"Embodied within the Academic Code are policies and regulations governing the student attainment of academic credit and degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Such regulations have been enacted by the Academic Council of the University, which retains the authority and responsibility for its review and amendment. The administration and interpretation of academic regulations rest with the administrative academic officers of the University, namely, the provost, the deans and the University registrar. The responsibility to abide by the Academic Code resides with the students, faculty and administration, who are accordingly required to know and observe its stipulated regulations. The complete academic code is published in du Lac, the University's guide to student life, as well as the Faculty Handbook."
In short, the Academic Code is the source of the rules followed by the College of Science and the University as a whole.
Honor Code
The University of Notre Dame has had an Honor Code for its undergraduate students since 1987.
The complete text of the Academic Code of Honor for the university is published in du Lac.
Dean's Office
Location: 174 Hurley Hall
Hours: 8 am to noon and 1 to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday
The person referred to as the "student's dean" in the Academic Code and other regulations is generally one of the Associate or Assistant Deans of the College. In the case of the College of Science, the student's dean is Dr. Steven Buechler, Associate Dean. His office is in 174 Hurley Hall. His administrative assistant is Ms. Lori Goffeney. Forms that require a signature from the Dean should be brought to the Dean's Office during regular office hours.
Adding a Course
The policy that governs requests to add a course is Sec. 11.2 of the Academic Code of the University:
"A student may add courses only during the first seven class days of the semester."
During the first seven class days, students use the same procedures to add a class as followed during pre-registration, web registration, or registration through special override procedures. In the case of special classes which require permision (e.g., research or music activity courses), students are expected to obtain all required permissions before the end of the seventh class day.
Some courses, e.g., the mini-courses or 1-credit courses, follow schedules different than the regular semester. Such courses can be added on up to the first class day of the course. The appropriate form to use in that case is the Academic Course Change form. The form must first be filled out and signed by that department and your major advisor. After obtaining these signatures, bring the form to the Dean's Office for the signature of the Dean.
Dropping a Course
The policy that governs requests to drop a course is Sec. 11.3 of the Academic Code of the University:
"Courses may be dropped at the discretion of the student during the first seven days of the semester. After this period the student must have the approval of the dean. A student who withdraws from class without the permission of the dean will fail the course. A course may be dropped up to one week after the distribution of mid-semester deficiency reports, but the dean's approval will not be granted if the student's remaining course load falls below the full-time course load for a degree-seeking student. A course may be dropped after this deadline only in cases of serious physical or mental illness.
Courses dropped after this period will be posted on the academic record with the grade of 'W.'"
During the first seven class days, students use the same procedures to drop a class as followed during web registration. After the seventh class day, you must go to the department of the class you wish to drop and obtain an academic course change form. The form must be filled out and signed by that department and your major advisor. After obtaining these signatures, bring the form to the Dean's Office for the signature of the Dean.
Why is the seventh class day of each semester special?
It is the:
- Last day to add classes.
- Last day to use web registration (until 12 midnight).
- Last day to complete the enrollment form.
- Last day to declare pass/fail.
- Last day to request part-time status.
Overload Requests
The policy that governs requests for an overload is Sec. 9.1 of the Academic Code of the University:
"Except by recommendation of the department chairperson and with specific permission of the dean of the college, the maximum number of credits allowed for the undergraduate student is as follows: College of Architecture and College of Engineering may not register for more than 19 hours of credit work in a semester. College of Business (juniors, seniors), First Year of Studies and College of Science may not register for more than 18 hours of credit work in a semester; ... . These maxima include courses in Air Force aerospace, military, and naval studies. A student may register for a class overload only with the explicit approval of the student's dean."
Consistent with the policy followed in the other colleges of the university, the College of Science will not consider overload requests until the first seven days of the semester. Students make their requests in-person at the Dean's Office. They will be asked to list the courses already on their schedule, and then list the additional course(s) to be taken if the overload request is granted.
The overload decision is made by the student's dean. Prior performance in comparable class loads is considered, as well as the difficulty of the proposed load. The dean may also consult with the student's advisor before making a decision. After the decision is made, the Dean's Office then notifies the student of the decision. It is then the student's responsibility to add the additional course(s).
For summer session, a load of more than 8 credits is considered an overload and also requires the approval of the student's dean.
There is no tuition increase for students who take an overload schedule.
Part-Time Status
The policy that governs requests to be part-time is Sec. 9.2 of the Academic Code of the University:
"An undergraduate degree-seeking student must be enrolled in at least 12 hours of credit in a given semester to be full-time. A student must seek permission to be a part-time student, carrying less than 12 credit hours, from the dean of his/her respective college. Such requests must be made before the seventh day of classes."
Here are some details from the Dean's Office of the College of Science:
- Part-time students are those carrying fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester.
- Approval to be part-time is generally only given to students who will complete their degree requirements during the semester.
- If a request for part-time status is granted, the Dean's Office notifies the Office of Student Accounts of the change of status. (This is the step that leads to the reduction in fees.)
- In fairness to the other students who are still looking for classes for completion of a schedule, students are asked to make this request prior to the start of the semester.
- Consistent with the Academic Code, the conversion to part-time status must be made during the regular registration period. THUS NO PART-TIME FORMS WILL BE SIGNED AFTER THE SEVENTH CLASS DAY.
For those seniors who want to be part-time but who have not yet requested approval, here are the steps:
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Check carefully which courses are required for graduation.
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Consider carefully the nonacademic ramifications of becoming part-time. For example, some students receive a reduction in fees on their car insurance because they are full-time students. Some scholarships may require that a student be full time. And, sometimes students must start paying back student loans once they become part time.
