2003 - 2004 Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Governing Catalog | Residence Requirement | Academic Major | Academic Minor | Graduation | Commencement | Liberal Education Requirements | Fulfilling LE Skills Requirements | Transfer Credit | Prior Learning Assessment | Credit by Examination | Military Training and Experience

Westminster offers courses leading to the undergraduate degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. The faculties of the four schools determine which of these degrees is to be awarded under each instructional program.

Governing Academic Catalog

Students may meet degree requirements as specified in the Academic Catalog in effect at the time of their entrance into the college, or they may elect to meet requirements given in a later academic catalog. All major, minor, and liberal education requirements must be contained within a single issue and may not be selected from several issues.

Students who leave the college for no more than two regular semesters retain the right to be considered under their previous catalog and retain the right for six years following the date of entrance to graduate under requirements current at the time of entrance.

Residence Requirement

Undergraduate students earning baccalaureate degrees from Westminster must complete a minimum of 36 hours of course work at the college, including at least 12 hours of upper division course work in their major, and they must be enrolled at Westminster during the semester in which they complete requirements for graduation.

A maximum of 88 credit hours of external credit is accepted toward a degree. External credit includes any transfer credit, credit by examination, and credit earned through Prior Learning Assessment.

Academic Major

The college offers the academic programs (majors) listed below:

The requirements for each of these academic programs are listed according to the school to which they belong. Students are bound by the major requirements of their governing academic catalog. Changes made to program requirements for individual students by advisors are subject to the approval of program chairs, the school dean and the Registrar.

Declaring a Major

All students must formally declare an academic major once they have completed 60 or more credit hours (junior standing). Students with junior standing who have not met with an academic advisor and formally declared their major will not be eligible to register for upcoming semesters. Forms for declaring majors and minors are available in the START Center, each academic school office, or the Office of the Registrar. You may contact any of these offices for additional information.

Completing Two Majors

A major is an area of specialization within the degree. Students may complete more than one major at the same time but may not complete more than one degree at the same time.

Courses that are required for both majors may be used to fulfill requirements for both majors, but elective courses may be used in only one major. In other words, the hours may be used only once.

Information about combining two Gore School of Business majors may be obtained from the Gore School of Business or the Office of the Registrar.

Students may choose two majors, one that leads to a B.A., and one that leads to a B.S., but may receive only one degree. The first-listed major on the graduation application determines the degree awarded.

Contractual Major (Individualized)

With the faculty's permission, students may choose to pursue an individualized field of concentration consisting of 40 to 60 semester credit hours, 80% of which must be taken at Westminster from two or more disciplines. The contractual major must demonstrate a coherent conceptual framework of focus, depth, and breadth; relate to a career or educational objective; and culminate in a comprehensive examination or integrative project. The contractual major option is intended to be interdisciplinary in content and methodology and is not intended to make available to students a single discipline traditional major that Westminster may not currently offer.

The program director(s) and curriculum committee must approve each student's plan for a contractual major. This approval is needed four semesters before graduation. The student's academic advisor approves other components of the student's program. A student may apply for a contractual major at the Registrar's Office.

Academic Minor

The college offers an academic minor in most areas of instruction. Each instructional program lists specific minor requirements. Several majors require an accompanying minor. In lieu of a minor, students may support their majors with a broad variety of courses selected in consultation with their academic advisors.

A minimum 2.0 GPA is required for course work used to fulfill requirements for an academic minor. Minimum GPA requirements are listed for each academic minor. Only grades of C- or better may be presented to satisfy minor requirements.

Courses that are required for both a major and a minor may be used to fulfill requirements for both the major and the minor, but elective courses may be used in either the major or the minor. The hours may be used only once.

In addition to the above-listed majors, the college offers minors in many of these areas plus minors only in Anthropology, Environmental Studies, French, Gender Studies, Music, Political Science, Religion, Spanish and Theatre Arts.

Information about combining Gore School of Business majors and minors may be obtained from the Gore School of Business or the Office of the Registrar.

Graduation

Applying for Graduation

Candidates for graduation should apply to the Registrar's Office two regular semesters prior to their planned completion date. Students can apply for December, May, or August graduation dates. Application deadlines are posted in the Academic Calendar in the fall semester.

