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ACADEMICS
The future world of today’s college students—the world, that is, when they are forty or fifty years old—will be profoundly different, in scientific, intellectual, political, and social terms, from their world today. Chicago’s program of liberal education, emphasizing cultural breadth, intellectual depth, and independence of mind, educates students for the long term, to lead productive lives throughout rapidly changing times and into the future. It transcends the preparation of students for careers in the narrow sense. It develops the capacities to live well, whatever students’ future choices and circumstances—the propensity to maintain an open mind, the ability to find workable solutions to difficult problems, and the disposition to think analytically about important decisions. A liberal education at Chicago is, therefore, a very practical education. A unique core of required courses, the cornerstone of Chicago’s liberal education, comprising one-third of the curriculum, introduces students to a range of knowledge and to multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving. These courses encourage independence of mind and develop powers of individual judgment and expression. They equip students to ask fresh questions and pursue original lines of inquiry. In the first two years, students complete most of these general education requirements and begin to explore courses in the majors. The second half of the academic program is divided between courses in a major, which are specified, and elective courses, which may be selected on the basis of students’ other interests. Students usually choose a major in their second or third year. It is not unusual for students to change majors— sometimes more than once. We encourage students to assess strengths and weaknesses frankly and critically. Instead of a stumbling block to academic progress, a change of major may be a sign of growth, the impetus for moving forward and improving academic performance. In choosing a major, students are selecting an area of academic study, not a career. Students and parents may be tempted to look for a “useful” major that may seem to have immediate applications to a career. However, every Chicago major, together with Chicago’s other curricular requirements, develops useful job-market skills. It is not true, for example, that an economics degree will advance students in, say, business careers and that a history or English degree will not. History or English majors may well succeed in business because these disciplines develop analytic, communication, and problem-solving proficiency, highly prized in the business world. Parents and students should also know that students who choose majors based on interests and talents generally develop stronger academic records than those who choose majors unrelated to their strengths. The goal of the three-credit requirement in physical education is to contribute towards the student’s knowledge and practice in healthy living. It includes a personal fitness component to develop the ability to design and follow a physiologically-sound exercise program, an activity component to promote competency and appreciation for physical recreation, and proficiency in swimming. Students may test out of all or part of this requirement when they matriculate. Although required for graduation, physical education courses do not contribute to the forty-two courses counted toward a degree, nor do they count toward the number of courses that determine full- or part-time status. Transfer students are exempt from the physical education requirement. The following marks are used for College courses (the numerical weight assigned to each grade is listed in parentheses when applicable): A (4.0), A- (3.7), B+ (3.3), B (3.0), B- (2.7), C+ (2.3), C (2.0), C- (1.7), D+ (1.3), D (1.0), F (0.0), I, N, P, R, Q, and W. The marks A, B, C, D, and P are passing marks and confer course credit. The mark of F indicates unsatisfactory work and does not confer credit. The familiar grades of A through F, known as “quality grades,” carry a specific weight in calculating official grade point averages. The College does not rank students. The mark I (Incomplete) indicates that a student has not completed the requirements of the course before the end of the quarter but has made formal arrangements with the instructor to complete the remaining work. When such arrangements have not been made and the instructor has not submitted a final grade for a student, the mark Q (Query) is entered on the student’s grade report by the registrar. The mark W (Withdraw) means that a student decided after the third week of the quarter not to complete the course. A blank on a student’s grade report means that the faculty member has not yet submitted a grade for any student in that course. No new grade report is issued when incompletes or blanks are replaced by grades. Grading is rigorous at the University of Chicago. The grade of C is given often for average work, and the grade of A is difficult to obtain. It is not uncommon for firstyear grades at Chicago to be lower than high school grades. Parents and students should know that grades generally improve in the third and fourth years as students mature, gain confidence, polish academic skills, and begin courses in their major. Students may access their grades online. When a signed FERPA form is on file (see above), parents will be mailed grade reports for each quarter following the second week of the subsequent quarter. ACADEMIC WARNING AND PROBATION Each quarter, students are expected to complete, on time, at least 75 percent of the courses for which they register, with a grade point average for that quarter of at least 1.75. Students who do not meet this expectation receive an academic warning, an informal sanction not noted on the official transcript. Students have one quarter in which to improve performance to the level of the College’s standards. If they do, they return to good standing. If not, they are placed on probation, which is officially recorded on the transcript. Students on probation who fail in the subsequent quarter of registration to meet College standards are barred from further registration, usually for a minimum of one year. Special rules apply to first-year students. First-year students who complete either no courses or only one course in any quarter