General Academic Information

The regular academic year at Wittenberg is divided into two semesters (fall, spring) of 16 weeks each; the 16th week is for final examinations. Wittenberg also conducts summer sessions. Click here for summer session information.

Credits

At Wittenberg the unit of academic credit is the semester credit.

General Academic Standards

  • The successful completion of 126 credits is a requirement for graduation.
  • Cumulative grade-point averages of 2.000 for all work completed at Wittenberg University and for all coursework used to meet the requirements of declared major and minor programs are requisites for graduation.
  • At least 32 credits and 50% of the credits for all coursework in the major must be completed while in residence at Wittenberg University. The student must be in residence for at least one of the last two semesters.
  • The student must maintain an acceptable rate of progress toward meeting both the cumulative grade average and the total semester hours required for graduation as defined in the standards for academic progress.

Accreditation:

The University is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Wittenberg's policies regarding student records are in accordance with provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Click Here for more information

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • Bachelor of Music Education
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Master of Arts
  • Master of Science

The Class Day

A typical 4-credit hour class meets three hours per week, normally in one of three patterns: Three 1-hour (MWF), two 1.5-hour (TTH), or one 3-hour period. A few classes may be held on a daily basis. Some schedule additional laboratory periods.

Course Numbers

Titles of all courses are preceded by a three-digit number. Usually the courses at the 100-level are introductory courses, with no departmental prerequisites, that introduce basic skills, techniques, concepts, or questions of the field. Courses numbered from 200 to 299 continue the introduction to the field beyond the 100-level or introduce the field by focusing on a major area in the field. There may be 200-level courses that are open normally to first-year students.

Grades

DescriptionGradeQuality Points
Outstanding performanceA+4.000
 A4.000
 A-3.667
Good performanceB+3.333
 B3.000
 B-2.667
Adequate performanceC+2.333
 C2.000
 C-1.667
Marginal performanceD+1.333
 D1.000
 D-0.667
FailureF0.000
Satisfactory, Credit EarnedS0.000
*No Credit Earned (Replaces F to D+ inclusive for the Pass/Fail option)NC0.000
IncompleteI0.000
*Satisfactory, Work in Progress (Replaces all grades from C- to A+ inclusive for the Pass/Fail option)X0.000
Audited Course, No Credit EarnedL0.000
No ReportNR0.000
WithdrawnW0.000

* The Pass/Fail Option - a student may elect one course a semester under the Pass/Fail Option as long as the student is registered for a minimum of 15 credits. The election is to be made during the third week of the semester. Forms must be completed and delivered to the Registrar's Office by the deadline. Neither the S nor the NC mark has any impact on the semester or the cumulate GPAs. Once elected, the Pass/Fail Option cannot be changed. Students must be aware that graduate and professional schools increasingly count an S mark as a C when evaluating transcripts.

Restrictions regarding the Pass/Fail Option:

  • A student may not elect the Pass/Fail Option in course work of declared major programs.
  • This option may be used for courses related to the major program ONLY at the discretion of the chair of the major department.
  • In case a student changes the declared major in which one or more courses already have been completed with a mark of S, such courses may be counted toward the requirements of the new major only with the written approval of the chair of the new department, a communication to be forwarded to the Registrar.
  • A Pass/Fail course with the mark of NC is NOT counted toward the minimum number of credits required for graduation.

Incomplete Grade - The mark I (Incomplete) is given only at the end of a semester in which course work has not been completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. The mark of I must be removed no later than the end of the eighth week of the next semester, or it automatically becomes an F or NC (No Credit).

The mark X - (Satisfactory, Course work in Progress) is given only at the end of a semester for certain kinds of course work that may properly carry over more than one semester. The X is replaced by a final grade at the end of the grading period in which the work involved is completed.

The mark L - (Audited Course) is given to those students who, by petitioning the instructor and the Registrar's Office, have gained permission to audit a course. No credit is granted for audited course work.

The mark NR - (No Report) indicates that a grade is missing or has been left blank. The mark is replaced by the appropriate grade when the Registrar officially is notified of a change.

The mark of W - (Withdrawal) indicates that a student, after filing a Change of Registration form with the Registrar's Office, has official withdrawn from a course after the fifth week of the semester and before the beginning of the 11th week of the semester. This mark also is used when a student is suspended during the course of a semester for other than academic reasons.

FIRST-YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER EXCEPTION First-year students in the first semester of their enrollment, not including transfer students, may withdraw late from one course and receive the mark of “W” for that course, through the last official day of classes. Students should submit the withdrawal to the Office of the Registrar, not later than the last official day of classes. Should a student fail or use their first-year exception for FYS, the student will be required to pass an additional 4-credit course supporting LO2 of the General Education Program.

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