To apply for graduation, students must obtain degree audits for all academic programs, including the honors program. Graduation applications are available in the Registrar's Office. Students are expected to meet with their academic advisors to review and sign all required paperwork. Paperwork that is unsigned or incomplete will be returned to the student. Candidates are notified of remaining degree requirements and their status within four weeks after applying for graduation.

Requirements

To be eligible for a bachelor's degree, students must satisfy the following conditions:

• complete a minimum of 124 semester credit hours, 40 of which must be upper division courses numbered 300 or above from a four-year institution (see Quantity Standard below).
• fulfill all liberal education requirements (see Liberal Education Requirements section below).
• maintain an overall grade point average of 2.00 or above (see Grade Point Average section below).
• meet all course requirements and grade point average requirements in the major and minor (see individual major and minor listings).
• fulfill the residency requirements currently in effect (see Residency Requirement section above).

Note: Only letter grades of C- or better may be presented to satisfy major, minor, or LE requirements (with the exception of Nursing, which requires a grade of C or better; and Education, which requires a grade of C+ or better in all education classes).

The final responsibility for being informed about, and adhering to, graduation requirements rests with the individual student.

Quantity Standard

A minimum of one hundred twenty-four (124) credit hours of college work is required for graduation. Forty (40) hours of this number must be earned in upper division courses (courses numbered 300 and above). Although some lower division transfer course work from two-year institutions may be accepted as meeting upper division major requirements, these hours will not be counted toward the 40 upper division hours required for graduation. Students with 123.51 or more hours have completed the quantity standard for graduation.

Grade Point Average

Students must present a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all work completed at the college. Students must present a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.3 in their major unless otherwise specified in the major program. Students should check their major programs for grade point average requirements.

Honors (Graduating with)

Honors are awarded to undergraduate students upon graduation and are determined as follows:

Important note: Grade point averages are not rounded in order to achieve honors. If a student has a final cumulative grade point average of 3.499, Westminster College will not award honors upon graduation. Similarly, if a student qualifies for honors and has a 3.849 cumulative grade point average, they will be awarded Magna Cum Laude and will not have their GPA rounded up to achieve Summa Cum Laude status.

Honors noted in the Commencement program are based upon the grade point average at the end of the spring semester. Honors designations noted in the program are subject to change based on the calculation of final grade point averages for students attending May and Summer terms.

Undergraduate students can achieve honors in two ways:

Option 1
Completing 60 hours of course work at Westminster with letter grades and achieving a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 or higher (as noted above).

Option 2
Transferring in with a transfer cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above and completing 35 hours of course work with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or above at Westminster. Note: The Registrar will re-calculate grade point averages from all institutions and will include any recently taken course work to determine your final transfer grade point average.

Academic Rank

Westminster College does not rank its students.

Second Bachelor's Degree

Students who have earned a bachelor's degree and are working toward a second bachelor's degree must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours at Westminster College beyond the first degree and must meet all degree requirements. Students may not complete two degrees concurrently. Students who already have earned a bachelor's degree are considered to have met liberal education and upper division hour requirements. Transfer students who have earned a bachelor's degree are automatically awarded 88 credit hours of transfer credit.
Nursing prerequisite courses need to be fulfilled by students with prior degrees. Individual evaluations of comparable course work will be made by the nursing program.

Completing Additional Major or Minor After Graduation

Westminster graduates may choose to complete an additional major or minor after their graduation date and are allowed to use their same governing catalog as long as they stay continuously enrolled. Requirements must be completed within one year of their graduation date and students must meet all requirements in residence at Westminster. The student must notify the Registrar's Office of his or her intention to complete an additional major or minor.

Commencement

The commencement ceremony is held in late May or early June. All students who complete requirements for graduation and are entitled to receive degrees are required to be present at the commencement exercises. Students who, due to extenuating circumstances, are unable to attend must request that they be excused. Requests must be made in writing to the Registrar's Office.

December and April graduates will receive their diplomas following the ceremony. Students attending May term will receive diplomas mid-June. August graduates completing their degree requirements during the summer term may attend the preceding spring ceremony but will not receive diplomas until August.

Liberal Education Requirements

The liberal education program at Westminster College includes both skills and distribution requirements. The program is designed to foster in students those values and intellectual skills that are necessary as a foundation for learning and to provide students with experience in the academic disciplines of the liberal arts. The college's goals of encouraging analytical and critical thinking, originality and creativity, and effective problem solving form the core of liberal education courses and are reinforced across the curriculum in major areas of study.
The following course requirements are established for all students seeking an undergraduate degree. Students must earn a grade of CR or C- or above in liberal education course work to fulfill graduation requirements.

