Academic Information and Policies

Grading System

The grade-point average is computed by totaling the grade points of all courses taken at Walla Walla University and dividing by the total quarter hours for which grades are received. Only the best grade of a repeated course will be calculated in the grade-point average. Default grades of Incompletes are included in the grade point calculation. The AU, IP, NC, S, W, X, and Z are disregarded in computing the grade-point average. Once a course grade has been recorded, students may not submit additional coursework.

A report of grades is available on the WWU website for students at the end of each quarter. Classes taken for 0 credit may only be graded S/NC.

The following system of grades and grade-point values per quarter hours is used for evaluating graduate credit:

A	4.0	B	3.0	C	2.0	D	1.0
A-	3.7	B-	2.7	C-	1.7	D-	0.7
B+	3.3	C+	2.3	D+	1.3	F	0

In place of grades, the following symbols are used:

I - Incomplete. An Incomplete “I” is a temporary grade which may be given at the instructor’s discretion to a student when illness, necessary absence, or other reasons beyond the control of the student prevents completion of course requirements by the end of the academic term. 

Incomplete grades may be given only in the following circumstances:

• The student’s work to date is passing;
• Attendance has been satisfactory through at least 50% of the term;
• A documented illness or injury, death in the family, or other extenuating circumstance legitimately prevents completion of required work by the due date;
• The incomplete is not given as a substitute for a failing grade;
• The incomplete is not based solely on a student's failure to complete work or as a means of raising his or her grade by doing additional work after the grade report time;
• The student initiates the request for an incomplete grade before the end of the academic term.

Appropriate grades must be assigned in other circumstances. An X grade may be recorded for students who cease attending class within the first 50% of the course at the instructor’s discretion. 

The following procedures for incomplete grades apply:

• Students who receive an incomplete grade in a course need not reregister for the course in order to remove the “I.”
• An Incomplete is not to be assigned where the normal practice requires extension of course requirements beyond the close of a term, e.g., thesis or project type courses.
• Faculty must enter a default grade which will appear on the transcript should the expiration deadline lapse without further action on the part of the student.
• A default grade should reflect the final grade status of the student without considering any additional work.
• The value of the default grade, entered with the incomplete, will be calculated into the student GPA and considered for purposes of determining academic standing, federal financial aid eligibility, athletic eligibility, or other purposes. The GPA will be recalculated only when the final grade is recorded.
• The course work may be completed while the student is not enrolled unless the student has been dismissed from the university.
• Submission of all required work is due to the instructor the following term (excluding summer session) by the deadline set by the instructor, no later than Friday of Week 7. 
• Only in extenuating circumstances will extensions be granted beyond seven weeks. Forms for extension requests can be found on the WWU website. Extension requests must be approved by the Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies. Forms are available online.
• Incomplete grades may be replaced with final letter grades prior to the expiration deadline by the faculty of record through myWWU.
• Graduating students must complete all outstanding incompletes six weeks prior to graduation.

I* - Standing Incomplete. Final grade for coursework not completed within appropriate timeframe.

IP - In Progress. IP grading is a temporary grade that may be assigned if a student has completed a minimum of 50% of the required coursework. IP grades may be assigned to preapproved courses such as Internship, Research, Thesis, Seminar, or other courses that extend beyond regular grading periods. If a final grade is not submitted within three terms (excluding summer) after the original enrollment term, the IP will automatically become an IP* (standing IP). Requests for time extension beyond the one-year deadline must be submitted to the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies prior to the end of the one-year deadline. With appropriate approval an IP grade can be extended for a maximum of two years from the original enrollment term after which the student must reregister for the course.

IP* - Standing In Progress. Final grade for coursework not completed within appropriate timeframe.

S/NC - Satisfactory/No Credit. Indicates that credit earned was satisfactory (C or better) or that the credit was not earned because performance did not meet the minimum standards for a satisfactory grade. A grade of S will not be acceptable for graduate credit except for courses that require S/NC grading. Some professional schools calculate the NC mark as an F grade when computing the grade-point average.

W - Official Withdrawal. Courses dropped during the first week of the term will not appear on the  student’s record. Courses dropped thereafter will appear on the permanent record with a W.

X - Unofficial Withdrawal. Indicates that the student discontinued class attendance prior to the fifth week, mid-term, but failed to withdraw officially.

Z - Administrative Withdrawal.

AU - Audit. An AU is assigned for class attendance and participation generally excluding tests and outside-of-class assignments. Arrangements to audit a class are made with the Office of Graduate Studies. The deadline for changing to or from audit status is the tenth day of the quarter. The cost for audited credit is one-half the regular tuition rate. 

GRADE ERRORS AND CORRECTIONS. Grades will be processed and posted online for viewing at the close of each quarter. Upon viewing grades via the secured website, the student should carefully check the accuracy of the courses recorded, quarter hours, and grades. Grades may be changed only if an error has been made in calculating or recording the grade. Students will have until the last day to drop classes during the next regular quarter to report any discrepancies to the Academic Records Office.

