Apr 18, 2024  
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Policies Registration Policies


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Registration Access Eligible to Register - Defined Holds on Registration Verification of Course Schedule Credit Hour
Classification of Courses Full Time & Max Course Load Course Auditing Prerequisites
Enrollment Classification Tuition Classification Withdrawal from Classes Transient Authorization Cross Registration
Attendance Policy Changing/Declaring Major      

All registration at Kennesaw State University is conducted over the web through Owl Express. 

Registration Access

Access to registration will be granted by time tickets in Owl Express based on a student’s number of overall earned hours (this includes transfer hours). The University may grant earlier access to registration to certain students who have been approved by the University.

Maintaining Eligibility to Register

A student must enroll during one semester each year to maintain eligibility to register for courses.  If a student is not enrolled three (3) terms or more (including summer), the student must apply for readmission through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Holds on Registration

Holds may be placed on a student’s registration in order to satisfy an obligation owed to the University. Holds are displayed on the student’s advising guide through Owl Express. Failure to return equipment or lab supplies may also result in a financial hold. Registration and transcript requests may not proceed unless all holds are removed.

Verification of Course Schedule

Each student must verify that student’s class schedule for each semester enrolled.  No course additions/deletions are permitted after Drop-Add has ended.  Each student is responsible for verifying the student’s class schedule, including credit hours, in Owl Express for accuracy.

Credit Hour

KSU defines a credit hour as a minimum of 2,250 minutes of academic engagement per semester. For many courses, the time is distributed as 750 minutes of direct, faculty-led instruction and 1,500 minutes of out-of-class academic engagement.  For a 15-week semester (i.e., Spring Semester or Fall Semester), that equates to 50 minutes of direct, faculty-led instruction and 100 minutes of out-of-class academic engagement per week.  An equivalent amount of work and a minimum of 2,250 minutes of academic engagement per credit hour is required for credit-bearing educational activities, for which the direct, faculty-led instruction time varies, including internship, field experience, cooperative education, and some online courses.  Thus, this definition applies regardless of type of course, term length, and delivery mode.

Classification of Courses  

Kennesaw State University divides courses completed for academic credit into four categories - lower division, upper division, graduate, and doctoral - representing increasing levels of rigor.  Lower-division courses are numbered 1000-2999; upper-division, undergraduate courses are numbered 3000-4999; graduate courses are numbered 5000-7999; doctoral courses are numbered 8000-9999.  Advanced, undergraduate coursework for the five-year, Bachelor of Architecture program are numbered 5000-5999.  Graduate courses are open only to students accepted to graduate study. Courses numbered below 1000 do not count for degree credit but do count for determining fees and enrollment status.

Full Time and Maximum Course Load

For an undergraduate student, twelve (12) semester credit hours is a full-time load for determining veteran status, financial aid, insurance eligibility, etc. However, a student must complete an average of fifteen (15) semester credit hours each fall and spring semester to complete a 120-credit-hour undergraduate degree in four years. Nine (9) semester credit hours is a reasonable load for a shorter summer semester.  Although, financial aid and insurance rules may require a student to attempt twelve (12) semester credit hours - a full-time, undergraduate load - or more. For graduate students, nine (9) semester credit hours is a full-time load.

During fall and spring semesters, a student may register for a maximum of 18 semester credit hours without additional approval.  The Office of the Registrar may approve a course load of more than 18 credit hours, if the student’s Institutional GPA is 3.5 or higher.  Additionally, course loads above 21 credit hours require a recommendation from the Department Chair applicable to the student’s major.

During summer semester, a student may register for a maximum of 13 semester credit hours without additional approval.  The Office of the Registrar may approve a course load of more than 13 credit, if the student’s Institutional GPA is 3.5 or higher.  Additionally, course loads above 15 credit hours require a recommendation from the Department Chair applicable to the student’s major.

A student on academic probation should consult the Academic Probation section of the Catalog for additional course-load limitations.

Course Audits

A KSU student may request to audit one or more courses.  An audited course does not affect the student’s GPA, requires the same tuition and fees as a course taken for credit, and will be noted in Owl Express and on the transcript with the symbol “V.”

Withdrawal from an audited course is subject to the KSU withdrawal policy.

A student may choose to enroll in a previously audited course for a grade or for an additional audit attempt. However, the applicable department may choose to limit course audits.

A student requesting to audit a course should meet with the applicable academic advisor and complete an Audit Request Form. The completed form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than the last day of Drop-Add.  Changes in an audit status cannot be made after Drop-Add has ended.

Prerequisites

Registration for many courses is restricted to students who completed certain coursework (i.e., prerequisite course(s)), met certain milestones (engineering standing, admission to the program, earned more than a particular number of credit hours, etc.), or permission from applicable faculty.  Each student is responsible for identifying prerequisites and planning a program of study in consultation with an academic advisor. For example, lower-division major courses are designed to serve as preparatory for upper-division major courses.

Enrollment Classification

Undergraduate students will be classified based on the number of earned institutional hours.

  • Freshman:        0 - 29 hours
  • Sophomore:     30 - 59 hours
  • Junior:             60 - 89 hours
  • Senior:             90 hours or more

Tuition Classification

Each student is responsible for registering for classes in the correct tuition classification (in-state or out-of-state).  To be classified as an in-state student with a resident tuition classification, the student must provide verification of lawful presence in the United States.