A. Skills Requirements

Students must show competence in each of the skills categories through placement scores, tests, prior learning assessment, or successful course completion.

B. Distribution Requirements (29 - 34 credits)

Students must successfully complete at least one course from each group to fulfill distribution requirements:

*Students taking foundation courses (200FN) cannot use one class to fulfill multiple Distribution Requirements, except for ART/MUSC/THTR 200FN. For example, HIST 200FN will fulfill Group 5 or Group 6 or Group 9; but ART 200FN will fulfill Group 7 and Group 8.

Fulfilling Liberal Education Skills Requirements

Meeting Mathematics Requirements

The following guidelines are used in determining when students have met mathematics requirements. (Students without ACT or SAT scores or students who are unsure about mathematics placement must contact the START Center for placement testing.)

Students may fulfill the requirement through:

• acceptance of transfer credit for a college algebra, elementary statistics, or equivalent quantitative reasoning course
• a score of 28 or above on the ACT mathematics test or a score of 620 or above on the SAT mathematics test
• a score of 46 or above on the CLEP college algebra test or a score of 45 or above on the CLEP algebra and trigonometry test (Note: The CLEP program is currently under review by Westminster College faculty.)
• a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP calculus test or the AP statistics test
• completion of MATH 120, MATH 141, or MATH 150 at Westminster College with a grade of C- or above.

Placement in English

The following guidelines are used in determining in which level of English course work a student should enroll.

English Placement for International Students

International Students must take ENGL 111 and ENGL 112 English as a Second Language (offered as needed) instead of ENGL 110.

Public Presentations Requirement

Passing SPCH 111 satisfies the skills requirements for Public Presentations. A student with prior formal speech and presentations training may be eligible to have the Public Presentations requirement waived. Any waiver of the Public Presentations Requirement will require an interview with the Chair of the Speech/Theatre Program and the delivery of a specifically assigned presentation in front of a designated audience that satisfactorily demonstrates the student's proficiency. Competence must be shown in two speaking formats: informative and persuasive. The request for a waiver of the Public Presentations skills requirement must be made, with no exceptions, at least one semester prior to the semester in which the student plans to graduate. The requirement may be challenged only one time.

Computer Literacy Requirement

Competency in computer literacy may be met by taking CMPT 098 or any higher numbered computer (CMPT) course at Westminster or passing the Computer Competency Exam, available through the START Center.

Foreign Language Requirement

Foreign Language requirements are listed as part of the major requirements for each major (see individual academic program listings). Most majors require one of the following two options:

Eight credit hours in one of the following ways:

• Four credit hours of a foreign language, and either: four credit hours of a Westminster May/Summer international study tour, or four credits of an international study tour transferred from an accredited college or university.
• Eight credit hours of a single foreign language.

Successful completion of any college-level foreign language course that is the equivalent of four credit hours, or five quarter hours, satisfies part of the foreign language requirement as will adequate AP or CLEP examination scores. Students might also qualify to take a Westminster College challenge examination in French or Spanish with departmental approval.

Students who are bi-lingual (native proficiency) are exempt from this requirement but must meet with language faculty to receive a waiver. Effective Fall 1994, Westminster faculty approved American Sign Language for liberal education credit.

Students with some high school language experience who are unsure of proper foreign language placement should arrange for an interview with the professor in the respective language program.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 72 credit hours may be awarded from two-year institutions. A maximum of 88 credit hours transferred from all collegiate institutions (two-year and four-year) attended may be applied toward meeting the total number of hours required for graduation.

Note: It is not possible to earn upper division hours from a two-year school.

Criteria for the Acceptance of Transfer Credit

Westminster College awards transfer credit for course work that meets the following criteria:

• The transfer institution is regionally accredited;
• The credit awarded is for non-remedial course work taken in general academic areas that are part of the Westminster curriculum;
• The credit awarded is for course work with grades of C- or better. (Marks of credit (CR) or pass (P) are not accepted unless verified as equivalent to a C- or above. (Except physical education classes which are offered only for grades of CR or P.)

