Oct 07, 2024  
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Enrollment



The Enrollment section explains matters related to registering for classes, dropping classes, attending classes and taking final examinations.

Mandatory New Student Orientation

All accepted undergraduate students new to UNT Dallas are required to attend an orientation for academic advisement prior to registration for classes.

New freshmen students entering in the Fall term/semester are invited to attend an orientation session where they receive individual attention and assistance with class scheduling.  Orientation dates for students’ particular major are listed at my.untdallas.edu where students may also register for orientation.  These sessions are conducted during June, July, and August.  Orientation includes campus life sessions, placement testing, academic advising, registration for classes, and completion of the tuition and fee payment process.  Currently the fee for all orientation sessions is $30.

Transfer students can choose to attend one of several half-day orientation sessions available based on their entry term.  Eash session focuses on registering for classes, meeting with an advisor, and learning about campus resources.

Orientations are also held each December and January for students starting classes in the Spring terms/semesters.

All new undergraduate students receive orientation information following acceptance notification.

Questions regarding Orientation should be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 972-780-3642, or visit www.untdallas.edu/undergrad/orientation.

Change of Address

It is the responsibility of the student to provide correct permanent and local mailing address information at all times and on all documents at the University. Students who change their mailing address must notify the Office of the Registrar immediately by submitting the change in writing or by updating their address at my.untdallas.edu.

Student Load (Fall/Spring)

Undergraduate

The normal load for full-time undergraduate students is 15 semester hours for each fall or spring term/semester, or 30 hours for the nine-month academic year. Note: For information pertaining to the required semester hours for enrollment verification purposes, refer to “Enrollment Certification” below.

No student who registers for or earns fewer than 9 undergraduate hours of college work each semester may hold a responsible Student Government Association (SGA) office.

An undergraduate student with a GPA of less than 3.000 may schedule a maximum of 19 semester hours.

An undergraduate student with a GPA of at least 3.000 may enroll for a maximum of 21 hours for the fall or spring term/semester by meeting the following conditions:

  1. at least a 3.000 GPA on a minimum 15-hour residence load for the term/semester just completed,
  2. at least a 3.000 GPA on a minimum 12-hour residence load for the summer term/semester just completed, or
  3. at least a 3.000 GPA on all work completed at UNT Dallas and a minimum 24 hours of credit in residence.

Graduate

Graduate students may schedule a maximum of 16 hours during any fall or spring term/semester. For the purpose of fulfilling the graduate residence requirement, a load of 9 graduate semester hours is considered to be a full load.

No student who registers for or earns fewer than 6 graduate hours of college work each semester may hold a responsible Student Government Association (SGA) office.

Graduate students enrolled only in undergraduate courses, for undergraduate credit, may request special consideration by the Office of Graduate Admissions to enroll in hours that exceed the 16 hour maximum.

Student Load (Summer)

Undergraduate

The normal load for full-time students is 12 hours for the summer term/semester.

During the summer term/semester, a full-time undergraduate student with a GPA of less than 3.000 may select multiple sessions for a maximum of 18 semester hours.

Undergraduate students may schedule a maximum of 4 hours in 3W1 session, a maximum of 9 hours in 8W1 session, a maximum of 8 hours in 5W1 session, a maximum of 7 hours in 5W2 session, and a maximum of 15 hours in 10W session.

Note: For 3W1 (three week one) the normal load for full-time students is 3 hours. Undergraduate students may schedule a maximum of 4 hours in 3W1 session.

Graduate

A full-time graduate student with a GPA of at least 3.000 may select multiple sessions for a maximum of 18 hours.

Constraints apply to graduate courses. Graduate students may schedule a maximum of 4 hours in a three week session (3W1), a maximum of 7 hours in a five week session (5W1, 5W2), a maximum of 9 hours in a ten week session (10W), or a maximum of 9 hours in an eight week session (8W1). At no time during concurrently running summer sessions can graduate students’ enrollment exceed 10 hours. For purposes of fulfilling the graduate residence requirements, a load of 9 semester hours is considered a full load. 

