved by the chair/head of your major/minor department.

To request a waiver and/or substitution for a general degree requirement (GDR), submit a request to the dean, or designee, of the college of your major. Waivers and/or substitutions may be granted only with adequate cause and if they are consistent with UWSP GDR guidelines.

Credits/Semester Hours
We use the semester hour/credit to compute your study load. Each semester hour represents 50 minutes of class work, or its equivalent in other forms of instruction, per week for one semester. We consider two, or sometimes three, hours of laboratory work the equivalent of one hour of class work. If you complete one semester hour's work with a grade of D or better, you earn one credit.

Drop/Add/Withdrawal Procedures
Dropping and Adding Courses
You are expected to complete the courses for which you register. If you decide you do not want to take a course, you MUST follow the procedures established by the Registration and Records Office to OFFICIALLY DROP the course. If you never attend or stop attending a course and fail to officially drop, you will receive an F in the course at the end of the semester.

Students are expected to attend the first meeting of class, or have permission from the instructor or chair of the department to be absent. Those who do not attend the first two days of class will be required to drop the course if there are others who wish to add the course. It is the student's responsibility to officially drop the course through the Records Office or on the web.

Adds/Drops DURING the First Eight Days of the Semester
You are permitted unlimited adds and drops during the first eight (8) days of the semester. Courses dropped during the first eight days will not appear on your transcript.

Adds/Drops AFTER the Eighth Day of the Semester
You may not ADD a class after the eighth day except for extenuating circumstances and only when approved by the department chair, instructor, and your advisor. You may DROP a course after the eighth day and through the tenth week of the semester, after obtaining written authorization from the instructor, your advisor, and in some cases, the department chair of the course(s). You may not drop a course after the tenth week except for extenuating circumstances such as serious illness, personal duress, or factors beyond your control. Requests to drop after the deadline must be directed to the Student Academic Advising Center, 103 SSC.

You will receive a W on your transcript for all courses OFFICIALLY dropped after the eighth day of the semester. However, after your first two semesters of enrollment at UWSP, you will be allowed a total of only four (4) W drops during the balance of your undergraduate career, including summer sessions. After reaching the four drop limit, you will be permitted to drop a course only for extenuating circumstances. If you stop attending a course you are not permitted to drop, you will receive an F in the course.

Forms and instructions for drops/adds are available in the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC. Follow the procedures established and retain a copy of all of your drop/add transactions. See the timetable for prorated drop/ add dates for courses that meet less than the full term.

Withdrawing from UW-Stevens Point
If you decide to leave the university, contact the Registration and Records Office, Room 101, SSC, and give them a signed statement saying that you are withdrawing. You cannot officially withdraw from the university by simply leaving.

If you withdraw during the first eight days of the semester, only the date of withdrawal will appear on your transcript. After the eighth day and through the tenth week, you will receive a W for each course. After the tenth week you may not withdraw unless the reasons for withdrawal are serious illness, personal duress, or are clearly beyond your control. Requests to withdraw after the deadline must be directed to the Student Academic Advising Center, 103 SSC. If you are permitted to withdraw after the tenth week, grades of W will be assigned to your courses. Courses that end before you withdraw are an exception. You will receive grades for courses completed prior to your withdrawal.

Grades of W received due to withdrawing from school are NOT counted in the four W drop limit addressed above under “Adds/Drops After the Eighth Day of the Semester.” However, W grades from courses dropped PRIOR to withdrawing from school ARE counted toward the four W drop limit.

Repeated occurrences of W may affect your ability to maintain standards of academic progress and may jeopardize your financial aid eligibility. See Satisfactory Academic Progress later in this section of the catalog to determine the effect of courses not successfully completed.

If you stop attending school and do not officially withdraw, you will receive an F for those courses in which you are still registered. Withdrawal deadlines are prorated for courses that meet less than the full term.

Dropped from Major
If you have been dropped from your major due to enrollment management policies or because you cannot reach or maintain the academic standards set by your desired major, you may either declare a different major or meet with the staff in the Student Academic Advising Center, Room 103 SSC, 715-346-3361. SAAC staff can assist you in examining major alternatives, in developing of your educational plans, in the decision-making process for selecting a major, and in the clarification of the relationship between educational plans and career goals.

Employment Statistics
If you would like to know the placement or employment rates of past graduates of any UW-Stevens Point program, write or visit the Career Services Office, Room 134, Main Building, or call them at 715-346-3226.

Finals
All instructors meet with their classes during the final examination period at the time and place scheduled. No final or last exam will be given during the final week of classes. An instructor may change the time or place of a final examination only with the approval of the appropriate dean.

If, due to illness or an emergency, an instructor is unable to give a scheduled examination, the instructor notifies the department chair and the dean and provides a make-up examination.

If you have three or more examinations on the same day, or if you have other problems with the examination schedule, your instructors may, at their discretion, change the schedule for you.