Declaration of Primary Major

During the regular term in which a student is expected to complete fifteen (15) course credits, s/he will submit to the Office of Academic Services (OAS) an Intent to Declare a Primary Major form. The intent form and the student’s transcript will be sent by OAS to the Department Chairperson for consideration of admission into the major. (See current College Catalog for major admission requirements and recommendations, if any.) If admitted to the major, the student will complete a Curriculum Plan for the remaining terms of enrollment and submit it to OAS. This Curriculum Plan provides a guide for the most efficient use of a student’s time in meeting the College’s graduation requirements within the guideline of the Eight Term Rule. Beginning in Fall 2007, students for whom admission to a major is pending will be notified that they have not yet satisfied requirements for admission to the major and, consequently, must reapply the following term by submitting a new Intent to Declare a Primary Major form. These students and advisers may choose to develop a Curriculum Plan that can be retained by the student and the adviser and later submitted to OAS if admitted to the major. If the student needs more than eight (8) regular terms (or the equivalent for transfer students) to complete the selected major, s/he must complete a Request for Extension of Terms form, which must be submitted to OAS along with a letter explaining why the program cannot be completed within eight (8) regular terms. Failure to follow an approved Curriculum Plan will not be considered a valid reason for an extension of terms beyond the normal eight.

Questions about the Declaration of Major process should be directed to Linda Avery, Coordinator of Academic Transitions, in the Office of Academic Services (112 Lincoln Hall). If you want to change your major or minor, please stop by the Student Service Center (First Floor Lincoln Hall) and pick up a Change of Adviser/Major/Minor form to complete and return for processing.

Under Graduation Requirements, remove the “Double Major (BA and BS degree) 40” line entirely

Under Short Term Requirements, replace “For all students, one Short Term course must be taken during the January Short Term of the first year of enrollment.” with: All students are required to take their first Short Term course on campus in January except for students who enter in Spring Term and have achieved sophomore standing by the beginning of the next Fall Term.

Also under that section, replace items 2 and 3 with:

1. Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program (URCPP) experience, or other summer undergraduate research experience, conducted in a mentor-apprentice relationship and approved by the academic department in which the research is conducted. These summer research projects typically run 8-10 weeks with students working full-time. Students must be registered in advance for UGR 010 or UGR 020 through the Office of Academic Services.

Credit Requirements

Berea College students must accumulate the following number of courses each year to remain in good standing and continue to make Progress Toward Graduation (PTG). For purposes of the PTG requirement, basic, non-credit courses are counted.

Graduation Requirements

Application for Degree

Students who expect to be candidates for graduation must file an application for degree in the Office of Academic Services prior to registering for classes in the term in which they expect to graduate. Once the application for degree has been filed, it is the student's responsibility to inform the Office of Academic Services of changes in plans or programs. Students who file the application for degree are expected to attend commencement exercises. Failure to do so, without approval from the Provost’s Committee, will result in a processing fee in order to receive the diploma.

All requirements for the degree except regular course work must be completed 30 days prior to the commencement at which the student will be graduated. Diplomas will not be issued to students with past due financial accounts.

Short Term Requirement

All Students must complete one Short Term course for each of three years of full-time Berea College enrollment (or one for each of two regular terms of enrollment for students enrolled for fewer than three years). For all students, one Short Term course must be taken during the January Short Term of the first year of enrollment.

In addition, students have the option of satisfying some of these requirements by earning credit in any of the categories listed below (limit one Short Term credit per category):

1. Courses listed in the study abroad offerings presented by Berea College faculty, or by the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS), and scheduled for the summer.

2. Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program (recorded on transcript as UGR 010) experiences scheduled for the summer.

3. Courses scheduled for summer and arranged under the rubrics of 390A/490A (Independent Study); 390B/490B (Team Initiated Study); or 395/495 (Internship).

Please note that, if a student opts to earn a Short Term credit for each of the above summer opportunities, s/he would need four Short Term credits in order to graduate, including the one taken in the first January term after enrollment.

For further information about Short Term course offerings, please consult the Berea College Short Term Catalog, which will be made available on the Web in October.

Convocation Requirement

Convocation events constitute a significant part of the General Education program at Berea. These events bring to the campus notable speakers, scholars, performers, and authorities on a variety of subjects. Because convocations are a valuable part of their learning, students are expected to attend such events regularly. Students automatically will be enrolled in a .25 credit convocation course (CNV 100) during each regular term of enrollment, with the exception of the final term of enrollment, for a maximum of eight such terms. Enrollment in this course is optional during the final term at Berea (or is prohibited if the student already had enrolled in this course eight terms).

For each term of enrollment in CNV 100, a grade of CA (calculated in the GPA as an A) is earned for attending at least seven convocations. The grade of CF (calculated in the GPA as an F) is earned for attending fewer than seven convocations.

Further information about convocations can be found on the Convocations Web site. Check back to that site often for the latest listing of convocation events for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Degree Audit

Students and advisers are encouraged to use the Degree Audit Web tool to regularly evaluate progress toward graduation.

Once a student has submitted an application for graduation, the Office of Academic Services will perform an official audit of the student's coursework. This is done after the student has registered for the final term as a means of determining if all degree requirements will be satisfied for graduation. If problems are discovered, the student will be notified in time to adjust the final term schedule.

Commencement

Baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies are held each year in May to honor the Berea College graduating class. Additionally, the College holds a recognition service in December for mid-year graduates. Dates of these ceremonies can be found in the Academic Calendar.