Academic Programs and Policies

The undergraduate instructional programs are supervised by the deans of the various colleges under the administration of the provost/vice president for academic affairs. Each dean is responsible for directing the guidance of students in the college, from initial registration to graduation. All students are assigned to advisors by the deans of their respective colleges.

Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees

To qualify for a degree, candidates may choose to meet the requirements of the current bulletin or of any bulletin in effect between the dates of their matriculation and graduation, provided that the period between such dates does not exceed six years and provided they were enrolled during the year of the bulletin chosen. In the event students serve on active duty with the armed forces of the United States between the dates of their matriculation and graduation, the six-year limit will be extended one year for each year of active duty served, up to a maximum extension of four years. The degree catalog and major selection must be in a program that is active for selection. Some programs may no longer be available for selection.

Overlap Program

The Overlap Program permits qualified undergraduates to pursue a limited amount of graduate study concurrently with undergraduate study. View more about overlap program admission.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

With the exception of the five-year Master of Professional Accountancy integrated undergraduate/graduate program, SFA students earn one degree and one diploma at a time.

Pursuing an additional major in tandem with your primary major will not result in two degrees. If you desire a degree for each major, you must complete the first degree and then reenroll at SFA to complete the additional degree. Read HOP policy 02-218 for conditions regarding the additional degree.

Degree Plan Requirements

Each student is held responsible for meeting the requirements of a degree program. Degree programs are approved by The University of Texas System Board of Regents, and each student’s progress is monitored by the major/minor advisors and dean. Students are required to declare a major and file an official degree plan no later than the end of the semester following the completion of 30 hours.

The appropriate advisor and the dean of the college in which the student is registered must approve any changes in the student’s official degree program in writing. If the degree program is planned also to lead to a teaching certificate, the dean of the James I. Perkins College of Education also must approve any change.

Application for Degree/Graduation

Visit the Office of the Registrar’s Applying to Graduate webpage for full details.

Class Attendance and Excused Absences

Students are expected to attend all classes, laboratories and other class-related activities on a regular and punctual basis. Attendance and make-up policies are stated in course syllabi, and an accurate record of attendance is maintained for classes in which attendance is a factor in the course grade. 

Excused absences may be granted for institutional purposes from otherwise-required academic activity only when a valid institutional absence is approved by the appropriate administrative unit or official. Learn more on the Instuitutional Absences webpage.

Additional resources for more information: HOP policy 04-112 (military service activation) and HOP policy 02-102 (class attendance).

Course Numbering System

The course numbering system at SFA is assigned an alphabetic prefix and a four-digit number. The first of these numeric digits identifies the academic level of the course. Freshman or first-year courses are designated by a 1, sophomore or second-year courses are designated by a 2, junior or third-year courses are designated by a 3, senior or fourth-year courses are designated by a 4, graduate-level courses are designated by a 5 and doctoral-level courses are designated by a 6. Prior to fall 2010, certain 400-level courses may be approved for graduate-level credit. These courses will appear on the graduate transcript. Some 1000- to 4000-level courses may appear on the graduate transcript with zero attempted and earned hours.

Grading System

View the grading system webpage for full details.

Repeating Courses

An undergraduate student who desires to repeat courses in order to improve his/her GPA at SFA must repeat those courses at SFA. Visit the registrar’s repeating courses webpage and Student Business Services’ 3-peat tuition webpage for the most up to date information.

Grade Appeal

Good communication between faculty and students will help make disputes between them infrequent, but if disagreements occur, it is university policy to provide a mechanism whereby a student may formally appeal faculty decisions. When a student uses the appeals procedure, all parties should endeavor to resolve the dispute amicably at as early a stage as possible and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies. The faculty member, after considering the outcome of the appeals process, shall retain complete academic freedom to make the final determination on the matter.

Read HOP policy 04-109 for details on criteria and steps to proceed with this route.

