Academic Information
Where can I get advice on registering for courses?
For incoming international/TCK students James Hutter is glad to
help you figure out what courses to take during your first semester
at Houghton. You can also consult the Academic Records webpage
which has lots of great information about registering for courses. Audit
Sheets are documents that help clarify which courses you should take
during your time at Houghton based upon what your major is. Click here for the
2007-2008 Audit Sheets.
For current Houghton students, the best way to get advice on which courses to register for is to talk with your
advisor.
What is an advisor, and who is mine?
An advisor is a faculty member who helps each student with course selection, changes, advising,
and registration. You will be assigned an advisor during your first semester on campus.
Once you declare a major, or anytime you change your major, you will receive a new advisor
in the specific academic area. Students may request a specific
faculty member to serve as their advisor.
How do I select courses each semester?
Each fall and spring students will meet with their advisor in
his or her office to devise a schedule for the coming semester.
During your first semester on campus registration instruction sheets
will be in your campus post office box and sent via email. At
the scheduled time (printed on the instructions) first year students
visit the Academic Records Office to have their courses entered into
the computer. The data is
entered while the student is there so he or she knows
immediately whether the schedule worked. We help students
create alternate schedules when necessary. Upper class
students receive instructions on how to select their courses via the web. After
registering please
check your schedule on our web site to be certain you are
enrolled in the proper courses.
What's the difference between a class, a course, and a credit?
Course
refers to the entire semester’s worth of a subject. It has a
specific identification sequence: 1) a prefix which identifies
the subject matter; 2) a course number which should provide
additional clues about the course – such as whether it counts
for a major, is for upper class students, etc; 3) a suffix
which may indicate a time frame or a fee; and a course
title. An example: PHED 102 CB Volleyball (PHED is
the prefix); (102 is the number – lower level); CB is the
section suffix – the B indicates the second half of the
semester; (Volleyball is the title).
Class
refers to a 50 or 75 minute meeting time period. Many courses
will have three 50 minute class periods per week. Other courses
will have two 75 minute class periods per week. Still others
may have only one three hour class period per week.
Credit
refers to the number of units you receive for completing a
course.
Most
colleges refer to the method of accumulating units toward
graduation in terms of credit hours.
One, or two, or three
hours of credit are usually attached to each course. One hour
of credit refers to 50 minutes of class time per week for
fifteen weeks in a lecture format course plus two hours of
homework outside of each class period. So a course which
carries three hours of credit, such as Intro to Psychology will
meet for 150 minutes each week for 15 weeks. (You can expect at
least 6 hours of home work per week for that course.) It may
meet from 9:00 – 9:50 on Monday, and Wednesday, and Friday. Or it may meet two days per week for 75 minutes each time. A
different section of Intro to Psychology may meet from 9:35 –
10:50 on Tuesday and Thursday. Courses carrying only one hour
of credit will not meet as long. Four hour courses would meet
longer. A course which is not strictly a lecture course, such
as an art studio will meet for a longer period of time. An
activity such as a physical education course will also meet for
a longer period of time than a lecture course.
How do I add or drop a course after I have registered?
To add or drop a course students should use a Change of Schedule
Form.
Students may drop a course before the beginning of school
without the instructor’s permission. Students wishing to
add a course which is not closed before the beginning of
school may do so without permission of the instructor. If the
course is closed, the student must obtain permission to add from
the department chair, not the instructor – (except in
English and Communication Dept).
Once school
has begun, the student needs each instructor whose course is
being dropped or added or withdrawn to initial the change
of schedule form. (Be sure to pay attention to the academic
dates for dropping courses).
Is there a minimum number of hours I need to take each semester?
Yes. International students must take a minimum of 12 hours each
semester in order to remain full time and for their student visa to
remain valid. International students who do not take a full time
load run the risk of having their visa revoked. US citizens do not
have a minimum number of hours needed.
What is a degree audit sheet and how do I find one?
When you
declare a major you will have a specific degree audit sheet for
that major. The Academic Records Office will send a copy of your degree audit sheet with your
personal information on it to you and your advisor. Before
declaring a major you will have a generic audit sheet that shows all the regular
requirements, no matter which major. Degree audit sheets for
each catalog year and major declaration forms are available at
the
Academic Records Office or on the website.
What is necessary to graduate from Houghton?
- 125 credit hours (129 if BMUS major)
- One major
- One minor (unless the student has two majors*)
- 2.0 gpa (grade point average)
- Grades in major, minor, concentration must be C- or better
- At least one-half of the major at Houghton
- 30 credit hours at Houghton
- 18 of the last 24 credit hours need to be at Houghton
If a
student has two majors, s/he doesn’t need a minor * - unless a
specific major requires a specific minor – such as an
Educational Ministries major is required to have a Bible minor.
What's Integrative Studies?
These are
known as the core requirements (some schools refer to them as
"general education"). The Integrative Studies are in
addition to the major and minor hour requirements as well as
elective hours. Sometimes
courses in a major or a minor meet integrative studies
requirements. Click here for more information on
Integrative Studies.