Academic Policies and Procedures

Registration

The detailed instructions registration and the course offerings are published in the Class Schedule which is available for a nominal fee from The Bookstore in the University Center or the Bookstore in the College of Technology. Students must complete their registration during the scheduled registration period or be subject to payment of a late registration fee if they are allowed to register. Registration is not completed nor is any credit awarded until all fees have been paid.

Students in the College of Technology who do not enroll for a semester or more (excluding summer) must reapply for admission through the College of Technology. Other students who plan to attend a summer session or an academic year semester and were not in attendance during the immediately preceding 24 months, must reapply for admission through the Registration Counter in Griz Central in the Lommasson Center. Students should reapply for the autumn semester by July 1 and for the spring semester by November 1. Students who have never attended before or who are changing admission status must apply to Enrollment Services-Admissions & New Student Services or the College of Technology. See the Admissions section of this catalog.

All students currently enrolled for an academic year semester and students readmitted to the University may pre register for the subsequent semester.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities may obtain assistance with the registration process and the relocation of classes through Disability Services in Lommasson Center 154 (406) 243 2243 VOICE/TDD.

Dropping and Adding Courses or Changing

Students are expected, when selecting and registering for their courses, to make informed choices and to regard those choices as semester long commitments and obligations.

After registering and through the first fifteen (15) instructional days of the semester, students may use (http://cyberbear.umt.edu) to drop and add courses or change sections and credits. Fees are reassessed on the fifteenth day of the term. Added courses and credits may result in additional fees. For courses dropped by the fifteenth instructional day, no fees are charged and courses are not recorded. (For deadlines and refund policy for withdrawal from all courses, see the Withdrawal sections of this catalog.)

An instructor may specify that drop/add is not allowed on the internet. A drop/add form is used to make changes in these courses, if approved by the instructor.

After adding a course, the credit/no credit grading option or auditor status may be elected on the internet or on a form available at the Registration Counter in Griz Central in the Lommasson Center. These options are not allowed for some courses as identified in the Class Schedule. Change of grading option to audit is not allowed after the 15th instructional day.

Beginning the sixteenth (16) instructional day of the semester through the thirtieth (30) instructional day,students use paper forms to drop, add, and make changes of section, grading option, or credit. The drop/add form must be signed by the instructor of the course and the student's advisor. The signed drop/add form must be returned to the Registration Counter (or the Registrar's Office at the College of Technology) no later than the thirtieth instructional day. A $10.00 processing fee is charged for each drop/add form. Added courses and credits may result in additional fees. There are no refunds or reductions of fees for courses dropped and grades of W (withdrew) are recorded.

Beginning the thirty-first (31) instructional day of the semester through the last day of instruction before scheduled final examinations,students must petition to drop, add, and make changes of section, grading option, or credit. The petition form must be signed by the instructor of the course and the student's advisor and, in the case of drops only, by the dean of the student's major. A $10.00 processing fee is charged for each petition. Added courses and credits may result in additional fees. There are no refunds or reductions of fees for courses dropped, and the instructor assigns a grade of WP (withdrew/passing) if the student's course work has been passing or a WF (withdrew/failing) if the course work has been failing. These grades do not affect grade averages but they are recorded on students' transcripts.

Documented justification is required for dropping courses by petition. Some examples of documented circumstances that may merit approval are: registration errors, accident or illness, family emergency, change in work schedule, no assessment of performance in class until after this deadline, or other circumstances beyond the student's control.

The opportunity to drop a course for the current term or alter grading option for such a course ends on the last day of instruction before scheduled final exams. Dropping a course taken in a previous term or altering grading option or audit status for such a course is not allowed. The only exceptions are for students who have received a grade of NF (never attended) or new students unfamiliar with the drop process who have ceased attendance before the sixteenth day of instruction and can provide to the Registrar’s Office instructor verification of non-attendance.

See the School of Law section of this catalog for the add and drop deadlines for law courses.

