Program Planning
Academic Advisement
When entering SNU, each student is assigned an academic advisor. Typically, the advisor is chosen from the area in which the student has chosen a major, so that the student will be enabled to make informed judgments about academic life and career. The student and advisor work together to develop a timeline for following one of the programs of study available through the designated department or school of the university. The advisor then monitors the student's progress each semester as that student completes the designated program of study.
As a student's interests and goals shift, it may become necessary to seek a new academic advisor, so that the student works with a faculty member whose expertise is in the new area of interest. If so, the student must submit a Change of Advisor request (forms are available in the Registrar's Office) and have it appropriately processed. Doing so assures that the student's academic information will be transferred from the previous advisor to the one newly assigned. If the described process for changing advisors has not been followed, the student will encounter difficulties when attempting to pre-register, register, or change registration.
Monitoring Academic Progress
Since a major part of sound academic advising is the monitoring of academic progress, it is important to provide accurate, up-to-date information to both student and advisor. Additionally, it is important to have documentation supporting the student's initial program of study, subsequent progress, and any modifications that may have been made to the academic program of that student. To facilitate monitoring of the student's progress, SNU utilizes a tracking system called UNIVISOR. The UNIVISOR, which provides up-to-date information on courses the student has completed, courses yet to be taken, and progress toward graduation requirements, can be accessed through the SNU computer network. It also interfaces with other university systems to provide current information on pre-requisites, course descriptions, and closed sections.
In addition to the on-going use of the UNIVISOR to track student progress, several check points are utilized to monitor program completion. These are as follows:
Entry/Transfer Audit:
When a student enters SNU (either as a freshman or in transfer), an Entry/Transfer Audit will be performed using high school and/or college transcripts, ACT results, and any other relevant information that may be available. The Entry/Transfer Audit will provide verification of incoming General Education and major coursework and thereby will provide the student and advisor with a clear picture of what courses will be needed to complete the student's program of study. It is the joint responsibility of the student and faculty advisor to review this information carefully during the student's first semester at SNU, to make sure it is accurate and complete. The decisions reflected in this information will provide documentation of agreements reached upon the student's entry to SNU and will allow the student reasonable assurance that those agreements will be honored.
The faculty advisor may request modifications to the Entry Audit on the basis of either first-hand information from the student about transfer coursework, unreported test scores, or on the basis of changes in a student's designated major/concentration. If modifications are requested, the advisor should file a petition for this purpose no later than the beginning of the pre-enrollment period during the student's second semester of coursework at SNU. Petition results (approval or denial) will be recorded in the student's file within 10 working days of approval by the Dean of Arts & Sciences.
Graduation Audit:
At the end of the student's junior year, a Graduation Audit will automatically be performed, with the results sent to both the student and advisor. This audit provides verification of: 1) courses and/or CLEP credits completed at SNU, 2) posting of any transfer credit the student may have earned, 3) having met GPA requirements (cumulative, major, minor), 4) having met residency requirements, 5) having met requirements for upper-division coursework, and 6) notification of the General Education and major courses that must be completed prior to graduation. This information will assist the advisor and student in planning an appropriate course schedule for the student's senior year, so that all graduation requirements can be met.
Graduation Requirements:
A student working for a degree at SNU normally is subject to the degree requirements of the catalog under which the student matriculated. The Entry and Graduation Audits for each student will, therefore, be performed using those degree requirements. Should a student choose to change his/her program of study after initial matriculation to the University, that student has the option to complete the degree requirements set forth in the catalog in force at the time such a change was declared. Should a student opt to follow these newer guidelines, he/she will be subject to them as a different but entire set of requirements. Thus, a student should generally expect to complete the newer degree requirements in their entirety (rather than mixing selected requirements of the previous program with selected requirements of the newer program). Any requested exceptions, however, should follow the prescribed petition process (see below) and should be completed prior to the Graduation Audit.