GRADUATE GPA. Grades of all courses on the approved graduate program and in the program area, excluding deficiencies, will be computed in the grade-point average.

Uniform Course Numbers

By general agreement certain course numbers are reserved for classes that are of such a general nature as to be found in the three graduate departments. The prefix assigned to the numbers designates the discipline. The following are courses that carry uniform numbers throughout the bulletin:

500; 600 TOPICS (1-5)

Courses in specialized or experimental areas conducted through regular class activities and approved by Graduate council as one time offerings. See the Class Schedule for all approved Topics courses.

559; 659 SUPPLEMENTAL STUDIES (1-2; 2)

Supplementation of previous course work when portions of a course required in the student’s program have been omitted. Ordinarily supplementation will occur only with transfer students or within a program that has undergone a major curriculum change. A study proposal is to be outlined in consultation with the instructor of the course being supplemented and approved by the department and the Graduate Academic Standards committee. May not be substituted for existing courses.

569; 669 ADVANCED STUDY (1-3; 3)

Advanced directed study by which students may enhance the program area in breadth or depth not covered within the department curriculum. The study proposal must be approved by the department and the Graduate Standards Committee and is to indicate the methods of evaluation. May not be substituted for existing courses.

579; 679 DIRECTED RESEARCH/PROJECT (1-2; 2)

Individualized research, laboratory or learning experience of particular interest to the student; may include contributions from conference attendance or travel related to an academic topic. A project proposal and permission of instructor are required prior to beginning the project.

594; 694 DIRECTED READING (1-3)

Independent reading for students who wish to broaden their knowledge in a particular discipline.

Graduate Facilities and Services

Information Technology. A computer network on each Walla Walla University campus supports a wide variety of software applications for the faculty, staff, and students. Each WWU campus has general purpose PC Labs available for registered students' use free of charge.

Disability Support Services. Walla Walla University is committed to providing educational opportunities and inclusion to all qualified students with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended, and Washington State laws. The Disability Support Services (DSS) office is here to advise and assist with student’s disability-related needs, determine eligibility for various support services, and arrange academic adjustments and other accommodations.  

Examples of accommodations are: exam accommodations, books and other print material in alternate format, use of auxiliary aids and technology, note-taking assistance, accessible housing and other services. 

To request accommodations, which are made with the student on an individual basis, students should arrange an appointment with the Assistant Director of Disability Support Services at dss@wallawalla.edu, or phone (509) 527-2366.  Additional information may be found at www.wallawalla.edu/dss

WWU LIBRARIES

Faculty librarians, library research consultants, library staff, and student assistants seek to inspire excellence in thought by bringing people and information together in innovative ways at the WWU Libraries including Peterson Memorial Library (library.wallawalla.edu) on the College Place campus, the MSW focused library on the Billings campus, the School of Nursing Library on the Portland campus, and our distance learning students. Librarians and other professional staff are available to facilitate student success by helping students learn information literacy concepts, connect to reference and research support, and access academic sources.

LEARN. EXPANDING INFORMATION LITERACY. Many of our graduate programs hold introductory seminars to familiarize students with professional and academic research tools available to them as a Walla Walla University student. Graduate students have the option to practice research as inquiry and searching as exploration by connecting one-on-one with librarians through consultations on their particular research needs.

CONNECT. RESEARCH AND REFERENCE ASSISTANCE. Librarians, library staff, and library student assistants seek to facilitate student success through assistance in finding articles and other resources for papers, speeches, and other assignments through Research Guides, face-to-face interactions, chat and email reference, and the LibAnswers Knowledge Base. More in-depth research consultation with faculty librarians is also available in face-to-face or virtual settings.

ACCESS. RESOURCES AND RESEARCH CENTRAL. Research Central, WWU’s online discovery system, connects students and faculty on all campuses to the WWU Libraries’ collections. The combined WWU libraries contain over 490,000 items, including books, eBooks, print and online journals, videos, DVDs, and streaming video.

Over 100 full-text databases provide access to thousands of journal articles, academic videos, and reference resources. Subscriptions for many of the library's databases are made possible by membership in library consortia such as the Adventist Library Information Cooperative (ALICE) and the Orbis Cascade Alliance (Alliance).

Journal article, reference, and streaming media databases are available from both the Peterson and Billings libraries’ webpages. Additionally, a full list of titles can be accessed through the LibGuides portal. Databases include such key resources as Academic Search Full-Text Premier, ERIC, Medline, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, SocINDEX full-text, Communications and Mass Media Complete, and Science Direct. These databases can be accessed from any on-campus computer. Current students and faculty have off-campus access to the libraries’ online resources through their university login.

