AcademicS
Academic Policies
Orientation and Advising
Prior to registration, all new students are encouraged to participate in a New Student Orientation that overviews general academic regulations, policies, and support services.
Throughout study at GenesisU, faculty and staff stand ready to assist any students having difficulty with administrative and logistical issues. Students are welcome to contact them via e-mail, fax, phone, or postal correspondence.
Course Enrollment
Enrollment forms can be downloaded from the website or requested by phone, email, or mail. Once the enrollment has been processed and course tuition paid students will receive course materials via mail, email, and/or login information for the online classroom.
Credit Hour Policy
GenesisU credit courses are measured by the learning outcomes normally achieved through 45 hours of student work for one semester credit. One credit/semester hour is 15 hours of academic engagement and 30 hours of preparation. This formula is typically referred to as a Carnegie unit and is used by the American Council on Education in its Credit Recommendation Evaluative Criteria.
Student work includes direct or indirect faculty instruction. Academic engagement may include, but is not limited to, submitting an academic assignment, listening to class lectures, taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; attending a study group that is assigned by the institution; contributing to an academic online discussion; initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course, externship or internship. Preparation is typically homework, such as reading and study time, and completing assignments and projects. Therefore, a 3 credit hour course would require 135 semester hours (45 hours of academic engagement and 90 hours of preparation).
Course Load
Enrollment for a minimum of 6 credits in one 8-week academic term constitutes a full-time course load. Enrollment for a minimum of 12 credit hours in one 16-week academic term constitutes a full-time course load. Successful completion of at least 30 credit hours in an academic year will allow a student to progress reasonably toward graduation.
Student classifications are defined as follows:
| Credit Hours | Standing |
| 0-29 | Freshman |
| 30-59 | Sophomore |
| 60-89 | Junior |
| 90+ | Senior |
Grading System
Definitions of letter grades are as follows:
| Grade | Grade Point | Average Score | Rating |
| A | 4 | 93-100 | Excellent |
| A- | 3.67 | 90-92 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | 87-89 | |
| B | 3 | 83-86 | Above Average |
| B- | 2.67 | 80-82 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | 77-79 | |
| C | 2 | 73-76 | Average |
| C- | 1.67 | 70-72 | |
| D+ | 1.33 | 67-69 | |
| D | 1 | 63-66 | Passing |
| F | 0 | 0-59 | Failure |
Grades of “A,” “B,” and “C” are given for satisfactory work. A grade of “D” indicates a passing but unsatisfactory grade and a grade of “F” indicates work failed.
Relevant grading policies are:
1. The grade of ‘P’ is the equivalent of a ‘C’ or above. The grade of ‘P’ is not computed into the cumulative GPA, but credits earned count toward graduation.
2. The grade of ‘W’ indicates withdrawal from the course as explained in the withdrawal policy.
3. Grades for courses taken at another college or university do not enter into the computation of the cumulative GPA.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
GPA is determined at the end of each academic term. GPA is computed by multiplying the number of credit hours of each course by the grade points equivalent to the letter grade received and then totaling the points. The sum total is then divided by the total number of credit hours for which the student has received a grade. Grades reported as “I”, “W” or “P” are not computed in the GPA.
Incomplete Grades
The grade of ‘Inc’ is awarded to a student who has maintained satisfactory performance in a course but was unable to complete a major portion of coursework (e.g., term paper or final exam). It is the responsibility of the student to bring pertinent information to the faculty member to justify the reason for the missing work and agree on the means by which the remaining course requirements will be satisfied. The student and faculty member must agree, in writing, on the work to be completed and the time frame allowed for completion of the work (not to exceed the last day of the following academic term). The student is then responsible for fulfilling the remaining course requirements within the agreed upon time frame.
The faculty member will award the student an incomplete grade (grade of “Inc”) on the grading roster and, subsequently, change the grade to the earned grade when and if the remaining work is completed as per the written agreement. Incomplete classes do not impact GPA until a final letter grade is entered.
Failure of the student to complete work within the specified time limit will result in an ‘F’ being recorded as the final grade.
Repeating a Course
If a student repeats a course, the new grade will not be included in the cumulative GPA. The grade previously earned will not be included in the cumulative GPA.