Petition Process:
A formal process exists through which a student and advisor may petition for an alteration in the degree requirements to which the student would ordinarily be subject. It is possible to petition to waive a course or program requirement, substitute one course for another, or switch to the requirements of a newer degree program. All such petitions should be completed on the form provided by the Office of Academic Affairs and must contain all required signatures (including the Director of General Education, if a General Education course is involved). Completed petitions are to be accompanied by a current transcript and any other required documentation (such as a course syllabus). Action taken on petitions (approval or denial) is recorded in the student's record within 10 working days and will be used to determine which requirements remain for the student before graduation.
Advanced Standing
The University grants advanced standing to students who demonstrate (by scores on approved advanced standing examinations) that they already have a background in a particular field equivalent to the achievement required in a course offered by the University. The most typical programs for achieving advanced standing are the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement Program (AP), and the International Baccalaureate Program (IB). Limited credit may be awarded through departmental proficiency exams or military credit.
For students in traditional programs at SNU, a total of up to thirty (30) semester hours of college credit is available through various forms of testing (CLEP, AP, departmental proficiency exams, military credit). Credit hours received via CLEP are recorded on the transcript after the student completes six (6) hours of work at SNU. In order to assist in accurate advisement and planning, students planning to take CLEP exams should do so in adequate time so that the testing results will be available before the beginning of the student's sophomore year. By policy, CLEP credit for lower division courses will not be approved if advanced courses in the same area of study have already been taken; any exception must have the approval of the Dean of Arts & Sciences.
For students in nontraditional programs at SNU, a total of up to 45 credit hours of advanced standing may be earned, with a maximum of 30 credit hours awarded for experiential learning.
CLEP is the major vehicle for advanced standing validation and incoming freshmen who are proficient in specific academic areas may want to take advantage of this opportunity. CLEP offers two types of examinations (general and subject) and note should be made that the guidelines for acceptance of CLEP results vary from one university to another. For example, course credit gained by taking the general battery of CLEP examinations will not necessarily be accepted as credit in transfer to another college or university; some colleges will accept credit only when it is acquired by taking the CLEP subject examinations. For any prospective SNU student, therefore, information regarding approved CLEP examinations and acceptance of CLEP credit at SNU should be obtained from the SNU Testing Service office prior to taking a CLEP exam. Southern Nazarene University is not responsible for inaccurate information provided by other sources.
Consistent with practices at other regionally-accredited universities, CLEP credit is awarded according to the guidelines established by the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE recommends that students be awarded credit if they score at or above the 50% percentile on established sophomore norms in selected content areas. The specific cut-off scores are based on current norms and, therefore, are subject to change. For specific score information, contact the SNU Testing Service office.
CLEP examinations are administered by appointment only, Monday through Thursday at the Testing Service office (Science Hall, 4th floor, 405-491-6323). If a student is unable to take the examinations on campus, arrangements should be made with a CLEP testing center at a convenient location, with the results sent to SNU (Code 6036). Charges for testing and processing at SNU are listed in the Financial Information section of this catalog, or may be obtained from the SNU Testing Service office.
Advanced Placement (AP) tests are also used as a basis for granting credit. Credit is given in a variety of courses for receiving a score of three (3) or higher on the appropriate exams. These tests are available as a part of the Advanced Placement courses taken in high school and the exam must be taken for credit to be granted. Advanced Placement is awarded credit as recommended by the guidelines of The College Board.
Study completed through the International Baccalaureate (IB) program may receive credit if taken at the advanced level and the student achieves a score of 4 or better on the examination associated with the course. Official score reports must be provided to the SNU Registrar before credit is awarded.
Whenever available, CLEP exams are used to determine proficiency credit. If no CLEP exam is available, it may be possible that a department will have received approval to offer a locally-validated proficiency exam. Students requesting advanced standing for applied work in fine arts, nursing, physical education, speech, art, or business should consult with the school or department chairperson for the availability of tests in these areas.
