Academic Policies

Enrollment Status

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Full-Time Status

Undergraduates must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units or a maximum of 19 units each term. Undergraduate students taking more than 19 units a term will be assessed a prorated tuition charge.

Graduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units or a maximum of 24 units each term. Graduate students taking more than 24 units in a term will be assessed a prorated tuition charge.

Overload enrollment in any term is by the Registrar’s approval.

Academic Schedule

Student course schedules can be viewed at Inside ArtCenter. Once registered, students may modify their schedules by completing the add/drop process online no later than Friday of Week 1. Students cannot make changes to their schedules using the online process after Friday of Week 1. Students should check official bulletin boards and their email for additional information related to registration.

Students are expected to attend every class on their schedules, and only the classes on their schedules. Not attending a class on their schedule will result in a grade of N being assigned for non-attendance. Students attending classes not on their schedules will not receive credit or grades for those classes.

ArtCenter Credit Hour Policy

All courses at ArtCenter College of Design must meet the federal requirement for credit hours. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

  1. One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for one semester or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
  2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

The above policy is applicable to all courses offered, regardless of the mode of delivery and/or session length (e.g. full term-length, weekend mode, abbreviated term, face-to-face, hybrid, online, etc.).

Institutional Procedures for Determining Credit Hour Assignments

Upon proposing a new course, ArtCenter educational programs work with their Chairs, Divisional Deans and Enrollment Services (Registrar’s office) to verify that the credit hour assignment for the course is appropriate. Curricula are reviewed annually by these same parties via the annual curricular update process, which includes review of the credits assigned to courses.

ArtCenter Lite

An ArtCenter Lite (ACL) term provides students with the opportunity to take less than the 12-unit minimum in a given term. A maximum of two ACL terms is permitted during the student’s degree program. Students who have exhausted their two ACL terms may be eligible for an additional ACL term for the term in which they are graduating. Students are charged tuition on a prorated basis per unit.

International students are not permitted to take an ACL term without prior permission from the International Student Advisor. International students approved for an ACL term may be considered term off for visa status purposes. Term off eligibility requirements will apply.

To be enrolled for an ACL term, students must complete and submit a Request for ArtCenter Lite form to Enrollment Services by the Add/Drop deadline, Friday of Week 1. Students enrolled in an ACL term for credit will be covered by the student health insurance plan.

International students are allowed to take ACL ONLY when they have attended two consecutive full-time terms prior to the ACL term and must obtain a signature from the International Student Advisor on the ACL form before submitting it to Enrollment Services. Exceptions may apply; however, prior exception authorization on the I-20 form by the International Student Advisor in the Center for the Student Experience is required before submitting the ACL form to Enrollment Services.

Internship Term

An Internship Term allows a student to be enrolled at ArtCenter while completing an internship experience off-campus, and taking no other classes that has been approved by Career + Professional Development (CPD). Internship Terms allow students to earn three [3) or six (6) units per semester. Students may enroll in an Internship Term for up to two (2) semesters during their course of study at ArtCenter for a maximum of 12 units of credit applied toward a student’s graduation requirements. Internship Terms are available to undergraduate students with a minimum of 70 completed units and to graduate students with a minimum of 30 completed units. Students who are approved for a three-unit or six-unit internship are charged tuition on a prorated basis, per unit. Students may not register for an Internship Term in their final/graduation semester.

To enroll in an Internship Term, students must submit an approved Internship Registration form to Enrollment Services by Friday of Week 1 of the Internship Term. During an Internship Term, students may not enroll in additional courses, and can only be enrolled for a three-unit or six-unit internship officially approved through CPD. Students who wish to enroll in additional courses and earn credit through an internship should be enrolled full time (12 or more units) or in an approved ArtCenter Lite term (if enrolled in less than 12 units). All internships registered through CPD will be noted on the academic transcript.

This policy does not apply to students who are employed off-campus for no course credit.

International students studying on F-1 visas must verify their eligibility to register for any internship with the International Student Advisor ISA) in the Center for the Student Experience (CSE). If the internship is located in the United States, international students must be enrolled either full-time or in an Internship Term to engage in any internship experience off-campus. They must also get Curricular Practical Training (CPT) employment authorization from the ISA in the CSE before starting an internship, in order to comply with U.S. immigration laws. Failure to follow these steps may have serious consequences for international students, including the possible cancelation of the F-L visa.

Graduate Thesis Research or Project Term

Master of Fine Art and Master of Science students must complete all course work, including a thesis, to graduate from the College. Students who have completed all course work with the exception of a thesis must be enrolled in a zero-unit thesis continuation course each term until the thesis is complete. After completion of their final term, students will be unable to graduate from ArtCenter unless they are currently enrolled in the thesis continuation course. Students enrolled in a Graduate Thesis Research Term are not enrolled in the College’s student health insurance program.

F-1 international students must verify their eligibility to take a Graduate Thesis Research or Project Term with the International Student Advisor in the Center for the Student Experience.