Graduate students enrolled only in undergraduate courses, for undergraduate credit, may request special consideration by the Office of Graduate Admissions to enroll in hours that exceed the 10 hour maximum.

Enrollment Certification

Enrollment verification and loan deferments are completed in the Office of the Registrar and are based upon a student having registered and paid tuition and fees according to the following criteria. See “Special Conditions for Financial Aid Applicants ” in the Financial Information section of this catalog for loan deferment requirements.

Undergraduate

Full Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 12 or more hours.

Three-Quarter Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 9 to 11 hours.

Half Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 6 to 8 hours.

Graduate

Full Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 9 or more hours.

Three-Quarter Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 6 to 8 hours.

Half Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 4 to 5 hours.

Course Auditing

Upon payment of a fee and with the written permission of the department chair and the dean of the school in which the course is taught, an individual fully eligible to enroll in the university may audit a course by attending classes with no expectation of receiving college credit for their attendance. An auditing student will not be enrolled in the class roll, and the instructor will not accept any papers, tests or examinations from the auditing student.

Attendance as an auditor may not be made the basis of a claim for credit in the course. Only one audit fee is required per semester regardless of the number of courses audited. Tuition and fee information is available online at: www.untdallas.edu/sfs.

Students may request permission to audit a class on forms that will only be made available in the offices of the academic deans after classes begin.

A person 65 years of age or older may audit a course without payment of a fee, if space is available and if approved by the department chair and the appropriate dean. Such enrollment entitles the person to library privileges, but not to the use of laboratory equipment and supplies, or admission to university-sponsored fine arts events.

Registration

All registration and student-requested schedule changes are conducted via web registration at my.untdallas.edu. Specific information and instructions as well as dates are found online at www.untdallas.edu/registrar and at my.untdallas.edu.

Late Registration

Students who are unable to enroll during the official registration periods must pay an additional fee for late registration. Refer to www.untdallas.edu/registrar for late registration information.

Concurrent Registration

A student in residence who wishes to enroll concurrently at another college must first secure the written permission of the appropriate dean at UNT Dallas. Failure to obtain advance approval may result in the refusal of the university to accept such work in transfer.

Graduate students must secure written permission from the Office of Graduate Admissions before registering for any course or courses at another institution while registered for any course at UNT Dallas. Failure to secure the required permission for concurrent enrollment prior to registration at the second institution may cause UNT Dallas to refuse degree credit for the work taken elsewhere. In no case may the combined total of semester hours enrolled for at the two institutions exceed the maximum load permitted to graduate students at UNT Dallas.

Special provisions for avoiding more than one minimum tuition charge are available for students enrolling concurrently in more than one state-supported institution of higher education. Students planning concurrent enrollment are cautioned to check these provisions prior to enrollment at any state institution.

Enrollment at the Universities Center at Dallas

Students enrolling for upper-division undergraduate courses or graduate courses offered by the partner universities of the Universities Center at Dallas (UCD), a Multi-Institutional Teaching Center (MITC) located in downtown Dallas, may enroll at their home institution for courses offered by the other UCD universities.

Evening and Saturday Classes

A large number of classes at the graduate level are scheduled for one three-hour meeting per week during the spring and fall terms/semesters, usually on Saturday morning or on a weekday evening. Consult the online schedule of classes at my.untdallas.edu, available prior to spring and fall registration, for schedule details.

A few of these classes also are available during summer terms/sessions. Consult the online schedule of classes at www.untdallas.edu/registrar.

Schedule Changes

For information concerning adding or dropping courses, consult the online Academic Calendars at www.untdallas.edu/registrar or my.untdalllas.edu.

