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General Studies

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


What if I decide not to get a degree in General Studies?

Although the General Studies curriculum offers students a strong liberal-arts-centered degree, many of you may have chosen General Studies because you were not sure of a major. You may decide at any time that you would like to major in another, more specific area of study.

When you change your area of study, you will probably be changing advisors. The new advisor, who is probably a teacher in the department offering your major courses, will help you devise your new education plan, a plan that is intended to get you a degree. Thus, when you change your major, you are also changing your curriculum. You may also be changing colleges.


How do I change my curriculum?

To change your curriculum, you must visit the office of your dean and fill out a change of curriculum form. Change of curriculum becomes official on the date of submission to the Office of Records and Registration. Students should be advised by faculty in the newly chosen curriculum for the next semester. Records, however, will be formally transferred at the beginning of the following semester.

When programs must meet curricular requirements set by external agencies, such as accrediting associations, curricular changes may be made without prior notice, and students may be required to conform to such changes when they become effective.


Are there any cautions I should remember about changing curriculum?

Any change in your area of study could cause you to lose credit for courses that do not count toward your degree in another area. When you are a freshman, most of the courses you take —general education courses—will usually count in your favor in most degree plans. The longer you stay in a degree plan, however, the more your courses begin to count in one area of study over another. Check with your advisor before changing majors to get an accurate assessment of what could happen to your degree plan based on your switch.


Can I get credit for courses I have taken at other universities?

At the time you transfer to Nicholls from another institution, your records are sent to the Office of Admissions. The Office of Admissions determines how your coursework will transfer to the Nicholls academic environment. Transfer students who have attended other institutions must meet requirements as outlined in the Bulletin section on "Admissions (link to Bulletin Admissions section or transfer student section)." To enter Nicholls, students must be eligible to re-enter the institution from which they are transferring and have an academic record which meets the standards required of students in the same classification at Nicholls.

Transfer students must remember that they must meet certain residency requirements with regard to curriculum (link to second page of the doc General University requirements/Residence Requirements for the Bac. Degree). For instance, among other requirements, students

Check the Bulletin for other details.


Can I get credit for taking correspondence courses?

Correspondence courses offered by institutions that meet proper standards can be accepted as course work that can be applied toward the degree. However, students must be aware of certain restrictions. Before any course work is taken, students should consult with a General Studies advisor to make sure that the courses will be applied to the General Studies curriculum. Also, before beginning correspondence course work, students must fill out the necessary form — Request for Correspondence Work at Another University. (Link to form on Downloadable Forms Page). This form may be obtained in the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences or may be downloaded from this website.

Students should also be aware of extra fees that may be involved beyond those fees that are assessed by the university offering the correspondence course. For instance, there is a charge of $20.00 for each correspondence test which is administered in the Testing Center at Nicholls State University.

Note well: No credit for correspondence or extension work can be earned toward a degree or for professional growth while a student is under suspension. Also, correspondence courses do not count toward residency requirements regarding a student's last hours here at the university. Twenty-four of a student's last 30 hours must be earned in residency at Nicholls.


Are there any other ways I can receive academic credit for courses I have taken or for experiences I have had in life?

There are several ways that students can get academic credit in these situations. There are opportunities for Advanced Placement, credit by petition, the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Nicholls State University credit examinations, and credit for military service. Information about these opportunities follows:

Credit by Petition  
An undergraduate student with an exceptionally high score on the ACT (American College Test) examination or who has prior knowledge of a subject may be placed in advanced level course work in certain academic disciplines. Credit will not be granted for academic sequence course work taken previously and for which grades have been earned. Credit by petition is applicable to courses taken at Nicholls only, not to transfer courses. Students are allowed advanced placement credit only in courses numbered below 200. If the advanced level course work is completed with a grade of C or better the first time taken, the student may receive credit for the lower level course work by submitting a completed Credit by Petition form to the Office of Records and Registration. A student who earns less than a C in the advanced course work forfeits eligibility to petition for credit for the lower-level course work. Credit will be allowed only on academic sequence course work approved by the appropriate department head. Credit received by petition may be applied toward graduation but will not be considered in computing the overall grade-point average. The petition form can be obtained from the office of the student's academic dean.

Advanced Placement Program (Credit by Examination)  
Nicholls students may obtain credit by examination in four ways:

ACT (American College Testing) Program Scores  
Entering freshmen are eligible for course credit in English and/or mathematics if their enhanced ACT scores are sufficiently high.

Students receive credit in:

The University accepts the corresponding Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores in place of ACT scores for advanced placement purposes under exceptional circumstances.

Advanced Placement Program Examinations  
Students achieving scores of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement examinations are eligible to receive credit on the basis of such test scores. Credit is granted for freshman-level and sophomore-level courses only. Students who have completed these tests should have their scores sent by the College Board directly to the Nicholls State University Office of Records and Registration.

College-Level Examination Program   
Nicholls State University, an official CLEP Test Center, administers CLEP examinations. CLEP enables both traditional and non-traditional students to earn college credit by examination for freshman and sophomore courses only. The Office of Records and Registration will award credit for satisfactory scores on approved subject examinations only after the academic department in which credit is sought determines it should be awarded.

Nicholls State University Credit Examinations  
Nicholls administers credit examinations to students who claim special competence gained through practical experience, extensive training, or completion of courses in non-accredited institutions. A credit examination must be approved in advance by the dean of the college in which the course concerned is offered, and the department head and the appropriate instructor in the academic department administering the examination. Students seeking credit by examination will initiate the process by obtaining the required application in the Office of Records and Registration.

A student must make the equivalent of a C grade or better on the examination to receive credit. However, no grade other than S or U is assigned or recorded.

Credit for Military Service  
A student who has completed a minimum of six months (181 consecutive days) of active duty in the United States Armed Forces shall be classified as a veteran. In order to receive credit for military service, the student must present an official document showing honorable discharge or assignment to the National Guard or to reserve status. Two semester hours of health and physical education activity credit will be awarded for each six months of active service, up to a maximum of eight semester hours of credit.