Academic Integrity

Enrolling at Stephen F. Austin State University obligates students to adhere to a code of behavior that embraces academic and personal integrity; respect for the dignity, right, and property of others; and an intolerance of discrimination and harassment. In keeping with this obligation, students and student organizations are expected to comply with the standards outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity. All students are expected and required to obey federal, state and local laws, and to comply with The University of Texas System, its regents’ and institutional rules and regulations. This code contains rules for adjudicating alleged violations of the handbook of operating procedures in a manner consistent with the requirements of procedural due process and in accordance with The University of Texas System rules and its Board of Regents’ Rule: 50101.

Visit sfasu.edu/sco for more information.

Satisfactory Progress and Standing

As shown elsewhere in this publication, an undergraduate student enrolled for 12 or more semester hours of coursework in a regular semester is considered full time. Satisfactory progress toward a degree for the full-time student, therefore, is the passing of 24 or more semester hours of coursework a year. A part-time student likewise is considered making satisfactory progress toward a degree by passing coursework attempted in proportion to 24 or more semester hours a year.

Scholastic Probation and Suspension

To satisfy the minimum standards of the university, a student must achieve a 2.0 GPA on all hours attempted.

Good Standing

A student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to remain in good academic standing.

Academic Probation

A student is placed on academic probation after the first regular semester in which the cumulative GPA falls below 2.0. Students on academic probation whose semester GPA is 2.0 or higher will be allowed to continue on academic probation until the cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher. Academic probation will continue until the student achieves good standing or is placed on academic suspension.

Academic Suspension

A student on academic probation will be placed on academic suspension if the student’s semester GPA falls below 2.0.

Reinstatement

A student on academic suspension may be allowed to continue at the university through any of the following procedures:

1. meet conditions established by the student’s dean
2. be reinstated on academic probation automatically after one regular semester’s absence from the university. Following a second or subsequent academic suspension and absence from the university for two regular semesters, be reinstated automatically on probation. Summer terms are exempt from periods of academic suspension. Automatic reinstatement will not occur if the student takes courses elsewhere and fails to attain a GPA of 2.0 for those courses
3. or, after the first academic suspension, attend summer school at SFA and either raise the cumulative GPA to 2.0 or higher or obtain a GPA of 2.0 or higher for at least nine semester credit hours in courses specified by the student’s dean.

Change of Major

Students on academic probation or suspension may change majors with approval from their current and receiving deans.

Withdrawal From the University

(Also see Refund of Tuition and Fees  in this bulletin.)

Students who officially withdraw from the university will have a W recorded on the transcript if the withdrawal is prior to five days after mid-semester or mid-session as applicable. Students desiring to withdraw after these dates will receive grades of WP if passing or of WF if failing in their respective courses. Application for withdrawal must be initiated by the student in the Office of the Registrar .

Any student who ceases to attend classes without officially withdrawing is subject to grades of F or QF in all courses for which she/he is registered.

Any student who withdraws from or otherwise leaves the university without clearing her/his financial record, i.e., without having returned borrowed books and equipment, paid any outstanding university traffic fines and settled other financial matters with the university, will be subject to the following sanctions until such time that the record is cleared:

1. The student will not be permitted to re-enroll.
2. The student will not be eligible to receive an official transcript of academic work completed.

President’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List

Full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students may be recognized on the President’s Honor Roll or the Dean’s List during the fall or spring semesters when the following requirements are met:

1. Earn 12 or more quality semester hours with a minimum GPA of 3.5 at SFA during either the fall or spring semester. Courses excluded from grade-point computation also are excluded from quality hours and may not be used to determine Honor Roll status.
2. Undergraduate students meeting the above requirements with a semester GPA of 4.0 qualify for President’s Honor Roll.
3. Undergraduate students meeting the above requirements with a semester GPA of 3.5 through 3.999 qualify for the Dean’s List.

Graduation With Honors

A student receiving a baccalaureate degree with academic honors has:

• completed a course of study with at least 42 semester hours of SFA residence coursework excluding pass/fail hours (GPA hours) and
• in the final 30 advanced GPA hours (3000 and 4000 level courses) has a GPA as follows: