Navigating Student Withdrawals at Bridgewater State University: Policies, Procedures, and Important Considerations
Understanding the process of withdrawing from a course or the university is crucial for any student at Bridgewater State University (BSU). This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the policies and procedures surrounding student withdrawals, drawing upon the university's commitment to academic integrity, student success, and clear communication. Whether you are considering dropping a single course or contemplating a more significant departure from BSU, familiarizing yourself with these guidelines will ensure a smoother and more informed transition.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Academic Progression
Bridgewater State University, like all institutions of higher education, is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and truth. In this pursuit, academic honesty is of fundamental importance. When students, faculty, administrators, and staff follow and support academic integrity values, teaching and learning can proceed in an environment of trust and respect. When such standards are violated, teaching and learning are impaired. Students are admitted to Bridgewater State University with the expectation that they will accept and abide by the standards of conduct and scholarship established by the faculty, administration, and student governing boards.
The university offers a variety of degree programs, including Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs, which prepare students for fields of endeavor related to their chosen areas of study and for graduate school. To successfully complete these programs, students must meet all requirements of their chosen major as specified under the departmental listings. A minimum of 30 credits and a maximum of 36 credits within the major may be required by a department. These 30 to 36 credits reflect all courses taken in the major department, including those that are listed under the distribution of Core Curriculum Requirements. At least one-half of the required courses in the major field (excluding cognate requirements) must be successfully completed at this university. A minimum 2.0 GPA in the major is required for graduation. The major GPA includes all courses completed in the major field (excluding cognate requirements, unless otherwise specified).
Beyond majors, students may also pursue concentrations and minors. A concentration is a unified set of courses usually composed of core requirements and of those additional course requirements particular to the chosen area of concentration. The total number of core and particular requirements for a concentration must be at least 24 but not more than 36 credit hours. Cognate courses (required courses outside the major department) are not counted as part of the 36 hours. Only students selecting the major field of study may complete a concentration within that major. A minor is a unified set of courses chosen outside of the major field of study requiring not less than 18 nor more than 21 hours. The minor is recorded on the student’s transcript. Minors may include courses from only one department or may be interdisciplinary. Students may use courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements or departmental requirements to fulfill interdisciplinary minor requirements unless otherwise prohibited. At least one half of the courses required for the minor must be successfully completed through Bridgewater State University. Students must achieve a minimum 2.0 cumulative average in declared minors. The minor GPA includes all courses required for completion of the minor regardless of the department in which the courses are offered.
Withdrawal from a Specific Course: Understanding the Process and Implications
The university reserves the right to require students to withdraw who do not maintain acceptable academic standing. This can manifest in various ways, including disruptive behavior or failure to meet academic benchmarks.
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If disruptive behavior occurs, whether in the classroom or another academic environment, a faculty member has the right to remove the student from the classroom setting. If a student exhibits disruptive behavior, the faculty member may ask the student to stop the behavior. If the student does not comply with the professor’s request, they will be asked to leave, and the professor will indicate the expected appropriate conduct to be able to return to class. If the student agrees to the faculty member’s instructions and returns to class but subsequently continues to engage in disruptive behavior during future class sessions, the faculty member will forward written documentation of the student’s behavior to the respective department chairperson. The chairperson will meet with the student to review the matter and determine an appropriate course of action. If the student does not comply with the course of action and continues to engage in disruptive behavior, the student may be withdrawn from the course after a review conducted by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Students who exhibit behavior that immediately endangers or seriously disrupts the establishment or maintenance of an appropriate learning environment in the classroom are subject to an immediate review by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. In all cases involving an individual with a disability, including mental disabilities, this policy will operate to make determinations based upon an individual’s behavior rather than upon the individual’s status of having a disability. Students have a personal obligation to obtain medical care for conditions that may affect their conduct, and to take any related medications as prescribed by their physicians.
The procedure for making up an examination held during the semester is determined by the individual instructor or the department. The privilege of making up a final examination will be granted only when the cause has been the serious illness of the student or a member of their immediate family.