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If you then decide that you want to be part-time, make your request in a letter to Dr. Steven Buechler, Associate Dean. Include in your letter your student number, the number of credits that you wish to take, the names of the courses that are on your schedule, and a local telephone number. You can deliver this letter directly to his administrative assistant, Lori Goffeney, room 174 Hurley Hall during our regular office hours (8 to noon; 1 to 4:30 PM). E-mail requests to be part-time are not acceptable.
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Finally, remember that no part-time forms will be signed after the seventh class day.
Pass/Fail
The policy that governs requests to take a course pass-fail is Sec. 19.1 of the Academic Code of the University:
"Each junior or senior undergraduate may file with their dean during the first seven class days of the semester the decision to take one elective course, outside the student's major department and not required by the student's program, per semester on a pass-fail basis. Such a filing is irrevocable and will result in conversion by the registrar of the instructor's final grade report into an entry of P ("pass") or F ("fail") on the student's record. The instructor will not be informed that the student has elected the pass-fail grading option. The registrar will interpret the final grades of "A" through "D" as "pass." If a final grade of "F" is issued, it will be computed into the student's grade point average."
The College has asked the Dean's Office to remind all students of the conditions that must be met before a course can be taken as pass/fail. In response to this, the following is read and signed by science students requesting the Pass-Fail option:
- The option is open only to Juniors and Seniors.
- No required courses may be taken pass/fail. (For instance, a Theology course cannot be taken pass/fail if you have not already met your 6-hours of required Theology.) This also includes "Science electives!"
- The courses must be outside your major department. That is, Math majors cannot take Math courses pass/fail, etc.
- Your filing for the pass/fail option is irrevocable. (You cannot change your mind at a later date and decide you want a grade for a course.)
- Only one course per semester may be taken pass/fail.
- If you want to be considered for the Dean's Honor List, you must take at least 12 credit hours for a regular grade (in addition to the pass/fail course).
- Beware -- some medical and graduate schools may not look favorably at the pass/fail option on your record.
- During the semester in which your science graduation requirements are fulfilled, an "extra" (concurrent) science course may be taken pass/fail as long as it is outside your major department. (See #3.)
This is allowed because the "extra" course is not interpreted to be a required course. But this means that you will not be allowed to drop those science courses which are being used to meet the graduation requirements.
Seniors and juniors make their requests to take pass/fail courses during the first seven days of the semester at the Dean's Office.
Transfer Course Approval
In the following, we discuss the process that a science major should follow when requesting approval to transfer a course to the University of Notre Dame.
Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form
The student should obtain approval to transfer the course prior to taking the course. The pre-approval is recorded on the "Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form." This form lists the courses to be taken, shows how these courses will be transferred, and shows that pre-approval was obtained from the appropriate departments. The following are the required signatures for the form:
- Student's signature
- Department's authorization
- Advisor's signature
- Dean's signature (obtained after other signatures)
Once the form has been completed, a copy of the form is retained in the student's academic folder and another copy goes to the student's advisor. The original of the form and the student copy of the form are given to the student. The student is responsible for giving the original "Institutional Representative" copy to the school where the transfer is being taken.
Be advised that the transfer course approval applies only to the course(s) listed on the form. If a student takes a course other than the one approved it may not be transferred.
The Notre Dame Transcript
After taking the pre-approved course, the student is responsible for requesting that an official transcript is sent back to the Dean's Office at Notre Dame. This request for a transcript can be made using the "Institutional Representative" copy of the "Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form." The transcript should be mailed to:
Office of the Dean
College of Science
University of Notre Dame
174 Hurley Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
After receipt of the transcript by the Dean's Office, the transcript is matched with the Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form in the student's folder. If the grade earned is "C" or above, then transfer credit is added to the student's Notre Dame transcript. If the grade earned is less than "C," then no transfer credit will be granted.
Science Courses
A Science major is not allowed to transfer Science or Mathematics courses back to Notre Dame. Absoluetly no exceptions will be granted.
Other Courses
We advise the student to seek approval first from the offering department. E.g., if a student wishes to transfer an Economics course, then the student should first seek approval from the Department of Economics at Notre Dame. The student should bring as much information as possible describing the course for the department. The department may request any or all of the following types of information:
- Name of institution
- Number of hours that the course meets (e.g., bring the summer session schedule)
- Course title
- A bulletin description. This description should include number of credits awarded and how the course is used by students at the institution.
- A course syllabus, if available.
Permission may be refused if the information provided is inadequate for assessing the course.
Reasons for Refusal
The departmental representative and the student's advisor will each be making judgments on the appropriateness of the transfer of a course. In some cases, the request for transfer will not be approved. Reasons for refusal could include the following:
- The course is a requirement of the student's major and is thus not eligible for transfer.
- The course is not of suitable academic quality.
- The course is not of equivalent level to the one taught at the University of Notre Dame.
- The course does not meet for a sufficient number of hours.
- The course is a correspondence course.
- The student has exceeded the number of credits that can be transferred.
Total Number of Credits Transferred
Students are normally allowed to take no more than two courses during a summer session.
Special Notes for First Year Students
First Year of Studies will help science intents fill out the Transfer Course Pre-Approval Form. A copy of this form will be forwarded to the College of Science Dean's Office along with the student's academic folder. First-year students who have questions should discuss them with their First-Year Advisor.
Late Approval
Sometimes students decide late to take a transfer course. It is strongly recommended that the student still take the required steps to fill out a transfer course pre-approval form.
If the student is at home, he/she should call the Dean's Office at (574) 631-6375 and ask for help at a distance. As needed, information can be mailed, emailed, or faxed by the student. As the Dean's Office has time, we will endeavor to help the student secure, if the course is approvable, the required signatures. The institutional copy and the student's copy will then be mailed to the home address.
A student who fails to seek pre-approval risks losing the possibility of transferring credit later.
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