Class Attendance/Absence Policy

Students who are registered for a course but do not attend the first two class meetings may be required by the instructor to drop the course. This rule allows for early identification of class vacancies to permit other students to add classes. Students not allowed to remain must complete a drop form or drop the course on the internet (http://cyberbear.umt.edu) to avoid receiving a failing grade. Students who know they will be absent should contact the instructor in advance.

Students are expected to attend all class meetings and complete all assignments for courses in which they are enrolled. Instructors may excuse brief and occasional absences for reasons of illness, injury, family emergency, or participation in a University sponsored activity. (University sponsored activities include for example, field trips, ASUM service, music or drama performances, and intercollegiate athletics.) Instructors shall excuse absences for reasons of military service or mandatory public service

Instructors may establish absence policies to conform to the educational goals and requirements of their courses. Such policies will ordinarily be set out in the course syllabus. Customarily, course syllabi will describe the procedures for giving timely notice of absences, explain how work missed because of an excused absence may be made up, and stipulate any penalty to be assessed for absences.

The UM Faculty Senate encourages the faculty to accommodate students incurring an excused absence by allowing them to make up missed work when this can be done in a manner consistent with the educational goals of their courses. Students expecting to incur excused absences should consult with their instructors early in the term to be sure that they understand the absence policies for each of their courses.

Withdrawal from the University

Students who withdraw from the University while a semester is in progress must complete withdrawal forms which are obtained from the Registration Counter in Griz Central in the Lommasson Center or the Registrar's Office in the College of Technology. Drop/add forms cannot be used to withdraw from school and students are not allowed to drop all their courses on the internet. International students must first contact the Foreign Student Advisor before withdrawing as visa status will be affected. Medical withdrawals are granted only for a student’s significant health problems and must be documented by a healthcare provider.

See the Expenses section of this catalog for fee information relating to withdrawals.

Students receiving financial aid who withdraw will not receive aid the next term of enrollment. A Reinstatement of Financial Aid form must be completed in the Financial Aid Office to request aid for any term subsequent to a withdrawal. Students who reside in a University residence hall or in family housing must notify the Residence Life Office or the Family Housing Office of the withdrawal

Students who purchase health insurance with registration will receive a refund and lose coverage if withdrawn during the first fifteen instructional days unless a student is granted a medical withdrawal. Withdrawal after the fifteenth day will not result in a refund but coverage will continue through the remainder of the semester.

When withdrawal forms are completed in Griz Central or the Registrar's Office in the College of Technology before the last two weeks of the semester, grades of W (withdrawal) are assigned. Beginning two weeks from the end of the term, students may not withdraw from the University except for very unusual circumstances. Such late withdrawals are to be approved by the student's academic dean before the end of the semester. However, in exceptional cases, a student's academic dean may approve retroactive withdrawal for the last semester in attendance, provided the request is approved before the end of the student's next semester of enrollment.

University Employees' Registration

University employees who have applied and have been accepted for admission to the University may register with the approval of the employee's supervisor. Waivers of some fees are granted to some faculty and staff members who are at least three quarter time salaried employees on the date of registration. Additional information and the necessary forms are available in the Office of Human Resource Services in the Lommasson Center.

Grading System

The University uses two types of grading: traditional letter grades and credit/ no credit grades. At the option of the instructors some courses are offered only on the traditional letter grade basis or only on the credit/no credit basis. Other courses are open to either type of grading, at the option of the student. Courses offered on the A F basis only or CR/NCR only will be indicated in the Class Schedule. In the event a change in the published grading option for a course becomes necessary, the faculty member may make the change during the first ten class days of the semester. The students in the class and the Registrar's office must be notified of the change no later than the tenth class day. Grades preceded by an R indicate remedial courses.