A critical aspect of course withdrawal involves official procedures. Students are expected to take responsibility and officially withdraw from any course which they do not plan to complete. This is distinct from simply ceasing to attend. The university's federal government guidelines (34 CFR 668.22) mandate that the University tracks and reports students who have stopped attending class and who have not officially withdrawn. In doing so, the last date of attendance or participation, as reported by the instructor, will be used as the course withdrawal date, and a registration status of “WA” (withdrawn due to lack of attendance) will be applied to a student’s record. Students are notified in writing of this change in their registration status and have an opportunity to correct it, if it is an error, or to officially withdraw from the class. It is important to note that the “WA” status can be changed to a letter grade, including “F”, by the instructor. Therefore, proactively initiating an official withdrawal is paramount to avoid unintended academic consequences.
Academic Standing and University Withdrawal
Beyond individual courses, students must maintain acceptable academic standing to remain enrolled at Bridgewater State University. For a first-semester transfer student, their cumulative GPA must remain at 1.5 or above to avoid separation from the university. Students on academic probation are limited to 13 credits during the semester they are on probation.
Students who have been academically dismissed from the university may not take courses at the university (day or evening) for at least one academic semester. After this time period, students may apply for readmission through the Office of Admission. Although not required, it is recommended that readmission applicants give evidence of at least one semester of academic work with a 2.5 GPA or higher at some other institution of higher learning. Students who have previously completed courses at a college or university are reminded that coursework taken elsewhere will not necessarily be accepted as transfer credit. An undergraduate degree-seeking student who is academically dismissed more than once is eligible to apply for readmission after at least one year. The grade point average of the student will resume after readmission. It is important to note that academic readmission or reinstatement to the university does not guarantee renewed financial aid eligibility. Students should note that many financial assistance programs require participants to make satisfactory academic progress in order to remain eligible.
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Attendance and Religious Observances
One of the cornerstones of BSU’s educational mission is the promotion of student engagement with faculty to improve the quality, depth, and breadth of learning. Students are responsible for satisfactory attendance in each course for which they are registered. Satisfactory attendance shall be determined by the instructor within the context of this policy statement. The approval of excused absences and the assignment of make-up work are the prerogative of the course instructor.
The university’s health service does not make judgments about whether a student can attend class except in rare cases when attendance would be harmful to the student’s health or the health of others. In general, students will be excused without penalty for reasons such as illness, participation in official university events, personal emergencies, and religious holidays. Bridgewater State University requires that faculty and staff excuse any student who is unable to attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work requirement because of religious observance. The relevant federal government statute states: “Any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or vocational training institution, who is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study, or work requirement which they may have missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity.” Faculty can ascertain the dates of many religious holidays by consulting an interfaith calendar when planning their course syllabi. Students are required to notify instructors in advance that they will miss class in order to observe a religious holiday. They must do so in writing as early in the semester as possible, but no later than one week in advance of the absence, with the exception of holidays falling during the first week of the academic year. In the event of a dispute between an undergraduate student and a faculty member about the attendance policy, either party should contact the appropriate department chairperson.
Degree Conferral and Graduation Requirements
Students who believe they are ready to receive their degree from Bridgewater State University are required to complete a formal degree application, available in the Registrar’s Office. Bridgewater State University holds an annual commencement ceremony in May. However, BSU confers degrees three times during the year, in August, December, and May.
Satisfactory completion of all requirements for a bachelor’s degree must be under a catalog in effect within eight years of the date of graduation. The catalog used, however, may be no earlier than the catalog in effect at the time of matriculation or, in the case of a change of major, concentration, or minor, no earlier than the catalog in effect when the major, concentration, or minor was formally declared. This policy does not apply to students enrolled in programs governed by state and/or federal regulations where current academic requirements may need to be met.