Change a Grade
Once grades have been submitted to the Office of the Registrar no grade changes are allowed, unless a faculty member completes an official Change of Grade Form, in which an explanation of a legitimate error in the calculation of the grade is provided.
Grade Appeal Procedure
In the case where a student believes that the grade received is different from what was expected, the student must first exhaust all possibilities for resolving the problem with the faculty member. If this does not lead to a resolution, the student may appeal the grade by filing a petition with the Registrar. An appeal must be filed within four weeks from the date the grade was disseminated.
Once an appeal has been filed, the Registrar will inform the Dean who will then attempt to resolve the situation with the student and faculty member. Following consultation and investigation, the Dean will reach a decision. Any change of grade resulting from an appeal requires the endorsement of the Dean.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
In order to progress satisfactorily and obtain good academic standing, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and satisfactorily complete at least 67% percent of the credits attempted in a year. Satisfactory academic progress also requires students to graduate within 150% of the projected time to completion as listed in each program description.
While a minimum grade of D is required to pass an undergraduate course, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) throughout the program. Additionally, some courses may require a C- or better.
Academic Probation and Dismissal
To earn an undergraduate degree, an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher must be achieved. Students who have a GPA of less than 2.0 are placed on academic probation. Students remain on academic probation until their grade point average returns to a 2.0 or higher.
A student who fails to maintain good academic standing is placed on Academic Probation for the following term. Students on probation are required to sign a Performance Contract with the academic advisor no later than the first week of the start of the next academic term. The Performance Contract requires the student to meet weekly with the academic advisor and maintain a minimum of a “C” average during the probationary academic term.
A student will be academically dismissed for any of the following:
- If a probationary student has not complied with the terms of the Performance Contract, the student will be suspended for the following semester.
- If a probationary student fails to earn a minimum GPA of at least 2.0 during the subsequent term of enrollment and/or fails to maintain the stipulations of the Performance Contract, the student will be academically dismissed.
- If a conditionally admitted student does not meet the conditions of their admission, the student will be academically dismissed.
- If a student fails to maintain good academic standing for two consecutive academic terms, the student will be academically dismissed.
A student may appeal an Academic Suspension or Academic Dismissal to the Dean. All appeals must be in writing. Students with appropriate explanations for failing to earn the minimum GPA and/or maintain the stipulations of the Performance Contract must take responsibility for providing document and supporting materials to the Dean in advance of the scheduled appeal hearing. Students appealing for re-admission should provide a plan for improving academic performance. Students are expected to appear in person at the appeal hearing. In all cases, decisions of the Dean are final.
Undergraduate Graduation Requirements
Students must meet the following for graduation:
Associate
1. Have a total of 60 approved credit hours.
2. Complete at least 15 Genesis University credit hours.
3. Fulfill the General Education Requirements.
4. Have a Core/Major GPA of 2.0.
5. Have a Cumulative GPA of 2.0.
6. Completion within 3 years.
Bachelor’s
1. Have a total of 120 approved credit hours.
2. Complete at least 30 Genesis University credit hours.
3. Fulfill the General Education Requirements.
4. Have a Core/Major GPA of 2.0.
5. Have a Cumulative GPA of 2.0.
6. May be required to satisfactorily complete an Academic Autobiography.
7. Completion within 6 years.
Minors and Double Majors
A minor may be earned by taking at least 15 credit hours from one of the degree programs that are not a part of a student’s primary major. These must be courses that are unique to that program and cannot include those that are also a part of the student’s primary major program. A second major may be earned by taking an additional 30 hours from one of the degree programs apart from the student’s primary major. Students who want to pursue a double major should contact the Academic Dean when they first begin their studies with Genesis University or make the decision to double major.
Honors
Genesis University may grant Latin honors at graduation. To be eligible for graduation honors, a student must have achieved the requisite resident, core/major, and cumulative GPA. These are:
| Summa cum laude | Cumulative GPA of 3.90-4.00 |
| Magna cum laude | Cumulative GPA of 3.70-3.89 |
| Cum laude | Cumulative GPA of 3.50-3.69 |
Latin honors may be noted on the diploma and transcript.