Veterans who meet the requirements for admission will be allowed advanced standing to the extent that their experience in the armed forces is applicable to the program they are pursuing at the University. The Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Forces, issued by ACE, will be followed in evaluating the student's educational experiences for such advanced standing. A total of four hours of credit in physical education will be allowed for basic or boot training, if the student is not a Kinesiology and Sport Management major. Additional credit may be secured by petitioning the department for advanced standing. To secure advanced standing, the veteran must furnish transcripts of work taken in colleges and official records indicating educational achievements during military service.
Credit for Correspondence Courses
Up to thirty (30) hours of credit earned by correspondence may be accepted when completed through schools that maintain accredited extension departments. A student who is already enrolled for a degree program at Southern Nazarene University must secure the written approval of the appropriate Dean before enrolling for a correspondence course.
Degree Requirements
Baccalaureate Degree Requirements
Undergraduate programs leading to baccalaureate degrees require a minimum of 124 credit hours; a number of programs require more than the minimum to complete. The programs of study for students required to enroll in zero-level courses (such as GS 0112, GS 0212, ENGL 0103) will necessitate a minimum of 128-131 credit hours. In addition to specialized preparation, a broad liberal arts background is required for all students. To ensure that all students share this liberal arts emphasis, the faculty has outlined the following general requirements, which apply to all four-year curricula.
I. ADMISSION: To become a candidate for a degree, all admission requirements of the University must be satisfied.
II. RESIDENCE CREDIT: To become a candidate for any baccalaureate degree, the student must have a minimum of thirty hours of residence credit earned at Southern Nazarene University. Fifteen of the last thirty semester hours needed to meet graduation requirements or program completion must be taken in residence. Additionally, a minimum of 15 hours of the student's major or concentration must be completed in residence at SNU. Additional hours in residence may be required by a department to complete a degree.
III. UPPER DIVISION CREDIT: Forty hours of credit must be in courses numbered 3000 or above. Any exceptions require approval of the Dean of Arts & Sciences.
IV. GRADE POINTS: To receive a degree, the candidate must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 2.00 (on a 4.0 scale). A GPA of 2.00 is required in the major; a 2.00 is also required in the minor. In a multidisciplinary degree program, a GPA of 2.00 is required on the total concentration.
V. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: All students are expected to complete the designated set of General Education requirements, as outlined in a later section of this catalog. The General Education CORE is a minimum requirement serving the liberal arts objectives of the University. A number of the degree curricula include other general courses in addition to the minimum basic requirements. Any exceptions to the designated General Education program must be recommended by the Director of General Education and approved by the appropriate Dean.
Second Baccalaureate Degree
To become a candidate for a second undergraduate degree, the student must complete at least 30 hours of work in addition to the 124 hours required for the first degree and any additional degree requirements that may apply. For example, if the student's first degree was a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, the
second degree will require a minimum of 30 hours and whatever additional requirements are associated with completion of a Bachelor of Arts degree (e.g. six hours of language). Fifteen of the 30 hours must be taken in residence. In addition, the student must meet all of the requirements set forth in the curriculum for the second degree. If the first degree is not from Southern Nazarene University, then a minimum of 30 hours in residence is required. In no case will more than one degree be conferred upon a candidate at any one Commencement (not to be confused with a second major, see below).
Second Baccalaureate Major
To become a candidate for a second undergraduate major, a student must complete all degree requirements for both programs. With careful planning, it may be possible for a student to complete a double major within the 124-hour minimum, although this is unlikely. It is more typical that completion of a double major will require more than 124 credit hours.
If a student has already completed one baccalaureate degree from SNU and subsequently wishes to pursue a second major, a minimum of 30 additional hours is required. Fifteen of those 30 hours must be taken in residence. In addition, the student must meet all of the requirements set forth in the curriculum for the second major. If the first degree was not from Southern Nazarene University, then a minimum of 30 hours in residence is required.
Application for Graduation
Upon receiving their Graduation Audit, degree candidates are required to return a signed Application for Graduation, which verifies whether the student plans to participate in commencement activities. In order to participate in commencement activities, the signed Application must be returned to the Registrar by the designated date. Degrees are conferred three times a year, at Winter and Spring Commencements and on August 15.