Traditional Letter Grading (A-F)

Letter grades represent an assessment of the overall quality of work performed in a given course. A–Excellent; B–Good; C–satisfactory; D–Poor, F–Failure. When assigning traditional letter grades, instructors may, at their discretion, utilize the symbols + or -. Use of the + or - will be limited to A-, B+, B-, C+, C-, D+, and D-. Other symbols used are: I–Incomplete; N- -work on the course may be continued in later semesters (when work is completed, the final grade assigned applies to all semesters of the course); NF--no record of academic performance; W--withdrawal from a course or course dropped after the fifteenth instructional day; WP--course dropped after thirtieth instructional day with passing work; WF--course dropped after the thirtieth instructional day with failing work; AUD--auditor registration. (AUD is recorded for all students who register in courses as auditors, intending to listen to the courses without earning credit or being graded. The same fees are assessed as when registering for credit. Any attendance or participation expectations are established by the instructor of the course. If attendance expectations are not met, the instructor may request a notation be placed on the student's academic record indicating attendance was not satisfactory.) An R preceding the grade indicates a remedial course. Remedial courses do not count in credits earned or grade point averages.

Credit/No Credit Grading (CR, NCR)

Student Option: To encourage students to venture into courses where they might otherwise hesitate because of uncertainty regarding their aptitude or preparation, they may enroll in some courses on a credit/no credit basis. A freshman or sophomore with a grade point average of 2.00 or better may elect one undergraduate course a semester on a credit/no credit basis. Juniors and seniors may elect more than one credit/no credit course a semester.

No more than 18 CR credits may be counted toward graduation. Courses taken to satisfy General Education Requirements must be taken for traditional letter grade. Courses required for the student’s major or minor must be taken for traditional letter grade, except at the discretion of the department concerned.

A CR is given for work deserving credit (A through D-) and an NCR for work of failing quality (F). CR and NCR grades do not affect grade point averages. The grades of CR and NCR are not defined in terms of their relationship to traditional grades for graduate course work.

Election of the credit/no credit option must be indicated at registration time or within the first 15 class days on CyberBear. After the fifteenth day, but prior to the end of the 30th day of instruction, an undergraduate student may change a credit/no credit enrollment to an enrollment under the A F grade system, or the reverse by means of a drop/add form.

The University cautions students that many graduate and professional schools and some employers do not recognize non traditional grades (i.e., those other than A through F) or may discriminate against students who use the credit/no credit option for many courses. Moreover, students are cautioned that some degree programs may have different requirements regarding CR/NCR credits, as stipulated in the catalog.

Faculty Option:A faculty member may elect to grade an entire class on the credit/no credit basis. This method of grading is used in courses where more precise grading is inappropriate. A faculty member may indicate that a particular course is not available under the credit/no credit option. Courses graded credit/no credit only and courses graded A-F only will be identified in the Class Schedule.

No Credit Grading in Composition (NC)

Students enrolled in English 100 and 101 and COM 101 are graded by the traditional letter grades of A through F or are given NC for no credit. The NC grade is awarded when exceptional progress has occurred but the student needs to repeat the course. The NC grade does not affect grade point average.

Policy on Incompletes

It is assumed that students have the responsibility for completing the requirements of the courses in which they are enrolled within the time framework of the semester

Incompletes may be given when, in the opinion of the instructor, there is a reasonable probability that students can complete the course without retaking it.

The incomplete is not an option to be exercised at the discretion of students. In all cases it is given at the discretion of the instructor within the following guidelines:

  1. A mark of incomplete may be assigned students when:
    1. They have been in attendance and doing passing work up to three weeks before the end of the semester, and
    2. For reasons beyond their control and which are acceptable to the instructor, they have been unable to complete the requirements of the course on time. Negligence and indifference are not acceptable reasons.
  2. The instructor sets the conditions for the completion of the course work and notes these conditions on the final grade report.
  3. When a student has met the conditions for making up the incomplete, the instructor will assign a grade based upon an evaluation of the total work done by the student in the course.
  4. An incomplete which is not made up within one calendar year automatically will revert to the alternate grade which was assigned by the instructor at the time the incomplete was submitted.
  5. An incomplete remains on the permanent record and is accompanied by the final grade, for example, IA, IB, IC, etc.
Computation of Cumulative Grade Average

Quality points are assigned as follows: 4 quality points for each credit of A; 3.7 quality points for each credit of A-; 3.3 quality points for each credit of B+; 3 quality points for each credit of B; 2.7 quality points for each credit of B-; 2.3 quality points for each credit of C+; 2 quality points for each credit of C; 1.7 quality points for each credit of C-; 1.3 quality points for each credit of D+; 1 quality point for each credit of D; and 0.7 quality points for each credit of D-.