Advanced Placement and Credit by Examination

UNT Dallas awards undergraduate college credit on the basis of local and national examinations, subject to general limitations. This also includes military service credit and classroom instruction offered through the non-academic institutions approved by the American Council on Education. Such credit is not included in determining grade point averages and has the following additional restrictions:

  1. may not be used to reduce the general degree requirement of completing a minimum of 30 semester hours in residence at UNT Dallas;
  2. may not be used to reduce the general degree requirement of completing at least 24 semester hours of advanced work at UNT Dallas;
  3. may not be used to reduce the general degree requirement of completing at least 12 advanced hours in the major at UNT Dallas;
  4. may not be earned in any course the student has previously completed at any university; and
  5. may not be earned in any course prerequisite to another course in the same subject for which the student has previously earned credit.

UNT Dallas recognizes exam credit in transfer from other accredited institutions within the limits outlined above. Scores from exam credits accepted in transfer are not re-evaluated by UNT Dallas. Credit by examination cannot be substituted for any grade, including an F earned for a course in high school, at UNT Dallas or at another college or university. The credit earned through examination will not be included in the grade point average at UNT Dallas, but it will be included in accepted semester credit hours.

 

Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

Students who have received college-level training in secondary school and who present applicable scores on the appropriate Advanced Placement Examination will be granted, on request, placement and credit for comparable courses at the university following enrollment.

The College Board Advanced Placement Examinations are offered in May each year and are administered by The College Board in most school districts. Students typically complete an AP course offered by their high school before taking an AP examination in that subject. However, in consideration of homeschooled students and students whose schools do not offer AP courses, The College Board does not require a student to complete an AP course before taking an AP examination. All requests for information should be directed to the Advanced Placement Program of The College Board, 250 Vesey Street, New York, NY, 10281.

Visit this webpage for updated information on accepted AP exams, scores, and UNT Dallas course equivalencies. 

AP Credit Evaluation and Notification

Entering freshmen who took the Advanced Placement (AP) Exam for credit (and who designated that their scores be sent to the University of North Texas at Dallas, code 5999) will receive an evaluation of their scores, if scores have been received and qualify for credit. Students who do not receive their AP evaluations at that time should check with the Office of Admissions prior to receiving academic advisement to confirm that their AP results have been received.

Former, continuing and transfer students who wish to have their AP test results applied to their UNT Dallas transcript must initiate this process through the Office of Admissions during their first term/semester enrolled at UNT Dallas. (Note: students who fail to initiate the process during their first term/semester at UNT Dallas may still be eligible to receive credit, but may be subject to the standards in place at the time of initiation, rather than those that were current when the test was taken.)

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

UNT Dallas recognizes credit earned through College-Level Examinations of the College Board only if the credit is first certified by the Office of Admissions. 

CLEP General Examinations

UNT Dallas does not grant credit on the basis of College Board CLEP General Examination scores.

CLEP Subject Examinations

Credit is certified but not necessarily applied to a degree if the student scores at or above the average scores of those students in the national norms sample who earned a C in regular college courses on the subject. A student may not earn examination credit for any course failed. 

Effective July 1, 2001, CLEP began using a new “common recommended credit-granting score” for all CLEP exams. UNT Dallas recognizes CLEP credit recommendations as posted on the official student score report. Entering students who took the CLEP Subject (CLEP) Exam for credit (and who designated that their scores be sent to the University of North Texas at Dallas, code 3681) will receive an evaluation of their scores, if scores have been received and qualify for credit.

Visit this webpage for updated information on accepted CLEP subject exams, scores, and UNT Dallas course equivalencies. 

 

SAT Subject Tests

UNT Dallas does not grant college credit on the basis of The College Board SAT Subject Test scores.

Educational Experience in the Armed Services

Credit may be given for formal service school courses completed in the armed services after evaluation of official documents by the Office of Admissions. The student’s academic dean decides if credit awarded for such courses will be applied toward requirements for the bachelor’s degree.

