2012–2013 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Melbourne Campus and Extended Studies Students
To add or drop a course, or withdraw from the university, a student
must complete a Change in Registration Status form. Melbourne
campus students withdrawing from the university are asked to
complete a withdrawal survey in the Registration Center. Extended
studies students are asked to complete the survey in the student’s
site office.
Failure to attend classes or verbal notification to instructors does
not constitute an official drop or withdrawal. Students who drop or
withdraw without filing the proper form will receive a failing grade
of F. When a Melbourne campus or extended studies student drops
a course during the first two weeks of class (except in a summer
term) the course will not appear on the permanent academic
record.
After this date, a W will appear on the permanent record for each
dropped course. The W is not used in the computation of the
semester and cumulative grade point average. The last day to drop a
course without receiving a failing grade is published in the academic
calendar.
Florida Tech University Online Students
Students must withdraw through PAWS. Students can drop a
course through the end of the first week of classes without receiving
a grade of W. From the end of the first week through the end of
the sixth week, a grade of W will be assigned. That grade will be
reflected on their transcript, but not calculated into a grade point
average. Withdrawals after week six will result in the grade earned
in the class. To initiate a withdrawal from an online class, students
must log into PAWS at www.fit.edu/paws.
Withdrawals during week one are considered drops. A grade of W is
not added to the transcript. Florida Tech University Online students
can drop a course through the end of the first week of classes
without receiving a grade of W.
If a Florida Tech University Online undergraduate student withdraws
from Mastering eLearning (ASC 1006), a graded degree
requirement for all Florida Tech University Online undergraduate
degree programs, they will be required to register for it the next term
they take courses. After three course withdrawals, a student will be
placed in the lowest level mathematics and communication courses,
usually determined by the diagnostic assessments from ASC 1006.
Readmission Policy
A student must apply for readmission if her or she has been away
from the university for two years, or four or more consecutive
full-length semesters (12 or more 8-week terms for Florida Tech
University Online students and excluding Melbourne campus and
extended studies summer terms) or who has attended another
institution during an absence from the university. If readmission is
approved, the degree requirements in place at the time of readmission,
or later with academic approval, must be met. A student is
not considered absent from the university during a period of study
at another institution if a Request to Study at Another Institution
form was submitted and approved before enrollment for the other
institution’s courses. A student who has been away from the
campus for less than four semesters (12 8-week terms for Florida
Tech University Online students) and who has not attended any
other college or university may register for class without filing an
application for readmission.
A student who leaves the university for military service will be
readmitted with the same academic status he or she had when last
in attendance at Florida Tech. This rule is binding as long as the
student’s length of absence from the institution has not exceeded
five years.
For students attending under the Servicemembers Opportunity
Colleges (SOC) Degree Network System (DNS), breaks-inattendance
of two years or fewer will not invalidate the DNS
Student Agreement, nor will the student’s activity be defined by
taking courses exclusively at the home college.
Appeal procedures for students who have been academically dismissed
and seek reinstatement are described under “Probation and
Dismissal” in this section.
course numbers defined
A Florida Tech course number consists of three subject code letters
followed by a four-digit number. Numbers beginning with 0 are
developmental in nature and do not count toward a degree. Numbers
beginning with 1, 2, 3 and 4 indicate undergraduate courses, and
those beginning with 5 and 6 indicate graduate courses. Graduate
students may take 3000- and 4000-level courses, subject to
limitations and restrictions delineated in graduate policy. 5000-level
courses are intended for master’s and doctoral students. Courses with
numbers beginning with 6 may only be taken by students enrolled in
doctoral degree programs.
credit Hours defined
The credit-hour value of each course normally represents the
number of hours in lecture per week during a full-length semester.
Because there are exceptions to this general rule, particularly for
laboratory periods, students should consult online in PAWS or the
Course Descriptions section for the credit value of specific courses.
course cancellation/schedule changes
The university reserves the right to cancel classes for which there is
insufficient enrollment, to close a class when the enrollment limit
in that class is reached and to make schedule changes as necessary,
including changes in time, days, credit or instructor. The university
does take the needs of students into account and schedule changes
are made only when unavoidable.
course loads
All Students/Melbourne Campus
Students may register for a maximum of 21 semester credit hours
for any fall or spring semester and 13 semester credit hours for
any summer term. Registration in excess of that described above
requires prior written permission of the dean of the appropriate
college.
course substitution
Course substitutions or any other deviation from the stated requirements
of a degree offered at Florida Tech must have the written
approval of the student’s academic program chair or academic
adviser and the academic unit head.
Academic Overview 27