Foreign Transfer Credit

All foreign transcripts are evaluated by Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute (ACEI), which determines the level of course work taken and the semester hour and grade equivalents. Only course work that is determined to be equivalent to college-level academic work that meets the criteria noted above will be considered for transfer. Equivalencies to Westminster courses will be determined as outlined below. Transfer acceptance of hours from foreign institutions does not guarantee fulfillment of like courses in majors and minors at Westminster unless approved by the faculty.

Determination of Liberal Education and Major Course Equivalencies

Liberal Education Requirements

Transfer courses fulfill Westminster liberal education course requirements on a course-by-course basis when the transfer courses are deemed equivalent to the corresponding Westminster courses. The Transfer Coordinator makes this determination in accordance with guidelines established by faculty.

Major and Minor Course Requirements

An advisor in the major or minor program of study determines whether transfer credit fulfills specific requirements in the major or minor. A student who receives elective transfer credit for a course may not necessarily be able to apply that course to the major or minor. In addition, some programs have minimum grade requirements.

Transfer Credit and Prerequisite Knowledge

Although the college accepts transfer credit for courses with a C- grade or higher, individual programs may require verification of prerequisite knowledge and may require students to repeat course work.

Upper Division Transfer Credit

By definition, it is not possible to earn upper division credit from a two-year institution. In certain cases, lower division course work will be accepted as meeting upper division program requirements; however, these hours will not count toward the 40 upper division hours required for graduation.

Converting Quarter Credit Hours to Semester Credit Hours

A quarter hour is equal to two-thirds of a semester hour, so one quarter hour transfers as .67 credit hours. Students transferring from institutions using the quarter system do not lose credit, because semesters are longer than quarters.

Quarter Hours and Westminster Hour Requirements

To be accepted as meeting Westminster College requirements, courses must not only have equivalent academic content, they must also equal at least two-thirds of the Westminster required hours, e.g., a language class must be 2.68 credit hours or more.

Waiver of Liberal Education Distribution Requirements

From Utah Schools: Associate Degrees and Letters of Completion

Students who have Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees or official letters verifying completion of liberal education requirements from a regionally accredited Utah institution are considered to have completed all liberal education distribution requirements. Students who have Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees are not eligible for waivers.

Nursing majors should note that certain liberal education courses serve as nursing prerequisites and are required, even if a previous A.A. or A.S. degree has been attained.

A waiver of liberal education distribution requirements based on an associate degree does not exempt students from completing liberal education skills requirements. All students must demonstrate minimum skills in English, computer science, public presentations, and mathematics. See the Liberal Education section of this catalog for a description of ways in which skills requirements can be met.

From Out-of-State Schools: Associate Degrees

Students who have an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree from a regionally accredited out-of-state institution are considered to have completed all liberal education distribution requirements if, on a course-by-course basis, they have fulfilled seven of the nine liberal education distribution categories. Students who have an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) are not eligible for a waiver.

Nursing majors should note that certain liberal education courses serve as nursing prerequisites and are required even if a previous A.A. or A.S. degree has been attained.

A waiver of liberal education distribution requirements based on an associate degree does not exempt students from completing liberal education skills requirements. All students must demonstrate minimum skills in English, computer science, public presentations, and mathematics. See the Liberal Education section of this catalog for a description of ways in which skills requirements can be met.

Prior Learning Assessment

The nationally recognized Prior Learning Assessment Program provides an opportunity for students to receive college credit toward a bachelor's degree for college-level learning gained through career and life experience and through certain types of formal training. Students may earn a maximum of 45 credit hours from a combination of credit awarded in two categories: (1) career and life experience, and (2) formal military and career training. Within the total 45-credit hour maximum, students may earn no more than 30 credit hours in the career and life experience category.

The two categories of prior learning are assessed in the following ways:

1. Through a portfolio, prepared by the student, which documents knowledge gained from career and life experience. Candidates seeking credit for career and life experience attend an assessment workshop for which one credit hour may be earned. The workshop aids the student in preparing a personal portfolio, which details the student's level of learning and documents how the learning was obtained. Students may earn a maximum of 30 credit hours in this category. There is a $450.00 assessment fee to evaluate the portfolio and a tuition charge for the one-credit hour Prior Learning Workshop, INTR 250. Contact the START Center for additional information about enrolling in this course.
2. Through an evaluation of recommendations made by the American Council on Education (ACE) for selected formal training courses offered through the military and by major employers throughout the United States. There is no assessment fee for the evaluation of ACE credit. Contact the Registrar's Office for more information.