are placed directly on academic probation. This means that the student has to meet the College’s minimum standard for good standing in the following quarter in order to return to good standing. Otherwise, the student will be barred from further registration. The College’s policy on academic warning and probation is intended to provide quick intervention when students are not performing well, to prevent students from persisting in school in the absence of academic progress. The College expects students on academic warning or probation to work closely with advisers to develop a strategy for improving performance in the following quarter, using the many resources available to support academic success. To qualify for financial aid, students must maintain an overall course completion rate of at least 75 percent and a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.75. The University of Chicago is an academic community committed to high scholarly standards and fundamental ethical principles. We believe it is contrary to justice, to academic integrity, and to the spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit the statements, ideas, or work of others as one’s own. To do so is cheating or plagiarism, which are offenses punishable under the University’s disciplinary system. The punishment for these offenses may range from a low grade or failure in a course to suspension or expulsion from the University. During Orientation, students receive a copy of Doing Honest Work, which explains why and how to cite sources in their papers. Faculty and advisers work with students to help them understand and maintain University standards. Students who engage in academic misconduct or violate the standards of the University community in other ways may be brought before the College’s disciplinary committee. The Dean of students in the College will convene the committee, which is comprised of several faculty members and two student representatives. When students are found guilty of misconduct, the disciplinary committee has the right to impose sanctions ranging from probation to suspension or expulsion. Students need forty-two course credits to graduate. Fulltime students enroll in either three or four courses each quarter. Many factors, often confusing to parents, affect decisions about course load. Advisers help students assess the demands of specific courses, as well as other competing demands of college life, in the process of choosing between three or four courses. Many first-year students take three courses in their first couple of quarters on campus as they adjust to college life. Students without Advanced Placement or other examination credit who enroll for twelve quarters (or four academic years) will register for four courses half the time and three courses half the time. Some students can complete graduation requirements in less than four years. Before making a decision about early graduation, families should weigh the apparent benefits of financial or other personal considerations against certain disadvantages. A three-year graduate seeking employment or applying to a graduate program may be at a competitive disadvantage when compared to a four-year graduate with greater maturity and additional academic credentials. For various reasons (e.g., illness, personal considerations, or being near to completion of graduation requirements) students sometimes register for just one or two classes a quarter. Before making a decision to enroll part time, students should consult their advisers. Part-time students lose financial aid and, in most cases, they may not live in College housing. Students must change to part-time status by the end of the first week of the quarter to receive a full tuition refund. Partial refunds of tuition will be made during the following two weeks, and no refund is made after the end of the third week. Students occasionally take a leave of absence from the College. Perhaps they are not working effectively and need to reassess their goals. Or they want to use time away for academic work at another institution, for paid employment, or for travel. The College, recognizing that a leave can be constructive, supports students who make this decision. Most students return to the College to finish their degree. Students who withdraw from the University of Chicago to transfer elsewhere sometimes have a change of heart and decide to return. If they left in good standing, the College usually allows them to return to finish their degree, as long as they have not received a degree from another school in the meantime. Students who wish to resume studies should submit a request in writing to the Dean of Students in the College at least six weeks before the start of the quarter in which they wish to return. Students should contact the Office of College Aid and the Office of Undergraduate Housing even further in advance of their return. OFF-CAMPUS STUDY OPPORTUNITIES
Students who take summer courses on campus rarely receive grant aid for tuition; however, they may qualify for loan aid or the summer Federal Work/Study Program. Because the first year of college makes especially challenging demands on students, the College recommends that the summer following the first year be spent in a nonacademic activity. In advance of taking summer course work elsewhere, at any point during their four years, students must petition for tentative approval of transfer of credit, which is awarded subject to College guidelines.
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The College sponsors a number of programs for study abroad in Austria, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain. In addition, students have access to the programs of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) in Costa Rica, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Tanzania. Although the third year is the most common time to study abroad, the second or fourth year is a better fit for some students. Students should discuss with their advisers the impact that study abroad will have on their degree programs.
College students may graduate at the end of any quarter if they have completed all degree requirements and have met all financial obligations by the end of that quarter. Students must apply for a degree by the first day of the quarter in which they plan to graduate. Convocations are coordinated by the Office of Special Events.© 2000-2006 |