May 20, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024 
    
Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

Course Policies



The Catalog lists courses of instruction alphabetically by subject and numerically by course number. The course number denotes the intended/recommended level of the course:

  • Courses numbered 1000 - 2000 are intended primarily for freshmen and correspond to entry-level work. They correspond to entry-level work and may be taken by juniors and seniors.
  • Courses numbered 3000 - 4000 are intended primarily for juniors and seniors who satisfy the published prerequisite(s), if any.
  • Courses numbered 5000+ are intended for graduate and professional students, often at the Master’s level.
  • Courses numbered 6000+ are intended for graduate and professional school students, often at the Doctoral level.

Course credit is listed after each course title. The university counts credit in credit hours. Following the credit hours is a brief description of the content, requirements for registration to the course (if any), and other advisory statements. Additional information relating to the course content is available in the Dynamic Schedule.

A cross listed course refers to a course offered under the same course title but at the graduate and undergraduate level. Courses may also be cross listed with one or more departments.

Prerequisites are advisory statements that refer to special requirements for registration in certain courses. These may include one or more courses that must be completed prior to, or in the same term. These statements may also recommend knowledge, skills or standards, or class standing that must be demonstrated prior to registration.

The following notations and definitions are used to describe the credit hour and the contact hours that are associated with each course:

  • A number in parentheses shows credit hours, following the course title. For example, (3) is three credit hours. Three hours of credit are granted for a class meeting for a period of three 50-minute periods in one week. Where courses are offered for variable credit, the range of credit hours is shown.
  • Courses designated as activity, clinical, field, laboratory, practice, recitation, seminar, or studio have additional hours of contact. These contact hours are shown after the slash mark in the course title. For example, /5 is five contact hours in one week.
  • The number of hours required for fieldwork in education and health science courses is listed as “clock hours.” One clock hour is a full 60-minute period per semester.

Grade of Incomplete

The grade of I is awarded with the following conditions:

  1. Student must have successfully completed (passed) at least 50 percent of the requirements for the course.
  2. The student must have attended classes to within three weeks of the last day of scheduled classes.
  3.  During the time a student has a grade of I in any of these courses, the student is limited to a course load of not more than 13 credit hours per semester.

If a student has not completed the course requirements by the end of the next long term after receiving the grade of I (unless otherwise indicated by the contract), the grade automatically is changed to the default grade or an I/F. The default grade or I/F may be replaced with a higher letter grade if the student retakes the class and passes the required assignments.

Grade of Incomplete - Request and Process

A student may request a grade of Incomplete (I) in a course when extenuating and unavoidable circumstances have prevented the student from completing all of the graded course work by the end of the semester. The student must have completed at least 50% of the graded course work with a passing grade (D or better) and must have attended classes up to the last three weeks of scheduled classes.

A request for a grade of Incomplete must be initiated by the student and must be submitted to the instructor in writing, using the Incomplete Grade Request and Contract, by the last day of class before the final exam period. The student must indicate the reason(s) why they were unable to complete the required course work. The student’s instructor must indicate the specific work that the student is expected to complete. The instructor must also indicate a default grade (B, C, D, or F) to which the Incomplete will revert if the student does not complete the work specified in the contract. By signing an Incomplete Grade Request and Contract, the student agrees to complete all unfinished coursework on or before the last day of class at the end of the next long semester (Fall or Spring) that follows the assignment of the incomplete grade.

An extension may be requested with an updated Incomplete Contract signed by the faculty member or Chair, in the case of documented extenuating circumstances. The updated Incomplete Contract must be submitted to the faculty within 30 days prior to the incomplete contract deadline.

If a student has not completed the course requirements by the end of the next long term after receiving the grade of I (unless otherwise indicated by the contract), the grade automatically is changed to the default grade or an I/F. The default grade or I/F may be replaced with a higher letter grade if the student retakes the class.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The number of grade points for a grade in a given course is calculated by multiplying the grade point value by the number of credit hours earned in the course. The term grade point average is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points that a student has earned in all courses taken during the term by the total number of credit hours awarded by those courses. The cumulative grade point average is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points that a student has earned in all courses taken by the total number of credit hours awarded for those courses. Courses in which the student received a grade of P, W, I, T, WA, or WN or courses that were taken at another institution are not included in the calculation. Courses in which the student received a grade of F or I/F are used in the calculation.

Repeated Courses

Students will be allowed to repeat a course and have the highest grade earned for the course count towards their cumulative grade point average. A student may repeat a course a maximum of three times. Please note that certain financial aid programs may not cover tuition towards repeating a course. Students should contact a financial aid advisor when attempting to repeat a course to determine eligibility.

Emergency Grading Policy

In light of the extraordinary circumstances to address regional or national emergencies that interfere with students, Chicago State University will have the option to offer students to select a Pass/Non-Pass grade option for courses.

Upon designation of a state or national emergency by the President of the University or the Governor of the State of Illinois, undergraduate students will be able to seek the option of pass/non-pass grade for undergraduate courses. A pass grade is considered for grades of “C” or better and a grade of non-pass as designated for grades of “D” or below. This option cannot be used for student’s repeating a course or students electing a grade of incomplete. The selection of a pass/non-pass grade will not calculate into a student’s grade point average. The procedure for this process will be defined for the semester designated as an emergency and communicated to the students when designated for implementation.