Credit received through prior learning assessment is not counted toward residency and is not considered official until all graduation requirements have been met. Students who choose the prior learning option need to be aware that if they transfer to another institution prior to graduation, the transfer institution may not accept the prior learning credit by transfer.

Credit by Examination

Students may earn a maximum of 40 credit hours under credit by examination programs: Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Challenge Examinations, Nursing Examinations, and International Baccalaureate. Credit by examination is not counted as in-residence credit.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) examinations in most subjects cover a full-year college course equivalent to eight credit hours. Some subject areas such as Computer Science A, Economics (Macro and Micro), Environmental Science, Comparative Government and Politics, U.S. Government and Politics, Physics C, Psychology, Statistics, and Human Geography, are equivalent to one semester of college-level course work and are awarded credit based on the credit hours for the equivalent course at Westminster.

A score of 3 is the minimum score accepted by the college; however, individual departments may require a minimum score of 4 to award credit for the equivalent course and/or liberal education requirement. Individual departments determine how they will apply AP credits toward specific major or minor requirements. Students may receive a maximum of 40 hours of Advanced Placement credit. Listed below are the AP tests that fulfill Westminster LE requirements and the required scores.

*Designates AP examinations equivalent to only one semester of college-level work.

For a complete listing of the AP examinations, the required scores, and equivalent courses at Westminster, contact the START Center or the Registrar's Office.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

CLEP is a national program of examination to evaluate, confirm, and assess the academic achievement of individuals who have reached a college level of education through either traditional or non-traditional means of study.

Note: The CLEP program is currently under review by Westminster College faculty. Acceptance of CLEP testing for specific Westminster courses as listed below is subject to change. For a complete listing of currently honored CLEP examinations, please contact the START Center or the Registrar's Office.

CLEP includes General Examinations in two basic liberal arts areas and Subject Examinations in widely-taught undergraduate courses. Credit is not awarded if duplicated by previous course work.

CLEP candidates are awarded credit as follows:

Subject Examinations:

Credit is awarded for CLEP subject examinations taken after September 1, 1993, using the scaled scores recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE). Scoring tables are available in the START Center. Credit for subject examinations taken prior to September 1, 1993, is only awarded for scaled scores of 50 or above. For more information about CLEP, contact the START Center at 832-2282.

International Baccalaureate

Students who have earned a diploma in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in high school are awarded 30 credit hours and cleared of all liberal education requirements. Once awarded, students are not eligible to receive credit from AP or CLEP examinations except for Subject Examinations where upper-division course work equivalency is awarded. It is not possible to receive credit for partial completion of the IB program. Students are required to provide proof of the diploma upon admission to the college.

Nursing Examinations

Nursing students may validate prior learning through examinations offered by the National League for Nursing and the American College Testing Program. See the Nursing Program requirements for details.

Challenge Examinations

Students may earn credit for independent learning in certain academic areas by means of the Challenge Examination. This is a comprehensive examination covering a given course according to the following conditions:

1. The course challenged must be offered by Westminster College, and the student requesting the examination must be currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student in the college.
2. The student must pay a non-refundable fee of $50 per credit hour prior to taking the examination.
3. Permission to take the Challenge Examination must be secured from the dean of the school under which the course falls and the instructor who teaches the course. The instructor prepares, administers, and grades the examination. Permission to take the examination must be secured 30 days prior to examination, and reasonable assurance of the student's ability to pass the examination must be provided when the request is made.
4. The course being challenged must not be a course for which the student has previously received credit, a course in which the student is enrolled, or a course in which the student was previously enrolled and dropped later than the first week of class.
5. When students successfully pass the Challenge Examination, they receive a letter grade of A, B, C, or D and the appropriate number of credit hours. Students not passing their examinations receive no grade or credit.
6. A course may be challenged only once.
7. Seminars, directed studies, laboratory portions of a course, or activity courses may not be challenged.
8. No more than 30 credit hours by Challenge Examination may be offered toward graduation. Credit received through Challenge Examination is not counted as in-residence credit.
9. The Challenge Examination for the public presentation skills requirement must be taken at least one semester prior to the semester in which the student plans to graduate.

Military Training and Experience

The college grants credit for selected military training and experience as recommended in the publication "Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences" in the Armed Services of the American Council on Education. Students seeking credit for military training and experience should contact the Registrar's Office.