Credit for Work Experience

Credit will not be granted for knowledge acquired through prior work, certification, or performance experience regardless of whether these experiences were of a paid or voluntary nature.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

UNT Dallas awards a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit to students who have completed the International Baccalaureate Program and have received the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Students must earn a minimum score of 4 on tests that count toward the diploma. The admissions office will certify the examination credit based on the qualifying scores.

A student who has completed a high school International Baccalaureate Program but has not earned the diploma and who has scored 5, 6 or 7 on the higher level IB examination will receive college credit at UNT Dallas. Note: The minimum score requirements for awarding credit based upon International Baccalaureate examinations is under review and subject to change.

The IB institution code for UNT Dallas is 01800. Students should use this code when requesting to have IB scores sent to the UNT Dallas undergraduate admissions office.

Visit this webpage for updated information on accepted IB exams, scores, and UNT Dallas course equivalencies.

Student Attendance

Policy Statement: The University of North Texas at Dallas (“UNTD” or “the University”) recognizes that student success is promoted by the expectation of regular attendance and participation in class.

Application of Policy: This policy applies to all students.

Definitions:

  1. Active Military Service: “Active Military Service” includes active military service performed by a member of the Texas National Guard of the Texas State Guard.
  2. Reasonable Time: “Reasonable Time” means no fewer than 10 days.
  3. Religious Holy Days: “Religious Holy Days” means a holy day observed by a religion whose place of worship is exempt from state property tax.
  4. Student: “Student” includes students enrolled in distance education, self-paced and other asynchronous courses.


Procedures and Responsibilities

Class Attendance:

  1. Responsibility for class attendance rests with students. Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes is expected.
  2. Faculty members will clearly state their policy regarding class absence and the impact of absences on course grades on their course syllabi. Absences may lower a student’s grade where class attendance and class participation are deemed essential by the faculty member.


Excused Absences:

  1. 1. An absence may be excused for the following reasons:
    1. Religious holy day, including travel for that purpose;
    2. active military service;
    3. participation in an official university function; or
    4. illness or other extenuating circumstances.
  2. A student is responsible for requesting an excused absence in writing, providing satisfactory evidence to the faculty member to substantiate the excused absence and delivering the request personally to the faculty member assigned to each course.
  3. When the absence is excused, the faculty member will provide a reasonable time after the absence for the student to complete the assignment or examination.


Student Absence Due to Religious Holy Day:
A student may be excused from attending classes or other activities, including examinations, for observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose.

  1. A student should notify a faculty member of anticipated absence to observe religious holy days as early in semester as possible.
  2. An excused student may not be penalized for the absence and must be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable period after the absence. The faculty member may take appropriate action if a student fails to satisfactorily complete an assignment or examination.
  3. If a student and faculty member disagree about the nature of the absence being for the observance of a religious holy day or about whether the student has been given reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examination, either the student or the faculty member may appeal to the Provost. The student and faculty member will abide by the decision of the Provost.


Student Absence Due to Military Service:
A student will be excused from attending classes or other activities upon providing notice of participation in active military service.

  1. A student called to active military service must provide a copy of the student’s military order to each faculty member instructing a course in which the student is enrolled.
  2. An excused student will not be penalized for an absence due to military service and will be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable period after the absence.
  3. The course syllabus or instructional plan for a course in which a student was enrolled when called to active military service will be retained so that the student may complete the course without prejudice and pursuant to the course requirements that were in effect when the student enrolled in the course upon the student’s return from active military service. All course work completed by the student prior to being called to active military service will be retained until the student returns.
  4. A student who returns from active military service who will not be able to satisfactorily complete any outstanding assignments or examinations within a reasonable period of time must contact the Office of the Provost to develop a written plan and timeframe for completing all outstanding assignments or to make any other arrangements as may be appropriate under the circumstances.
  5. The maximum period for which a student may be excused will be no more than 25% (twenty-five percent) of the total number of class meetings or the contract hour equivalent (not including the final examination period) for the specific course or courses in which the student is currently enrolled at the beginning of the period of active military service.
  6. A student returning from active military service who believes that they have not been given full and fair treatment in accordance with this policy, or all other relevant state or federal laws relating to return from active military service, may seek review by the Provost. The Provost will review the complaint asserted by the student, meet with all university officials who may have knowledge of the circumstances, and attempted to resolve the dispute amicably in accordance with UNTD policy and state and federal law.