The cumulative grade average is computed by dividing the total quality points earned by the total number of credits attempted, excluding courses assigned W, WF, WP, CR, NC, NCR, I, AUD, or N grades and courses numbered under 100 (grade is preceded by an R). Grades for courses transferred from other colleges and universities are not included in the calculation of the grade average for graduation.

Undergraduate Academic Performance

The cumulative grade average is computed by dividing the total quality points earned by the total number of credits attempted, excluding courses assigned W, WF, WP, CR, NC, NCR, I, AUD, or N grades and courses numbered under 100 (grade is preceded by an R). Grades for courses transferred from other colleges and universities are not included in the calculation of the grade average for graduation.

Academic Probation

Students will be placed on academic probation at the end of any semester if their cumulative grade average drops below 2.00. The effect of the academic probation is to serve notice to students that the quality of their work is below an acceptable level and that continuation of unsatisfactory work during their next semester of enrollment will result in academic suspension. Students who are placed on academic probation will find that fact noted on their final grades and their transcripts viewed on cyberbear.umt.edu. They should contact their advisors immediately to seek help.

Academic Suspension

Students will be academically suspended at the end of any semester if they were placed on academic probation during their last semester of attendance and their cumulative grade average is still below 2.00. Exceptions are made if they earn at least 2.00 grade average for the semester without raising their cumulative grade average to the required minimum. In such cases, students remain on academic probation. The effect of academic suspension is that students may not re enroll at the University unless they have been reinstated. Academic suspensions are noted on final grades and transcripts on cyberbear.umt.edu.

Reinstatement

Following suspension, students will not be considered for reinstatement until at least one semester or the entire summer term has passed. In order to be reinstated, students must receive the approval of the dean of the school or college in which they intend to enroll. Reinstatements are never automatic, and students' requests for reinstatement are unlikely to be approved unless the students offer carefully prepared plans which indicate how their academic performance will be improved.

All students reinstated after suspension are reinstated on academic probation and will be suspended again unless they meet the requirements as explained under Academic Suspension above.

A student denied reinstatement may appeal the denial in writing to the University President within ten days of receiving the notice of denial. The decision to deny reinstatement normally will not be reversed unless there is evidence the decision was made arbitrarily.

Helping Services

Many programs at The University of Montana-Missoula offer services to help students who are experiencing academic difficulty. Faculty academic advisors are a primary resource for such students as they are in a position to both give advice and make appropriate referrals. Students with declared majors secure advisors through the department advising chair, and general studies students secure advisors through the Office of Academic Advising in the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Several courses are taught to assist students who have deficiencies in their academic backgrounds. The College of Technology offers MAT 005. The English Department offers basic composition and a writing laboratory. Help with study skills is available in the Curriculum and Instruction course 160.

Financial needs, personal problems, and indecision regarding vocation often affect academic performance. The Financial Aids Office, the Counseling Center, the Curry Health Center, the Career Planning and Placement Service and the Clinical Psychology Center can help in these areas.

Two tutoring programs are available to students, one administered by the TRiO and the other by the Undergraduate Advising Center; both are located in Lommasson Center. The Counseling Center offers workshops on a variety of topics designed to enhance student academic performance.

The TRiO Student Support Services (formerly the Educational Opportunity Program) is a federally-funded program offering academic support services, including one-on-one academic advising, career search and counseling (using a national career database), mentoring for Native American students, a two-credit study skills class, and tutoring at no cost to eligible students. To quality, a student must meet one of the following criteria: first-generation (neither parent has completed a four-year college degree), qualification under income (usually met if receiving a Pell grant), or documented disability. For more information, visit TRiO at Lommasson Center 154, call 406-243-5032, or log on to www.umt.edu/eop.

