Academic Policies

Registration

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Registration will open during Week 12 of each term for the next term and will remain open for enrollment and Add/Drop through Friday of Week 1. Students must resolve all restrictions and pay all outstanding balances and fines to register.

Students planning to take a term off must submit a completed Leave of Absence form to Enrollment Services. Students receiving financial aid must meet with a financial aid officer before submitting the Leave of Absence form to Enrollment Services. International students must have the Leave of Absence form approved by the International Student Advisor in the Center for the Student Experience prior to submitting the form to Enrollment Services.

Students planning to take an ArtCenter Lite term must submit the Request for an ArtCenter Lite form to Enrollment Services by 4 p.m. on Friday of Week 1.

ArtCenter requires full payment of tuition and fees each term by Friday of Week 1. An extended payment schedule is available from the Cashier’s Office. Students who fail to pay their balance by Friday of Week 10 will have an Accounting Restriction/Hold placed on their account that will prevent them from registering for classes online for the following term. Students will regain eligibility to enroll for classes for the next term once the balance is paid in full. If the balance is not paid by 3 p.m. on Friday of Week 1 (the Add/Drop deadline), they will be ineligible to enroll and will NOT be able to attend classes, even if they pay the balance in full. This policy applies to all students, regardless of whether payment was to be made from financial aid or from personal resources.

Priority Registration

ArtCenter reserves the right to assign priority registration status (i.e., first available access to register for classes for the following semester) to individual students or to specific groups of students, as determined in consultation with other offices. Examples of priority registration identities may include, but are not limited to: students with disabilities that require such accommodation, students who receive U.S. military veteran educational benefits, ArtCenter Student Government members, etc.

Repeating Classes

Students who have failed a required course must repeat it during their next term of attendance at ArtCenter, regardless of whether the student is enrolled full-time or in ArtCenter Lite. The original grade of F will remain on the student’s cumulative record in addition to the second grade received, and both will be calculated in the student’s cumulative GPA for courses failed prior to or in Spring 2007. For courses taken after Spring 2007, a student may request through Enrollment Services that the original F grade be changed to an F*, indicating that the course has been retaken and that the student passed. In this instance, the F* will not have any unit or point value, thus eliminating any negative impact on the cumulative GPA. In certain cases, a student’s Department Chair may require a student to repeat a class.

Course Number Guide

The subject code (3 or 4 characters) indicate the general subject area and/or program.  The final digits (3 or 4 digits) indicate the course’s level.  General guidelines for course levels are:

  • 100 to 499 are for undergraduate program courses
  • 500 to 699 are for graduate program courses

Prerequisite and Co-requisite

A prerequisite is a course or other requirement that a student must have taken prior to enrolling in a specific course.

A co-requisite is a course or other requirement that a student must take at the same time as another course or requirement.

Semester

ArtCenter offers three semesters per academic year, Fall, Spring, and Summer with each semester about 15-weeks in length.

Course Load

Students are expected to be enrolled on a full-time basis (registered in a minimum of 12-credits). Degree programs are full-time only, requiring a course load of between 12 and 19 units per term. Permission must be obtained to drop below 12 units or for the course load to exceed 19 units. However, students can enroll in a part-time term, called ArtCenter Lite (ACL), twice during their course of study. Entering students cannot start their studies with an ACL term. Graduation from ArtCenter is based upon successful completion of the curriculum of the department to which the student was admitted. This is estimated to take a minimum of eight terms, depending on availability of classes and amount of transfer credit awarded. Students entering the Bachelor of Science degree programs should expect the possibility of eight to nine semesters for completion.  For undergraduate students, full-time tuition covers 12-19 credits. For graduate students, full-time tuition covers 12-24 credits.

Class Levels

A class level designation applies to all undergraduate students based on completed credits.

  • Class level 1           0 – 36 completed credits
  • Class level 2           37 – 69 completed credits
  • Class level 3           70 – 94 completed credits
  • Class level 4           95 or more completed credits

Course Waivers or Substitutions

Students with documented disabilities may request waivers or substitutions of course requirements that they believe to be an insurmountable barrier due to their disability. Documentation must be provided to the Student Disability Services Coordinator in the Center for the Student Experience and will be reviewed to determine qualification. Students requesting course waivers/substitutions will need to demonstrate that even with well-tailored accommodations (e.g., extended time, calculator use and assignment adjustments), successful completion of the course’s requirements would not be possible.

If the student is asking for a course waiver/substitution of a Humanities and Sciences requirement, the Student Disability Services Coordinator will act as facilitator and work with the Chair of Humanities and Sciences (or designee), who will determine whether the course waiver/substitution would fundamentally alter the nature of ArtCenter’s course requirements. If the course in question is deemed fundamental to the degree, the request will be denied. If the course is deemed to not be specifically necessary to obtain skills and knowledge required for the degree, the request will be granted. Where a substitution is granted, the aforementioned Chair will choose which course(s) would be an adequate substitute.

If the student is asking for a course waiver/substitution of a major requirement, the Student Disability Services Coordinator will act as facilitator working with the Department Chair or designee, who will review the student’s request. If the course in question is deemed fundamental to the student’s major, the request will be denied. If the course is deemed nonessential, the request will be granted. Where a substitution is granted, the Department Chair will choose which course(s) would be an adequate substitute.