Student Absence for Official University Functions:
Student absences due to participating in a university function or activity must be approved in advance by the department chair and the academic dean. Within three (3) days after the absence, students must obtain absence cards from the Office of the Provost to be presented to faculty members. Excused students who present authorized absence cards will be permitted to make up missed work when practicable or will be given specialized consideration so that they are not penalized for their absence.

Student Absence Due to Illness:
In case of an illness that will require absence from class for more than one (1) week, the student should notify his or her academic dean. The dean’s office will inform the appropriate faculty members. In case of class absence due to a brief illness, the student should inform the faculty member directly.

Course Drop

  1. A student may drop a course prior to the census date (the 12th class day of the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates in a summer session) in the Office of the Registrar. Courses dropped prior to the census date will not appear on the student’s transcript and will not be included in the limitation of dropped courses as set forth below.
  2. After the census date a student must receive written approval from the faculty member prior to withdrawing from a course. 
    1. If a course is dropped prior to the end of the sixth week of classes for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for the summer sessions the faculty member will assign a grade of W.
    2. If a course is dropped after the sixth week of class for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for the summer session and the student maintains a passing grade at the time the course is dropped the faculty member will assign a grade of W.
  3. If a course is dropped after the sixth week of class for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for the summer session and the student is not maintaining a passing grade at the time the course is dropped the faculty member will assign the appropriate grade the student earned at the end of the term/semester. No student may drop any course after the date designated by the Office of the Registrar during the tenth (10th) week of the fall or spring semester, or the equivalent date of the summer session.
  4. No student may drop more than six (6) courses during their academic program except as set forth below. A faculty member or the Registrar may refuse to allow a student to drop a course if the student has dropped six (6) courses previously.
  5. Students applying for financial aid must contact the Office of Financial Aid prior to dropping any class in order to understand the potential impact of the dropped course on student financial aid eligibility.
  6. All relevant course drop dates will be published annually by the Registrar and will be made available on the UNT Dallas on-line academic calendar. All drop procedures must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline dates specified on the UNT Dallas academic calendar.

Limitations on Course Drops

Undergraduate students who enrolled in higher education for the first time after fall 2007 will not be permitted to drop a total of more than six (6) courses, including any course a transfer student dropped at another Texas public institution of higher education unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than six (6) courses, including but not limited to a showing that:

  1. A severe illness or debilitating condition affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course;
  2. The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course;
  3. The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause;
  4. The active duty service as a member of the Texas national Guard or the armed forces of the United States of either the student or a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause;
  5. The change of the student’s work schedule that is beyond the control of the student and affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course; or,
  6. Other good cause as determined by the Assistant Provost for Academic Excellence.

Courses dropped for complete withdrawal from UNT Dallas are not calculated for purposes of the course drop limitation.

This limitation does not apply to courses dropped prior to the 12th day of classes. Courses dropped for complete withdrawal from UNT Dallas are not calculated for purposes of the course drop limitation.

Requests for exception to the drop limitation must be made in writing to the student’s academic dean and must occur during the semester that the dropped course was taken.

Leave of Absence

Leave of absence applies to students admitted to the master’s or doctoral degree who wish to discontinue work toward the degree for a specified period of time due to exigent circumstances. Leave of absence may be granted by the academic program, which then notifies the Office of Graduate Admissions. If the student has begun thesis and is under the continuous enrollment requirement, a waiver of continuous enrollment must also be requested and approved by the Graduate School. Degree requirements and graduation must be completed within the appropriate time limit for completion of the degree. (See “Time Limitations “)

Withdrawal from UNT Dallas

A student may completely withdraw from all courses at UNT Dallas any time prior to two (2) weeks before the first day of final examinations for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for a summer session. A student may withdraw from a course or courses (but not the student’s last course) at UNT Dallas any time prior to four (4) weeks before the first day of final examinations for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for a summer session. 