The Academic Support Center offers a variety of services designed to increase the College of Technology students' academic success. Students are assisted in the development of speed reading and study skills and tutoring in any subject area. Academic and career counseling, as well as help in adjusting to the transition from the workplace to school, is provided. For information about the Center's services and the Step Ahead program, contact the College of Technology (406) 243 7825.

Plagiarism Warning

Plagiarism is the representing of another's work as one's own. It is a particularly intolerable offense in the academic community and is strictly forbidden. Students who plagiarize may fail the course and may be remanded to Academic Court for possible suspension or expulsion. (See Student Conduct Code section of this catalog.)

Students must always be very careful to acknowledge any kind of borrowing that is included in their work. This means not only borrowed wording but also ideas. Acknowledgment of whatever is not one's own original work is the proper and honest use of sources. Failure to acknowledge whatever is not one's own original work is plagiarism

General Information

Maximum Credit Load

Generally, an undergraduate student should register for no more than 21 credits during a semester, including physical education activity courses, and courses which carry no credit such as Mathematics 005.

Permission to enroll for more than the maximum credit load given above may be approved by the student's faculty advisor.

Full-Time Student Defined

An undergraduate student must register for a minimum of 12 hours credit a semester to be classified as a full time student; however, in most baccalaureate programs a student must earn at least 15 credits per semester to graduate in a four year period. One and two year programs usually require between 15 and 19 credits per semester

Classification of Undergraduate Students

The undergraduate student is classified as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior based on the number of credits earned. The student who has earned fewer than 30 credits is a freshman. The student who has earned at least 30 credits but fewer than 60 is a sophomore, and the student who has earned at least 60 credits but fewer than 90 credits is a junior. The student who has earned 90 or more credits is classified a senior.

Dean's List (Honor Roll)

To qualify for the Dean's List, students must be undergraduates, must earn a semester grade average of 3.50 or higher, and receive grades of A or B in at least 9 credits. No grades of C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, NC or NCR are allowed.

Repeating a Course

Grades of AUD, I, N, NC, NCR, NF, W, WP, or WF do not repeat other grades but an F grade does. All courses repeated remain on the permanent record but only the last grade received is used to determine credits earned. If the last grade received is an F, no credit is given for previous passing grades. All grades are used to calculate the grade point average unless the $100.00 per course repeat fee is paid. If the repeat fee is paid, only the last grade received is used in calculating the grade point average.

If enrollment in a course is closed, a student who is repeating or auditing the course may be required by the instructor to drop the course. This rule grants enrollment preference to those students attempting to register for the course for the first time for credit. It is the responsibility of the student who is not allowed to remain in the course to formally drop the course to avoid a failing grade for that course.

The repetition of a course in the School of Law is governed by a different policy. See the School of Law section of this catalog.

University Omnibus Option for Independent Work

Under the "University omnibus option" credit is allowed for independent work in topics or problems that are proposed by the student and approved both by the instructor or instructors under whose supervision the work is to be done and by the chairperson or chairpersons of the department(s) involved. Such independent work may require as many weeks as the instructor(s) shall stipulate. The work may be on campus or off campus, as the nature of the study requires, although prior approval of all arrangements and faculty supervision must be assured.

All fees must be paid during a regular registration period in advance of beginning independent work. The student may not receive a larger number of credit hours than he or she is registered for, although a smaller number may be completed and credit obtained with the approval of the instructor or instructors. No more than 10 credit hours may be received in a single topic or problem. A maximum of 15 credit hours of independent work for a bachelor degree and 13 credit hours of independent work for an associate degree is permitted under the University omnibus option.

For each course taken under the University omnibus option, the student's transcript will show the departmental prefix, the level of the course, the number of credit hours, and the exact title of the topic. Students obtain course request numbers through the departments.