Summit Borrowing is available for students, faculty, and staff through the College Place or Portland campus. This service is made possible through membership in the Orbis Cascade Alliance. Summit Borrowing offers direct access to over 28 million items, including books, sound recordings, and films from academic libraries throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Requests for Summit items may be made directly online through Research Central. Materials may be picked-up at the Peterson Memorial Library or the Portland School of Nursing Library. Delivery time is typically five to seven business days. Presently, the Summit service is not available to the Billings, Montana MSW site.

Interlibrary Loan. For those items not available in the university’s collections or Summit, yet needed for either course work or faculty research, the university libraries offer an interlibrary loan service for resources available at other libraries within the United States. Requested materials generally arrive within two weeks. Students on all campuses may utilize the interlibrary loan service.

Study Spaces. Study spaces are available on every campus. Peterson Memorial Library offers online room reservations, accessible through the library’s website, for a number of its study areas.

VETERANS BENEFITS

Walla Walla University is an approved training institution for veterans eligible for educational benefits. The required course load is seven hours per quarter in order to maintain eligibility to receive maximum benefits. If you have questions about veterans’ policies, please contact the Veterans Administration coordinator in the Academic Records Office (509) 527-2811.

Walla Walla University in accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679 subsection (e), adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. WWU will not prevent the student’s enrollment, assess a late penalty fee, require student to secure alternative or additional funding, deny access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills.

ACADEMIC FACILITIES 

Marine Laboratory. Walla Walla University owns and operates the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, adjoining Deception Pass State Park, and Anacortes, Washington. This facility occupies 40 acres of beach and timberland, and includes three laboratory buildings, a cafeteria, assembly hall, shop, and 27 cabins for student and staff housing.

Rigby Hall. The facilities of the Department of Biological Sciences in Rigby Hall include staff and graduate student offices, classrooms, and teaching laboratories. Also available are controlled-environment chambers, radioisotope laboratory, animal house and greenhouse, photographic darkroom, woodshop, student lounge, and computer lab.

Smith Hall. Facilities of the School of Education and Psychology include offices for staff and graduate assistants, classrooms with Internet and campus network access, laboratories for testing, a curriculum library, and a student lounge. A child development center provides students with an opportunity to work with young children in a preschool setting. 

Kretschmar Hall and Chan Shun Pavilion. The facilities of Kretschmar Hall features numerous classrooms, labs, and offices including offices for the communication and languages, physics, math, and computer science departments. Two computer labs are located in Kretschmar Hall, open late for student use. The Chan Shun Pavilion is home to the School of Engineering. Here undergraduate students have access to equipment in engineering labs to gain valuable experience.

Winter Education Complex. (WEC) The Wilma Hepker School of Social Work and Sociology is located on the second floor of the Winter Educational Complex (WEC) on the main campus of Walla Walla University. These facilities include faculty offices, a student lounge, smart classrooms, as well as clinical testing rooms in which to observe practice skills. Together these amenities create a cutting edge teaching-learning environment.

Montana. The Wilma Hepker School of Social Work and Sociology maintains an additional campus in Billings, MT. The facility includes faculty offices, a student lounge, smart classrooms, library, and wireless internet throughout.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

To maintain a proper atmosphere for Christian growth and maturity, and to ensure that the rights of all students are respected, the University expects students to act as responsible citizens, abiding by local, state, and federal laws and to conduct themselves honorably. Although students of all religious persuasions are welcome, the University does expect students to live as members of a Christian community as detailed in the Student Handbook.

STUDENT APPEALS. Students have a right to appeal decisions and actions relating to their programs. Academic appeals should be directed to the Associate Vice President for Academic Administration or to the Graduate Dean (if a graduate student), social appeals to the Vice President for Student Life, and financial appeals to the Director of Student Financial Services. If satisfaction is not obtained, students may consult the Walla Walla University Grievance Policy.

Title IX Statement

Walla Walla University is committed to providing all individuals with an environment free of sex discrimination and sexual misconduct. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Tile 20 U.S.C. Section 1681 states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Walla Walla University prohibits all forms of sex discrimination and sexual misconduct, including but not limited to, sex-based intimidation and harassment, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual violence.

If you have been subject to or are aware of an instance of sex discrimination or sexual misconduct, you are highly encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator. The university has resources to offer and may be able to help.

For further information or to report an incident, contact the Title IX coordinator, at (509) 527-2259 or by email at TitleIX@wallawalla.edu. To view the complete Title IX policy, go to www.wallawalla.edu/title-ix.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (commonly referred to as FERPA, or the “Buckley Amendment,”) Walla Walla University has adopted the following policies and procedures to protect the privacy of education records. Students will be notified of their FERPA rights annually by publication in the Bulletin and on the WWU homepage.

DEFINITIONS. Walla Walla University uses the following definitions in this policy:

Student: any person who attends or has attended WWU.