Adding and Dropping Classes

Students may add or drop courses through the online registration process. The deadline to add or drop a class is Friday of Week 1. After Friday of Week 1, no classes may be added to a student’s schedule. This policy applies to all courses, including those requiring signatures or special clearance for enrollment. Students are encouraged to obtain clearance for adding special courses early in Week 1.

All course drops after Friday of Week 1 must be submitted to the Enrollment Services office on a Course Drop Weeks 2–9 Request form, signed by the Department Chair. The online add/drop process is turned off Friday of Week 1. Course drops are not allowed after Week 9.

International students are not permitted to drop classes below 12 units without prior permission from the International Student Advisor in the Center for the Student Experience. A signature from the International Student Advisor is required on the Course Drop Weeks 2–9 Request form.

Internships

Internships are valuable, educational experiences that provide students with opportunities to gain practical hands-on work experience under the supervision of professional artists or designers in their field. These opportunities occur in an off-campus professional workplace environment and supplement what a student is learning in the formal curriculum of his or her major/department. Internships are planned in advance and include work expectations and learning outcomes that can be measured and evaluated at the conclusion of the internship. Internships should provide students with the opportunity to grow creatively, gain confidence in their abilities, build their professional network and diversify their skill set. The Internship Program is managed by Career + Professional Development (CPD).

Student Eligibility

Undergraduate students having completed a minimum of 70 units and graduate students having completed a minimum of 30 units, who are in good academic standing (2.5 GPA for undergraduate students and 3.0 GPA for graduate students) are eligible to register an internship for academic credit through CPD. (Eligibility may vary depending on a student’s academic program.)

Internship Eligibility

An internship must be registered through CPD and meet the following criteria in order to receive academic credit:

  • The number of units that can be requested for the internship is determined by the terms of employment stated in the employer’s offer letter:
            •  3 units = Minimum of 12 internship hours per week or 126 hours per term
            •  6 units = Minimum of 24 internship hours per week or 252 hours per term
  • Six (6) units is the maximum that may be earned per internship, per term and a maximum of twelve (12) internship units may be applied toward a student’s graduation requirements. Exceptions to these limits may be approved by the student’s Department Chair and Enrollment Services for special circumstances.
  • The compensation for all internships should be at least minimum wage.
  • The duration of the internship must be at least 10 weeks and fall within the dates of the term in order to mirror a student’s academic experience.
  • Students may not register an internship for the same position at the same company with the same learning outcomes for more than two (2) consecutive terms. Any exception to this limit must be approved by the student’s Department Chair.

Grading Requirements for Internships

Internships provide students with the opportunity to broaden and develop their professional behavior, in addition to enhancing their skill set. Academic credit for internships will be assigned by the student’s Department Chair and will be awarded only on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. To receive a Satisfactory grade for an internship course, the student must satisfy the expectations and requirements outlined below.

Students engaging in internships are expected to practice general professional behavior at their internship sites, including:

  • abiding by the professional practices and workplace culture of the internship site;
  • fulfilling the duties and responsibilities outlined in the offer letter and expected by the employer;
  • successfully completing all agreed upon hours by setting up and adhering to a work schedule;
  • maintaining open communication with regard to schedule changes, running late, or any other concern that may arise; and
  • practicing strong interpersonal skills and working well with others.

The student must also submit the following completed documents to the Internship Specialist by the deadline designated by CPD:

  1. A monthly log of hours signed by the internship site supervisor;
  2. Final Intern Evaluation of the Student (to be completed and submitted by the employer; student is not permitted to submit this evaluation on behalf of the employer);
  3. Internship Reflection (to be completed and submitted by the student); and
  4. Any other requirements authorized by the Department Chair (e.g., final presentation, review of internship work products).

The Internship Specialist will then submit these documents to the appropriate Department Chairs or the designated faculty member, who will award a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory to the student.

Internship Application Process

  • Students must register their internships by Friday of Week 1 of the term in which they are completing their internship, in order to align with the College’s add/drop deadline. Internship registrations attempted after this deadline will not be accepted.
  • Registration forms are available in CPD and can be accessed through Inside ArtCenter.
  • Students must meet with their Department Chair OR the designated department representative, who will assist the student with the development of learning objectives and will sign their form.
  • 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 approved Internship Term to engage in the 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 cancellation of the F-1 visa.
  • Students must submit the completed Internship Registration form to the Internship Specialist for final approval.
  • Both interns and internship site supervisors will be required to sign a document, agreeing to the guidelines of CPD’s Internship Program.
  • The College will not approve retroactive credit for internships, nor will it accept petitions requesting retroactive credit for internship.

Exchange and Study Away Programs

Once you have been accepted into a study away program, whether a 3-unit course or 12-18 unit full-term program, you will be given access to register for the restricted course(s) at your normally scheduled registration appointment time. You must clear any holds on your account before you can register. Neither the Registrar nor the Exchange and Study Away office are responsible for following up on delayed registrations due to holds.

If you are participating in one of our Exchange Student Programs, you will register for 12-units worth of placeholder courses, identified for you, for the term you will be away. Once ArtCenter receives your transcript from the exchange partner school, the appropriate course credit will be applied. It is your responsibility to ensure that your transcript is received by Enrollment Services. It is important that you complete the Study Abroad Exchange Credit Approval form with your Department Chair and/or Director of Humanities and Sciences before you depart so that you have confirmation of the credit you will be receiving.

Records Retention

ArtCenter maintains records of grades and transcripts permanently.