The Registrar will record a W for each course in which a student was enrolled for withdrawals processed after the 12th day of classes for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent for a summer session. 

Students called to active military service during a semester in which they are enrolled may be entitled to a refund of tuition and fees if they withdraw or the student may be entitled to receive a final grade or incomplete grade in courses. Students should contact the Office of the Registrar at 972-780-3664 to determine their options.

Students seeking to withdraw for medical reasons should consult the relevant UNT Dallas policy.

Official dates and deadlines for withdrawing are specified in the Academic Calendar at www.untdallas.edu/registrar.

Notice:

  • Students receiving financial aid also must contact www.untdallas.edu/finaid before dropping a class or withdrawing. Students receiving financial aid may be required to go through an exit interview with a financial aid counselor before they are permitted to withdraw.
  • Students who withdraw from UNT Dallas will have student services and privileges terminated.
  • To receive a refund for a parking permit, a student must return the parking permit to Student Financial Services.

Effects of Withdrawal on Academic Status

Any student who withdraws from UNT Dallas prior to the end of the sixth week of classes (or the equivalent dates for summer sessions) is given grades of W and is not penalized with a reduced CGPA. Any student who withdraws after this period, but at least two weeks before the first day of final exams (summer session, six class meetings prior to finals; three week session, three class meetings prior to finals), is given grades of W depending upon the student’s grade average at the time of withdrawal. A student who does not officially withdraw from the university is held responsible for grades of F and is placed on probation or suspended from the university if the grades of F bring the CGPA below the minimum required.

Pre-Finals Week

So that students can more adequately prepare for their final examinations, special rules apply to the seven calendar days preceding the final week of each fall and spring term/semester.

During pre-finals week, student organizations do not meet; activities requiring student participation such as field trips or performances by dance, drama or music ensembles are not scheduled.

 

Final Examinations

Faculty members are expected to administer final examinations at the designated times during the exam week of each long semester and during the last day of each summer term. Any deviation from the published schedule of final examinations must be approved in advance by the appropriate academic dean.

Students who have as many as three final examinations scheduled on one day may appeal to their academic dean to reschedule one of those examinations on another day during the final examination period.

 

Commencement

Application for Graduation 

Applications for graduation are available in online at the student center at my.untdallas.edu. (Visit www.untdallas.edu/registrar for degree application deadlines.)

Degree applications are accepted only from undergraduate students who have a minimum overall C average. See “General University Requirements ” in the Academics section of this catalog for grade point calculation details. 

Students otherwise eligible for graduation who complete their final course or courses elsewhere will not graduate at the end of the term/semester or summer session/term in which the work is completed because of the time required for obtaining transcripts; such students will have their degrees conferred at the close of a subsequent UNT Dallas term/semester.

Graduation with Honors

Candidates for graduation whose overall grade point average, based on grades earned at University of North Texas at Dallas resident credit courses and transfer institution courses, is at least 3.500 but less than 3.700 are eligible to graduate cum laude; those whose GPA, as defined above, is at least 3.700 but less than 3.900 are eligible to graduate magna cum laude; and those whose GPA, as defined above, is 3.900 to 4.000 are eligible to graduate summa cum laude.

Hours earned through correspondence and extension courses, or pass/no pass courses, may not be counted in calculating the GPA for determination of eligibility for graduation with honors. Candidates for a second bachelor’s degree are not eligible for graduation with honors.

Commencement Exercises

Commencement exercises are held in May and December. Diplomas are mailed to candidates approximately eight weeks after the end of the semester in which the student has applied for graduation and the coursework has been verified.