Education records: any record maintained by the University which is directly related to a student, with the following exceptions:

Personal records kept by university employees which are in the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute;

Employment records unless the employment records are contingent on the fact that the employee is a student.

RIGHT OF THE UNIVERSITY TO REFUSE TO PROVIDE COPIES. Walla Walla University reserves the right to deny copies of transcripts or other records (not required to be made available under FERPA), if the student has an overdue financial obligation to the University or if there is an unresolved disciplinary or academic dishonesty action against the student.

DISCLOSURE OF EDUCATION RECORDS. Walla Walla University will disclose information from a student's education records only with the written consent of the student, except:
To school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records.
A school official is:

• A person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position
• A person elected to the Board of Trustees;
• A person employed by or under contract to the University to perform a special task, such as legal counsel or an auditor.
• A student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her task.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her task. Examples include:

• To perform a task that is specific in his or her job description or by a contract agreement
• To perform a task related to a student’s education
• To provide a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid
• To supply relevant information to officials of another school, upon request, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll
• To support certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, and state and local educational authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs
• To fulfill a student’s request for, or receipt of, financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount, or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid
• To accommodate a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974
• To enable organizations to conduct certain studies for, or on behalf, of the University
• To allow accrediting organizations to carry out their functions
• To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena
• To support appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency
• To provide an alleged victim of any crime of violence or sexual harassment offense of the results of any institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator with respect to that crime or offense

RECORD OF REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE. Walla Walla University will maintain a record of all requests for and/or disclosure of information from a student’s education records. The record will indicate the name of the party making the request, any additional party to whom it may be re-disclosed, and the legitimate interest the party had in requesting or obtaining the information. The record may be reviewed by the student.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION. Walla Walla University designates the following categories of student information as public or “Directory Information.” Such information may be disclosed by the institution at its discretion.

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email addresses
• Current enrollment status (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, full-time, part-time, or not enrolled)
• Dates of attendance
• Class standing
• Previous institution(s) attended
• Major field of study
• Awards and honors (including Dean's List)
• Degree(s) conferred (including dates)
• Visual images (photographs or videos)
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Height, weight, and hometown of athletic team members

In addition, WWU has designated date of birth as limited directory information; it may be used only as detailed below:

• Date of birth is only released to official agencies as required for matching student records (e.g., National Student Clearinghouse) or as positive identification of a student when furnished by a person making an inquiry.

Currently enrolled students may withhold the disclosure of Directory Information by going to Academic Permissions in myWWU. Directory Information will then be withheld indefinitely until the student unselects it online or the Academic Records Office receives in writing a revocation of the request for nondisclosure.

Walla Walla University will honor a request to withhold information listed but cannot assume responsibility to contact the student for subsequent permission to release the requested information. Regardless of the effect upon the student, the institution assumes no liability as a consequence of honoring instructions that directory information be withheld.

CORRECTION OF EDUCATION RECORDS. If students believe that any information contained in their education records is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights, they may request in writing that the office which contains those records amend them. Students should identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why they believe it is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights.

That office will reach a decision and inform students in a reasonable amount of time after receiving the request. If the records custodian refuses to amend the record, students have the right to a hearing. This hearing will be conducted by an appropriate committee appointed by the Academic Vice President of the University. The hearing will be held within a reasonable amount of time after the request for a hearing has been made. The hearing committee will notify the student, reasonably in advance, of the date, place, and time of the hearing.

Students will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issue raised. Students may be accompanied by one or more other persons. The committee will make its decision in writing based on the evidence presented at the hearing. The decision will include a summary of the evidence presented and the reasons for the decision.

If the hearing committee supports the complaint, the education record will be amended accordingly and students will be so informed. If the hearing committee decides not to amend the education record, students have the right to place in the education record a statement commenting on the challenged information and/or stating the reasons for disagreeing with the decision. This statement will be maintained as part of the education record as long as the contested portion is maintained, and whenever a copy of the education record is sent to any party, the student’s statement will be included.

Continued Enrollment Requirement

Graduate Students who have completed their program requirements, except for Thesis Research, Thesis, Capstone Research, field practice, or Professional Projects, will be automatically registered for GNRL 501 (master’s students) or GNRL 601 (doctoral students) Continued Enrollment each Fall, Winter, and Spring term for a maximum of three quarters. A course fee is assessed each quarter. A Continuing enrollment course may be dropped, and the full course fee refunded, if verification of the completion of all outstanding degree requirements is received in the records office before the last day to drop.

A Student who has not completed all outstanding degree requirements by the end of the third term of continuing enrollment will be discontinued from their program. The student must petition Graduate Council for readmission to the program. Should the student be readmitted, they will again be automatically enrolled in the appropriate continuing enrollment course until the completion of all outstanding degree requirements is verified.