Withdrawal from Classes

A student may withdraw, using Owl Express, from one or more courses prior to one week before the last day of class. The student should consult the applicable academic calendar posted on the Office of Registrar website because the last day of class varies according to the part of the semester in which the student is enrolled. Each first-time, first-year student may withdraw without penalty by the applicable semester date from a maximum of eight courses, while attending KSU. Each transfer student may withdraw without penalty by the applicable semester date from a maximum of one course per fifteen credit hours attempted and a maximum of eight courses, while attending KSU. A student pursuing a second degree at KSU may withdraw without penalty by the applicable semester date from two additional courses with appropriate consultation with the Office of the Registrar. A student who attended Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) and has been continuously enrolled at SPSU/KSU may withdraw without penalty from a maximum of eight courses, while attending KSU and after Summer Semester 2015.

The student will receive a grade of “WF” for each withdrawal beyond the prescribed maximums.

A student who officially withdraws from a course by the end of the last day to withdraw without academic penalty will receive a grade of “W” and receive no credit. A student who officially withdraws from a course after the last day to withdraw without academic penalty and before the last week of classes during the semester will receive a grade of “WF,” which will be counted as an “F” in the grade point average calculation.

For attendance verification, the applicable faculty member will submit the last known date of academically related activity and one of the following symbols for each student who stopped attending the course.

  • “NA” (never attended) for a student who never attended the course, never attended the course after the applicable Drop-Add date, or did not complete any academically related activity
  • “W” (withdrew) for a student who stopped attending before the last day to withdraw without academic penalty for the applicable semester and whose academically related activity was deemed passing
  • “WF” (withdrew failing) for a student who stopped attending after the last day to withdraw without academic penalty for the applicable semester, or who stopped attending before the last day to withdraw without academic penalty for the applicable semester and whose academically-related activity was deemed failing

The only exceptions to these withdrawal regulations will be for instances involving unusual circumstances, which must be fully documented, or military withdrawal (see below). A student may appeal to the Academic Standing Committee for consideration of unusual circumstances. Withdrawal dates are published in the official academic calendar. A student will receive a refund only when the student withdraws from ALL courses for the applicable semester and only by the schedule outlined in the University System refund policy.

Military Withdrawals

A student will receive a “WM” symbol for all courses and a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees and a pro rata refund of other fees for military and other service, as defined by BOR Policy Manual, Section 7.3.5.3. To request a military withdrawal, the student must submit a copy of official orders to the Office of the Registrar.  Military withdrawals do not count toward the maximum number of withdrawals, as defined elsewhere in this Catalog.

Transient Authorization for KSU Student to Attend Another College/Institution

A KSU student requesting to register as a transient student at another institution must complete the Transient Letter through Owl Express. In order to be eligible for transient status, a student must be an undergraduate, in good standing, and have completed at least one semester at KSU. The student must be currently enrolled or enrolled within the past three semesters. A student not in good academic standing or in the student’s first semester of attendance may complete the Transient Letter through Owl Express to acquire a letter of no objection. Transient coursework will not be included in the KSU Institutional GPA. If a student repeats a course previously completed at KSU as a transient student at another institution and receives a higher grade in the transient course, the KSU grade will be excluded from the KSU Institutional GPA. Transient forms will only be processed for the upcoming semester. A student on disciplinary suspension or expulsion will not be issued a transient statement. The student should consult with the student’s academic advisor prior to enrolling in the transient course(s).

Cross Registration - Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)

Kennesaw State University is a member of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE), an association of colleges and universities in the Atlanta area offering a combination of reciprocal academic services, such as cross registration, interlibrary loans, and visiting-scholars program.

The cross-registration program is available to students officially enrolled in ARCHE institutions. This program is distinct from transient status in that it is possible for a student to register for an approved course at any of the 20 consortium schools and receive credit, while paying tuition costs to the home institution. The intent is to allow a qualified student to complete coursework in that student’s area of study that is not available at the home institution.

A student applying to cross register must meet all eligibility requirements under the ARCHE agreement and the partnering school. Courses taken at a partnering school are transferred back as transfer credit. Credits earned through the ARCHE program do not count in the KSU residency requirement.

To be eligible to participate, the student must be in good standing and must have the recommendation of the faculty advisor or Department Chair at the home institution. Cross registration may be pursued only for courses not offered at the home institution for the given term and is not recommended for a student enrolled in the student’s last semester before graduation. A KSU student must be enrolled for at least one semester hour at KSU in order to cross register. To apply for cross registration at an ARCHE member institution, a student must submit a Cross Registration Application to the Office of Registrar. KSU’s cross registration coordinator should be consulted for individual member college cross-registration deadlines. A complete list of the requirements for eligibility and registration procedures are located on the application.

Member Colleges 

Agnes Scott College
Brenau University
Clark Atlanta University
Clayton College & State University
Columbia Theological Seminary
Emory University
Georgia Gwinnett College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
Interdenominational Theological Center
Kennesaw State University
Mercer University of Atlanta
Mercer University
Morehouse College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Oglethorpe University
Savannah College of Art and Design - Atlanta
Spelman College
University of Georgia
University of West Georgia

Attendance Policy 

Attendance in classes, laboratories, and lectures is important. Each student is expected to attend the activities corresponding with the student’s schedule of courses.  The instructor determines the attendance policy for the course and at the beginning of the semester, provides the students a clear statement regarding the absence policies for the course, including academic consequences of absences.  A student who is absent because of participation in University-approved activities, such as field trips and extracurricular events, will be permitted to make up the work missed during the absences.

Changing or Declaring Majors

A student declaring or changing major or concentration must make the request through Owl Express, Student Records, which will be routed to the academic department applicable to the new major. The updated major will appear on the Academic Transcript in Owl Express after the academic department has approved the change. Changing major may require courses beyond those required for the completion of the original program. Each student should declare a major, as soon as possible, so that an academic advisor can be assigned to help the student expedite progress toward a degree and prepare for a career.