Credit By Examination

Under certain circumstances, a currently registered student may receive credit by examination for a course in which he or she has not been regularly enrolled. The student must have a minimum cumulative grade average of 2.00 and an entering freshman must present a high school scholastic record equivalent to a 2.00 grade average to be eligible to earn credit by examination in any course.

Each school or department may determine those courses, if any, for which credit may be earned by examination. The dean of the school or the chair of the department must approve any arrangements prior to testing for such credit. On the successful completion of an examination, the department notifies the Registrar's Office. There are no fees for this type of credit by examination and grading may be credit/no credit or traditional letter grade.

For information regarding other types of credit by examination, consult the College Level Examination Program in this catalog. See index.

Course Numbering System
  • 001-099 Courses below college level. Credit not allowed toward a degree.
  • 100-199 Primarily for freshmen.
  • 200-299 Primarily for sophomores.
  • 300-399 Primarily for juniors.
  • 400-499 Primarily for seniors.
  • 500-699 Primarily for graduate students.
  • Senior (5th year) courses in Pharmacy are numbered 500 to 599.
Undergraduates in Graduate Courses

Post-baccalaureates and seniors holding a 3.0 (or greater) grade point average may, with consent of instructor, enroll in 500-level courses for undergraduate credit. Variance from these requirements cannot be petitioned.

Credit

Credit is defined in terms of semester hours. In general, 1 semester hour credit is allowed for 1 hour of lecture each week of the semester, or an average of 2 hours of laboratory each week of the semester.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

"Prereq.." indicates the course or courses to be satisfactorily completed before enrollment in the course described. "Coreq." indicates a course which must be taken concurrently with the course described.

Cross-listed and Equivalent Courses

Some courses are offered jointly by two or more departments. Thus, the notation "Same as Ling 373," included in the course description for Anthropology 373, indicates that Anthropology 373 and Linguistics 373 are the same course. A student may enroll for such a course under the department in which she or he wishes to receive credit, but credit is not allowed toward a degree for both courses.

In certain cases, a course description indicates credit is not allowed for that course and for another course offered by a different department. These courses are very similar in content, although offered separately, and credit is not allowed toward a degree for both courses.

Technical Courses

Courses in the College of Technology with a course number suffix of "T" are primarily technical in nature and apply to the certificate programs and associate of applied science programs in the College and may not apply toward the associate of arts or baccalaureate degrees. Refer to vocational technical credits in the Admissions section or Credit Maximums section. See the College of Technology section to see the courses that count toward the associate of arts and baccalaureate degrees. See index.

Cancellation of Courses

The University reserves the right to cancel any course for which fewer than five students are enrolled as of the beginning of the course

Final Examinations

Final examinations for the semester are scheduled in two hour segments, one for each course. The segments should be considered as class meetings to be treated by the instructor as he or she thinks educationally appropriate. The time scheduled for final examinations is the only time period during which final examinations are to be given. If an instructor elects not to give a final examination, under no circumstances are final examinations to be given during the week preceding the scheduled final examination days.

Students may seek relief from writing more than two examinations during the same day. Students who are scheduled for more than two examinations may contact the appropriate faculty to arrange an alternate testing time during the scheduled final examination period. If satisfactory arrangements cannot be made, the student should seek the assistance of his or her dean.

Transcripts of Academic Records

Transcripts of the academic record of a student may be obtained from the Registrar&s Office in the Lommasson Center or the Registrar&s Office in the College of Technology upon the written request of the student. In compliance with federal and state laws designed to protect privacy, transcripts are not released without the student's authorizing signature.

Transcripts are usually available within two to five working days after receipt of the request. There is a charge of $3.00 for each official transcript. Payment must be received before transcripts are released. Transcripts are withheld if the student owes a debt to the University. Faxed and overnight transcripts are $15.00 to cover special handling.

A student can view his or her academic record on the internet at http://cyberbear.umt.edu.