Specific graduation requirements include:
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- A minimum major GPA of 2.0 (or higher, if required in the student’s major(s) requirements taken through Bridgewater State University).
- A minimum minor GPA (if enrolled in a minor) of 2.0 (or higher, if required in the student’s minor requirements taken through Bridgewater State University).
- A maximum of 90 credits may be accepted in transfer by Bridgewater State University and applied to the baccalaureate degree; however, only 69 credits will be accepted from two-year institutions. Any course taken at another accredited institution after admission to Bridgewater State University must have departmental preapproval.
One diploma will be issued to students, and one degree earned, regardless of the number of major programs completed. Students with double majors will be awarded the degree (BA, BS, or BSE) based on their primary major. The diploma will indicate the degree earned, and honors awarded based on the students’ final grade point average. The degree earned, honors awarded, and all majors and minors completed will be listed on the student’s academic transcript. Conferral of a degree occurs when the Registrar’s Office finalizes the student’s academic record and confirms that all requirements have been satisfied, including all financial obligations. Participation in the commencement ceremony does not constitute conferral of the degree.
Pursuing a Second Undergraduate Degree
Students admitted to a second undergraduate degree program will meet with an advisor from the major department to plan a course of study based on the current requirements of that major. That course of study must be approved by the chairperson of the department and forwarded to the Registrar’s Office. Any changes in that course of study must also have the approval of the advisor and the chairperson and be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office. If a student does not complete the course of study within four years of admission, the department may require the student to change their catalog year to reflect changes in major requirements. This time period does not apply to students enrolled in programs governed by state and/or federal regulations where current academic requirements may need to be met.
To complete a second undergraduate degree, students must meet specific requirements, including:
- The completion of at least one half of the required courses in the second degree major (excluding cognate requirements) through Bridgewater State University.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (or higher if required by the major department) in the student’s major requirements taken through Bridgewater State University. Major GPA includes all courses completed in the major field (excluding cognate requirements), unless otherwise specified by the individual department.
- The Bridgewater State University Core Curriculum Requirements are satisfied by the student’s first bachelor’s degree, whether that degree was earned through Bridgewater State University or another accredited institution.
- Both cumulative GPA and major GPA for the second degree will be based on all grades received through Bridgewater State University, and all undergraduate courses will appear on one continuous academic record.
A student must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in order to remain in good academic standing at the university and continue in the program. Academic excellence for the baccalaureate program is recognized by awarding degrees summa cum laude (cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher), magna cum laude (cumulative GPA of 3.6 to 3.79), and cum laude (cumulative GPA of 3.3 to 3.59). The Commencement Program is printed prior to grades being submitted for the student’s final semester; therefore, the Registrar’s Office must print the honors designation that a student has earned up to the time of publication.
Understanding Credit Hours and Academic Workload
An undergraduate academic credit hour is equivalent to one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks of each semester. Therefore, a three-credit class has an expectation of approximately three hours of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of six hours of out-of-class student work over that same time period.
Privacy and Information Security
Bridgewater State University is committed to protecting the privacy of its students. The university provides a notice explaining its online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. On some pages, you can submit information about other institutions. For example, if you request a transcript and want it sent directly to the institution, you will need to submit the recipient's address. The university uses the information you provide about yourself when placing an order only to complete that order. You may also select “Yes” to the question, “Would you like for your High School or District to use your information to update the Alumni Database?”
The university has put in place commercially reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information collected online. Customers pay via PayPal, so credit card information is not accepted or stored on this site. IP Limiting is also used to protect such personal information from unauthorized persons when you are using the Site. However, it is important to acknowledge that communications submitted over the Internet are subject to the risk of being accessed by unauthorized third parties, and the university unfortunately cannot guarantee that the information you provide will never be obtained by unauthorized persons. By using the site, you accept this risk. There are some steps you can take that may help protect your own personal information. As between you and NeedMyTranscript, any information or material submitted to NeedMyTranscript in connection with this Site is provided on a non-confidential and non-proprietary basis. Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important.
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